>Part of the lead up to the event has been primitive fire->starting with hand- and bow-drill. I struggle with both so we >will see. I do have time to work on my technique.

Can anyone here actually do this? I notice Ray Mears had to show another survival expert how to do this in one show as the other chap had never managed it.
I get the feeling it's a lot tougher than people think.
And Ray is VERY good with his hands; half the shows end up more 'woodworking with Ray' than survival.
The Sock