A whale of a story

Koko on the way to Trois-Rivieres. ©Courtoisie

The follow-up to the article “A journey home” which appeared in our August’ 2021 issue

 

“Though she be but little she is fierce.” Shakespeare’s well-known line from A Midsummer Night’s Dream captures the grit and determination of Koko Lee, a young girl from Mont-Tremblant with fire in her soul and grace in her heart.

Swimming against the current

An expert swimmer, avid sailor, and nature lover, Koko was deeply moved by the mysterious death of a young humpback whale in the spring of 2020. After swimming up the Saint Lawrence River into the Old Port of Montreal, the young whale was well outside its natural habitat of the Baie of Tadoussac when it died.

Koko was moved to find a way to return the young whale’s spirit home. At the same time, she wished to bring attention to the plight of whales who needlessly die from net entanglements and manmade pollution.

Koko in front of the basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Quebec City. ©Courtoisie

Working with her parents, Koko mapped out a plan. At times sailing in her small Optimist dinghy, and at other times pedalling on her bike, Koko retraced the route the whale had swum, with nothing to power her but the wind, her strength and her courage.

Koko’s swim coach Loredana Horvat admires her young student: “The course would be daunting for an adult athlete, let alone an eleven-year-old.” Despite the difficulty of the challenge, after almost a year of preparation and training, Koko embarked on a whale of an adventure in August.

The journey home

The expedition began with a 154-kilometre bike ride from Mont-Tremblant to Montreal. Her mother, father and two brothers accompanied Koko. Sometimes leading, sometimes following, always cheering.

After two days of biking, Koko launched her dinghy and sailed 250 kilometres down the Saint Lawrence River from Parc de la Promenade-Bellerive to Quebec City. The spirit of the young whale kept Koko company as she sailed solo day after day. Complete strangers became friends as folks along the river provided a place to shelter and recover while Koko pushed relentlessly forward against all odds.

Up next was a 220-kilometre bike ride from Quebec City to Tadoussac. Koko’s mother recalls the bells at Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré when they pedalled past as the clock struck noon. Brutal hills awaited Koko 30 kilometres later, and her father then took on the role of course guide.

Three more days of biking, and the end was near. Perfect weather greeted the final launch of Koko’s dinghy as she sailed from Baie-Sainte-Catherine to the Baie of Taddousac.

While her parents shared the course to guide her, no one shared Koko’s load. With every pedal stroke of her bike, and every whisper of wind she fought for on the water, she was on her own… just like the whale whose spirit she returned to its home.

A journey of sixteen days. A promise fulfilled.

Making a pledge

This is just the beginning. Koko and her family are committed to bringing attention to the precarious plight of the whale. “Saving whales is more that the right thing to do,” Koko relates, “because whales are a tremendous ally in fighting climate change.”

Scientific research has provided evidence that, on average, every whale helps remove as much carbon from our atmosphere as do 30,000 trees. The ocean’s microscopic plants which feed on the excrement of whales consume nearly one-third of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and release at least fifty percent of the oxygen on earth.

Quite literally, whales help provide us with the air we breathe. Koko tells us that, “it is a necessity that we provide whales with clean and net-free water to swim in.”

Koko continues: “Changing how we treat our environment will be much harder than my challenge this summer. But just like my journey to take the spirit of the whale home, it is possible, one step at a time.”

 

More from this author by clicking on her photo below.

Cathy Bergman

 

Cathy Bergman137 Posts

Cathy Bergman est devenue athlète de façon inopinée à un âge relativement avancé. Elle nous montre qu’il n'est jamais trop tard pour retrouver la santé et la forme. Cathy Bergman is an accidental athlete who found health and fitness late in life. She shows us that is never too late to get healthy and fit.

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