Tuesday 28 April 2015

Ready For The Off


The moment has arrived and in just three days I will be embarking on the biggest challenge of my life. I will be travelling down to Kippford on Thursday in preparation for my departure from there on Friday morning. The tides are fair and even the weather promises to be kind to me for my big moment.

In many respects I cannot really believe that this moment has arrived. I have been immersed in other pressing matters namely the servicing of our yacht and a move from Oban down to Crinan. Now that we are settled here on our new berth I have finally been able to focus my attention on the important tasks at hand. These being finalising the items of kit I will be taking with me, final details of route planning and preparation, buying my food for the first week or so and getting to grips with the various technical gadgets I will be using on my journey. As is so often the case with me, as the hours ebb away, so the sense of panic rises within me as I realise that I have not much time left before my departure. I have this awful feeling that I am forgetting something crucial!

The moment we pull away from the car park here in Crinan will be the moment that there is little more that I can do. It will be then that I will begin to relax and look forward with a sense of true anticipation to my adventure ahead. My wife Karen will be driving me to the Solway coast but sadly will not be able to stay to wave me off the next day. My departure will not be a lonely affair though, folks who have been following me on Twitter have said they will come along to wish me well which will be lovely.

I am raising funds for the R.N.L.I. and appreciate any support you may wish to show this amazing charity by making a donation on my fund raising page here. Thank you.

It is my intention to maintain this blog as best I can through my journey so please keep dropping by and of course you can follow my actual hour by hour progress here.