If Shipping Forecast bagging ever becomes a thing, then Toby Carr should get the credit. Tragically, Toby’s journey came to an end before he could complete his mission. After surviving cancer once, he knew that the same life-limiting genetic condition that claimed his brother would someday come for him, and it was this awareness that fuelled his incredible adventure.

His sister, Katie Carr, subsequently took on the heart-wrenching task of piecing together his scrawled notes, maps, and social media history to complete his story. Moderate Becoming Good Later, Toby’s book, is now a remarkable tribute not only to his love for the sea but to his extraordinary zest for life, and Katie’s dedication shines through in every page. It’s difficult to imagine how hard it must have been for her to finish it, but in doing so, she has created a life-affirming work that speaks to the power of family, adventure, and love.

Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Cromarty, Forties, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight… The mesmeric roll call through the weather conditions affecting our closest seas is familiar to many in the UK and Ireland, both as a comforting and reassuring constant, as well as a very real storm warning service.

For London-based Toby Carr, the Shipping Forecast was something he grew up listening to with his father, a keen sailor. It was in the blood, and Toby started kayaking about 7 years ago at Tower Hamlets Canoe Club where he joined the beginners’ course on Shadwell Basin. He progressed through various BCU awards and became an Advanced Water Sea Leader and Coach.

Soon, he was joining trips further afield, exploring the UK coastline, whitewater kayaking in the Alps, and expedition paddling in Arctic Greenland. The idea of a trip around the Shipping Forecast grew, and when at the age of 38 his brother died of cancer related to a genetic condition they both shared, Toby knew it was time to make it real.

Awarded a Churchill Fellowship, Toby set off.

“Although I’d visited some of them, I found myself beginning to wonder about the further areas of the Shipping Forecast as a personally relevant way to expand my horizons and visit some of our closest neighbouring coasts. I wanted to take on a bigger adventure and see as many wild and beautiful places as I could. Much of the trip has been solo paddling, but an important part of it for me is meeting people along the way and sharing the journey. I hadn’t really paddled on my own before apart from a few solo trips on the Thames. I’d solo camped on a cycling trip to Norway a few years previously, partly as I wanted to test myself, and I suppose I knew that there would be a bigger adventure on the horizon.”

There certainly was.

At the time we talked to Toby, kayaking the Shipping Forecast had already taken him to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. He crossed the Viking Sea, kayaked to the remote islands of Utsira and Helgoland, heard stories of Faroese giants, whales and seabirds. He ate boiled sheep’s head, fish balls, and herring, crawled through lava tunnels, and negotiated Norway’s Bermuda Triangle. Toby’s journey became an exploration of history, myth, and nature, connecting with people who shared his passion for the sea.

Between sea jaunts, Toby used to reflect on his travels while paddling the Thames.

“It’s a huge asset to have this big watery playground blasting through the middle of the city and when I discovered it and that you could go on it, I think it really opened up London for me. With fast tides, a 7.5m difference between high and low and lots of traffic, it needs to be treated with respect but is also great fun.

As it becomes cleaner it’s also a haven for wildlife, birds, fish and even the occasional seal. It’s also so rich in history and is the reason behind the founding of the city as a trading port with the rest of the world. Almost every year, we do a trip out to Gravesend and back, and you can roughly do it on one tide each way. It’s great to pass through the barrier and see the river widen out and the landscape open up into the marshy hinterlands.

Paddling at night past the container ships at Tilbury is an amazing experience and certainly puts you in your place. Then heading back in you catch glimpses of the city as the river winds and bends upstream. I love passing Greenwich, and thinking of the many voyages of discovery that would have caught the same view as they returned to London.”

Toby’s reflections on the Thames, and on his Shipping Forecast journey, remind us of the importance of seizing every moment. His story continues to inspire, and his legacy, carried forward by his sister, is a testament to the enduring power of adventure, family, and an undying love for the sea.

Thanks to Toby Carr for providing this inspirational story. Safe travels.

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