Local skipper supports record breaker's dream

Fiona Quinn - a 31-year-old British adventurer - stopped in Carrick Marina to rest for the night on the journey as she recovered and celebrated the incredible achievement.

On Tuesday, July 10 she arrived at John O’Groats having Stand Up Paddleboarded from Lands End two and a half months ago.

As part of the 800-mile (1280 km) voyage of the UK, her predominantly coastal route made her the first woman to SUP across the Irish Sea. All the while, navigating her own fear of the sea.

Fiona stated: “John lives aboard his 42ft yacht in Carrickfergus Marina and so we called into his home port on our way back down south after the expedition.

“Carrickfergus Marina very kindly welcomed us and my support boat, Shogun, into the marina by letting us stay a couple of nights on the house to celebrate my new world records.”

This journey is the hat trick in her ‘main’ world record: as of 12:35 on Tuesday, she is now the first woman to ever complete a length of Britain triathlon.

Last April, Fiona walked 993 miles from John O’Groats to Lands End. She undertook the challenge entirely self-supported, carrying everything she needed in a 15kg pack, using the pursuit of her next cake stop as motivation. At the 500-mile mark she was forced to take a rest week on crutches due to tendonitis.

However, this certainly didn’t define her journey. Rather, the kindness of strangers did, with one highlight being when she was rescued from the side of the road in the Lake District just as the tendonitis left her unable to move.