MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – When Steve Chard dipped the blade of his kayak paddle into the waters of Ontario on July 16, he knew he wasn’t just beginning a long trip—he was committing to an odyssey. More than four months later, that journey has carried him down rivers, along coastlines, through unpredictable wind and weather… and on Day 121, the current delivered him to Mobile, Alabama.
Steve Chard, from Dorset, England, is kayaking the Great Loop—a roughly 6,000-mile system of interconnected waterways that circles the eastern United States and part of Canada. He’s doing it entirely alone in an 18-foot sea kayak.
Chard travels light—just a few bags of food and gear tucked into the narrow storage spaces of his kayak. His kayak, built for long expeditions, carries everything he needs to survive days at a time…