Wotno

Guess What, I Recently Got A New Kayak

Eight years after being employed by a seakayak tour and sales operator I’ve finally got around to purchasing myself one. I have spent the last six years exploring the areas rivers in an older style white water kayak, but this just wasn’t suitable for the ocean.
This was getting exceedingly frustrative as I live 100 metres from the beach at Yorkeys Beach, a waterfront suburb just south of Port Douglas .
I’d already paddled the Mulgrave River numerous times, the Lower Barron River was getting a bit repetitive as well, so I had to get into that ocean.
As Cairns is a small regional center the purchase of a seakayak and the assorted accessories is not the most simple task. You can either take your chance on Ebay, wait for somebody to sell it on a noticeboard or just make the best of what you can acquire local.
Thats what chose to do. I made the most of what I could find, with the notion of then turning it into what I need. I purchased a reasonably cheap imported sea kayak brand new. Now I knew that the fittings would be cheap, I also knew it probably wouldn’t be 100% watertight. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised.
The only things that will need replacing are the elastic cord deck ropes and elastic cord rudder lines. I may replace the internal rudder lines with non stretch spectra as needs be.
As for kitting out the seakayak with safety equipment my list is as follows
* V Sheet for attratring attention
* Emergency tool containing whistle, small compass, match striker, signalling mirror and small watertight storage for matches.
* Distress flares
* additional paddle (cut into 3 sections for storage)
* Another signalling mirror ( I don’t desire only having one of anything that sinks)
* 3 x 1.5 liter containers of water
* 4 snap flouro glow sticks
* compact 1st aid kit
* thermal blanket

I already own some nautical charts as I’m a sailer, but I figure I’ll just copy relevant maps and laminate the individual pages. I have a compass ready to be fitted.

The expeditions I have planned in the immediate future to test everything out are The Frankland Islands, Fitzroy Island for the Fitzroy Island New Years Eve Party, Low Isles Dunk Island and Snapper Island.

In the long term I want to do Hinchinbrook Island and paddle all the way the island. This is all leading up to the big journey of Great Barrier Reef. I can fit approximately 70kg of camping gear and supplies without becoming too unseaworthy, so this should get me where I want to go. And I can sometimes tow a trolling line to supplement my boring freeze dried diet with some fresh fish. I’ll also be stopping and camping so the barramundi gear will get a good work out too.