Ashore at last

Friends set off from Grenada on Sept. 26

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA — Spectators on the beach held British flags in the air Tuesday, cheering on two kayakers as they reached the last mile of their roughly 2,000-mile journey.

The kayakers, Will McCreadie, 21, and George Parry, 22, were marking the final moments of their monthslong expedition from the island country of Grenada. The pair, both natives of England and Durham University students, hoisted a smaller version of the British flag across their vessel and See a video about the kayakers trek at erected two lit torches on the bow and stern.

As abruptly as they had appeared on the horizon, they were ashore in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, out of the kayak and calling their parents on the phone to relay the good news.

“Yeah, we made it!” McCreadie said when they came ashore. “We’re very happy to be here. Slightly relieved, we’re ready for a little break.”

McCreadie and Parry set off on Sept. 26. Both were new to sea kayaking, Parry said, but not to being on adventures together. “It goes a long way back,” he said of their joint expeditions. “We’ve always done challenges together and we decided that we needed one last big challenge.”

The friends of eight years, whose excursions have included driving, cycling and climbing across countries, said they decided to take to the seas.

For their last hurrah, McCreadie and Parry said they established a charity that would help young people have the same kind of adventure, calling it the Get Exploring Trust. The pair said they hope the outdoor excursions will help disadvantaged people who otherwise couldn’t afford excursions.

“What we want to do is bring people back to the essence of life and what it means to actually go out and enjoy a bit of adventure,” McCreadie

SUSAN STOCKER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Karl and Pip Trowbridge greet Will McCreadie, 21, in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. George Parry, 22, is at the far right.