£1000.86

Just passed the grand mark with a sweet little donation from  my Cousin Emma and her family.  
My view on charity has changed so much due to this Whole experience even the pennies make a difference.  When I concieved this trip it was about me first charity second, now is a very different situation. I am so passionate about the Marine Conservation Society I've gone from armchair activist to fund raiser and I hope its only the beginning. ...... it took a lot of heart from me to get to this point. Now I wonder how I could raise not one but ten thousand pounds.... the canals next year. The rest of the trip after that  and then the future.... maybe a big swim.... not Sean Conway big..... but big for me, because one thing I've learnt about benchmarks is that they're different for each of us and we all have our own passions, our own beliefs our own adventures and our own challenges in life. I truly appreciate every single donation thats been recieved and I fully respect that not everyone could either afford or justify donating..... maybe next time you want a tee shirt or perhaps a hoodie, maybe even soap you could do an internet search and buy from an ethical manufacturer or shop that supports a charity or cause you believe in.   Even as armchair activists we can make a difference.   
Thanks one and all !

A Temporary End (day 11)

Waking to rain after a night sleeping beneath a flight path. I muttered and grumbled and went back to sleep for a couple of hours having decided that today I would make Bristol and close this chapter until an appropriate time in the future,  I slowly packed and loaded my boat having said goodbye to the kind people of the flat Holm society I left on the last of the ebbing tide to make best of the 28ish miles I had to do. A bit of a wobbly route ensued as I couldnt see the main land for the first few miles and on rounding the island I was confronted by a huge fleet of yachts I changed my bearing to avoid their downwind course but this led me to doubt my route. I fumbled and floundered and got cross channel setting what I felt was the right course. I inadvertently paddled into a live firing range near Clevedon having failed to check if ranges were live or not (silly boy).   Then onwards towards Portishead and Avonmouth, fortunately after struggling to find the entrance to the Avon my friend JC  contacted me and told me to turn right, I'd already attempted this but in the wrong place where I'd been confronted by a massive industrial dock  I eventually found the hard to find Avon and moved up an incredibly charming and very beautiful estuary. I knew I was running out of tide so forced my way up the slowing waterway through the Avon gorge to Bristol harbour Lock. Again a bit of a paddle about followed by my exit at an old slipway at which point the tide turned (luck or skill? ) Portaging my boat was easy but disappointing because the lock keeper said I could have gone through in a sea kayak as they arent like the 'little' kayaks.
By now JC and his son Ben were with me they helped me lower the fully laden boat off an 8ft quayside where I paddled the final half mile or so past SS Great Britain, to finally many days too late make it to Bristol and the conclusion of this leg of my trip.

I expect I'll write a separate entry covering the kit I've used and things I've learnt experienced and felt.
I'm glad I reached Bristol and I'm glad I made it in the fashion that I did. The last 2 days were tough, but ultimately really quite cool..... 850 miles seems daft now but it wouldnt have under different circumstances life nor weather  nor oceans travel in straight lines   on occasion you gotta go with the flow.

Big day, Little island (Day 10)

Well what to say.... firstly I'm glad I made the island the tides just turned and the waters spewing out of the estuary. Today was only ever going to be a big day I felt I owed it to myself, but more I owed it to the journey and to the MCS. It's important to remember that when we're up against it no matter how bad it seems how low you feel, you can always rise above and do more. Thats why I'm here today, a good effort is never enough. A great effort will certainly suffice though.
I left Lynmouth in mirror calm conditions applied a little sun block as the morning mist was apparently burning off then set my course at 070° and away I went I fought like hell to maintain my course but eventually I hit rhythm and ran true....the mist never did burn off though after a 9:30 departure by 1 pm I could only occasionally see Wales and couldn't see England at all. Let alone the little island of Flat Holm.  Fortunately my Nav isn't too bad and occasional buoyage helped affirm my location the island came into view about an hour before I would have had full bowel collapse,  I was accompanied by a very camera shy porpoise for an hour mid way in and  avoided a large cargo vessel by less than 200 metres (ya just dont here the sneaky beasts in fog) I could really do without fog tomorrow as I head back to the mainland across the channel again.
I worked so hard through those bad days, To be able to sit on such a gorgeous beach in such a divine spot  really has made it worth it...
Flat Holm really is stunning and  the fact it still has 7 tonne cannon and Moncrief emplacements is even better.....and it was a Chlora hospital and it was fortified in WW2 ..... I can safely say I'll be back here, but possibly take a shorter route next time

Gonna need a bigger boat

Just a casual 61000 tonne vessel that I'll meet tomorrow

Day 10 or 22 depending on scale

Tomorrow I head from Lynmouth to flat holm in the middle of the Bristol channel 30.2 mile open water crossing in what should be perfect conditions. That said it will still be a day of excitement.  The Bristol channel has the second largest tidal range in the world 2nd only to the Bay of Fundy in eastern Canada. And is still a major shipping channel on the worlds stage. After a night on flat holm between Cardiff and Weston I will aim for Avonmouth and then Bristol hopefully pushing on to bath by the close of play on Saturday.
  If I'm truthful I had all but hung up the towel as im sure my previous blog posts testify.  But there was this nagging feeling in the back of my head and I aim to silence it.  There is no way I could have done any of this without my dear friends and colleagues John and Glyn, nor without Natalie ( my incredible fiancé) Mum and my Brother their unconditional support is profound or any of the really beautiful emails I received. ...2 big days coming up, I feel rejuvinated after some really nice surf whilst I was at home....who knows I may blast the canals and just have london and the south coast left to do in the future.....adventure ahead!!

We go forwards together or not at all

ALS seem to be raising millions by people throwing water and I genuinely think its phenomenal.  The power of social media is tremendous!
   I set out to be the first person to circumnavigate the south of england, I set out to do it in a recyclable plastic kayak using sustainable wooden paddles, to make a bold statement about elite level performance and cherishing our environment.
I wont be the first as the weather really has pounded me and in a third of my time I only managed to move a sixth of my distance, but I stand by the equipment I am using and by my decisions to support the oceans.
People that understand the ocean have commended me on my efforts but some have said that seeing I havent completed the challenge they wont donate to the worthy cause of the Marine conservation society. Next week I will try and push further north and reach Bristol. Even the idea of getting back in my boat is uncomfortable. Yet I'll do it because the oceans deserve not a bucket of cold water from me but at least a bucket of tears of which I have most certainly given; on day one I truly thought I may die at sea I cried I weakened and I found resolve, on the day I came out of my kayak in large surf I cried through disappointment and failure as a weather window closed on me and I have cried from the support I have recieved even though I have felt so alone. I dont cry easily yet August 2014 and the north Atlantic have demanded this of me so I have given, and I intend to give some more. Please share this, please donate and please care, NOT for me but for our oceans and the organisations trying to protect them. Motor Neuron Disease is awful, but there will be no point curing it if we let the Oceans die for without healthy Oceans there simply cannot be healthy Humans.

Here is what MCS do   on average I get 150 page views per day...over 6600 in total so far and I have Raised £700   be part of the solution. Share this post far and wide..... not for a man going kayaking but for an Ocean that we all very much need,  for my own vanity dont let my tears be for nothing, for they were truly meant for something!

Thank You.
Simon Luck

What we do
MCS, the UK charity that cares for our seas, shores and wildlife
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the voice for everyone who loves the sea. We work to secure a future for our living seas, and to save our threatened sea life before it is lost forever.

Marine Protected Areas
Our wonderful seas, shores and wildlife are under threat. Almost nowhere in UK seas is marine wildlife safe from harm. We need to establish vital marine protected areas where wildlife can recover and flourish.

Levels of beach litter have doubled over the last decade. MCS works to clear our seas of the rising tide of rubbish that is so dangerous to sea life, including seabirds, whales and dolphins.

Fish Stocks
88% of Europe’s fish stocks are overfished or depleted. MCS works to reduce the overfishing which is devastating the life in our seas, and promotes sustainable seafood alternatives.

Clean Seas & Beaches
Our work ensures that the sea’s rich wildlife can be restored, fish stocks grow more plentiful, and our beaches and seawater become cleaner. We depend entirely on the generosity and enthusiasm of our supporters to continue to care for our seas, shores and wildlife.