Doug Cooper | 28th February 2024
The sun rising on a paddling dream, Greenland
“If you have a dream, begin it.
Boldness has a genius, power and magic in it.”
Goethe
The daylight is increasing and there are signs that spring is starting to appear after the long winter months. If you are anything like me, during those dark winter evenings time is spent day-dreaming about future paddling trips, expeditions and aspirations; all of these with the warm feeling of the sun on my back and an expansive horizon in the far distance. How often do these dreams and aspirations actually become reality though? We all know people who seem to always be able to ‘make things happen’; yet so often we have all these fantastic dreams and ideas ourselves but they never quite happen. Dreaming about future paddling trips is one thing, but bringing them to reality is what really makes them count; unfortunately for many that is not always what happens, so how do we ensure we can actually bring our paddling dreams to reality?
The Old Man of Hoy, the ultimate sea stack dream?
To bring our dreams to reality then I am sorry to say, a bit of effort is required! That said, for a little bit of effort put in, there will be the potential of a paddling experience that will provide a lifetime of memories in return. The sooner the effort starts, the more likely the dream will become reality, so with spring knocking on the door now is perhaps time to start putting in the effort. To help get us started here’s my ‘rule of P’s’ to help us focus our effort in the right direction:
Purpose
This is the easy bit – but that said it is the most important and this is what will motivate and fuel the process of bringing dreams to reality. In essence it is firming up what the dream is. Having a crystal-clear vision of what you are aspiring to do and with that a clear sense of purpose will enable and fuel things to happen. Woolly ideas and visions tend to get lost along the way, a clear and agreed purpose provides the focus to make things happen.
A dream of endless cliffs and arches, Wick
Planning
If the purpose is a picture of our dream, then the planning is the colour that then brings it to life. In essence it allows us to fully understand all that lays behind the dream and in that ensure everything is understood and in place to enable it to happen. Research will be needed that will perhaps include some of the following: guide books, websites, social media, maps, charts. From this a better understanding will be gained of the objective and allow us to consider a few aspects with a bit more detail: tides, tidal flows, weather requirements, swell/sea state requirements and amount of commitment. Our picture is now starting to become rich in colour, but we still need to add some more shades to it’s palette by considering the following: time required, need for weather/tidal window of opportunity, optimum time of year required and permits/permissions needed. The picture is pretty much complete, our dream is understood and getting closer to reality; the final colour to add to the picture now we can see it clearly, is what is the skill set required to complete and enjoy the dream? Are you ready for it yet, or does some practice or training need to start?
People
For me the people who join me on my dreams are vital to its success. To start with they need to all be involved with and part of the agreed picture – everyone must have the same purpose and be motivated to enjoy the same agreed outcome. This is the starting point, and then to support this everyone must have the appropriate skill set in place to safely enjoy the dream; perhaps for some that may mean some additional support to gain the skills or train to be ready to partake. A group of people with differing skill sets can often all help in contributing to an ultimately stronger team, so often the ultimate enjoyment of a trip is the sum of the group as opposed to the individual. Finally, it is how many people will provide the above to bring to life the dream – the answer may be one and going solo is the purpose; but alongside that it could be a small close group or a large social group. It all depends on the purpose!
Living the dream with a sole mate – Canna, Small Isles
Practicalities
With our technicolour dream becoming clearer and people now involved to bring it to life; the earlier we consider some down to earth practicalities the better the chance of it becoming reality:
Diary dates – get a date (or dates) in the diary, these should be written in permanent ink and set in stone! If the dream can be possible in a range of conditions/tides then set the date and commit to it. If the dream requires certain tides; then identify when they are during the year and get them in the diary to ensure you will be available; if it needs optimum weather then have back up dates ready to go to hopefully get the weather required.
How to do the trip – if you have the skill set to carry out your dream independently, then you will know how to do the trip! If not, then perhaps you need to line up a coach/guide/provider to support you bring the dream to reality. If this is the case then research and book them early to avoid disappointment.
Kit – Do you have the appropriate kit for the trip? You may need to look at purchasing some new equipment or perhaps look to hire some. If this is the case ensure it is all well researched and tried and tested before your dream begins – to discover the kit is not correct when it is too late is never a situation to end up in. Also, has your tried and tested kit (safety items in particular), been maintained and tested to start the season/before the dream begins? Now is the time to do all this!
Transport – Do you need shuttles, ferries, trains or planes to achieve your dream? Is it available and does it need to be booked?
Food – Can you get food on route or do you need to be fully self-sufficient? Does it need to be organised at home or can it be sourced in location? Do you have space for luxury, or do you need to prepare for light and compact? If light and compact, are you dehydrating your own and need to start now? How much fuel is needed to cook the food for the trip and is water available easily? All these are practicalities to get right; food is usually the biggest source of conversation of extended trips – so don’t get it wrong!
Dreaming of crossings and lighthouses, Monach Islands
Positivity
The final words of reflective wisdom from me when it comes to ‘bringing paddling dreams to reality’; is be positive in all you do! There will be problems, things will not go to plan, it will be hard work at times and occasionally you’ll ask yourself ‘is it worth it’. The answer has always got to be ‘I can do this’. Draw strength from the purpose of your dream, it is this vision that will keep you going and feed a positive outlook; and from this before you know it your hard-earned paddling dream will become reality – enjoy!
The dream campsite, total isolation in Greenland
Inspired & supported by Peak PS
