This is Marcus: Justine Curgenven
films Demuth on the Welsh coast. PHOTO: BARRY SHAW
PEOPLE BY JOE GLICKMAN Broken Record MARCUS DEMUTH PADDLES AROUND GREAT BRITAIN IN 80 DAYS
The Mull of Galloway, the jagged cliffs that mark the southern tip of Scotland, rises 200 feet out of the Irish Sea. As Marcus Demuth approached the end of day 44 of his circum- navigation of Great Britain, head-high waves detonated around him. If he capsized in these conditions, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to roll up. Since Nigel Dennis and Paul Caffyn’s
historic Great Britain circumnavigation 30 years ago, only 15 paddlers have repeated the feat—none since 2005. After a failed attempt to circumnavigate Tierra del Fuego in January 2010, Demuth, a 41-year-old German living in Brooklyn, New York, made plans to depart in early May in hopes of becoming number 16. A veteran of record-setting
expeditions
around Ireland (1,085 miles in 42 days) in 2007 and the Falklands (680 miles in 22 days) in 2009, Demuth ‘s goal this time was merely to complete the journey. The Mull features a tidal variance of 30 feet.
Local fishermen told Demuth the legend of the old woman who wove together the nine tides that meet there to drown unsuspecting sailors. The tidal race and whirlpool he encountered turned out to be even worse than imagined. Paddling harder than he’d ever paddled in his life, he fought his way to smoother water, miss- ing his planned landing spot. He was utterly spent when an unmarked cove materialized in
the grainy evening light. Fear and exhaustion gave way to gratitude and resolve. The pattern repeated itself countless times
during Demuth’s arduous 2,468-mile journey. He capsized and rolled twice and reported “uncooperative” weather on 79 out of 80 days. He paddled clockwise around the island in two six-hour shifts per day to travel with the tidal current. Halfway around, Demuth met up with
Welsh filmmaker Justine Curgenven to shoot a segment for her upcoming DVD on expedi- tion kayaking, set for release this fall. “It takes a very strong will to continue to do
this day after day,” said Curgenven of Demuth’s pace. On July 25th, Demuth returned to Skegness
on the east coast of England, completing the trip. He averaged just over 37 miles per day, be- coming the fastest soloist and tying the overall record set by three paddlers in 2005, the last party to circumnavigate. After his previous three trips, Demuth
vowed never to attempt another long, risky cold-water trip. This expedition left him feel- ing differently. “I returned energized,” he says. “I’m already hungry for more.” Though he has another bold trip in mind,
he’s reluctant to discuss it. “I hate it when pad- dlers talk about the trips they’re planning and then you never hear about it again.”
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