PADDLER 45
Katie on her first ever paddle in a sea kayak in Palamós , Costa Brava , Spain .
A chat with …
KATIE CARR
My name is Katie Carr ; I ’ m 45 and live in Barcelona . I ’ m in Paddler magazine because I ’ ve written a book about my brother Toby ’ s adventures around the Shipping Forecast in a sea kayak , ‘ Moderate Becoming Good Later ’. Toby and my other brother Marcus were born with a genetic illness , Fanconi Anaemia and knew from a young age that they would be lucky to reach 30 . Neither of them made a big thing about this , and the chances are if you met Toby paddling , you would know nothing about the challenges his illness threw at him . He just got on with things and enjoyed life . Fanconi Anaemia eventually caught up with both brothers : Marcus died in 2017 and Toby in 2022 . Between those two years , I had my two boys and was thrown into the unfamiliar territory of parenting , and Toby set himself the challenge of kayaking in all areas of the shipping forecast . He hoped it could help him deal with Marcus ’ s loss and inspire others to get outside and challenge themselves despite their limitations .
PADDLER 45
Katie on her first ever paddle in a sea kayak in Palamós , Costa Brava , Spain .