For most people, the opportunity to meet a real-life adventurer is a rare one.
But this past week, an Aberdeenshire town was visited by two on the same day.
By sheer coincidence, both wind surfer Jono Dunnett and kayaker Nicholas Ray arrived in Stonehaven on Tuesday.
Mr Dunnett is making a record-breaking attempt to become the first person to wind surf around Britain solo and unassisted.
Meanwhile, Mr Ray is taking on a 2,015-mile charity row around all 47 of Scotland’s RNLI stations with the aim of raising £5,000 for the charity.
Speaking last night, Mr Ray – who plans to set off for Montrose today – said he was unaware of his fellow adventurer’s challenge.
He said: “It’s really great, a few months ago I met a couple who were kayaking round the UK – it’s really nice to meet other people doing similar adventures.
“He [Mr Dunnett] got in touch when he realised I was here as well.”
Last night, the pair met for the first time at the Stonehaven RNLI base after severe weather conditions forced them to delay their journeys.
Mr Dunnett, who set off from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex at the start of June, is around two-thirds of the way through his 2,100-mile sail.
A lifelong wind surfer, the 41-year-old says the desire to take on the challenge has been “gnawing away at him” for decades.
He added: “Technology has improved so much that I felt I was ready for it.
“In some ways I have been lucky so far because there has been a bit of wind but, at the same time, it has been quite an unsettled summer and the conditions have been quite extreme at times.
“The psychological challenge has been the big thing for me, you get used to the physical side – looking ahead to some of the more difficult stages of the journey has given me some sleepless nights.
“While I’ve got help on land, I don’t have a support vessel with me on the water which means I need to make sure I can actually get to the next point independently. I can’t just get on the boat and finish it the next day.”
Mr Dunnett is also raising funds for the Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund and donations can be made at www.windsurfroundbritain.co.uk.