Moderate Becoming Good Later: Sea Kayaking the Shipping Forecast

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Written by Toby's sister Katie from his extensive notes and recordings after his untimely death, Moderate Becoming Good Later is both an epic adventure - sometimes choppy, constantly moving - and a personal voyage of discovery that includes old friends and new, plenty of wildlife, and the ever-present sea.

The expedition also gave him space and time that he desperately needed, to reflect on the death of his brother from the rare genetic condition that they were both born with, and to process the personal challenges that life had set him over the years. On a journey that took him to the harshest and most tranquil stretches of our sea, Toby found the real people, places and stories behind the familiar names and imagined environments of the well-loved BBC broadcast. His story is inspirational and very moving and as he described his adventures I felt like I was with him.The best chapters were the first ones and I guess that was because they were written by Toby, who experienced these places himself. Exceptionally beautiful and moving, a book that conjures connection to people, places and the ocean with the immediacy, grace and clarity of a kayak cutting through sea spray.

The reason for 3 stars is I found the first and last thirds enjoyable but the middle 100 pages ish I found repetitive in their descriptions and sometimes lost where we were, how he got there, where the car suddenly appears from, even which year it is. The sort of adventure I've often dreamed of late at night, with additional layers of poignancy and love. Use this tool to build your own journey or choose from an exciting range of specially selected tours.

No stranger to weathering a storm after living with a rare life-limiting condition and facing the death of his brother, avid kayaker Toby Carr set out to explore the areas of the Forecast. He mentions his late brother and a few friends a few times but I wanted to know more about his life and what he was feeling in certain moments. The perfect book for our times: from tragedy and stormy seas, come hope, connection, and elemental awe.

I did find it hard at times to continue - because it’s clear from the start that Toby doesn’t complete the journey, and I so wanted him to! A guide and companion for us all, whether we are embarking on voyages of our choosing or dealing with waves and storms dealt to us. Having seen the map I was amazed by the scale of his project, doing all these areas in a tiny wee boat?But the goal of kayaking all areas was unfilled due to his untimely death at the age of 40 from cancer. He had a contagious wonder for the world, spotting a dolphin and taking a moment to appreciate it existing with him in that moment.

This incredibly moving story weaves together one family's story and shows the sense of hope and love that can be found through adventure even when things don't go according to plan. Katie Carr is a British author, artist, educator and coach who never imagined her first book having anything to do with sea kayaking. A manifesto for living, loving and laughing full-heartedly, whatever life's storms and forecasts bring.A beautiful, poignant but ultimately uplifting reminder to us that life is an adventure and we need to snatch every minute before it's gone. The adventure continues on to the Faroe Islands, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France and Spain, he faces dangerous seas often and instead of backing down or taking risks he uses a sensible head and constantly makes the right decisions, an incredible ability to read the sea. Yet beyond the exotic locations, the narrative is most compelling as we are drawn to find something of ourselves in this odyssey. I read this wonderful book often with a lump in my throat, many tears in my eyes and a racing pulse, because of the pure adventure of his inspirational physical and emotional endeavours.