ThePADDLER 126
I was over halfway and from now on I hoped that I
could increase my daily distance and be more
consistent with the distances I was achieving. The
new rule from this point was; no rest days, no bad
weather days, no excuses. I had taken two days off in
17 days up to this point and no more were allowed.
I checked the forecast and the weather was coming,
strong south westerly winds and rain were imminent.
For the next couple of days the weather was ok and I
had some lovely tail winds. The south westerly winds
were well and truly here and their assistance was
appreciated. I had pushed hard and paddled in some
big water and headwinds to get around the south west
tip and I was tired. The winds behind me helped me to
back off on the power and re-coup some energy.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL
This paddling is not just about physical and body, it’s
about a mental state and mental strength. Imagine
making a goal to get to a headland 10 or 15 miles
away; you can only really paddle straight to it
because if you went around the bay it would waste
energy and add distance. So you make it to the
headland and you can’t land because it’s bumpy,
you’re relieved to get there but you paddle around it
and look ahead at another headland ten miles away
and that becomes the new goal. That scenario could
happen five or more times a day. Spending that much
time in open water by myself was the biggest
challenge. If the water was bumpy that would help to
keep me engaged and sometimes the dolphins and
porpoises would come to see me. I was happy to get
to camp in the evenings and maybe meet people.
Some people love their own company and sea
kayaking does attract and appeal to folk who struggle
in social situations and want to spend time on their
own. For me it’s a bit of both, I do want to escape but I
struggle with myself after long periods on my own.
This was a circumnavigation of Ireland but really this
was an endurance test and ultra marathon. An island
and headland hopping epic.
On the south coast of Ireland there are more fishing
buoys creating way points helping to chunk the big
crossings, breaking them down into smaller sections.