Sam Chaplin Completes 150 Mile Challenge

Despite some pretty adverse weather conditions, Sam Chaplin successfully completed the whole 150 mile challenge, he set himself to raise money for the RLNI.

On Sunday morning of the 27^th May 2018, Sam and his father cycled 70 miles on their bikes, followed by 60 miles the following day, which turned out to be the hottest day of the year and very hilly!  However, the 20 mile kayak on Tuesday was definitely the hardest day of all, as the weather really turned against them with strong winds, heavy rain and a big, sea with large waves and swells. It was only at the halfway point, at the entrance to Poole Harbour (and after 5 hours of paddling) that they actually were given permission to go out along the coast to Swanage, accompanied by the safety boat. Sam did incredibly well, considering the challenging, sometimes scary conditions:  at times 4 to 5 ft waves were breaking over them.

When Sam finally reached Swanage Lifeboat Station after 16 hours of cycling and 8 hours of paddling he received an amazing reception from the lifeboat crew, who lined the launch slip to cheer him in. The Mayor was there to help him out of the kayak and congratulate him. A tour of the station followed where the most recent boat was on show, but the best part was the wonderful reception party with wonderful cakes, drinks and the awarding of certificates!

So far Sam has raised over £2,200 so a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has supported him, both in donations and messages of support and congratulations. It has meant the world to him, understandably, he was quite overwhelmed at the end.