My Story
Thank you for visiting my Fundraising Page. The money I raise will help fund life-saving research into Prostate and Breast Cancers, and to bring forward the day when all cancers are either prevented or cured. I have been acquainted with a number of people who were unfortunately diagnosed with cancer, and some of them recovered, so I am doing this event for two reasons, firstly to raise the awareness of the importance of Cancer Research, and to highlight how important it is for those people yet to be diagnosed, and secondly, to raise some much needed money to help to provide the preventative measures which will reduce the trauma which cancer sufferers are necessarily subjected to. My project is to sail an 8 metre long motor cruiser southwards from Arbroath Harbour and down to The River Forth, where I will join the Scottish Canals system of waterways, eventually arriving in Inverness. Then I need to turn around and do it all in the reverse direction. This page is a standard Cancer Research UK giving page, which says the cause is all Cancer types, however, I have been assured that the money which I raise will be divided equally between research into Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer. I am being ably supported by my family, and the more adventurous ones are joining me on the boat for different spells. These include my 3 grandsons aged 26; 20 and 8. I am also hopeful that I will be joined at different locations by supportive celebrities. Any visits from celebrities will be publicised on social media. 30th June 2023. Things are not moving as smoothly as I would like, with access to The Forth/Clyde, Monklands and Union canals being out of commission at the moment, so I will monitor the situation, and when Scottish Canals give me dates when access will be available once again, I will post another update. The sailing plans may need to be modified to fit in with whichever end of the canal is opened first. WATCH THIS SPACE!! Hello again folks, I got short notice that the canal seasick at Grangemouth was operational again, so I loaded up the boat and took off only to find that the lock was broken by the time I sailed down to underneath the 3 bridges, so I had to tie up in Port Edgar for 8 days until they were fixed again, only to be told when I entered through the sea lock that I would have to wait a further 3 days to transit the flight of locks up to the Falkirk wheel, but being stuck at The Kelpies was indeed a very nice place to be stuck. They are stunningly beautiful. When Tuesday morning came around, the staff had me up to the Falkirk Wheel in no time, and the staff there had me and the boat up in the wheel, through the roughcast tunnel and at the 2 top locks lunchtime. This was great, and after lunch it was off towards Edinburgh, but whilst passing through Falkirk, the propellors hit a submerged piece of furniture, the upholstery of which wound itself around the propellor shafts.I got these cleared and carried on the next morning, after having spent the night tied up at Bridge 49. However, after I had sailed about 19 miles towards Edinburgh, the canal was completely blocked with high weeds' nd I was forced to turn back because by the time it was cleared, I would not have enough time to get to Edinburgh and back before I was booked to go down on the Falkirk Wheel. Down on the Wheel and onto The Forth/Clyde canal, and full steam ahead to spend the night at Auchinstarry Marina where I had a lovely meal in the restaurant there. A canny day was had on Sunday, and I got the freshwater tank filled and a few other chores done around the boat, and had a leisurely sail down towards Stockingfield junction and down towards teethe Monklands canal until I reached the end of navigation, so I tied up beside Firhill Stadium, the home of Partick Thistle FC for the night.
