 Bob Purdy has paddled in all kinds of weather to get to 700 consecutive days of stand-up paddling as of Friday. His Paddle for the Planet environmental campaign is urging everyone "to change the way we live on the planet." |
On Friday, the avid Kelowna stand-up paddler completed 700 consecutive days on the water for his Stand Up for the Planet environmental campaign.
He has paddled in all kinds of weather: snow, rain, sun, wind, waves, cold and hot in all four seasons "to change the way we live on the planet." Updates are posted at: facebook.com/pftplanet
"It was a relatively easy paddle off Cedar Avenue Park on Friday. I got a bit wet because it rained in the morning. I was up at 6:30 a.m.," he said, admitting Mother Nature has been kind to him this fall.
"I look at November, in particular, and it just gives me more strength to keep going. There's no climate change here, right? I paddled today in shorts, December first."
People tell him all the time that they think he is "a bit weird" for paddling every day, he said. "I tell them I can't imagine not paddling every day. Besides, there is work to be done to 'Change the way we live on the planet.'"
He's already made plans for World Paddle for the Planet Day which is actually over four days: Oct. 10-13, 2013.
After Leslie Kolovich of the SUP Radio Show in Florida covered his paddle along the entire length of Okanagan Lake last summer, he was invited to Florida for the international celebration hosted by her.
Purdy wanted to find a unique environmental area, so Kolovich set it up for Panama City Beach on Lake Powell, a coastal dune lake which has both fresh and salt water. Three sides are bounded by land and the fourth side is open to the ocean, depending on tides and storms.
Next year is also Florida's 500th anniversary, so Purdy is planning a 24-hour paddle on Oct. 12 to tie in with that. Also in the works: an education day, a Green Expo and a summit to discuss how stand-up paddlers can have a stronger voice in the world and influence change.
"I started inviting paddlers a couple of months ago and I've had a huge, positive response," said Purdy.
Paddlers around the world who can't attend will be encouraged to plan their own World Paddle for the Planet Day events "to paddle for change" similar to what happened this year.
"It's shaping up to be a fairly significant event for change, which is awesome," he said. "It's really cool and I'm super-excited about it. In the meantime, I'm going to keep the daily paddle going. There's still a lot of work to be done and I've still got some life left in me. So I'll paddle for as long as I can."
