Stormbound and fundraising

The Lap no. 29 - D-Day - 5 months

Jan 12, 2023

The wind hasn’t stopped blowing, and I haven’t been out on the water since New Year’s Day. That’s the North Atlantic winter for you...

It’s frustrating, but at least I’m not in a tent.

When the weather keeps me on shore during the big trip, I won’t have heating, companionship, home-cooked meals, or The Sopranos to pass the hours. The walls keeping the elements out won’t even be solid.

Even though summer gales are less frequent and shorter in duration, getting stormbound will be part of the journey. That’s the game. As Jon Krakauer writes in his classic essay, “On Being Tentbound,”

“...spending time in the unspoiled wilds, more often than not, means doing time within the walls of a dank nylon cell, tentbound…
The backcountry traveler, then, in addition to developing skills in the use of map and compass, or the prevention and treatment of blisters, must prepare mentally and materially to cope with boredom…”

Part of my training for the long silence of this trip has been to incorporate silence into my routine. That means longer meditation sessions every morning and training sessions with no music or audiobooks.

Hunkering down for a wet and windy night on the Sheep’s Head Way last summer.

Whether I’m tentbound on the Wild Atlantic Way or at home reading Krakauer by the fire with the wind peeling shingles from the roof, all I can do is make the best of the situation.

Making the most of this week meant getting some work done on the fundraising side of things.

I have an exciting announcement…

The Team Fox Page is Live!

After many rounds of edits and a lot of fine-tuning, the fundraising page for the Michael J. Fox Foundation is finally up!

KAYAKING SOLO AROUND IRELAND TO END PARKINSON’S

I’m going to do a lot more fundraising closer to D-Day. Stay tuned.

Thank you to those who’ve already contributed!

Follow The Lap on Facebook

I got off Facebook a few years ago and never looked back. However, I’ve decided to put together a Facebook page for the trip and fundraiser since it’s the go-to platform for the sea kayaking community and my mom’s friends.

You can like and follow The Lap on Facebook here.

Thank you, TALISMAN

The Team Fox page has been up for a while, but it looked awful until I got some professional design help from my friend and collaborator Jacob Kemp and his TALISMAN agency.

Thanks, JD.

Thanks for reading,

-Charlie

Thank you to Mike Jones for coaching and guidance.

Kokatat is the official gear sponsor of The Lap.