Circumnavigation of Britain 2012 - attempts

[MYSSAK]

Prior to our trip we did some research and found a number of teams that are working towards circumnavigation of the UK. As we thing it might be interesting to follow their progress we decided to make a list of those who we manage to google.

http://midlifekayak.wordpress.com/ Geoff Cater, Mike Greenslade and Andy Mullins
http://kayakaroundtheuk.blogspot.com/ Paul Barrett and Eurion Brown
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=127051513994790&v=info Richard Hunt
http://www.martinkayaking.co.uk/ Martin ?

and us two of course
http://homeseahome.com Natalie Maderova and Michal Madera

Are we missing anyone?

[PSK]

Joe Leach
Derek Wade (?)
And I believe Barry Bramley & Rowland Woollven will be resuming their ongoing attempt.

Should have more details on the PSK site soon...

JW

[Mark R]

I might pick up my ongoing circumnavigation too! Unlikely to find time to finish it though. Last time I looked, I had 600 miles left.

[MikeG]

Looks like its going to be busy out there! Be great to meet up with some of you out on the water or before to compare notes. Best of luck to you all.

Mike Greenslade (www.midlifekayak.co.uk)

[PSK]

The 'Martin?' might be Martin Lee I think.

'Only' 600 miles to go, then surely you are on the home straight now Mark?

[Mark R]

'Only' 600 miles to go, then surely you are on the home straight now Mark?

At current rate, it will take me until 2099! I can only do long sections in August (school hols), and the weather always turns nasty on me. I always told myself I'd complete it by my 40th (I'm now 41) but keep taking time out to write books, go on WW expeditions, explore Shetland etc etc. Now it so happens that I'm going to be a daddy, so maybe I'll never complete it...

1997 - I bought a sea boat and did the SW from Bournemouth to North Devon, my first independent trip!

1999 - I went from North Devon to the Gower, trip aborted early due to dire weather.

2005(?) - Having got back into sea paddling, I went around Wales and up the Irish Sea, memorably spending five days stuck on a golf course in Lancashire - http://southwestseakayaking.co.uk/2008/01/09/ennui/

2008 - I went from Cumbria to John O'Groats. After things went well early on, I'd actually secretly planned to go to the top of Shetland, but then persistent crap weather kicked in. Great trip though - http://southwestseakayaking.co.uk/2009/ ... orth-west/

2009 - Almost finished Scotland, shocking weather meant that this was a really frustrating trip - http://southwestseakayaking.co.uk/2009/ ... is-east-2/ http://southwestseakayaking.co.uk/2009/ ... ed-nearly/


Just the east and south-east of England left (and a bay in Wales, long story).

[Chris Bolton]

memorably spending five days stuck on a golf course in Lancashire

At the time, I read your blog and thought your situation seemed pretty desperate ... but now I've read Freya's blog.

Chris

[PSK]

Now it so happens that I'm going to be a daddy

Congratulations!

[JP9]

Congratulations to both of you.
All the best

[Paul Barrett]

The best of luck to all involved

Paul

[Summit to Sea]

Now it so happens that I'm going to be a daddy, so maybe I'll never complete it...

Congratulations! Maybe your offspring will accompany you to finish it?

[Mark R]

http://southwestseakayaking.co.uk/2012/ ... heumatoid/

[Sprucey]

Michal & Natalie of Tower Hamlets Canoe Club set off from the Thames 2 weeks ago and are going clockwise.

Last night they arrived at Sandy Point on Hayling Island and came and stayed at ours for the evening. Today they paddled through the Solent and are now at Hurst.

Their website is here and they are using a Spot Tracker which seems to be working well.

http://homeseahome.com/

Sprucey

[JP9]

Michal & Natalie of Tower Hamlets Canoe Club set off from the Thames 2 weeks ago and are going clockwise.

Last night they arrived at Sandy Point on Hayling Island and came and stayed at ours for the evening. Today they paddled through the Solent and are now at Hurst.

Their website is here and they are using a Spot Tracker which seems to be working well.

http://homeseahome.com/

Sprucey

Hi Sprucey,
Great to see that some people are making sure they have an enjoyable and memorable circumnavigation of mainland Britain.
Despite poor weather. I just hope that the weather improves so they can enjoy this beautiful part of Britain.
All the best,
Jean- Pierre

[derek wade]

From Derek Wade..Regrettably my attempt wont be this year.Had eighteen months physio for a "frozen shoulder".Only to find that no progress was being made and finally sent for a scan which revealed torn ligaments.So much for the medical professions diagnosis.Anyway we are getting there albeit slowly.I have discovered that the two weakest ligaments in the body are achilles heel injury,and youve guessed it ...the shoulder.So mind how you go out there.Next year God willing.

[scotty]

I saw a tent and at least one kayak on hurste spit this morning when I was of to christchurch,I was about 800meters away so couldn't see much but looking at thier tracker it looks like they were there.
Good luck to all.

[Mark R]

I saw a tent and at least one kayak on hurste spit this morning when I was of to christchurch,I was about 800meters away so couldn't see much but looking at thier tracker it looks like they were there.
Good luck to all.

That was indeed Michal and Natalie. They are now here in Purbeck.

[Mark R]

The Maderas leaving Bournemouth yesterday (via the surfcam!)



...and pondering the crappy forecast at Kimmeridge, just now...



www.homeseahome.com
https://www.facebook.com/homeSEAhome

[JP9]

Hi Mark,
Great photos, Can I please use the photo of Natalie and Michal at Kimmeridge for home sea home website.
All the best,
Jean- Pierre

[Mark R]

Of course. Will post more in due course.

[Mark R]

More here...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... d9955334ff

[Jim]

John left on Friday in a blaze of silence, first I even knew he had been contemplating it was a conversation in Summit to Sea about 8 hours after he had already left (which might explain why he wasn't at work when I dropped in just before that).

http://www.clockwisekayak.com/

Good luck to everyone tackling a trip this year!

[Mark R]

John Willacy is going around? Fantastic, he'll be done by next Thursday. Or Saturday if he dawdles.

[Mark R]

One of Natalie's declared ambitions for the trip is to get their sleeping-bag-to-loaded-and-afloat time down to under four hours. I like their style.

http://southwestseakayaking.co.uk/2012/ ... meseahome/

[Bazza S]

http://www.clockwisekayak.com/

[Graham T]

All very interesting and I wish all the very best in their journeys.
I am confused by John Willacy's trip, and would like to understand his situation. He decided at short notice what I guess is a previously thought out trip around the UK clockwise ? Having set off due to the Northerly head winds is he now stopped and looking to start again in an anticlockwise direction ?
If this has never been done before is this because in the UK we have more normal SW winds so on the West coast this is helpful and on the East coast being close to shore gives some wind break ?
Or is he still heading in a clockwise direction but held up waiting on a weather window ?
Given that even for John Mark R's time scale of John completing in a week or under being "slightly optimistic" even for John it would be a shame to turn around when the weather unpredictable at best may turn Southerly known as S.ds or Paddys law.
I will watch his progress with great interest, and hope all works out to a good average event weather wise for him.
Are people setting of so early in the year to avoid adverse weather at the end of the trip ?

[Summit to Sea]

Graham,
I think you may have misinterpreted his blog. His original plan was clockwise, at one point, he considered going counter-clockwise because the weather look set for Northerlies for a period and he was ready to go. I understand there's another team planning that route late in the year. He eventually reverted to his original plan.

He decided that there was a window in the weather and went for it at short notice (I think he told his mum!). The trip has been planned for quite some time. Day 1 was Anglesey to IoM, day 2 he decided that the headwinds were too much, so he popped a short distance up the coast and waited it out, Day 3 was a lighter headwind (only F3-4) and he got back on the water and paddled to NI.

I don't know where he was planning to get to today, but I'm sure he'll be updating the blog later.

[Graham T]

Thanks Pete the blog wasn't clear to me, glad he is on track and going ahead, I will be watching with much interest. I will also be very interested in how going anticlockwise works out if a team is setting off to try this. I was surprised the Taran was not the automatic choice it having done so well on his previous crossings and the around Ireland race.
Do you know why paddlers have set of now and not waited for another month or six weeks to get into possibly more clement weather ?
Oh and on a personal note I love the Xtreme thank you !

[Mark R]

Do you know why paddlers have set of now and not waited for another month or six weeks to get into possibly more clement weather ?

It's simple - any mileage achieved now is extra in the bank for when you reach late August/ September and the weather begins to deteriorate and time begins to run out...this is the biggest factor inhibiting single-leg attempts from success.

[Graham T]

Thanks Mark I thought John would have his slippers back on way before then. Seriously I Googled and searched without success how many months this has taken before, but it appears longer than I guessed at three to four months.