My memory is still quite good, well I hope so anyway; it’s just the rest of the body that’s feeling the effects of time. It’s 1982 (I think) and the day is slightly overcast but at least the wind had dropped overnight. I slid the kayak into the water and checked and rechecked all my gear. No need to turn on any of those electronic gadgets to track my speed and distance as I didn’t have any. Were GPS units even invented then ? I had a small deck mounted compass and a map in a plastic bag and that was it. The kayak was an ancient “Sea Leopard” that was interesting to paddle but it’s low deck meant you were always in for a wet ride and the hatches were not exactly waterproof.

This was my first solo paddle of any note. A crossing of Backstairs Passage to Kangaroo Island and return with a favourable tide later in the afternoon. Actually it remains one of the few times I have set to sea by myself. Mostly I have been part of a pod or at least one other, so there has always been someone to sing along with.

Solo paddling adds another dimension to the adventure of being at sea in a small craft well out of sight of land. So when I see a young paddler pushing the boundaries and paddling open water crossings solo I am very much in awe. Even more so when James Fishers decides to make a series of videos on the way.

Here’s a link to his Youtube videos of his trip across Spencer Gulf from Pt Lincoln to Innes National Park. I hope you enjoy his “home movies”.
Cheers
Ian Pope