lifeboat station is on the horizon, followed by the
even more welcome sight of one of our friends
Stuart sitting on the beach. This is a stroke of
luck and the promise of a lift back to Freshwater,
and more importantly an immediate reunion
with my sandwiches and flask of tea that were
left in my car, is a great feeling.
Striking a chord
So we’re back tired and happy. Later that
afternoon we did the thing we all do these days:
we shared a few pics on social media and
generally basked in the glow you get when a
few likes and comments pop up. However, over
the next few days I noticed something else. This
trip had really caught people’s imagination. I’ve
had more people actually talk to me in the real
world about this journey than anything else I’ve
ever posted online. It seemed to have struck a
chord with those who wanted to do the same
thing and wondered if it was possible.
As well as the general sense of freedom of the
sea you get from paddle boarding there is the
added factor of The Needles and its lighthouse.
It has a sort of magnetic fascination that people
are drawn to. We live on this island and The
Needles are the iconic landmark by which a lot
of the world knows us; it’s a part of countless
Isle of Wight logos, and is probably featured in
more tourist brochures and newspaper articles
than any other aspect of the island.
15
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