page_title: Sea kayak
section_title: Pioneering sea kayak expeditions
hierarchical_section_title: Sea kayak / Pioneering sea kayak expeditions
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Oskar Speck kayak journey (1932-1939) from Germany to Australia Français&#160;: Carte du voyage en kayak d'Oskar Speck entre 1932 et 1939, depuis l'Allemagne jusqu'à l'Australie.
context_page_description: A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They trade off the maneuverability of whitewater kayaks for higher cruising speed, cargo capacity, ease of straight-line paddling, and comfort for long journeys.
  Sea kayaks are used around the world for marine journeys from a few hours to many weeks, as they can accommodate one to three paddlers together with room for camping gear, food, water, and other supplies. A sea kayak usually ranges anywhere from 10–18 feet for solo craft, and up to 26 feet for tandem craft. Width may be as little as 21 in, and may be up to 36 in.
context_section_description: 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 Finn-men, or Selkie, legends.
  1920s
  Franz Romer crossed the Atlantic Ocean solo in a kayak in 1928. His crossing from the Canary Islands and toward 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 between 1932 and 1939.
  1950s
  Hannes Lindemann sailed an Aerius II kayak 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.  The kayak used in the crossing is today located in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.
  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 the summer of 1977/78. He describes it in his book Obscured by Waves.
  Paul Caffyn was the first person to circumnavigate the North Island of New Zealand in the summer of 1978/79. He describes it in his book Cresting the Restless Waves.
  Earle Bloomfield and John Brewster first to circumnavigate Tasmania, 1979
  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 (15,160 km) He describes it in his book The Dreamtime Voyage.
  Laurie Ford solo across Bass Strait, (sail assisted) 1982.
  David Taylor and James Moore were the first to circumnavigate The Faroe Islands (midway between Shetland and Iceland) in 1985.
  Brian Wilson rounded Scotland's main coastline including the inner & outer Hebrideas on a solo trip over 4 months in 1985, described in his book 'Blazing Paddles'.
  Earle Bloomfield, Larry Gray, Rob Casamento, and Graeme Joy northwards across Bass Strait (Note that the northward crossing is more difficult than the southward.) 1986.
  Ed Gillet paddled from California to Hawaii in 1987.
  Howard Rice first solo around Cape Horn in 1989.
  1990s
  Adventurer Chris Duff circumnavigated both Ireland in 1996 and New Zealand's South Island in 2000.
  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.
  In May 2004, Mark Western completed the first solo circumnavigation of Taiwan, total 34 days.
  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 t
caption: Map of Oskar Speck journey (1932-1939) from Germany to Australia
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