Blairgowrie Advertiser – Kerrera SUP
July 2015
[featured-video-plus]Dean Sails Into Record Books
By Johnathon Menzies, Blairgowrie Advertiser – 3rd July, 2015.
Latest milestone for extreme sports fan.
Blairgowrie adventurer Dean Dun bar has thanked friends for their support after completing the latest in a long line of record attempts.
The 46-year-old, who is registered blind, recently tookhis paddle board and propelled himself, standing up, around the island of Kerrera, near Oban.
The epic adventure, which lasted about six hours and encompassed a distance of roughly 20 kilometres in tricky conditions, took place shortly before the end of May.
Stand-up paddle boarding – more commonly known as ‘SUPing’ – is becoming increasingly popular around the world.
Water sports enthusiasts stand on a surfboard-style craft and propel themselves using an oar.
Dean, who trains locally and is regularly out with his dog. Stumpy, said the decision was taken to make the trip with friend Cathy Winterton despite unsettled weather being forecast
He said: “It looks like Cathy and I are the first people to have circumnavigated Kerrera on a SUP.
“We figured if we started our trip at 10.45am, the wind should have dropped enough to allow us to paddle south into it, and then use it on our return trip up the far side of the island.
“As we reached the east coast of Kerrera we realised there was no shelter from the wind. We met up with friends at the south Kerrera ferry slipway. We talked through our options and decided to hug the east coast, and try to get some protection from the wind.
“It took us two hours just to get down towards the south edge of the island and, whenever we tried to stop, we were blown backwards. We ended up kneeling down to paddle, as when we stood up, we were human sails.”
Things failed to improve as the intrepid duo rounded the south-west corner of the island.
Dean added: “We had been battling against the wind, the waves and the tide for a little over three hours and I was knackered.”
“As Cathy looked for a suitable landing spot, I heard Cathy’s husband Patrick’s voice. The gang were up on a hill looking down on us. This was a wee morale booster for us.”
