Stand-up paddler Brendon Prince began the homeward leg of his round-Britain charity marathon on Monday.
The 48-year-old water safety campaigner celebrated a world record after gliding into John O’Groats on Monday evening.
He said he was “super-excited” to have achieved the feat after stepping ashore to a warm welcome from holidaymakers, locals and his two-strong support team.
But he has had no time to rest on his laurels as he continues his 2,360-mile clockwise epic.
After negotiating the notoriously unpredictable tides of the Pentland Firth, he became the first to complete the seaboard route from Land’s End in a stand-up paddle.
The father-of-three had a frustrating two-day weather-enforced delay on the far north coast at the weekend.
He was in good spirits as he finished the 84th day of his marathon in John O’ Groats, just past the half-way point.
Focus on becoming first stand-up paddler to circumnavigate Britain
“I’m super-excited to have got to this stage,” he said. “It’s a stepping stone to the next record.”
He is now focused on become the first stand-up paddleboarder to circumnavigate mainland Britain.
His journey would also set a world record for the longest in a stand-up paddle board.
He is aiming to arrive back at his home beach at Torquay on August 23.
Tragedy led to safety campaign
Mr Prince was a school PE teacher until a tragic experience as an off-duty beach lifeguard led him to become a full-time water safety campaigner.
He was quickly on the scene to reach three individuals who had got into difficulties on the north Cornish coast but his efforts to revive them were in vain.
His charity, Above Water, is campaigning to launch a new water safety app.
Mr Prince’s current foray follows previous adventures including a survival challenge in the freezing waters of Iceland; ice climbing in the Himalayas, Alps and Rockies and kayaking on the Indus.
Two women stand-up paddlers have travelled from Land’s End to John O’Groats using inland waterways but previous attempts to complete the coastal route have proved abortive.
Jordan Wylie, 37, from Blackpool looked set to achieve the feat a year ago when he was forced to abandon his bid at Scrabster because of Covid restrictions.