The Unbalanced Paddleboarder is left devastated, but not discouraged, after his attempted crossing of Lake Ontario by paddle board was called off due to poor weather conditions.
Mike Shoreman began his 140-kilometre journey on Sunday, with the aim of becoming the first person with a disability to paddleboard across international waters from Rochester, N.Y., to Toronto. But the journey didn’t turn out how he expected — by the end of the second day, it became clear that strong winds and massive waves on Lake Ontario would prevent him from completing his three-day trip.
So when Shoreman paddled into Kew Beach early Tuesday, he said he was feeling emotional from a combination of physical exhaustion and disappointment at not achieving his goal this time. “I think people saw my heartbreak today,” he said.
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Regardless of his trip being cut short, he said he could see all of the support he was receiving upon his arrival.
“I am grateful for the love and support of the teams that I have built who carried me through the last several days and months: the boat captains, the ones who kept me fed and hydrated, the ones who kept my spirits up when eight-foot swells and heavy headwinds came at me,” Shoreman said in a speech upon landing. “My team has been incredible. I planned for so much but there were things we just could not plan for.
“Unfortunately, this means that my goal of being the first person with a disability to paddle from one country to another, across international borders, has been put on hold.”
*This article first appeared in the Toronto Star.
