Moderate Becoming Good Later: Sea Kayaking the Shipping Forecast

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And to create a lasting legacy to an explorer, an adventurer, brother, friend, colleague is the most beautiful gift to the memory of an intrepid, incredible man. Toby's outrageously fearless spirit and good humour will not fail to uplift and spur you on to pursue your own adventures. This is an amazing book, so well crafted by Katie from his notes, audio recordings, blogs and messages and it was a pleasure to have had a chance to have read it and join Toby on this adventure. This a great book for anyone who loves the outdoors, the sea and adventure whether in life or from the arm chair as well as a story of personal challenge and heartbreak.

Toby's story of seizing life's opportunities despite obstacles should inspire all of us to not let life pass us by. 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. As a non-kayaker I found the actual kayaking accounts a bit too long, but someone who is at home on the water might think differently. Written by his sister Katie from Toby's extensive notes and recordings, 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. 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.Not a book I would have picked, I was gifted this and felt that I should read it - I am so very glad that I did. Whilst he knew his would not get to live as long as he should, he just got on with it and made things happen.

A mesmerising and poignant story that shares how the sea can bring together people, places and purpose. There is something special about people experiencing loss who decide to make the most of life while they still have the opportunity. 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. Moderate Becoming Good Later is a wonderfully salty adventure, a quixotic odyssey driven by equal parts grit and good humour around the stormy shores of western Europe. Sounds like he had an amazing ability to connect with people where ever he was and bring them into his challenge.And I say "armchair" because I was very happy to just read this one, with all its thrills and spills, without feeling the need to go and do it myself. Many reviews will speak about this being a moving story, which it is, but firstly this is a book about an amazing adventure and an amazing man. 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!

Thrilling and moving in equal parts, it should inspire us all to get out into the world and embrace its beauty. The trip is done in stages over a few years, the longest section was the coast of France and Spain and it is near the end of this section that there is a shift in Toby’s mood, whether it was realising he was having to go back to real life or when he realised he hadn’t thought of his brother for a few days or maybe it wasn’t Toby but this reader sensing the end of the book but it was like some of the colour had drained out of the world. The ending is moving even though I knew it was coming I was rooting for a different ending for Toby. From the wildness and peace of the sea, looking back at the land, Toby hoped to gain the strength and balance he knew nature could provide and to discover what anchors us to each other. Courageous, uplifting and exquisitely written, Moderate Becoming Good Later is a tale of the indefatigable resilience of the human spirit, the unbreakable bond of family, the life-affirming kindness of strangers and the perpetual freedom of exploring the unknown.But I got tired of being thrown from one place to the other, sometimes multiple ones in one paragraph (especially in the last chapters) like all he was doing was kayaking as fast as he could and not stopping to admire where he was which I know wasn't true. A compelling tale of adventure, coming to terms with life's end, and profound grief, finished magnificently after his death by sister Katie Carr. The book itself has humour and sadness too in it but overall people would enjoy the journey through the pages.

The perfect book for our times: from tragedy and stormy seas, come hope, connection, and elemental awe. 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. There are barely any descriptions of the places he was in which makes the book very unemotional and one-dimensional. 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.

I enjoyed looking at the maps at the start of the book and they helped me make sense of things throughout the story. Katie Carr is a British author, artist, educator and coach who never imagined her first book having anything to do with sea kayaking.