“I don’t let it stop me; that’s the main thing.”
— Dougal Glaisher
It’s another “wait training” week, with gale warnings and winter weather advisories keeping me on shore. Apart from a trail run in the snow with my buddy Dan, there’s not much to share this week training-wise.
So, I wanted to mix things up and share a conversation with Dougal Glaisher. This summer Dougal will paddle his surfski 2,000 miles around mainland Britain in an attempt to break the record (67 days) and raise money for Type 1 Diabetes.
As someone who lives with the disease, his training includes monitoring his blood sugar while paddling and injecting insulin out in rough seas.
Charlie: Mainland Britain?
Dougal: That’s the plan. Just the mainland. None of the other islands.
Charlie: You mentioned Commitments and Open Crossings. Have you been reading up and collecting beta on the route from those who’ve done it?
Dougal: When I talk to people, lots of them recommend books or send me books. The around Ireland books are on my list as well. I’m sure you’ve read those.
Charlie: Oh yeah.
Dougal: I blame my mom and dad for giving me these books as birthday presents every year. They can’t be too surprised that I would go off and have adventures, having been raised on a diet of mountain climbing and adventure books. A personal favorite is Paddle the Amazon, about a father and son canoe trip from Canada all the way down through the Amazon.
Charlie: I was the same way as a young reader. Once I learned to read (I was a little delayed), it was nothing but adventure books. Shackleton, all those classic stories.
Dougal: What is it about those books?
Charlie: With climbing books… there’s something about the level of risk that gets your attention and elevates what they’re doing. Messner calls it an “art” because of the danger. I hate to focus on that aspect--it’s super morbid. But, I try to imagine if half my friends had died sea kayaking--which is the reality for many of these climbers. Planning for this trip, I went back to a lot of climbing literature and documentaries to learn about managing risks on a big project like this.
What drew you to adventure stories?
Dougal: I think it’s the story. I don’t want to get to the end of my life and not have lived out stories like the ones I read in these books. I suppose living like that reframes events that might otherwise be seen in a negative way. Kayaking in a storm or some mishap. If you focus on the memory and the excitement, those events become positive experiences.
Charlie: For sure. We bring lessons from our experiences out on the water into other areas of our lives. I know solo kayaking has made me more calm and patient--two qualities that don’t come easy to me. That’s something I can give back to the people who love me and worry about me when I’m out there alone.
How does your family feel about this trip?
Dougal: They’re very supportive; I’m lucky for that. My mum worries because I have this added risk of the Type I diabetes. If my sugars fall low while I’m at sea, I could go unconscious. And you don’t know how your body will respond to paddling for hours on end. My last adventure in the surfski gave them confidence that I know what I’m doing.
Charlie: That’s what got my attention when I found your Instagram through a mutual friend--managing your diabetes is part of your training.
Dougal: In a way, I’m training for that every day. There’s no cure, but I can manage it. Like anything on an expedition, there are so many factors that affect it, including sleep and the weather. It’s about understanding those factors and adapting. I wear a continuous glucose monitor that allows me to check my levels in real-time.
Charlie: You’re injecting insulin out in conditions. It could be blowing Force 5 - Force 6.
Dougal: It can be tough just getting to my skin through all the paddling layers. I tend to improvise. There’s not much out there on how to do something like this with Type I. I don’t let it stop me; that’s the main thing.
Charlie: And that’s what you’re raising money for?
Dougal: I’m raising money for Action 4 Diabetes. They support kids with Type I in South East Asia. The first child diagnosed with diabetes in Laos was in 2016. Before that, nobody with this disease survived over there. That’s humbling, as someone who gets his insulin for free.
Charlie: You mentioned your last adventure. That was no training paddle…
Dougal: Yeah, so it was 5,500KM in total from France, in Britany, all the way around the Atlantic coast, across France through the rivers and canals, along the Med, all the way around Italy, a ferry over to Greece, then up the Adriatic through Albania, Montenegro and Croatia, and back to Italy, finishing in Venice.
I had no destination. I just wanted adventure. I just wanted to paddle and see where I ended up. Going around an island is very different in that way.
Charlie: And very few people have done trips like these in a surfski. How would you describe the difference between a sea kayak and surfski?
Dougal: Not many have done trips like this in a surfski, no. The biggest difference is that you sit on top of a surfski. You guys, sea kayakers, roll. We learn to remount after falling out. Newer designs are more stable. The boat I’m using, made in Devon by Kirton Kayaks, has hatches for all my gear.
Charlie: Skis are built for surfing downwind. What do good conditions look like for you? Are you looking for settled, high-pressure, or do you want downwind conditions?
Dougal: I mean, if the wind can blow at my back the whole way around the UK, I’ll take that! But realistically, it’s high-pressure, flat seas. At the same time, there’s something about watching waves, even just a ripple, that puts my mind at ease… like watching a fire or a running river. When the sea is like a mill pond, my mind doesn't know where to go. But I’ll take it on a long open crossing.
Charlie: Any pro tips for the mental side of long open crossings?
Dougal: Part of what I love about this is the battle in my mind between the part of me that wants to paddle back to shore and the part that knows the reality: that exposure is not dangerous in itself. I’m working on that.
The peak of my paddle around Italy was a 100km crossing of the Gulf of Taranto, from the toe to the heel of the boot. The key with that was I didn’t build it up in my mind too much. The weather looked good, so I went for it. I wrote on my compass, “You’ve got this.”
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You can follow “Dougal’s Epic Adventure” on Instagram or Facebook.
Thank you, Team Fox donors! 🦊
Thank you to everyone who donated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research this week:
Ellen S. Alberding and Michael Pat Ward.
Thanks for reading,
-Charlie
Thank you to Mike Jones for coaching and guidance.
Kokatat is the official gear sponsor of The Lap.
The lap will be fueled by Resilient Nutrition’s Long Range Fuel and bars.
Expedition coffee by 3fe.
CH Marine will be providing a VHF radio and other safety equipment.
Tent and cooking gas provided by Paddle & Pitch. Trolley by KCS.
Doug mentions a book Paddle to the Amazon. I read that. I was a good read, if you get the time. I had read his second book first Paddle to the Arctic. He almost froze to death. Lost some fingers live to tell. When I finished the book I found out he lived in Winnipeg. I searched the phone book he was listed. I called him we had quite the chat. He mentioned the Amazon book which I did not know about. "Oh you have to read it, it is way better." This was way back when I first got Swiftee 2005 I talked to him. I see he died in 2012.