The Expedition Journals

Whenever I venture out in one of my sea kayaks, I complete a hand written logbook with details of the voyage. There is something very special about reading back through the journal on a dark winter evening, and recalling the adventures. In this blog post, I thought I would do the same with a pictorial log of some of my waterborne adventures of 2022. These paddles were all undertaken from my home port of Bembridge Harbour, and they ranged in length from 15 to 50 kilometres.  The trend if for blue skies and calm seas – that wasn't always the case on my sea kayak outings, but it does lend itself to a steadier hand and a better photo; there were plenty of rough and salt spray soaked days on the water as well, they just didn't make this photo blog... Luccombe Bay – March 2022 Luccombe Bay – March 2022 The Witterings (UK Mainland) – May 2022 Shanklin Bay – June 2022 Osbourne Bay – August 2022 Priory Bay – September 2022 Bembridge Low Tide – October 2022

Kayaking has been a passion of mine since I was a child—I spent many great summer evenings messing about in boats with the Sea Scouts. Then, after a time away dedicated to other outdoor pursuits such as rowing, sailing and (of course) cycling, in 2018 my kayaking was rekindled. A Valley Etain 17.5 RM was my first expedition level sea kayak, and the boat I used for the Round The Island Kayak marathon back in 2019; a 92-kilometre non-stop paddle around the Isle of Wight to raise funds for a local children's cancer charity. The lockdowns of 2020 saw me reaching for the paddle on a more regular basis, as I looked to add as much diversity to my life through varied outdoor sports. Honing my paddling skills during this period, combine with great memories of the 2019 Round The Island paddle got me thinking about the next sea kayaking challenge that might be on the horizon. Kayak racing has never really been on the agenda for me, but I have always enjoyed seeing how far and how fast...

The above photo was taken on the #KayakRTI —if you look closely, you will see a drogue net streaming out behind the support boat—a side project to the 90 kilometre sea kayaking challenge was to gain a greater understanding of the pollution in the waters around the Isle of Wight; as well as create content that promoted a 'zero waste' attitude to outdoor adventure and life. We went fishing for plastic… The sea pollution sampling project on the Round the Isle of Wight Kayak was the start of a notable change in my personal mentality towards waste and recycling. I have long been an advocate of recycling and reusing materials, and making the sustainable choice; but researching and then seeing the extent of pollution in my local waters, and knowing also of the level of roadside and landfill waste, motivated a conscious personal decision to adopt a 'Zero Waste' mentality to expeditions and life in general. Zero Waste for me, means minimising wherever and whenever possib...

It began at 04:30. The low morning light rising on the calm waters of Bembridge Harbour. Sat eating a bowl of porridge the size of Jupiter, I have a thousand thoughts running through my mind: did I check that? did I charge that? what if…? The arrival of my support boat crew — two lifelong friends that will accompany my parents aboard the escort yacht, snaps me back to reality. I finish my pint sized mug of coffee, and crack on. 06:00 and the boat is in the water. I position myself into the tiny seat that I have modified to try and make comfortable for what will be a minimum of twelve hours seated in this little capsule — that in itself is a challenge, for someone that is normally jumping in and out of a saddle, or climbing up mountains. Sealed in. Watch started. I paddle quietly out of the harbour. My route from Bembridge cuts close inshore, around the lifeboat station and over the ledge. Despite being high water, there is no way the support boat can follow me here; they nee...

Last November, I rekindled a past passion of mine—sea kayaking. I purchased a 17.5 foot expedition level sea kayak and began paddling; reacquainting myself with the freedom of skimming along the surface of the water, using just your own willpower and strength for propulsion. There was one objective, one thought, which lay in the back of my mind from the moment the first paddle stroke cut through the water… how far can I go ? Much as my bike expeditions have previously taken me over many new horizons, I wanted to see where this new horizon would lead. I set myself an objective… to kayak non-stop around the Isle of Wight during the summer of 2019. I have cycled and sailed round the Island more times than I can count, but the 95 kilometre route by kayak would be a whole new challenge, and the first of many new all-day horizon explorations. I began training in the depths of winter; layered up like an onion, using a rag-tag bunch of cycling kit and sailing kit to try and provide pr...