by Martin Jefferies

A Broadstairs surf instructor will need all his paddle power on
a gruelling cross-Channel challenge.

Dave Melmoth, who works at Joss Bay Surf School, is one of five people aiming to paddle 26 miles between Dover and northern France.

The adventurous surfers hope to raise £5,000 for Surf Relief UK, which helps disabled children take to the water at resorts across the country.

The charity was set up after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 to
co-ordinate British surfers' response to the disaster.

Dave said: "I've been training by doing some endurance paddles
from the surf school to Broadstairs or Ramsgate and back, but this
will definitely be the furthest I've travelled on the board.

"We will be timing our departure carefully so there shouldn't be
too much well in the Channel.

"The main problems will be cramp and muscle pain. I'll be lying
flat on the board and putting pressure on my back and shoulders, so
I may have to sit up and stretch a couple of times."

The 12ft Bennett paddle boards the team will use are much longer
and lighter than those normally used on beaches around Thanet.

The paddlers plan to leave Shakespeare Beach, Dover, on Monday,
September 27, and they hope to arrive in France after around seven
hours on the water.

To sponsor Dave and the team, click here. Donations can also be made at Joss Bay Surf School, off Joss Gap Road, North Foreland.