The Big "When?"
“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.”
- W.H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition
(Quoted in The War of Art by Steven Pressfield).
I’ve known about the possibility of kayaking around Ireland for as long as I’ve been a kayaker and a reader. The year I started kayaking, a family friend who stayed at our summer house in Ireland left us a hardcover of On Celtic Tides by Chris Duff, an account of the author’s 1996 solo circumnavigation. His story made a lap around Ireland seem possible in the same way landing on the moon or free soloing the Eiger Nordwand is possible——it can be done, but not by me.
The trip started to seem like a real goal when Dominique and I moved to West Cork. With some of the world’s best sea kayaking in my backyard, I started to think about training for more ambitious paddles. I read trip reports and watched documentaries from kayakers who’ve done the lap around Ireland, and I even got to meet and train with a few of them. I became convinced that this was something I had to do… someday.
Taking a lap around Ireland would have stayed a dream——maybe one that I put off indefinitely——if it wasn’t for a conversation with Mike Jones. I had read an article about Mike’s 2012 lap around Ireland and reached out, through a DM on Instagram, to ask him a few general questions about preparing for the trip.
He replied with the question that would set this trip in motion:
“When do you plan on going?”
“What?” and “why?” are important but not enough.
The cliché advice to “find your passion” is about answering “what?” while “find your purpose” is about “why?” These questions can help you get your bearings in life. They’re helpful if you’re looking for something to do. Once you have your answers, it’s time for action.
“When?” challenges you to get started——to put your dream on a deadline. It’s the gut-check that weeds out the wannabes and Walter Mittys.
I got back to Mike right away and told him, summer 2023. That gave me a year to get ready.
He and I soon had our first monthly coaching call. Since then, we’ve been working to close the immense gap between reading about this challenge and actually doing it. We talk logistics, fitness, and mindset. Many of these conversations have become the basis for this newsletter.
A couple of calls ago, Mike told me about his own “when?” moment ahead of his 2010 Transatlantic row. He had reached out to an ocean rower for advice only to be told there was a boat looking for crew if he was serious.
Start before you’re ready.
If I had to wait until I was “ready,” I would spend every summer on shore, poring over charts and tide tables, telling myself that I’ll be ready next June.
On the other hand, anyone who looks out at the cold Atlantic from an Irish sea cliff and says, “I’m ready, I got this,” is dangerously delusional.
There is no “ready” for a project like this. You can only be ready to do the work one day, one stroke at a time. And the work starts when you put D-Day on your calendar.
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.
