Black Sea
The principles of a successful expedition
are the same regardless: get from the
start point to the finish. What could go
wrong? Well, granted there were many
things that could go wrong, and there was
a good chance I would not make it to the
finish, but what a wonderful experience it
would be just giving it a try!
English coastline
The whole section along the English
coastline was stunning, and the weather
could not have been better. Curious seals
were a common feature, and even a tiny
shark that swam alongside as I filmed it
underwater with my GoPro. The tides
mostly carried me easily along, but
desperation for miles saw me paddling
furiously for all the extra hours when
resting may have been more prudent.
Leaving London was a mission in itself, and
one of the two parts of the trip that needed
strict controls, along with the Channel
crossing. There had been risk assessments
and passage plans, and a support boat, all
provided thanks to Active360 and the
London Kayaking Company. Support SUP
comrades were with me until Gravesend.
Leaving the Thames Estuary was epic. A slow
day and time lost in Sandbanks had me
paddling without a fin out in the shipping
channel, then walking in to the Isle of Grain
at 2am along the shallows of sand and mud,
utterly exhausted yet invigorated by the
aloneness, the challenge and the calm night.
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I would sit-out the strongest of the
incoming tides, resting on beaches and
eating lunch, charging my Kindle and
camera with the sun. One break was spent
on a small sand island south of Ramsgate,
just me, my board and a seal, surrounded
by calm water and beneath a glorious sun
and blue skies. The paddling was as easy as
I could make it, but I paddled long, from
around 10am until sunset, resting out the
worst of the tide.
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It was a frustrating week and a half waiting
in Folkestone for conditions to be right for
the Channel crossing, and the delays would
have a knock-on effect that threatened the
whole expedition. When I eventually
crossed, with fellow paddle boarder and
friend Michelle, the conditions were better
than anything I had had along the coast.
The French forbid paddling in their section
of shipping lane, which was a necessary
frustration, but we were content to have
paddled what we were permitted. Dolphins
greeted us to the new coast. Alone once
more I headed north to Calais, past so
many SUPers out enjoying the surf.
Calais Canal
Half a day was lost hauling the board and all
my gear from the beach to the Calais Canal,
but once there I could paddle as early and
late as I liked, now 12-14 hours a day to
compensate for the delays. It was not enough
though. Portaging around paddler-unfriendly