Brendon Prince has become the first person to stand up paddleboard around mainland Britain. He began his circumnavigation in Torquay, Devon on April 27 and arrived back in the seaside town on September 14. A flotilla of fellow paddlers joined him for the last moments of his journey.
Photo: @thelongpaddle2021
Over 141 days, he covered a staggering 4,203km on his SUP. That is 400km more than expected since the wind often pushed him off course. Before starting, he told App World Tour, “On paper, I can do it in 90 days if I have good wind.” More realistically, he hoped to complete it in 120 days. Unfortunately, winds plagued his journey from the start and he lost a total of 22 days to the weather.
Photo: @thelongpaddle2021
The most arduous sections of the paddle were the North Sea, going through large ports, and crossing the Thames. But each section brought its own challenges. It was cold in the north, dangerous in the south, horrifically windy in the east, and “wildest” in the west.
Prince addled without a support boat, so once on the water, he had to face every difficulty alone. “It tested the limit of skill and endurance, knowing you have to do an 88km paddle north of Scotland with nowhere to get out,” he told The Times.
Photo: @thelongpaddle2021
One of the reasons Prince began the challenge was to raise awareness for water safety. But he admits that he did see the irony in promoting safety through a risky endeavor.
“There’s a balancing act,” said the former lifeguard. “You’re doing something that has not been done before because it is dangerous and difficult. You have to have that level of experience to understand the risk.”
