sola wetsuits

The hardest part of this journey so far has been the time I have spent not paddling. I arrived on the Dingle Peninsula on May 23rd. I’m looking to continue my journey tomorrow on June 24th, but I may not get more than a day out of it. During that month on land, I have…

I saw my first whale! I’ve seen dolphins and seals. I’ve even seen porpoise, but I’ve never seen a whale before last week. In all seriousness though, this section of the journey had moments of pure elation and moments of complete frustration. The wind has such a huge impact on whether paddling is pleasure or pain. I know this, trying to plan sections of coastline in accordance with the wind, yet sometimes you just have to get on with it, grit your teeth and tackle the headwind. It’s frustrating, exhausting, and sometimes downright undo-able. It’s these moments when stand up paddling can become dangerous. It’s these moments when you are extremely glad to find an unexpected pier or landing site. The Mizen is the most southerly point in Ireland, striking out into the ocean, the first point of land for…

As I was preparing for the launch of my unsupported paddle up Ireland’s West coast, I heard from various people, “that sounds like a lonely existence”. And the thought of it seemed just that. Paddling all day on my own, camping at night under the stars, on my own. It sounded peaceful yet lonely. As I was…