By Sarah Thornely
SUPJunkie

Photos:
Will Reddaway

www.thelongpaddle2021.com
FB: www.facebook.com/
thelongpaddle2021.com
Instagram: @thelongpaddle2021
Twitter: @thelongpaddle

www.abovewater.org
FB: www.facebook.com/
aboveanywater.com
Instagram: @aboveanywater
Twitter: @aboveanywater

The challenge continues! The Long Paddle 2021

After a tough month of May weather-wise, not only for us all but Brendon in particular, he is now off and flying around the coast. We can hardly keep up now, but it does seem that the weather is always in control and reins him back in periodically, but with his knowledge of the ocean and safety hat on, Brendon makes sure that his welfare is key when heading out onto the water. 

With that in mind, there are days when all might seem safe for other paddlers, but Brendon has the skill set to define what ‘safe’ is on the water and will often defer going out when others might not. The time he spends setting up his day (or night) on the water is very time consuming but utterly necessary. The moment he does hit the water, he can almost relax and know that he has taken the best advice necessary from reading weather systems, apps, maps, chatting to locals and the RNLI and Coastguards – it’s a juggling game but one that so needs doing!

This trip is into the unknown for Brendon, but he has absolute courage in his skill level – having spoken to him at the time of writing, he is physically doing well; he’s fit and able to cope with the long days of paddling. On the other hand, the mental strain is a much bigger issue – it’s a huge responsibility to be in sole control of the planning, albeit that he has help as listed above.

What have been the best bits for Brendon so far? One of the outstanding achievements was getting across the infamous Bristol Channel, and even though he was held up for 12 non-paddle days beforehand, the day he crossed was the first day in six weeks that he could have made it – the May weather was just that bad. It is a crossing not to be underestimated.

A more challenging area was the Menai Straights near Anglesey, which you have to get absolutely right as it is a dangerous place; eddies, currents and fast tides are all around. It’s an incredibly technical route too, and Brendon and his team took about four hours to research the route thoroughly and then a great run of about three hours to complete it safely.

Morecombe Bay was next, and in Brendon’s opinion has been the most dangerous stretch so far. It has many dangerous currents with the weather changing all the time – once you choose to cross, there is no going back, but again, with good planning and confidence in his decision to go, Brendon was successful. He now feels his water reading skills are vastly improved and getting better day by day.

Brendon has been humbled by the level of support from the general public; everybody is incredibly positive and hospitable. He has had local guidance on and off the water and schoolmates and teachers from 30 years ago driving to meet and greet him in random locations.

If you would like to go and say hi to Brendon and show him your support, you can check out the Paddle Plan on The Long Paddle website, link below. It’s a moveable feast due to the weather, but Brendon and the team’s location are constantly updated on the live tracking. The new date for finishing is the 23rd August.
https://thelongpaddle.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Paddle-Plan-June-15th-Update.pdf

‘The Stinky Boys’

So, what of his land crew, ‘the Stinky Boys’ – Brendon has been known to set them their own challenge to get them into the ocean to get clean! Harry and Will are both young men Brendon could not do without, and he trusts them with his life. Due to the age difference, he could also be their father and feels very responsible for their mental well-being – we can imagine the banter between the three of them on the road, a truly bonding experience for them all.

Talking of being on the road, the team truly loves their vans provided by Peugeot, it’s function over form in Brendon’s words, but they facilitate their trip. They’ve talked about now understanding van ‘culture’ and road trips!

Another sponsor onboard is Hammond Drysuits. Brendon is feeling the benefit of his made to measure drysuit, especially whilst travelling up the west coast of the UK – a recent unexpected overnighter on Pladda meant that Brendon stayed cosy and warm whilst snuggled beneath a hedge. He is truly living his best life!

I asked Brendon about missing his family; so far, he has missed two birthdays, and another one will pass in a month. Yes, of course, it’s tough, but his family are incredibly proud of their father/husband and totally understand why he is on this journey. The kids keep up with the live feeds, and once a day, one member of the family chat with Brendon and then relay the news to the other members. It’s a positive way to keep them all connected and the teenagers talking together!

On that note, and perhaps because of that last paragraph, perhaps you would consider sponsoring Brendon on his journey – the aim is to build an app that would focus on water safety and drowning prevention as well as supporting other worthwhile charities close to Brendon’s heart. You can check out all the info and donate here:
https://thelongpaddle.co.uk/

We wish Brendon every success and look forward to his progress, and we wish to thank him for taking the time to chat with us for this article.