Sea Kayak - Pioneering Sea Kayak Expeditions

Pioneering Sea Kayak Expeditions

Pre-1900

• There is controversial evidence to suggest early trans-atlantic kayak journeys from Labrador or Greenland to Scotland by Inuit paddlers. Indeed at the end of the 17th century there were at least three separate kayaks preserved in Scotland. One kayak, with associated equipment, is preserved in Aberdeen's Marischal Museum. It was found, with dying occupant, on a nearby shore. Some suggest the occupants were escaped Inuit from European ships, Inuit storm-driven from Greenland, or from a European source. Many suggest Inuit and their kayaks to be the origin of the Celtic Finnman, or Selkie, legends.

1920s

• Franz Romer crossed the Atlantic Ocean solo in a kayak in 1928. His crossing from the Canary Islands and Puerto Rico took 58 days at sea but he was lost in a hurricane trying to get to New York

1930s

• Oskar Speck paddled from Germany to Australia in 1932-1939.

1950s

• Hannes Lindemann paddled, with the help of a sail, from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean in 1956. Documented in the book "Alone at sea".

1960s

• Anne and Hamish Gow made the first kayak crossing from North Uist to St Kilda, Scotland in 1965. The Gows took film footage of the trip which was screened at the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival in 2011.

1970s

• Derek Hutchinson was the first to cross the North sea in 1976. After several near-death failures he finally managed it in 31 hours.
• Nigel Foster and Geoff Hunter were the first to circumnavigate Iceland in 1977.
• Frank Goodman was the first to circumnavigate Cape Horn in 1977.
• Paul Caffyn was the first person to circumnavigate the South Island of New Zealand in 1977. He describes it in his book Obscured by Waves.

1980s

• Paul Caffyn and Nigel Dennis were the first sea kayakers to circumnavigate Britain in 1980, a distance of 2,200 miles (3,500 km) in 85 days
• Nigel Foster solo crossing of Hudson Strait from Baffin Island to Northern Labrador 1981
• Paul Caffyn was the first person to circumnavigate Australia in 1981/2 covering a distance of 9,420 miles (17,400 km)
• David Taylor and James Moore were the first to circumnavigate The Faroe Islands (mid way between Shetland and Iceland) in 1985.
• Ed Gillet paddled from California to Hawaii in 1987.
• Howard Rice first solo around Cape Horn in 1989.

1990s

• Adventurer Chris Duff has circumnavigated both Ireland in 1996 and New Zealand's South Island in 2000.
• The crossing of Europe by various rivers in 1998.
• Trys Morris and Bob Timms have attempted to paddle from UK to Australia 1999 & 2000, abandoning the expedition in Athens, Greece due to lack of funds and visas for Arabian countries.

2000s

• Jon Turk and his team was the first to cross the Bering strait as they paddled from Japan to Alaska in 2000.
• In his book Cold Oceans (1999), Jon Turk describes his attempt to solo circumnavigate Cape Horn.
• Peter Bray crossed from Canada to Ireland in 2001.
• Trys Morris, Gemma Rawlings and Justine Curgenven successfully circumnavigated Tasmania in 2004. This journey is featured in This Is The Sea 2
• Fiona Whitehead circumnavigated Great Britain and Ireland in 2004 in 93 paddling days, 140 days in total.
• Harry Whelan, Barry Shaw and Phil Clegg are considered to have been the fastest around Britain in 2005, completing the circumnavigation in 80 days
• In November 2005 the first kayak circumnavigation of South Georgia in the Southern Atlantic was completed by The Adventure Philosophy team of Graham Charles, Marcus Waters and Mark Jones in 18 days, a distance of 600 km.
• Eric Stiller and Tony Brown attempted circumnavigation of Australia. Described in the book Keep Australia on your left (2002).
• Solo Kayak Circumnavigation of Iceland - Rotem Ron in the year (2006) Circumnavigation of Iceland.
• Andrew McAuley, an Australian solo kayaker, was lost at sea in February 2007 only 30 nautical miles (56 km) short of his destination of Milford Sound, New Zealand, during his attempt to cross from Australia to New Zealand.
• Justin Jones and James Castrission made the first crossing from Australia to New Zealand, arriving on 13 January 2008, a journey that took 61 days. This is the longest two man kayak expedition ever undertaken.
• In 2009 there are 3 separate expeditions attempting to circumnavigate the Falkland Islands. two British teams Tom Parrick and Fiona Whitehead and Marcus Demuth, a solo American.
• In July 2009, Patrick Winterton and Mick Berwick complete the first unsupported kayak crossing from Scotland to the Faroe Islands.
• Freya Hoffmeister made the "Race Around Australia" and successfully circumnavigate Australia at 2009.

2010s

• Fastest solo circumnavigation of Great Britain in 80 days Marcus Demuth (2010)
• On the turn 2010/2011, polish kayaker Aleksander Doba crossed from Dakar (Africa - Senegal) to Fortaleza (South America - Brasil)
• On August 30, 2011 Freya Hoffmeister began a circumnavigation of South America.