Moderate Becoming Good Later: Sea Kayaking the Shipping Forecast - as seen on the BBC Travel Show

What a beautifully written book...bought because I love sea kayaking, love the sea and love the shipping forecast. But it was so much more than just another adventure book and told an incredible compelling story within a story.Toby's strength of character, resilience and determination shone through and his ability to gather extraordinary people around him speaks volumes about the kind of man he must have been.The writing is beautiful and descriptive and left me rereading sections just for the beauty of the prose. I know that I will read the book again many times and have no doubt that it will make me cry again as well as fill me with a renewed determination to value my life, my friends and the power of adventure.Thank you Toby for your life and your example...and thank you Katie for your massive contribution and the incredible job you've done with this beautiful book.

A really great read I found this very emotional at times. Not only because I had met Toby a few times (he came to a few events I ran and joined me for a night paddle on the Thames on my visit to the Tower Hamlets club he was a member of) but also, as a sea kayaker myself who had also lost a brother.There were times when I felt like I was there with Toby travelling to faraway islands and enjoyed reading the stories of the people he met along the way. And there were times I was crying for his friends for the overwhelming support they gave him.This book is a story of overcoming massive obstacles in life that many people would use as an excuse to “do nothing”, ignoring them all and going on to achieve things that most people wouldn’t even dream of doing.

This is an exciting and moving book about a man with an incurable health condition attempting to kayak in every area of the shipping forecast. I learned a lot about the history of the shipping forecast and interesting stories about each area. Toby is funny and self-deprecating. There are great anecdotes with the many people he meets on his journey. It's a real page turner as you feel like you are travelling with him and willing him on. The sheer determination of toby and his sister Katie is unbelievable. 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."Sometimes no matter how hard you try you can't win""It's never too late to live happily ever after"

Many will be familiar with the daily broadcasts and tessellated map of the Shipping Forecast but less so with the landscapes, history and inhabitants within. The remarkable variety of those coastal areas and challenges faced to traverse them, have been beautifully distilled. Throughout, Katie Carr has imbued Toby’s account with a natural charm, which combined with sublimely evocative descriptions, effortlessly transports the reader deep into the maritime environment.Yet beyond the exotic locations, the narrative is most compelling as we are drawn to find something of ourselves in this odyssey. You don’t need to be a kayaker or sailor, to have shared many of those life experiences. It’s exciting to read of bravery and fortitude but for it to be told with such humility and optimism, is truly inspiring.

I never thought I'd be recommending a book about sea kayaking but this read completely captured my imagination. The beautifully descriptive writing really helped to bring the areas of the shipping forecast to life for me. The small maps at the beginning of each chapter, alongside a sprinkling of interesting facts throughout has also much improved my geography! :) The most absorbing part though, and the reason I found it so difficult to put down, has to be the incredibly moving and inspirational story of Toby himself, the meaning that he found in this adventure and the determination of his sister Katie to share that with the world.

This is a tale of courage, creativity and boundless energy in challenging times. It will inspire you to have your own adventures, epic or micro. What an amazing family the Carrs are.

This is such an amazing book! This is an account of a journey by a man who just would not be defined by his terminal illness. The journey across the shipping forecast is so descriptive you feel like you are in the kayak with Toby, looking at the scenery, nature, experiencing the different states of the sea. You meet so many interesting people along the way, hear their stories. So many snippets of history litter the pages. And then there is the backstory of Toby and his family, hit by so much tragedy yet living life to the full. Wonderful!

This book is many things - moving, inspiring, funny, evocative. I loved the interweaving of Toby’s adventures around the Shipping Forecast in his sea kayak with his own story of courage & determination in the face of adversity. Wonderful descriptions of the places he visited and the people he met. Particularky moving is that his adventures have been brought to life in this book by his sister Katie as Toby died before he could finish either the book or his adventure. This book will appeal to many - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.