Midlifekayak

On 29th April 2012, Geoff Cater, Mike Greenslade and myself will set off in our kayaks from Tatums Beach, Portscatho on the Cornish south coast.  We’ll turn right at the harbour wall and with some hard paddling, some reasonable weather and a lot of luck, we’ll appear again on the horizon just beside the impressive Gull Rock that dominates the view across Gerrans Bay some 100 or so days later.

In Geoff and Mike the team has an ex-fireman and an ex-soldier so incident management, risk assessment, first aid, navigation and survival skills are all accounted for…..and in me , a management consultant, well….   I’d like to think I am a perfect compliment to their practical skills (ahem). Well if the team needs a plan, a strategy or a spreadsheet – I’m the man.  I am sure my business planning and change management skills will come in handy as we round Cape Wrath.

All very keen sea kayakers we met on a course with Simon Osborne, Sea Kayaking Cornwall, on the Isles of Scilly in April 2011.  But this is a mighty challenge for the three of us. The journey has been completed by some very talented kayakers with impressive pedigrees.  It as also defeated some equally talented kayakers and we are under no illusions about how tough a physical and mental challenge this will be.  Particularly given the fact that we aren’t exactly spring chickens any more.  If the paddling doesn’t get to us the sleeping out in the open for most of the 100 nights will!  I am delighted to say though that Simon is offering us the benefit of his experience to help us prepare.

We are hoping to raise some money for our favourite charities along the way and more about these later

We are aiming to complete the 2,500 miles around the mainland in by paddling an average of 25 miles per day.  If the weather and tides are kind we’ll look to complete 30 – 35 miles to make up for the inevitable days stranded in tents waiting for the conditions to improve.  Mike may have to leave us after around a third of the distance to go back to his job but we are hoping he can stay with us the whole way – or at least join us for a few weekends in the final weeks.

No final decisions made yet on equipment choices but we are currently using the Nigel Dennis built Explorer to train in – they have proved their expedition credentials over the last 20 years or so.

Tanya, Sue and Caroline – our respective partners – have been wonderfully supportive.  In fact so supportive the three of us are wondering what they have planned while we are away! They may join us in a camper van for some of the trip, but primarily we are preparing to be unsupported most of the way around.  We are hoping though that friends, family and fellow paddlers will want to come along and join us along the way, either for a paddle or a beer or two – particularly when we are shore bound by the weather.

This will be an expedition with a bit of a difference however, as we will be joined at strategically important locations by my good friend Neil Davey, a freelance writer who covers film, games and travel reviews, and critically restaurants and bars (hence the ‘strategically important locations’ comment).  He writes for the Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, MSN, SAGA, The Daily Mail, Hello and many more.  Neil is going to help us make a record of the expedition, ensuring our website is vaguely interesting (there is only so many paddling stories and videos most people can stand) and he’ll be joining us to interview some extraordinary people we meet along the way who work with or are supported by some of the charities we are raising money for.  Of course these interviews will have to take place in good bars or restaurants as we top up on the carbs.

We have 8 months to prepare and I will be keeping this blog up to date with our progress and at some point before Christmas we’ll have a dedicated website also.

In the meantime perhaps the toughest question facing is us is just what sort of beard should we be trying to grow on the way round….any views?