Extreme sports fan talks on his big trip
Blind Dean paddle-boards 70km to St Kilda
Blairgowrie-based adventurer and inspirational speaker Dean Dunbar, who is registered blind, is giving a talk on his most recent expedition – paddle-boarding from North Uist to St Kilda - at the Birnam Arts Centre in Dunkeld on June 5.
The extreme sports enthusiast will be speaking at the event with fellow adventurer and former Winter Olympian, Patrick Winterton, who accompanied him on the trip.
The intrepid duo set out on their epic challenge last July – nearly 10 years after they first met and initially planned the adventure.
Patrick, in a sea kayak, guided Dean on what they believe is the first ever paddleboard crossing of the North Atlantic ocean between North Uist and St Kilda. The trip covered some 70km of sea over two days, included a very scary night on a rock, and was the fulfilment of a 25-year dream for Dean.
Dean was born in Edinburgh with full sight, and at the age of just nine-years-old his sight deteriorated suddenly and he was registered partially sighted.
In 1996 when he was 27-yearsold his sight deteriorated further and he was registered blind.
Two years later Dean did a tandem skydive for charity which he says changed his life. A selfconfessed adrenaline junkie, in the 20 or so years since his first adrenaline rush he has taken part in over 100 activities and challenges around the world, trying everything from bungee jumping out of a helicopter to zorbing.
During this time he has set over 25 world firsts in a variety of extreme sports, set up his own website and more recently, become a entertaining and engaging public speaker, talking to a range of groups – everything from outdoor enthusiasts and film festivals to schools and a GrowBiz XChange meeting.
He believes that his blindness – rather than being an unsurmountable obstacle – has in fact paved the way to some extraordinary opportunities and led him to meet some extraordinary people along the way.
Amongst these is Patrick Winterton, the first person to sea kayak from Scotland to the Faroe Islands, and from Shetland to Norway.
Dean and Patrick met when they first planned to sea kayak to St Kilda in 2010. Although the weather was against them and they spent the trip paddling around the Outer Hebrides, they became firm friends and have worked together on several challenges since.
Dean is looking forward to teaming up with Patrick again for this event.
He said: “My father gave me a book on St Kilda in the early 1990s and ever since then I have been fascinated by the island and its history and was determined to visit.
“That dream came true in July last year after years of planning with Patrick, although at one point it was a bit of a nightmare.
“My life is pretty much built around my adventures – I’m either training for my next adventure, doing the adventure, or writing or talking about my last adventure.
“The St Kilda trip is one I am very proud of and I’m looking forward to us being able to share it with everyone.”
Dean’s talk about his stand-up paddle board trip to St Kilda takes place at the Birnam Institute on Thursday, June 5, from 8pm to 9.30pm.
Tickets cost between £5 and £9 and are available from the venue or online at www.birnamarts.com
To find out more about Dean and his availability for speaking at events, see www.dean-talks.com Dunbar