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 list goes on. High sugars also make you pee out all the water in your body, leaving my mouth dry and gums sore. That’s why I’m awake now, at 4.30 am, writing this blog. Today I’m leaving for Capri island at 6am, so I may as well stay awake now.

Before I got diabetes in 2019 I thought it was as simple as just injecting insulin each day, like taking a pill. I’m writing this to highlight that there’s a lot more to it, to but that doesn’t change what you can do.

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The last few days have been a bit of a crazy blur, I’ve been completely immersed in the Neapolitan way of life, and didn’t feel like writing – apologies for the delay.

I left Canoa Club Napoli at midday on Sunday with only a short paddle to my next stop, Circolo Nautico Posillipo. As someone commented, the canoe clubs are playing pass the parcel with me – so far in Italy I’ve stayed at 10 canoe clubs! Surfski isn’t that popular in Italy, but they are a passionate bunch of people who form a really tight community.

It seemed that everybody in Naples had come to the sea to escape the roasting heat, the bay crowded with motorboats. This made for uncomfortably choppy water, but I made it across to Nisida, an old volcano crater, safely.

I met Francesco on the water and we paddled along the coast of Posillipo, an affluent area with grand villas spread over the lush hillside. Stopping at nearly every little beach, Francesco excitedly introducing me to friends, of which there were many! At one beach we drank water that dribbled from a little pipe in the rocks, it was the most delicious I’ve ever tasted.

We arrived at Circolo Nautico Posillipo, a very nice club with a swimming pool at the front and a wall adorned with plaques for the 20 or so Olympians the club has produced. Being a Sunday, the it was busy, and we joined a group of paddlers for lunch at the restaurant on a terrace above the sea.

Francesco then took me to the house of my host, Vicram, on his motorbike, a BMW R80 GS. This was more terrifying than any conditions I’ve faced at sea! We sped along the narrow cobbled road that twisted up and down the hillside, swerving around cars and potholes as we went. Clinging on for dear life I told Francesco to get me there alive, and he slowed down. Italy is the only place in Europe where the roads are like Asia.

Vicram lived in a lovely house overlooking the sea – I’d paddled past it earlier. A harpsichord player and sea swimmer, Vicram gave me a set of keys and said to treat it like home. Thank you for hosting me so generously Vicram.

The next day I took a train to visit Pompeii, the town buried by Vesuvius in 79AD, although it’s hard to believe since it’s so well preserved. It really did bring to life the Romans, and it’s funny how millions of people now live beneath Vesuvius – talk about learning from mistakes!

I met Antonino, a surfski paddler who has spent the last 5 years studying in England. I wish I could write more about the people I meet on this trip, it’s such an important part of it, but to feature someone so personally the day after I meet them feels disrespectful. Anyway, I feel myself and Antonino see the world in the same way, and I really enjoyed my tour of Naples with him. We took a cable train up to Castel Sant’Elmo for the best view of Naples, and went underground to see the excavations of the old Roman market. I sampled the traditional Neapolitan street food – Taralli ( hard pretzel like peppery bread with almonds) and frittatina de pasta (balls of deep fried pasta filled with meat) and then had the best Bolognese and mozzarella I’ve ever tasted in Antonino’s family home.

I’m going to keep writing about food, because Francesco took me to two amazing restaurants – one for a classic Neapolitan pizza with his wife and son, and the other for a seafood extravaganza below the Castel dell’Ovo. Of course I love eating delicious food, but what makes these meals really special is the intention behind them – Francesco was so passionate about my trip and really made sure I had a great time in Naples. By the end I wasn’t even scared on his motorbike! Thank you so much Francesco.

My blood sugars have been really bad the last few days. The difficulty is adjusting my dosage from kayaking days to rest days and vice versa. The reality is that the amount of insulin I need to inject each day is very different because of all the factors that affect insulin sensitivity. For instance, sleeping only a few hours makes me more insulin resistant and I have to inject more – but exactly how much I have no idea- so I end up going high/low. I have no option but to persevere.