Category: Around Europe
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Day 79: Acciaroli to Policastro
The day began with a hot, flat slog across the bay to Cape Palinuro, but I had faith the wind would start blowing. I’d just had a swim when a swordfish leapt from the water in front of my boat. It kept jumping and I managed to get a video of this amazing creature. I…
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Day 78: Spineta to Acciaroli
I prefer to write in the morning and then paddle, but it’s getting so hot around midday that I decided to do a split day. A cool, refreshing wind was blowing from the north and once I’d crossed the bay, it was downwind time. Small, steep waves suit this boat best, it takes less energy…
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Day 77: Praiano to Spineta
The storm blew away the heat from the air, the new day dawning clean and cool. I spent the first couple of hours surfing the washes of tourist boats along the Amalfi coast and paddled until a stiff headwind picked up. Resting on a little beach near Cetara I met a Slovenian family who gave…
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Day 76: Capri to Praiano
Thank you to everyone who has donated on my just giving page – we’re over £3000 now. It takes £365 to keep a child with T1D alive for one year in SE Asia so just giving £20 will make a real difference to someone’s life (it’s actually a matter of life or death). At one…
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Day 75: Posillipo (Naples) to Capri island
There was a lot of chat about what route to take to Capri. Naples is one of the busiest harbours in the world, and some people were worried I’d get in trouble with the coastguard, so said I should hug the coast. At one stage I was going to have a support boat and paddler,…
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Day 74: Miseno to Posillipo (Naples)
When my sugar levels go high I wouldn’t say I feel awful, I’m just subpar – it’s a bit like a hangover or the last few days of a cold. The worst thing is knowing that I’m damaging my body – over time high sugars lead to nerve damage, loss of sight, heart problems, the…
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Day 73: Gaeta to Miseno
It’s so hot at night that a sleeping bag hasn’t been necessary. I just lie on my roll mat inside the liner of my tent, which keeps the mozzies out, but even with this set up it’s sweltering. When I went for a swim in the night to cool off, the water around me exploded…
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Day 72: Tor Canneto to Gaeta
I slept next to my boat on the beach and had a laid-back morning sitting under a parasol gifted to me by the deckchair mafia, probably because they felt sorry for me cooking in the sun. Late as usual, my one-time K2 partner and Waterside series nemesis Will Scammell appeared on the beach with his…
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Day 71: Rio Martino to Tor Canneto
Just as I was making preparations for sleep a man approached me cautiously, as if I was some kind of wild animal, and told me this was a dangerous beach to sleep on. It was deserted and seemed fine to me, but I still slept a little restlessly. In the morning I raced to write…
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Day 70: Ostia to Rio Martino
I’m lying on a sandy beach, the setting sun on my back. Yesterday I was in Rome, but that already feels like a week ago. That’s what travel does for me, stretches days to feel like weeks. Not when I’m living them, just when I look back at them. Rich experiences make each day it’s…