In 1997, I phoned Exeter Canoe Club to arrange leaving a boat there; I was planning to paddle around the South West for the first time. The fellow I spoke to turned out to have completed this himself just a week previously, in an amazingly fast time. His name was Sean Morley.
Sean may well be the greatest British kayaker. Whilst working as an armed response policeman in Cornwall, Sean carried out a series of spectacular expeditions in British coastal waters;
“I began sea kayaking when I met Robin Feloy in 1996. In 1997 I kayaked ‘Around the Sharp End’ of the UK; the coastline of Devon and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in 9 days then the following year set a record for the fastest crossing of the St George’s Channel of the Irish Sea with two friends; Ian Wilson and Jim Morrissey of 11hours 6minutes. In 1998 I circumnavigated the north of Scotland with Ian Wilson, paddling north from Fort William, traversing the ‘Roof of Britain’ and returning to Fort William via the Caledonian Canal, a 500mile journey in 13 days. Having built up my expedition experience I felt ready to take on a challenge I had dreamed about ever since I had first ventured out of the mouth of the river Fowey; the first solo circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland. I decided to make the journey even more difficult by trying to include in my circumnavigation every inhabited island and in September 2004 after six months and approximately 4,500miles I completed the challenge, the longest kayak journey ever undertaken in British waters.” –
UKSKGB.
Sean won the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster Race in 2005. In 2006 he won the English Masters Surf Championships and in 2007 he won the Masters class at the 2007 Surf World Championships.
Sean now lives in California, but he hasn’t forgotten the South West. I am absolutely honoured that he has written the foreword to South West Sea Kayaking.
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Plus second in the Open Short Final in the 2007 World event in Mundaka. Just like that. Easy.