“Now is the time for laser focus,” that was the advice I got from a paddling mentor after my last shakedown trip as I head into the final weeks of preparation for my lap around Ireland.
It’s time to bring together all the knowledge and resources I’ve been collecting over the past year in a format I can use on the water. This is what that preparation looks like.
Crawling the coast
Thanks to Google Maps, I can make my way around Ireland virtually dozens of times before I take my first stroke in real life.
Every morning before work and again in the evening, I’m crawling satellite images of the Irish coast, looking for every slipway, storm beach, and emergency landing spot. I study the shape of headlands and familiarize myself with landmarks.
I transfer all of this information to the paper charts I’ll be using for navigation during the trip. I also bring in useful details from an Irish road atlas, like campsite locations and places to get water and recharge my power banks.
A friend who has paddled most of the way around Ireland suggested that I take the entire trip on Google Maps every other day to make features of the route more recognizable when I see them for real. I also have an app called Savvy Navvy, recommended by surfski paddler Dougal Glaisher, which gives much greater detail than my large-scale charts.
Beta
This trip is a “shoulders of giants” situation. There’s no way I could do it safely without help and guidance from the Irish paddling community and folks who’ve paddled around the island.
Over the past year, I’ve been gathering what rock climbers call “beta” and fishermen call “local knowledge” about every critical section of coast.
Through books, emails, phone calls, and training sessions on the water (see “Supermoon, and “Playing Well with Others”), I’ve compiled a wealth of good advice.
As I crawl the coast, I add all that info to my trip notes.
“Ounces make pounds, pounds make pain.”
Another area where it’s time to get meticulous is my gear list. Besides making sure I don’t forget anything, putting together a detailed spreadsheet helps me keep my base weight (the weight of my gear, not including food, water, and other consumables) under control.
Compared to the loadout for a backpacking trip, a sea kayak allows you to carry an absurd amount of gear. But just because you can overpack doesn’t mean you should. I have to pull all that weight through the water and carry it up and down the beach when I land.
As ultralight backpackers say, “Ounces make pounds, pounds make pain.” The best way to keep it under control is to look at where little items add up and where you can cut a few grams.
Weighing everything, from my trolley to my toothbrush, and putting it all in a spreadsheet helps me be exact about how gear choices impact my paddling load. It’s also a helpful resource for future trips, mine and others.
Thank you, Team Fox donors! 🦊
Thank you to everyone who donated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research this week: Amy Foreman.
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.
REAL Field Meals at a discount from Adventure.ie.
I think Imray charts (or similar scale) are your best bet. IMHO that is the right scale for the distances you will be covering daily. Take a lunch break and check google maps on your phone when you need to.
On a related subject: What are your plans for powering/re-charging your devices - You will need to tell the world how you are progressing.
Says Michael O'F
Dare i say "Most prepared", rather than 'over prepared' - ooh I'm getting excited now!