My second night after the weather had cleared up
through it , I had to go . I straddled my board to get through the water , and the undercurrent was immense ; without it , there was no way I would survive this water .
After being spit out on the other side of St Catherine ’ s point , the adrenaline was pumping throughout my body , that was by far the most petrifying thing I had ever done on the water , and I felt so alive . This whole challenge had become such a bigger adventure than I had envisioned , and I was embracing every moment .
The easy ride was now over
From here , I headed to Bembridge with victory edging closer with each passing kilometre . When I came around Bembridge , the wind changed direction and hit me like a bag of bricks . The easy ride I had since Compton Bay was now over , and I was in for some challenging paddling to make Cowes and have a warm shower .
The closer I got to Cowes , the stronger the winds became , and I could feel myself getting wearier . I passed Ryde , having paddled 57km , and with 5km to go , I nearly had it in the bag , but the winds were defeated , and my window of opportunity closed as the tide had changed , meaning I was done for the day .
By now , I was hungry , tired , and emotional , and as I pulled my board out of the water , I was dealt a final blow . My fin and mount had vanished , I did think something wasn ’ t right with the board , but I put it down to the wind and tides .
So there I was , 5km short and on my first ever incomplete adventure . It was disheartening , but I achieved what I set out to do , to raise awareness
and money for charity and highlight the great work brands are doing to protect our environment .
As my on-land support vehicle was electric , it didn ’ t have enough power to come to my rescue I spent my final night on the beach . In a way this was a blessing because it gave me time to think and something adventure has taught me is that no matter what , always give your everything and until you have tried your best , only then can you take a step down .
Completing the challenge
I had one more option – to walk through the water with the board attached , and that is precisely what I did . I was not letting the Isle of Wight beat me , I was completing this challenge one way or another , and for 5km , I walked through chestdeep water , pulling my board behind and stubbing my toes on what felt like every rock in the Solent .
Five days from when I set off I have successfully completed the world ’ s first carbon neutral environmentally expedition and probably one of my proudest achievements . I learned a lot on this challenge , that it is possible to take a net-zero approach to life . There are so many great companies doing great things , but we as consumers are not aware of this , and it really doesn ’ t take much to make little changes to help protect our planet . With this said , all my challenges going forward are going to be net-zero ; in October , I fly to Iceland to attempt my 8th world record in their longest lake and to offset my footprint from the flight , I will be planting 100 trees within a prison also to help inspire growth , rehabilitation and connecting with nature .
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