Community / Solo paddleboard crossing from Shetland to Orkney a ‘bit of nightmare’
ADVENTURER Charlie Head has completed his solo paddleboarding journey from Shetland and Orkney – but he said it turned into a “bit of a nightmare” after he fell ill during the journey.
The explorer believes he may have developed food poisoning from a “military” style meal he ate early in the trip, leaving him fatigued and weak and unable to stomach any more food.
Speaking to Shetland News after arriving in Orkney, he said it “certainly highlights the unexpected problems” which can crop up during challenges like these.
“Of all the safety and the back-ups and the preparation involved, it’s things like that take you by surprise,” he said.
“There’s nothing else to do but to deal with it.”
Despite the uncomfortable nature of the day-long trip, Head described the paddleboarding challenge as a “good test”.
He set off from East Voe in Scalloway at 9pm on Monday – with no support boat in tow – and made it to Sanday in the north of Orkney just over a day later.
According to his tracking device, the explorer covered nearly 120 kilometres and managed an average speed of just under 4.6 kilometres per hour.
The total trip time is listed as one day, one hour, 40 minutes and 15 seconds.
Head, who has plenty of experience of stand-up paddleboarding challenges across the world and was raising money for marine conservation organisation Sea Shepherd, live-streamed video as he departed from Scalloway.
People were also able to keep tabs on his progress through a tracking website.
While many on social media were worried about what he may face and the danger of the open sea, Head uploaded a new video early on Tuesday morning after passing by the southern tip of Shetland.
In that video he said he had struggled to keep his eyes open at points and was “paddling half asleep”.
At times he used a small sail which could be propped up on the paddleboard, while also carrying equipment like radio, AIS tracking and flares.
After coming ashore in Orkney he erected a makeshift tent on a beach before setting off again to find people – as well as proper food and a good wash.
Reflecting on his experience, Head – who hails from the Isle of Wight – admitted it was a “nightmare from start to finish”.
Speaking in a video released on social media, he said his first meal made him feel sick, “and then as time went on I got worse and worse and I couldn’t put anything else into my stomach except water”.
“I just kept wanting to sleep – I was just shutting down the whole time,” Head said.
The explorer said all he consumed during the trip was the dodgy meal, one Digestive biscuit and water.
To make it worse he was unable to take off a drysuit he had put on as he felt too weak.
To cut a long story short, he had to pee within his suit numerous times as a result – with his boots filling up with urine, causing the zips to pop off.
Head said he tried to lie back on the paddleboard at times to rest, “but it was so choppy and it’s such a hectic chop, it was always trying to bounce me off”.
“The whole journey I was so faint and so weak, it was a disaster,” he added. “I was so committed I had to do it.”
Speaking to Shetland News on Wednesday morning, he added: “I didn’t see any dolphins or whales or anything like that.
“I got a few puffins and got buzzed by a few seagulls, but otherwise it was a very quiet trip.”
He also got “buzzed” by the coastguard helicopter south of Sumburgh too after it had been out on a job, which Head said “gave me a little morale boost”.
The explorer, however, said the “mental games” is often the hardest part of challenges like these.
“When I’m in the situation I was in, it’s even worse because you’ve got to try to manage yourself,” Head said.
“That’s why it was a good test – you go to desperate places and you have to deal with things with big consequences.
“And how do you push through, how do you manage your emotions, how do you make the right decisions despite the world falling around you. There’s great lessons in having experiences like that.”
When asked if the experience has put him off from doing future paddleboard adventures, Head said “it’s part of the game, part of the resilience”.
“The more you do,” he added, “the stronger you get.”
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
