Official press release from The Long Paddle
Former Devon school teacher becomes first to stand up paddleboard ( SUP ) around mainland Britain . Brendon Prince , 48 , has crossed the finish line at the end of his circumnavigation of mainland Britain on a SUP after 141 days , becoming the first person to complete this epic feat . To claim four world records ( two of which are world firsts ), Brendon started his epic adventure on April 27th from Torquay and headed clockwise around Britain . He battled the UK ’ s unpredictable summer weather , busy shipping lanes and treacherous tidal flows in the world record attempt and has now completed what many before him failed to do .
Brendon took on this mammoth challenge all in aid of water safety . As an off-duty lifeguard , Brendon took part in a rescue attempt at Morgan Porth Beach , where the sad downing of three holidaymakers changed his life . From that day onwards , he has made it his life ’ s mission to teach drowning prevention , going on to found the charity ‘ Above Water ’. In completing this world-first , Brendon aims to raise £ 200,000 to develop the world ’ s first gamified water safety app free for all schools .
In Brendon ’ s 141-day challenge , there were only 22 days when he did not paddle due to the weather conditions .
A father of three , Brendon says leaving his wife and children at home during this challenge has , “ Been so , so tough , but they have been such a huge support in this journey the whole way through .”
Being a father and a lifeguard , Brendon knows firsthand the importance of teaching children water safety . He hopes that schools will be better equipped to educate children on how to use the sea and inland waterways more safely in developing this app .
The challenges Brendon faced during his SUP adventure were numerous , and paddling from beach to beach with no boat support meant that he faced the perils of making it into shore after each gruelling day too . Brendon ’ s longest distance in a single day was 76km , and his shortest was 2km having to navigate the tidal flow around the UK coastline to aid him in his journey .
“ I am so pleased to have completed what many before me have attempted . Without those pathfinders , though , this would not have been possible . I am also incredibly thankful for the support from my family , support crew , friends and the whole Long Paddle family who have followed my journey the whole way ,” said Brendon .
Brendon paddled for 141 days to complete the 4000km ( official mileage to be confirmed in the coming days ) circumnavigation of mainland Britain .
ARBON