PADDLER 60
8 . It rains midges in Scotland
Midges are the worst . On numerous occasions , they sucked all the joy out of a situation . There ’ s only so much that Smidge and a head net can do before one ’ s sense of humour inevitably fails .. I spent nights in my tent thinking it was raining outside , then realised it was midges trying to get in to suck our blood .
There ’ s one scene we filmed where we had the great privilege of going to a Sea Eagle nest to tag a chick – on film , it looks as though we ’ re amidst torrential rain – it ’ s not ; it ’ s swarms of midges . We filmed a section removing boat-fulls of rubbish from a remote island – we all had to spend the entire day in head nets for fear of getting eaten alive .
We constantly battled with wanting low winds for ease of paddling and strong winds to blow away the bitey little blighters . Once on the water , they disappeared – good enough reason to keep paddling !
9 . Everyone has a different way of connecting to the ocean
One of my favourite parts of this project was connecting with people around the coast . We met fishers , conservationists , surf therapists , kayakers , artists , scientists , children , and adults ; everyone had a unique connection to the sea , and it was a great privilege to discuss it with them for our films . They felt something about the ocean ’ s future and wanted to protect it . But even those who live miles from the sea still have a fundamental connection to it .
The ocean produces the oxygen in every second breath we breathe – it sustains all of our lives on this planet , and our actions reciprocally affect its ability to thrive . Our health and the health of our ocean are inextricably linked . So we all have a right , and a responsibility , to stand up for its protection .
10 . To know something is to love it
One of the most powerful moments of the whole project is shown in the final section of the last film . We take inner-city school children snorkelling for the first time in the protected waters off the Isle of Arran . I was nervous about it , hoping they would enjoy themselves and not just get freezing cold and hate the sea ! But their reactions to what they saw were even more profound than I had anticipated .
With the charity I founded , Seaful , we continue to enable children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the ocean and waterways through SUP , snorkelling , surfing , and rock pooling … and every time we take a group out , I feel reinvigorated by just how powerful finding a connection to the sea can be , how getting to know something can translate to loving it and caring about it .
Thanks so much for reading , and I hope you enjoy watching the series we made about the expedition ! Scotland Ocean Nation will be available to stream for free on STV Player from 1 April .