On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Keith Breslauer, managing director at Patron Capital, the pan-European firm, and vice patron of The Royal Marines Charity (RMA) has completed an 87.5 nautical mile paddle across the English Channel alongside 19 serving and veteran Royal Marines to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Commemorating the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord, the RMA Paddle Group, which is formed of veteran and serving commandos from across the Royal Navy, the Army, and the Royal Air Force, joined by Breslauer and veterans rehabilitated by the Hasler Naval Service Recovery Centre, departed the Royal Marines Yomper at Eastney, Portsmouth in two-man Klepper folding kayaks on 3 June for Port-en-Bessin.
The group faced some challenges along the way: a landing craft had to tow one of the support boats, which broke down, making logistics that bit harder.
However, the group was still able to begin a littoral paddle of the Allied landing beaches, beginning with the US sectors, Utah and Omaha on Wednesday, and culminating with the British and Canadian sectors, Gold, Juno and Sword, on Thursday, where the Paddle Group will join the reenactment of the landings at Sword Beach with 47 Commando on the D-Day anniversary itself.
