The Paddler ezine Issue 51 Winter 2020 | Page 126

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.