Kayaker in Tasman

[Fish 0]

He pulled out because he got injured.

The last guy died 30 km off the coast.

 

This guy was lucky he didn't die, and extremely lucky he got close enough to get plucked out by a helo.

 

Full credit for fortitude, but its the middle of winter for crying out load. Big thumbs down for basic planning.

[JJHG 0]

Good point. I wonder if anyone could shed any light on why this time of year?

[Guest]

I think he had Clouds (Dr Roger Badham) the weather guru giving him a weather route/window that would push him across.

 

I would have thought september and the Westerly gales would have been better. but who would argue with Clouds?

[erice 732]

he missed the tide

 

started later than planned

 

took longer to get to halfway than planned

 

made an unscheduled detour to lord howe island

 

where he stopped, repaired and restocked for a week?

 

then took longer than planned to get within 100km of the coast

 

There is a tide in the affairs of men.

Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;

 

Omitted, all the voyage of their life

Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

 

On such a full sea are we now afloat,

And we must take the current when it serves,

Or lose our ventures.

 

[Fish 0]

I heard Bob McDavert say something about wanting to leave after March to avoid the cyclone season, but not too late to avoid winter, and that he did leave later than he wanted, due to "delays".

I understand he left later than planned, but I was bemused by Bob's statement of wanting to avoid cyclones? He was going from Sydney, not North Queensland. bob does know a wee bit more than me about weather though.

 

The guy that died 30 km off the coast, Aus Customs / Border control tried stopping him and delayed him for a while - I can only assume a faceless bureacracy delayed this guy in an effort to ensure he was "safe" and actually put him in more danger - imagine

 

I am glad he pulled out, I wouldn't want to have read his book if he died, now I think it would be really interesting to read his book (assuming he's going to do a book to pay for everything, he is an endurance coach by trade).

[Guest]

One dead Aussie and a very battered and exhausted Kiwi has got to raise the question of "lunacy" regarding these idiots attempting to cross the Tasman by kayak.

Had either of them previously ever been out in a seriously challenging Tasman blow.

What is next, the Steinlager Beer Crate Tasman Crossing or the Big Save Furniture Bed End Tasman Challenge.

I watched the documentary made about the Aussie that perished and was left with a sense of shock as to the preventable sadness and tragedy of it all.

He got off lightly but unfortunately sentenced his family to a life time of grief and loss.

Yup ,you can bang on endlessly about how these idiots die doing what the love and how incredibly brave they are but in my humble view the real challenges of life lay far far away from egocentric self indulgent piss fests such as this.

[wheels 543]

It's not Lunacy. Unless you call Climbing Mt Everest, Walking to the South Pole and any other First lunacy. Lunacy is going over the Niagra Falls in a Barrell. Or in this case, trying to attempt the Tasman in a plain everyday Kayak. This guys was well prepared. Right Equipment and good backup.

Plus, what kind of weather do we normally get middle of Winter? Southerly airstream. Have we had any? One, way back in March. Since when do we get this kind of weather from the East this time of year.

I think he made all the right decisions. It is a really tuff endurance/adventure, that's why no one has done it yet. He had the mental capacity to hang in when the going was really tuff and some probably would have given up. But then when things went pearshaped and the possibility of it getting really dangerous and life threatening, he made the call to pull the pin. Which being so close must have been Heart Wrenching. I don't think the fact that it was ruff made him give up. He has been through it many times all the way across. It's the fact that the situation is now dangerous because he can't be restrained in the cockpit. It must be like being in a Washing machine inside that thing in those seas.

[Island Time 1,252]

I agree wheels. He's obviously one tough dude! Real shame he did not make it. It will be done, and probably not far into the future. Pleased he's OK!

[waikiore 410]

Have to say I take issue with him being well prepared, or well planned but yes he surely did have good back up, however the facts remain, he headed (drifted) across the Tasman in the middle of winter had to put in to Lord Howe for a week , then drifted for another month till ran out of food and water and had issues with the solar charging, more food drops then water drops then battery drops . Then under 30k from New Plymouth still lying to sea anchor starts drifting away! A moderate amount of paddling would not have gone amiss at this point

10 hours at 1 knot would have seen him in. So the achievement is? And his respect for wife and kid?

No I will not be buying the book.

[1paulg 17]

to hang in there off the west coast of Taranaki for this last week must have been a hell of a week ...but from all accounts he was sort of comfortable-little surprised it took him till now to roll as thought it would have been rougher earlier in the week - sounds as though he had good gear tho (despite rudder breaking) seeing how the kayak was hanging with the sea anchor it looked as though it would pull through -cant imagine what it was like at night tho with the recent wave and wind conditions ...plus having to bail out regularly in that...

He was certainly a tough nut and despite the enormity of the journey and time of year he did v well to get as far as he did...shame he didn't fulfil his goal being so close..

Waikore - think when he hove to and stopped paddling he couldn't make any headway with the conditions he was encountering... agree about the wife and kid tho- one hell of a risk

[Island Time 1,252]

All adventurers pushing the limits to achieve something new have been thought insane by many, and accused of being selfish re their family by others.

Many consider ocean sailing a dangerous, high risk thing to do. I would have expected better support for him on this forum. I'm sure he learned some stuff, and would do better next time. As will whomever follows in his footsteps/paddle strokes.

My understanding is he COULD NOT MAKE HEADWAY the conditions. To say a bit of paddling would have got him in, after what he'd done is, IMO uninformed.

Sad he did not finish.

[wheels 543]

Then under 30k from New Plymouth still lying to sea anchor starts drifting away! A moderate amount of paddling would not have gone amiss at this point

10 hours at 1 knot would have seen him in.

He was 50Kms or 30 miles, not 30Kms. When you have 30 to 40kts of wind and 3 to 5M seas, you can not paddle and go forward. So you throw out a Sea anchor and batten down.

And his respect for wife and kid?

Well lately it seems to be more dangerous popping down the Local Dairy or Bottle store. So out of respect to your Wife and Kids, should you stop going to that too?

As for the rolling part, that often happens and hence the Restraint harness. He would have carried on if the Restraint had no broken. The Restraint broke and he got rolled around inside and broke Ribs. You can not paddle with Broken ribs and he could not take the risk of being rolled again with no harness restraints. This bad weather is not over yet. It looks likely t continue for the next 8 days.

[wheels 543]

News had it wrong, he wasn't injured at all. He just thought it had become to dangerous.

Where the heck do these Media people get their facts from?

[Guest]

Yup ,you can bang on endlessly about how these idiots die doing what the love and how incredibly brave they are but in my humble view the real challenges of life lay far far away from egocentric self indulgent piss fests such as this.

What do you consider to be 'the real challenge of life'?

[Guest]

News had it wrong, he wasn't injured at all. He just thought it had become to dangerous.

Where the heck do these Media people get their facts from?

 

They make them up!

 

He looked bloody good post a sh*t shave and shower!

 

So sad he did not make it!.

 

Very brave effort!

 

I,ve slept in some terrible places but sleeping in that little hull is one tough ask.

[Guest]

Then under 30k from New Plymouth still lying to sea anchor starts drifting away! A moderate amount of paddling would not have gone amiss at this point

10 hours at 1 knot would have seen him in.

He was 50Kms or 30 miles, not 30Kms. When you have 30 to 40kts of wind and 3 to 5M seas, you can not paddle and go forward. So you throw out a Sea anchor and batten down.

And his respect for wife and kid?

Well lately it seems to be more dangerous popping down the Local Dairy or Bottle store. So out of respect to your Wife and Kids, should you stop going to that too?

As for the rolling part, that often happens and hence the Restraint harness. He would have carried on if the Restraint had no broken. The Restraint broke and he got rolled around inside and broke Ribs. You can not paddle with Broken ribs and he could not take the risk of being rolled again with no harness restraints. This bad weather is not over yet. It looks likely t continue for the next 8 days.

Well said wheels

[Guest]

That's a tad harsh X. For all you know P may spend his/her day fondling vials of the Ebola virus, which he/she thinks nothing of.

 

Many years ago when Arkles Bay (more correctly the bit between mid Arkles and Ferry Rd) was all just vegetation with pheasants and pigs I was talking my dog for a run and came across 2 fellas chucking dog rolls to each other. On asking WTF?? I found it wasn't dog roll it was explosive they were about to use to blow a small hill flat so they could make Arkles what is is today. I shat myself as they laughed and continue chucking explosive at each other. Apparently it was safe to do but not for this fella who left the loonies to it... sort of, I backed off a fair way, had a doofer and watched while they blew the sh*t up, it was cool to watch...... but anyway..

 

One persons adventure is another persons folly..... or something like that.

[Guest]

A tad harsh. Maybe? but thus guy has not gone out and killed anyone and not demanded a cent of my money.

 

Sure a heli was despatched but heli's are dispatched all the time for all kinds of dudes doing silly stuff like

 

Fishing on the rocks

 

Fishing in dodgy runabout

 

Walking their dogs

 

Sailing well found yachts in big oceans

 

Etc...

 

This guy was organised and nearly got there. He did not plan or organise the media and how it ended.

 

P's "self indulgent Comment is way out of line and should be saved for people that club seals to death, Kim dot con, Len Brown...

[Chewing Gum 17]

And you thought he was crazy - check this one out:

http://www.tasmanodyssey.info/tasman-odyssey-data/

 

Can't think why anyone would want to put themselves through something like this be it rowing or paddling. It seems to me they are all just very slow yachts at the mercy of the wind and unable to go to windward so it becomes just an endurance test, I for one wouldn't have the patience or the stamina.

 

Having said that as Wheels said I think Scot was very unlucky not to finish, I have never seen such sustained fresh easterlies, particularly in winter when Southwest to northwest winds is far more common.

 

Victory would have been a little hollow due the assistance rendered but he still is a very gutsy individual.

[Battleship 100]

Strange times, I find myself agreeing with X.