Vulnerable
I challenged my followers to go the summer without buying a plastic water bottle and instead to use a refillable bottle, saving money and reducing plastic pollution at the same time
I set off from Wembury, with a great sendoff from my fellow Surfers Against Sewage regional reps, full of energy, enthusiasm and sandwiches, for the first leg across Plymouth Sound to Cawsand. It was just a short six mile stretch, and initially it was lovely gentle paddling. In fact, I remember my buddy saying to me,“ Cal, I think this is going to be easier than we thought.” How wrong he was...
The wind picked up out of the shelter of the bay and so ensued 20 days of headwinds, overhead swell, fog, rain, and about three days in total that I would have actually chosen to go paddle boarding. And I wouldn’ t change any of it. our absolute determination. There were constant decisions to be made; cut the bay and save three miles paddling, or paddle into the bay and it take twice as long but be much safer; attempt to paddle 12-foot boards with kit on the front through five foot waves, or sit out and get a cream tea; surreptitiously eat the last piece of flapjack before my buddy turns round and sees me, or paddle over and share it.
Because the paddle was being used as a vehicle to deliver a message, and to engage as many people as possible, we had organised community beach cleans along the way – which meant that we had a schedule to stick to. This was one of the toughest aspects of the paddle, as we couldn’ t just amble along in our own time. It made the unseasonably strong headwinds and swell even more inconvenient.
Vulnerable
I learnt an incredible amount while in the water, about tides, swell, wind, headlands, how to paddle, how to catch mackerel and not your own fingers and, perhaps most importantly, how vulnerable you are on a paddle board in the ocean. I strongly believed that I could do anything I put my mind to. Mother Nature had other ideas and I found this out the hard way on more than one occasion while trying to paddle into headwinds, against the tide and around headlands.
I challenged my followers to go the summer without buying a plastic water bottle and instead to use a refillable bottle, saving money and reducing plastic pollution at the same time
I remember well the moment of realisation that my body was unable to perform to my mind’ s expectations, and how terrifying this was when the other eventuality was being smashed by six foot waves into sheer cliffs. Fortunately I got into our destination unscathed on that occasion, but it has certainly filled me with respect for the ocean and its immense power. This was incredibly humbling and drove home the truth of the matter, which is that you cannot fight the conditions on a paddle board, however much you grit your teeth and scream.
We were hoping to paddle 20 miles a day, which varied in time taken from eight to 12 hours. One day we paddled three miles in four hours before giving up for the day, sweaty, exhausted and frustrated. We simply couldn’ t fight the winds, despite
35 s t a n d u p p a d d l e m a g u k