Royal Navy Jack Speak

Paul was born onto the wild and dangerous environment of Stretford in Manchester, where he decided that life in the urban jungle was far less attractive than actually being out in the true wilderness.  He quickly gravitated to the great outdoors and spent a lot of time cycling out of Manchester to the Pennines and the Mam Tor region in particular.  These early days of camping and travelling around the hills were formative in determining Paul’s love of remote areas.  While undertaking a degree in Oceanography and Meteorology at Plymouth he learned to Sea Kayak, Dive, Climb and Sail.  He spent every free moment involved in one of these activities and it was natural that on completion of his degree he should try to combine a career with an ability to continue these pursuits.  He initially joined the Army as a Sapper but after selection for Officer Training at Sandhurst, he managed to pass Aircrew Selection and joined the Navy, initially as a pilot but later moved into the field of Engineering.

Paul has spent an awful lot of his career avoiding desk work by applying for every expedition possible.  He was involved in two Army expeditions to make the first unsupported kayak paddle around the outside coastline of Alaska, facing dangerous seas and grizzly bears throughout the several months of the expeditions.  He has climbed extensively in the Alps and has a number of ascents in the Himalayas under his belt.  In 1997 he was part of the British Services Team to summit on Mt Gimmigela and in 1994 he was part of a British Team on Mt Shigri Parbat where he survived being avalanched while making the first ski decent off Tikha Parbat.   Paul regularly rides the Cresta run in St. Moritz in Switzerland, combining this activity with ski-mountaineering and ice-climbing.  Paul is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and continues to seek adventure and opportunities to go the worlds high and remote places.