Moderate Becoming Good Later - Toby & Katie Carr - June 2023

Our June book was the deeply moving story of one man’s attempt to sea kayak all the areas of the Shipping Forecast, whilst coping with a life-limiting condition.


Moderate Becoming Good Later is the remarkable story of two remarkable people, Toby Karr and his sister Katie. No stranger to weathering a storm after living with a rare life-limiting condition and facing the death of his brother, avid kayaker Toby set out to explore the areas of the Forecast whilst he still could.

On a journey that took him to the harshest and most tranquil stretches of our sea, Toby found the real people, places and stories behind the familiar names and imagined environments of the well-loved BBC broadcast. From the wildness and peace of the sea, looking back at the land, Toby hoped to gain the strength and balance he knew nature could provide and to discover what anchors us to each other.

Written by his sister Katie from Toby's extensive notes and recordings, Moderate Becoming Good Later is both an epic adventure – sometimes choppy, constantly moving – and a personal voyage of discovery that includes old friends and new, plenty of wildlife, and the ever-present sea.