Just a quick update to let everyone know I’m safe and out of the hospital. I spent the night there and was eventually released today at around 2.30 pm. I imagined the trip was over and thought about what I’d do next in life. It was a good opportunity.

They picked up on the same heart abnormality as doctors have in the UK but nothing else. They weren’t concerned about my immediate health but suggested I have further investigations.

My plan when I got to Genoa was to drive an hour or so up to the mountains and paddle down the river Po to the Adriatic sea. That is still my plan. Of course, I still want to continue the trip, and I will. But this is naturally the end of a chapter – the Mediterranean – and is the right time to put those further investigations to bed. Having another episode in rough conditions off Croatia could be a far more serious problem. I will seek advice from my cardiologist in the UK and will probably have to return for tests. For how long I don’t know.

Hero of the day is Nicola who was sitting on the balcony of his B&B yesterday afternoon when he saw a guy paddling to the beach in a fancy looking kayak. He became curious when the sun started setting and that guy still hadn’t returned, and kept an eye on it when a group of lads sat nearby drinking beers.

When it was still there in the morning, he investigated further, thinking perhaps it had been stolen and abandoned. While I was cussing for leaving my passport in a bag on the beach, it was actually a stroke of luck. Nicola found it and phoned the number inside. Mum picked up the phone and explained what had happened.

Nicola put the kayak in a safe place and picked me up from the train station in Varazze. He immediately said I was staying in his B&B free of charge that night. If you want genuine hospitality and beautiful sea views in a fun Italian town, go and check out BnBeach! Thank you Nicola for such amazing generosity, it would’ve really ruined my day if I’d returned and found everything had been nicked.