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Somerset to Scotland on a bicycle
Darkness fell and the suburbs faded from view, my window now a black mirror. A man was sitting across the table from me, wearing a brown corduroy jacket over a smart shirt and tie. I rested my forehead on the cold glass and watched his reflection out of the corner of my eye. He typed…
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Lyme Bay: The Road to Recovery
Award winning director Rupert Murray launched this documentary to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Lyme Bay Marine Protected Area in 2020. It tells the success story of Lyme Bay and provides hope for the future.
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Indonesia
Summer of 2017. I was finally free from school and now the future lay before me, not like an open horizon as I’d envisaged, but like a maze with endless entrances. My illusion of freedom dissolved – infinite possibilities I may have had – but I felt stifled by choice, this liberty nothing but a…
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Safety at sea: equipment
Safety equipment is no substitute for preparation, planning, skills, fitness and experience. Having these keeps you out of trouble and lets you deal with tougher conditions when things change for the worse. Most safety equipment is about getting help, but of course, it’s better not to get into such a situation in the first place.…
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All about my boat: Epic V8 GT surfski
When there are no footsteps to follow in, everything becomes a bit of an experiment, and that was certainly the case on my adventure. A surfski isn’t normally the kayak of choice for expeditions. In fact, before I set off I don’t think anyone had completed a self-supported expedition longer than a few days in…
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Read this first! Type 1 diabetes in 8 questions.
What is diabetes? There are many different types of diabetes, but what these diseases all have in common is high blood sugar levels. This aside, they are all very different diseases, and many people think they shouldn’t share a name – it only confuses things. Aretaeus of Cappadocia, an Ancient Greek physician, used the term…
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Daily management of T1D
A few too many drops of insulin and you can go unconscious. It seems crazy then, that once diagnosed with type 1 diabetes you are bombarded with information and sent home, expected to self-administer insulin and manage your new medical condition. This is all the doctors can do though – although they’re always happy to…
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What do I carry in my PFD?
Anyone thinking about what they should carry in their PFD or how much you can fit in a vaikobi PFD? Read on… I use the vaikobi … While it’s not designed especially for expeditions, I like its lightweight build and the freedom of movement it gives you. It’s not too bulky but it still managed…
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Safety at sea: planning
While I don’t make long term plans for my trip, I don’t want it to seem like I have no regard for safety. Planning is obviously a crucial part of staying safe and I thought I’d share my process. Safety starts before you get on the water – preparation and planning are key. Each evening…
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How much kit can you fit in a surfski? (full kit list)
How does a surfski compare to a sea kayak in its ability to carry kit? Here is my full kit list from the first part of my expedition, which I carried in or on the epic V8 GT surfski that I used. I’ve included the make/model of kit for all the gear geeks out there!…