Moderate Becoming Good Later: Sea Kayaking the Shipping Forecast

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What a special book. A manifesto for living, loving and laughing full-heartedly, whatever life's storms and forecasts bring. 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. * Sarah Outen, adventurer and author *

While unable to finish it himself, his sister Katie – an author and artist living and working in Barcelona – decided to step in and make good on his intentions. First off, I’m not a sea kayaker, so don’t have much knowledge of the sport. (My husband is, so I witness second hand his love of being out on the water.) I will also admit to being drawn to the book because it was written following the death of Toby Carr - had it not been for that, I probably wouldn’t have looked at it. When I got to the end of it I thought ‘actually that’s exactly what I feel like – I want to stop sitting at my desk typing, go out and have an adventure’. A formal diagnosis came in 2021 and Toby died in 2022. He was 40. Toby with fellow sea kayaking enthusiastsOne is the love of nature and the importance of getting outside, whether that’s in a kayak or just walking – taking time to connect with something that’s real – not filtered through AI, or whatever. An incredible read of adventure and life that will draw you in and inspire you to pursue your own journeys. Katie has truly honoured her brother with this gripping recount. - Jenny Tough, adventurer and author of Tough Women Adventure Stories and Solo With the help of a Churchill Fellowship Grant, he kayaked around South East Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, Norway, Denmark, and all the way round the coast of Germany and into the Netherlands in the summer of 2018. He’d had a bit of a try at kayaking in Jersey and had enjoyed it, so I think that when he walked into the club and the people were nice, then that was it. They all just get on with it – practising in London on Tuesday nights and then going all around the country.

He got involved and would sweep out of London most weekends to go paddling in some really beautiful places with these wonderful people. However, the story doesn’t end there. Toby had kept detailed notes and voice recordings as well as blogging, all chronicling the trips that had seen him kayak in 17 of the forecast’s 31 distinct areas. Katie Carr is a British author, artist, educator and coach who never imagined her first book having anything to do with sea kayaking. But when her adventurer brother Toby died in 2022 having sketched out a book, she decided to write it for him. On her year-long journey through loss, frustration, creation and storytelling, Katie was able to put into practice her training in expressive arts therapy and talked the talk on storytelling, as she had so often encouraged her graduate students to do. To deal with the weight of losing her brother is an incredible burden. To take on the difficult task of turning reams of notes, audio recordings etc into a cogent book is admirable. The person disappears or fades away and it’s not very nice when they were such a strong personality.Mainly fair in northeast, otherwise occasional rain or showers, with fog patches later in far southwest. The perfect book for our times: from tragedy and stormy seas, come hope, connection, and elemental awe. Exceptionally beautiful and moving, a book that conjures connection to people, places and the ocean with the immediacy, grace and clarity of a kayak cutting through sea spray. * David Gange, historian and author of The Frayed Atlantic Edge *

Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative Futures The result is Moderate Becoming Good Later by Toby Carr and Katie Carr – set for its official launch on June 6 at Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre, the base of operations for Tower Hamlets Canoe Club. Like his brother, Toby had a genetic condition called fanconi anemia which affects as few as one in four million babies and hugely increases the chances of suffering from cancer. Sometimes the trips he makes are with friends and sometimes alone, taking in seas choppy and calm as he paddles the ever-present sea. Toby’s sister Katie Carr, who wrote Moderate Becoming Good Later in his voice I think he would be delighted that his book got out and his story was told. And then he would be really excited that I’d been inspired by his story, got involved in his adventure and at the same time pulled a whole load of people along with me.”That’s a bit of a challenge because I wasn’t a sea kayaker, I live in Barcelona, I’ve got two small kids and I’m 10 years older than Toby was when he started his trip.