30/05/2004 00:00
TW
0
Staff Reporter TWO Majorcans, Pep Lluís Seguí and Pedro Bordoy, are going to Tarragona on the Peninsula the hard way - by canoe. They set off yesterday morning at around 9am and expect to arrive between 10am and 1pm today, having spent between 25 to 30 hours rowing non-stop. They will be accompanied by a support vessel and their objective is to raise funds for the Spanish Association for the Fight Against Cancer. This is the riskiest event undertaken by the two men, who have paddled their way around the five Balearic Islands. Seguí, 45, used to be goalkeeper for the Third Division teams of Calvia, Sporting Mahones and Andraitx. Before setting off yesterday, he said that they would be aiming at a speed of 8.5 kilometres per hour and would take a five minute break every five or six hours to eat and stretch.






He added that it wasn't a good idea to rest for too long a period, as they had found out during their training. It only makes them more tired, he said.
The hardest time will be at night, when the temperature drops.
Both he and Bordoy, who is 35, have been training for seven months.
Training stings include Mahon to Ciutadela, 62.55 kilometres, and Porto Cristo to Cala Nova, 100 kilometres.
They will be wearing lycra shirts, life jackets, caps and a lot of sun barrier cream during the day, and thermal clothing and vaseline to combat the cold during the night.

They will also have a bottle of an isotonic drink attached to their life jackets, so that they can drink without rowing. The support ship will supply them with food.

The Cancer Association will open a bank account where sponsors can deposit donations for each kilometre covered (the entire distance is more than 130 kilometres).

A doctor and a television cameraman are travelling on the support ship.