Jordan left Essex Marina at Wallasea Island today Sunday 26th July at 11.18am with a strong tide pushing him out into the Thames Estuary into a choppy sea. The wind gradually built during the day reaching gusts of 18 knots meaning that conditions were at the upper limit. As a result his first seven hour day was mainly spent on his knees however a great performance considering the conditions, with just under 22 km covered at an average speed 4.3kph.
Good evening everybody, firstly thank you for your incredibly kind support and donations for www.TheGreatBritishPaddle.com – it’s been a very frustrating 24 hours and it is likely to be another one too. The weather window (tide and wind) is firmly against us right now as you can see from the image below (we want blues, definitely not oranges). One of the objectives of this trip on the days we can’t paddle is too also raise awareness of the RNLI respect the water campaign and encourage responsible paddling so today I spent time with BBC Kent and the lovely Karen, the press officer from the RNLI at Ramsgate.
Another frustrating day for Jordan and the team but a window of opportunity looks to be available in the early hours of the morning at around 03:00 hrs. He hopes to get down from North of Margate to Ramsgate and beyond, he is hoping for a big paddling day tomorrow so fingers crossed…
Today was a much better day for progress for Jordan. He finally got through that last shipping lane of the Thames Estuary and chipped in with a whopping 35.7km of paddling with a weather window that started at 04:00 this morning. This photo was taken by James May
when Jordan was wIting patiently for an opening in a very busy area for marine traffic.
A tough day for Jordan and the team where they had to all part company due to an unserviceable support boat that has been left in Ramsgate. This meant Jordan had to push on solo unsupported at sea today and it was quite eventful too seeing him act as relay station for the coastguard to help a vessel in distress. Jordan said this was his toughest day yet but as you can see he retained his smile in adversity. Captain Alex will now manage remotely from home and provide daily weather routing and filmmaker James has stepped up to be direct support via road moves along the coast. The team are looking for a 3-4 berth motorhome if anyone can help or even if you can offer Jordan and James a bed for the night, please do get in touch. Day 5 complete and tomorrow is going to be a scorcher with temperatures set to be 30+. A special thank you to the girls at Angel Call Handling who have been so supportive from the outset and helped us solve many issues.
Another strong day for Jordan in very hot weather. Today he reported a full day of standing for the first time since we started and the conditions were glorious too. There were seals, dolphins and plenty of jelly fish spotted. He received well wishes from Dover Port Control and a thank you for asking permission to cross the shipping lanes by VHF radio. JordAm also passed through the military ranges (no firing today) at Hythe where he has trained as a soldier many times. It was also great to hear many friendly faces were paddling who came out to say hello. A huge thank you to Kimberley who had let us store our board at her house tonight and also to Megan who donated a hotel bed for Jordan and James.
A frustrating day today for Jordan with an attempt to get out on the water in some extremely challenging conditions which saw him paddling for over an hour making only 1.6K in progress. On a more positive note though, Jordan was kindly offered support from The Varne Watersports Club in Greatstone on Sea who have helped plan a local route for tomorrow which looks to be another uncertain day, they will check the conditions again at 0600 and the director of The Varne, Mark Rose has kindly offered to feed them and give them a bed too, bonus!
A tough day but another 19.2K in the bag for Jordan. A very choppy headlands saw him get wiped out by a rouge wave which cost him his shades and cap annoyingly. He is currently at Dungeness Point awaiting range clearance to pass the through Lydd military firing area. He will likely move through that region around 05:00 tomorrow morning and head towards Rye.
Today was very productive for Jordan which started at 04:30 as he had to be clear of a military range by 08:00 and he made it with 8 minutes to spare. He then headed from Kent in to West Sussex after a staggering 33.7KM paddle where he counted 4 dolphins, 9 seals, 5 jelly fish and 2 crabs. He also encountered a nudist beach too which he said was a “pleasant surprise”! A big thank you to Chris & Mark Rose for looking after Jordan and James with exceptional hospitality and also a huge thank you to Walker at The George Hotel in Battle just outside Hastings who has accommodated the boys for free tonight.
It was another early start for Jordan today at 5:30am from Hastings as the odds were forecast to be against him for most of the day. He made some good early progress but by 11:30 it was too windy to push on any further so he terminated at 18.7KM. Thank you to all the paddlers that came out to say hello today. It looks like tomorrow is going to be too windy but there may be a an opportunity between 19:00-23:00 in the evening to head to Eastbourne ready to tackle Beachy Head on Thursday morning.
A seriously frustrating day for Jordan as he waited patiently by the sea for a few hours this evening with no window of opportunity making an appearance sadly, the wind was just too strong against him, which means a very early start at first light with a double paddle session on the cards tomorrow to make up for lost ground.
What a performance today by Jordan, a double session with a an incredible total of 50.86KM paddled. Over 13 hours on the water on a very hot day on the south coast. A huge thank you to Sarah from SUP Junkie too who has looked after Jordan and James for the last 2 days by giving them a room and feeding them. Sarah also managed her longest ever ocean paddle today too with a whopping 32.24KM. A great team effort by all.
Another strong day in the sun from Jordan. Lots of paddlers out too who came to say hello and some even paddled along for large stretches which he really loved. An unfortunate incident involving a jet ski and sea groin saw him pick up a few cuts and bruises but I can confirm he is still smiling and in good spirits. He clocked off today with a super 43.27KM in the bank.
In the last 3 days Jordan has paddled more than he did in the previous 7 days. He has really found a rhythm now and the good weather combined with some strategic planning with Captain Alex has seen him make some real progress and today he entered his 4th county of the expedition. He is now just off Portsmouth after another mammoth 42.17KM today. Here is his sporting one of our project t shirts.
A challenging day against the wind for Jordan with some very busy shipping lanes to cross at Gosport and The Solent. It required a lot of complex planning, plenty of VHF radio communications, a harbour master escort and a support boat from Dr Risto Talas helped Jordan get across and out another 27.58 KM on the clock, all in all another productive day on the water.
Another super day on the water for Jordan with a very early start at 04:45 in West Solent and he arrived in the Bournemouth Area this evening about 30 minutes ago. He met some lovely people today who paddled with him and he also saw a dolphin too (the 9th one of the expedition). A big thank k you to Joel Kirby from Monopoly Insurance who has kindly paid for a bed and breakfast for Jordan and James tonight, what a gentleman. Without the amazing support of the public, this wouldn’t be possible so a big thank you to everyone who has helped or offered to help. We also hit £4000 in funds raised today. Jordan also wanted to say a thank you to the lovely Catherine who made him a hot chocolate in her beach hut at Boscombe, a real morale booster. If anyone wishes to paddle with Jordan tomorrow he is leaving Boscombe Pier at 11:00am (ish).
Another glorious day in the blistering sun for Jordan but thankfully it was a much shorter paddle than usual as he has a big day ahead tomorrow with no exit or stop point for 30KM due to cliffs on coastline. Today he was joined by Wayne Thrussell from Oxfordshire Army Cadets and Piotr Kadzeila from SIC Maui London, it was a great day enjoyed by all. A huge thank you to Graham Jessup who also kindly brought some nutritional supplies to the start line and also Zoe and The White Heart in Swanage for providing the lads with bed and breakfast, what a superstar. Another 21.37KM on the clock which takes Jordan over 400KM paddled.
An amazing breakfast thanks to Emily at Love Cake in Swanage sent Jordan on his way down the beautiful Jurassic Coast passed Durdle Door towards Weymouth. He racked up another big one today with 49.73KM in some hot and challenging conditions where he was completely solo for the whole day with no support due to the dramatic cliff line. He was very unfortunate to meet an SAS patrol of the Jelly Fish world whilst dangling his legs over his board at lunch time, which saw him pick up a sting on his left foot but all is well and he and James are now settled in for the night at the Hotel Prince Regent thanks to Matt Walsh. The lads are super grateful so a big thank you to everyone who has helped them so far.
Today Jordan breached the 500KM mark on what he told us was one of his toughest days yet after 13 hours paddling. It started off with breakfast kindly supplied by Evette Calland and a visit from the famous seal in Weymouth that was literally at Jordan’s start point, wait till you see the video later in the week! Jordan then proceeded to take on the infamous Portland Bill headland and he described it as plain sailing all the way until he passed around the western side when the tide became extremely strong which forced him to his knees for his own safety. From there he headed for 6 hours down Chisel Beach and didn’t see anyone or anything which was psychologically challenging too although he informed us his karaoke skills have improved after today. It was great to see some fellow Hussars come out and the awesome Mim Ferris and Jordan’s great friend Ed with their family to support too which is becoming a regular theme. Please do join Jordan for a paddle if you can. Tomorrow Jordan and James are heading to Lyme Regis area if anyone can provide accommodation or help in anyway.
Another day, another strong paddle for Jordan who has now finished day 20 of The Great British Paddle. A big thank you to Gill and Stuart from Bridport who looked after Jordan, James and Alex last night after they met up together to discuss the weather for the coming days which could be tricky to say the least. Since the incident with the irresponsible jet skier a few days back, Jordan has had some trouble with his ankle and a local sports physio in Weymouth (Elaine Farquharson) very kindly offered to take a look at it his ankle this evening. Elaine took one look at his bruised and cut leg (which seems to have now become infected) and advised on immediate medical attention at A & E. We will keep you all posted as soon as we know more and we hope Jordan lives to fight another day although we are certain he will!
An evening in A&E for Jordan meant no mileage on the clock on day 21 of The Great British Paddle unfortunately. He has been diagnosed with cellulitis in his leg from the jet ski incident which has also spread into his ankle. He has rested it all day after being discharged from hospital with penicillin antibiotics at about 01:00am this morning. He will head back to the water on Monday and wait for a weather window to go again. Although this is of course a set back, having spoke to Jordan earlier he remains very positive, determined and will use this short 24/48 hour window to re-set, reflect and prepare to go again. He has had chance today to read all your supportive comments and messages and is extremely grateful.
Day 22 and Jordan is on the mend, swelling on the ankle has gone down significantly and the leg is healing well. It looks like we are going to see some bad weather this week on the south coast which will cause more delays to the paddle but Jordan remains positive about being back on the water this week at some stage when the opportunity arises. So far Jordan has paddled 17 days out of the 22 since the start of the expedition which is still great going. He has also seen 26 seals, 9 dolphins, 3 crabs, 1 lobster, 1 sun fish that he thought was a great white 
and has had 2 jelly fish stings.
Still no paddling for Jordan today but we can confirm he has arrived back in the Seaton area of East Devon after his hospital visit and will be ready at the water at 05:30 should the weather window arrive for him. A huge thank you to Charlie Fowle and family, a former Royal Hussar who has kindly provided accommodation and food for Jordan and James tonight. We hope you will join us in wishing him the best of luck and success as he continues to try and do what no person has successfully achieved yet, a full circumnavigation of Great Britain by Standup Paddleboard.
Day 24 and no movement despite a brave attempt to get on the water this morning by Jordan. The good news is, is that Jordan’s leg is healing well and he is raring to go although the weather god’s don’t want to let him out yet. It seems “Storm Kyle” will be around the South West Coast until at least Saturday which mean the winds of 15-20 Kts daily will make it too dangerous for Jordan to paddle. He did however remind us this evening one of his favourite quotes – “Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind. Patience is not about the ability to wait, but the ability to stay positive, productive and focussed whilst you wait…” – he is in position and ready thats for sure and when the weather turns he will be under way once again.
Frustrations continue in Seaton, East Devon for Jordan (and the team). They haven’t moved in 6 days due to injury (3 days) and bad weather (3 days). This is an expedition that we are learning is very difficult to plan for due to so many things beyond the control of the team. It is very clear to see why it is not only a physically enduring task but perhaps even more so a psychological one too. Jordan reminded us today though that what matters most is not times, world records or accolades, but the ability to lead by example for young people to take inspiration from and to finish the school build on the Horn of Africa. Jordan needs your help to make that happen, if you can spare any pennies at all, please donate here. Captain Alex predicts that Jordan will not be on the water with the current forecasts and storms at sea until at least late Saturday at the earliest!
The day counter makes it to 27 and the clock continues to keep ticking and Jordan has now not made any progress on the water in exactly a week despite waiting respectfully for the conditions to change. He has also only paddled 17 days out of 27 due to adverse weather and injury. Today we have seen 70mph winds in the Seaton area of East Devon where he needs to leave from, it was simply impossible to even get in the water and stand up, never mind paddle in it. This is a challenge like nothing Jordan has ever experienced before as so many factors are well beyond his control but he assured the team earlier today that he remains committed, focussed and disciplined in relentless pursuit of his goal and will not give up.
Day 28, no movement but Jordan says he is still very much IN THE GAME both mentally and physically. Tonight he is sleeping in the support van next to the beach as there is a possible weather window just before first light (50% chance), our fingers and toes are crossed for JW. Why not make his day and drop him a few weekend pennies towards his chosen charity.
