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Archive for April, 2012

Short video of a draughty day at Portscatho! Hope it calms down for the start of our paddle tomorrow. The HomeSeaHome team of Natalie and Michal return to their camping. We’ll see them again tomorrow.

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Natalie and Michal from the HomeSeaHome Round Britain Expedition dropped by Portscatho today and as the weather was so bad it was a eat as much as you can, recharge the batteries and wash the clothes day. Natalie and Michal have made great progress so far in some pretty awful conditions. You can follow their progress at http://www.homeseahome.com

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So, only two days to go … and I cannot wait!  Probably not the reaction you’d expect from a loving and supportive wife, but this might help clarify things:

  • the guest room will revert back to being to a guest room and will no longer be a kit and exercise room
  • no more packages to sign for – the constant doorbell-ringing also makes George bark, incessantly
  • no more hearing him whinge about niggles, old and new
  • no more wondering what all the grunting and groaning is coming from the garden and the shed – fortunately its just him huffing and puffing while exercising
  • no more ‘would you help me carry the kayak through the cottage’ – bearing in mind the kayak is almost 18ft long, always drips water and sand, and is not the most manoeuvrable of things
  • I will become top dog

I could carry on, but I won’t.  It is all of these things (and more) which, actually, will make me miss him so much.  Even writing this makes me tearful (get a grip TB), but I am so proud of Andy.  This trip has been months in the planning, and he has been training religiously to make himself as strong and as fit as he can be.  It is important for him that his body doesn’t let him down, and he also won’t want to let Geoff and Mike down – and not to mention everyone who is supporting them and of course the charities they are hoping to raise lots of £’s for.  I’m not too worried about the actual paddling, it’s the other stuff that wakes me up at night, like, will he get a good night’s sleep;  will he stay injury-free;  will the weather be kind to them;  and I hope no-one steals the kayak!

I cannot wait for the day I see him appear from around Nare Head – I’ll be the one on Tatums Beach in floods of tears and popping open the champagne.  I’m sure this trip will be a life-changing experience, I’m just hoping it doesn’t make him want to do it again – his Mum won’t be happy!  But then again, at least I’ll know what to expect.

Good luck honey.  Be safe, be strong, but most of all, have fun.  Love you, xxx

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A big thank you to MooD International who have just made a very generous donation to our charities.  MooD International are Mike Greenslade’s employer and have already donated in a sense by allowing Mike to have the time away from work to take part in this expedition.  The GB360 Team are all very grateful for this latest contribution to our sponsorship.

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Well, a year in the planning so what’s an extra couple of days?  Sadly the forecast for Sunday is looking pretty awful – Force 7 (gusting gale Force 8), so we’ve made the call to delay setting off till Tuesday 1st May.  Really sorry if you had hoped to join us down on Tatums Beach to say cheerio on Sunday but we hope you can still pop down on Tuesday.  We’ll be there from 11.15 am and will be heading off around midday.

Andy, Geoff, Mike

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Tanya and I spent last Saturday with family and friends at a surprise farewell gathering in Rowledge Village Hall in Surrey – where my folks and sister and her family live.  So much laughter and fun (as you’ll see in the photos), amazing food and fantastic company – a perfect way to say cheerio.  When I’m having a tough day out on the water, I’ll remember that afternoon and everyone’s good luck messages. Thank you so much for a fabulous send off!

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The GB360 Team are thrilled to say that donations to our charitable causes have now reached over £5,000 – and we haven’t even set off yet!  Thank you to all of you for your generosity.

Just a reminder that all of the money that you donate goes direct to the charities. The costs of the expedition itself are being met by the three of us, with some generous support of gear and food from a number of organisations – visit our Friends and Supporters page for details.

If you haven’t sponsored us yet, and want to, then click on the link on the right. We are supporting five very worthy causes and whatever you can give will make a big difference – thank you!

Andy, Geoff and Mike

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You may remember that “Look what we found!”, the environment and local farmer friendly food company, very generously agreed to provide us with some of their fantastic ready meals for our 2,500 miles around Britain.

Mike, Geoff and I liked them so much we’ve made them the staple diet for our expedition – that along with porridge and chocolate!  We now have 120 ready meals waiting to be boxed up and sent to strategic points around the coast to top up our supplies on the way round.

However, this week we decided to try out a selection of the meals on perhaps the most discerning of palates – that of Freya ‘Egon Ronay’ Poppy, my six-year-old god-daughter who knows what she likes, AND what she doesn’t.

Freya "Egon Ronay" Poppy with her meatballs

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Just four weeks to go before we head off and the last bits of kit have arrived.  Yesterday I spent the day stuffing all the gear into dry bags and figuring out the best way to pack the kayak.  It reminded me of trying to complete one of those puzzles you sometimes get in Christmas crackers – where you have a plastic frame with 14 numbers that can slide around but only one space free.

"My shoes wouldn't even fit in here!"

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