Review of Chasing Tides

Jasper Winn
Author of Paddle: A Long Way Around Ireland

Pat Rodger’s paddled the 1,500 kilometres around the coast of Ireland at the end of the last century when, as he underlines in his subtitle, there were no smart phones. Navigation meant using a compass and paper charts and - his preferred form - road maps. Weather forecasts were taken from the radio. Communications relied on a basic mobile with limited coverage and phone boxes.

But these limitations make for a much richer experience. He learns from fishermen and coastal dwellers about local currents, races and dangers. He paddles with other kayakers on some of the big offshore passages from headland to headland. And he has the time and space to observe Ireland’s marine life, its birds, its offshore islands and its coastal communities. Pubs are welcome shelters and places for conversation whilst in passing he gives a fascinating view of the self-reliant people and can-do attitudes associated with Ireland’s early outdoor pursuits scene, which so underlines his own trip.

Drawing on his logs and diaries from the 1997 adventure and using his subsequent experience as a kayak guide for insight, Pat has crafted a compelling narrative that brings life to a great adventure lightly worn.

Not just for sea kayakers but for anyone interested in the outdoors and Ireland’s coast.