Updated: Oct 12, 2020 09:50 AM
A paddle boarder is to take on his next feat in a 50-mile trip from an offshore buoy to a bay.
Matt Carr plans to make his way from a marker south-southeast of Bermuda back to shore on a stand up board.
Wave off: Matt Carr gets a send-off on a practice paddle
He said: “I have made it around the island non-stop on three occasions, a distance of 40 miles, which takes about ten hours to complete.
“I also raced around Manhattan several years ago contending with the current and tides of the Hudson and East rivers.
“I expect the sea buoy paddle to be quite different in that it will be entirely offshore, subject to the current and conditions with which I am far from familiar.
Matt Carr with sons Austen, 5, and Tatem, 3
“Being out of sight of land for the bulk of the paddle is also a bit daunting, but that’s also part of the excitement.
“Dehydration and muscle fatigue are going to be pretty difficult to stave off, but slow and — hopefully — steady for the early part of the distance should give me a shot at completing the entire 50-mile course.
“Fortunately, I will have good support throughout.”
Mr Carr, a corporate lawyer from Devonshire, will make the attempt in aid of child sexual abuse prevention charity Saving Children And Revealing Secrets.
He took part last month in Kayak For Kids — an annual circumnavigation of the island by kayakers, paddlers and surf skiers to raise funds for Scars.
Mr Carr, who is married to Katie and is father to Austen, 5, and three-year-old Tatem, started the event with a non-stop 40-mile paddle around the island in ten hours and 36 minutes.
He expects the 50-mile challenge to take about 15 hours and end at Devonshire Bay.
Mr Carr said: “It’s really mind over matter, I try to break it down into little increments.”
He added: “It really helps to kind of get in the zone and to sort of sync up with the way that the waves and current and winds are dictating that you paddle ... you can kind of fall into the concentration zone where you’re just plodding along.”
James Boyce, a friend of Mr Carr’s and owner of jewellers Astwood Dickinson, will cover the costs of the marathon and also provide support in a boat.
Mr Carr, a former board member of environmental education charity Greenrock, said: “The annual Scars paddle is tough but good fun and for a great cause.
“In the lead up, I try to get out on the water upping my mileage each time and taking on new challenges to keep things interesting. This summer I did a stand-up paddle around North Rock and back.
“I did another from the eastern side of Challenger Bank, stand-up paddling back to Devonshire Bay on my own.
“I love time on the water and these two practice paddles got me thinking of what other distance routes I could take on.”
Mr Carr said that an earlier sailing race with the Bermuda Offshore Cruising Association around an offshore sea buoy helped to inspire his latest endurance test. He expects to attempt the challenge this weekend, dependent on the weather.
He explained that when he met Debi Ray-Rivers, the founder and executive director of Scars, and her husband Jerry through Kayak For Kids, he was “immediately struck by their very positive sense of purpose, by the gravity and prevalence of child sexual abuse in Bermuda and by the positive impact Scars is having in our community”.
Mr Carr added: “Debi and the Scars team bring tremendous energy each day in their plight to stop child sexual abuse.
“Scars has honed its prevention programme and is intent on ensuring that this message is presented to all adults including parent-teacher associations, youth-serving organisations, sports programmes, faith-based groups and all other organisations that are entrusted with children in our community.”
He said: “Taking part in the Scars training has really shaped the discussions I have with my own young children, and made me much more cognisant of the issues facing victims of child sexual abuse in Bermuda.”
Mr Carr thanked everyone who donated to the Kayak For Kids event as well as anyone who donates to his sea buoy paddle.
For more information about the charity or to donate, visit scarsbermuda.com/donate
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