Sea kayaking books

ENCHANTED VAGABONDS–an amazing sea kayaking journey

ENCHANTED VAGABONDS is my favorite expedition sea kayaking book, packed full of bold action and exciting mishaps. If you enjoy the early 20^th century writing of Richard Halliburton, which is rollicking adventure coupled with a light, almost cavalier style, then you’ll love author Dana Lamb’s account of his and his wife Ginger’s 16,000 mile journey down the Pacific coast from San Diego to Panama in a16-foot homemade sailing kayak back in 1933.

Here’s the capsuled storyline. Without much fanfare the Lambs took off from San Diego in August of 1933 in their handmade tandem sailing kayak—the Vagabunda, and proceeded down the Baja coast of Mexico, then cut over to the mainland after rounding Cabo San Lucas and paddling up the Sea of Cortez to San Marcos. They landed where the Yaqui Indians live, then proceeded south along the coast of Mexico, and had major adventures along the way, including some almost supernatural happenings in southern Mexico. You’ll have to read the book to find out where. Then they sailed and paddled south through Guatemala, Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (where they took a side voyage to Cocos Island), and the Panama Canal. Sound like a long enough journey? It took three years.

Unlike some present-day kayak adventuring authors, who spend half the book talking about boring planning, tedious logistics, bureaucratic hurdles, and the long drive to the put-in, Dana Lamb devotes one measly sentence to planning: “Our initial preparations over a period of two years had been conducted rather quietly.” Next thing you know they are launching from San Diego harbor and adventure comes to them and their little boat—with a vengeance.

The Vagabunda “weighed one hundred and fifty pounds, had a forty-two-inch beam, and a depth of twenty-four inches. She carried a fourteen-foot mast, and with the jib had a hundred square feet of sail.” They made most of their equipment and planned to forage off the land, so brought few provisions. Back then, guns and fishing tackle were essential; freeze-dried stroganoff was not.

In the first few days of their journey they hung out with a ship full of rum runners they met in the fog, then landed on a beach where there was no drinking water and had to distill it. Back at sea, they were caught in a tremendous storm, and later made a chancy landing at Blanca Point: “Here the surf was dangerously high—at least twenty feet. While we were waiting for the calm spell—that is, the low breaker in the series—a big sea caught us and we came in end over end.” Lamb chronicles several rigorous ordeals in big seas and surf. How they survived the surf alone is a miracle. Then they got caught in a maelstrom where tides meet in Magdalena Bay. Here’s an excerpt:

“Waves were running in every direction, bumping into each other, sending spray high into the air the canoe began bouncing like a cork. Scrambling to our feet, we hastily tried to get the sail down. Ginger stood up to untie the halyards; the canoe swerved crazily and she was flung overboard, as though a giant were playing crack-the-whip with the canoe….Then, as though the furies were not satisfied with this predicament, there came, their dorsal fins sharply cleaving the water, a new menace—sharks. The water seemed alive with them, all of them heading towards Ginger. She looked up, saw my face, my increased efforts with the paddles, and looked around—one horrified glance. Then she dug in with fear-driven strokes. But she was heading straight for the centre of the whirlpool—that equally fatal centre. Somehow, I must reach her before she hit that vortex.”

All of this happened by page 35. They survived that incident only to encounter challenge after challenge. A few pages later Dana gets mauled by a rabid coyote and lives through it. Then they get surrounded by a school of breaching whales. One whale surfaced under the Vagabunda and they “were riding topside of Moby Dick!” And then…

“Then the canoe started to volplane, and pitched violently into the water. The whale’s great tale—it seemed twenty feet across—hovered over us…and then came down. The canoe bounced into the air and we catapulted into the channel. We took one look round; the water had its usual quota of sharks, which with the breakers on the bar gave us an added incentive in our race towards the canoe. Breathless, we climbed aboard; but where in heaven’s name were the paddles?”

Not all of their adventures took place at sea. They had several encounters with Mexicans—mostly good, but they had to shoot at some banditos. And then there were the creatures they encountered, ranging from an alligator hunt to a microscopic malarial malady. Here’s a sample critter:

“We stared at each other for a long minute and then uttered the one word, “talaje.” The most deadly insect in the jungle had bitten us. The natives regarded it as a catastrophe of the first magnitude to be bitten once by a talaje—and we were covered with their bites. The possible dangers of our condition made a malarial attack alone in the jungle seem about as important as a light case of the grippe back home.”

The talaje is a flesh-eating insect whose bite festers “…for several months, and since it is liable to infection it is frequently fatal.” They managed to survive the bugs only to get caught in a flash flood a short time later. These are two lucky and resourceful gringos! Right after that, while in the Forbidden Land somewhere between Oaxaca and Chiapas they discover pyramids and are attacked by a jaguar, which they shoot and skin.

Cocos Island 001 — Dana Lamb's detailed map of part of Cocos Island, which the Lambs explored on their expedition.

They finally reach Guatemala and engage in more adventures as they proceed down the coast of Central America. The president of Costa Rica in person gave them permission to visit Cocos Island, 350 miles off the coast. “Ever since either one of us was old enough to read books of adventure, Cocos Island, with its rich legendary background of pirate treasure, bold bad men, shipwrecked sailors, treasure seekers, and bloodshed had seemed the ultimate in adventure and romance.” A ship dropped them off on the island, and they enjoyed many Robinson Crusoe activities there.

Eventually, they end up in Panama and cross the Panama Canal. Just like that, the journey is over. When I read ENCHANTED VAGABONDS, I could not put it down. It’s 415 pages of action-packed writing with no fat, just meat. It’s a much better (and believable) book than their follow-up book called QUEST FOR THE LOST CITY. If you are looking for an inspiring and memorable sea kayaking expedition story, then you will reach El Dorado when you read ENCHANTED VAGABONDS. Eirik the Grey says “Check it out.”

This book is available through Amazon.com and similar outlets. I will be happy to answer any questions about the book. Those of you who have read it, please post your opinions below.

Note that my wife Nancy and I will be on an enchanted journey to Maui for the next two weeks, and I will return to writing my post when I get home.

Derek C. Hutchinson: a living sea kayaking legend

(note to my readers: This post begins an occasional tribute to individuals who have made major contributions to sea kayaking)

Derek Hutchinson could be called the father of modern sea kayaking for his paddling prowess, long distance journeys, kayak designs, his entertaining talks and advanced bracing classes worldwide. To me, he earns the title by penning the first book on how to sea kayak. Called SEA CANOEING, it was published in 1976 and has been reprinted many times. I bought the third edition, published in 1984, when it first came out, and it transformed me from a wannabe to a full-fledged sea kayaker (read more about what I and many top kayakers learned from this book and Derek by linking to: https://tsunamirangers.com/2010/12/28/four-ways-to-learn-sea-kayaking/). From this book I learned how to outfit my kayak, how to navigate, how to surf, self-rescue, and roll my kayak.

entering north sea — In 2011, Derek Hutchinson enters the North Sea--once again!

Derek led a grueling North Sea expedition in 1976 from Felixstowe to Ostend. This was a long open-sea crossing, which many kayaking mariners would agree is more difficult than a coastal expedition, because there are no landmarks to guide you along and you feel so vulnerable when out of sight of land (at least I do). He also paddled in the cold Aleutian Islands—without immersion clothing!

Derek Hutchinson hat trick — Derek Hutchinson's famous hat trick

And that brings me to an important aspect about Derek. He is very knowledgeable and opinionated—downright cantankerous in fact! If you ask him, he will tell you all about boat design, Alaskan paddles versus Greenland paddles, soft cover versus hardback books, and his development of self-rescues (for example, the “all-in” rescue). And if you prod him a bit, he will describe and then show you his patented hat trick! To see and hear him discuss various kayaking topics, click on http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1885031127921188402# and enjoy Derek pontificating in 2007 at the kayak symposium in Port Townsend, Washington. Note that not everyone present at Derek’s interview agrees with him on everything!

I don’t go along with him on some things either—for instance, his insistence that an advanced kayaker is unlikely to capsize and can at any rate roll easily on the first try in rough conditions and therefore should dress like a “sensibly turned-out hill walker” when kayaking, instead of in “a stinking, sweating, steaming and prickling” wetsuit “like an out-of-work frogman.” I think he is dead wrong about that—as even experts can mess up big time on occasion and end up swimming (I’ve blown my roll and swam dozens, perhaps hundreds of times—of course, this could be because I’m a lousy roller).

Derek book — One of Derek's many sea kayaking books

But even though I don’t always see eye to eye with Derek, I respect him for all he has contributed to sea kayaking. He has designed over a dozen sea kayaks, he has written several seminal sea kayaking books, he has made long distance trips and surfed and did seal launches and landings and paddled in ice and wind. He has developed innovative ways to rescue. And he was the first modern kayaker to accomplish these feats, now standards of modern sea kayaking. We have all benefited greatly from his contributions.

I owe Derek so much for what I know about sea kayaking, and for inspiring me to go for it and pursue my kayaking dreams. Decades ago I tried his seal launch—and it worked, even 25 feet up! And then I tried his seal landing—and it worked, even in big crashing surf on hard rocks. So when Michael Powers and I wrote our book, EXTREME SEA KAYAKING, we asked Derek if he would write the foreword, and he graciously obliged. We consider him our Sea Daddy, because even though we never took an on-water class from him, we absorbed every word he wrote.

north_sea_dvd_web — Derek's latest DVD with University of Sea Kayaking--tall tales from an ancient mariner

Further, Derek is a great orator. He is the most entertaining kayaking speaker I have ever heard. He doesn’t need a multimedia show to keep his audience riveted. His sharp mind and dry British humor, combined with his myriad experiences and unique perspectives gained over a long lifetime of paddling, make for a spellbinding talk. If you ever get a chance to see and hear Derek give a presentation, and you have box seats for the symphony at the same time, give away your symphony tickets and walk right up to the front row and enjoy the Derek show.

Beyond the Cockpit — Derek's first DVD with University of Sea Kayaking, and what he'll be teaching in San Francisco Bay next month

Though Mr. Hutchinson is getting up there in age, he still goes out and paddles, still designs and produces. And he is still teaching people how to go “beyond the cockpit” in style. For those lucky enough to be in the San Francisco area next month, Derek and Wayne Horodowich will be teaching a master on-water class on bracing and edging a kayak on October 8^th and again on the 9^th in Emeryville. Sponsored by Bay Area Sea Kayakers (BASK), it will be a memorable seminar. Contact Mark Silowitz at marksilOO@msn.com for more information.

Please share what you have learned from Derek C. Hutchinson, a living legend. I didn’t have space to talk about all his books, his innovations, his years as a senior BCU coach, his sea stories, and his artwork and illustrations. So please, tell us your Derek story or share what you learned from him by commenting below this post.

THE FAT PADDLER

The book’s title says it all. This just-published book by Aussie kayaker Sean Smith tells the story of an ordinary bloke who took up sea kayaking in earnest because he had to. It’s not about a long sea kayaking expedition. It’s about a fun-loving rugby rower out riding his scooter who was run over by a hit-and-run driver. He got banged up pretty badly, and his femur was broken in two. After recovering from that ordeal, he was in Bali for a rugby tournament when the terrorist attack on the nightclub occurred. He witnessed the explosion, carnage, and confusion, and though he did not get blown up, he was emotionally traumatized.

Later, he was a passenger in a sports car and was nearly killed in a serious auto accident. This time his pelvic girdle was destroyed, and he suffered internal injuries as well. He details his recovery experience with straightforward language laced with dry down-under humor and understatement. As a person who has also spent some time in hospital, I could relate to his suffering and depression.

His doctor told him he was morbidly obese and a prime candidate for cardiovascular disaster. He quit smoking, toned down his partying, dieted, and began an exercise regimen. Since his lower body didn’t work right, he took up sea kayaking to develop his upper body. He relates a funny story of his first trip on flat water and how he capsized several times and had to endure the applause of little old ladies when he was towed to shore. All kayakers should think back to their first excursions on the water and remember the awkward and embarrassing moments. Fat Paddler has a knack for self-deprecating humor that really tickled my funny bone.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Fat Paddler moseys down the coast (photo by Jim Kakuk)

He had a strong desire to paddle among ice bergs and so traveled to America with a folding kayak and paddled here and there until he finally reached Alaska, his ultimate destination. Since Australian waters are comparatively warm, he had no idea about drysuits, which are essential in the frigid Alaskan seas. He wrote:

“It’s hard to describe the discomfort of a drysuit in a manner that gives the full sensory experience. The rubber suit doesn’t breathe and it is immediately lined in sweat. It becomes clammy and slippery on the inside, even as the cold outside air freezes your face and hands. The neck gasket feels like a rubber garrotte, maintaining a constant pressure as each breath fights against your crushed windpipe. I was having flashbacks to hospital and the respirator tube in my throat and struggled with the rising fear of being choked again.”

He started his famous website, www.FatPaddler.com to share his adventures and learning experiences and to help beginners with their trials and fears. He also used his website to promote charitable causes. One of these causes benefits leukemia research and features a 111-kilometer night paddling race called the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic. Sean decided to enter the race and trained for it. After weeks of preparation, the Classic happened and Sean went for it with everything he had. Here is an excerpt from THE FAT PADDLER which indicates how tough the race was:

“When I passed the final checkpoint, almost eighteen hours had passed since the start of the race. My pelvis was screaming, my hands were blistered and my hips now streamed blood into the boat from the pressure sores. But I could see the finish line only a couple of kilometres away, and my pace picked up to full sprint, racing along the final stretch. My Greenland paddle sang as it whirred through the water. This was it, the final burst of energy before achieving the goal I’d set several months before.”

Does the Fat Paddler finish the race? You’ll have to read the book to find out. After finishing the book, I discovered that Sean Smith, aka the Fat Paddler, is a wonderful human being, the kind of bloke you’d want to paddle with, to share a brew and a sausage on the barbie with. He is unpretentious and a straight arrow. He still loves to have a good time, but is now on the high path of a life worth living. His inspirational writing style makes you feel good, like talking with a good friend.

Eric Soares reads Fat Paddler — In my office next to the creek, I devoured THE FAT PADDLER in 2 days

I read THE FAT PADDLER over a couple of days while sitting in the shade next to a beautiful little creek. It was an easy read, full of adventure and fun. Filled with tribulations and triumphs, the book was a delight. Erik the Red says, “Check it out!”

THE RAVEN’S GIFT, by Jon Turk

Can you judge a book by its cover? No. You can’t. Gazing at the cover of sea kayaking adventurer Jon Turk’s The Raven’s Gift (2009), I envisioned a tale of an arduous sea trek along the icy coast of Kamchatka. And Jon did kayak there. But that’s not what the book is about. The book details Jon’s inner journey from the mundane world of civilization to the Real World and the Other World.

The book starts in 1970, when Jon was a chemist stuck in a lab. While walking with his dog, he puts his face in some freshly dug dirt, smells the sweet earth, and is changed forever. Senses awakened, he is now connected to the primordial earth spirit. Thirty years later, he and paddling partner Misha Petrov kayak in a storm along the Kamchatka coast and crash land on a beach near a town called Vyvenka, home of Koryak people—reindeer herders. That is the last significant kayaking that Jon does in The Raven’s Gift. They are befriended by villagers and Jon meets Moolynaut, an elderly shaman who supposedly caused them to come to Vyvenka so Jon’s hip, injured in an avalanche, could be healed.

Since Jon is a scientist, he has a hard time believing that an old woman like Moolynaut can fix his damaged hip, when western medicine couldn’t. She indicates that he will be healed by magic through intercession of the messenger god, Kutcha the raven. This clash between shamanism and western logic is the crux of the book.

Jon consents to partake in a healing ritual which involves ingestion of magic mushrooms (amanita muscaria). To find out if his hip is repaired, if he crosses the frozen Siberian tundra in the Real World, and if he journeys into another dimension in the Other World, you will have to read the book. I will say he develops a relationship with ravens, which become his totem animal. I will also say the book deals with life and death in an icy environment.

kayak-ice-1 — Jon Turk on the ice of the northeast Siberian coast

If I had to compare Jon’s book with a similar non-fiction work, it would have to be Carlos Castaneda’s The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, wherein Carlos is tutored in the ways of Yaqui sorcery by Don Juan Matus, who gives Carlos peyote and datura. The obvious similarities lie in that both Jon and Carlos took psychedelics to reach the Other World, both authors were taught by traditional native people, and ravens and other totem animals figure prominently. The difference is that Jon learned about healing from a shaman and Carlos learned about power from a sorcerer—white magic versus black magic.

Another difference is Jon’s story rings true, while Carlos’ tale seems too fantastic to be based on actual occurrences. Castaneda’s book, though a best-seller, has been criticized as fiction masquerading as fact. One other difference—Carlos has a whiny tone to his writing and is always skeptical of Don Juan’s teaching until he gets his ass kicked. Jon, who has a Ph.D. in chemistry and is admittedly influenced by his past learning, is respectful of his teacher and tries his best to understand what he is experiencing. In my opinion, Jon’s book is far superior to Carlos’. But you should judge for yourself.

Here is an excerpt from The Raven’s Gift: “Even the most cynical Western observer has to appreciate that Stone Age hunters survived through keen observation of their surroundings and intimate connectivity with the landscape and its creatures. And out here, I felt that if people opened their senses wide enough and became sufficiently in tune with their surroundings, I have no trouble believing that they could make tribal pacts with wolves.”

In conclusion, this well-written book centers on the apparent dichotomy of logic versus magic, of the Real World versus the Other World. Does Jon bounce back and forth from logic to magic or is he able to find unity in the two concepts? I literally can’t say. I do know the book builds in intensity and certain events occur that made it so I could not put it down.

If you are looking for a book from a sea kayaker who thinks like we do and who embarks on a long journey of transformative self-discovery, then you will benefit from reading The Raven’s Gift. I did.

The Raven’s Gift is available in bookstores and online at outlets such as Amazon. Eirik the Red says “Check it out!”

Four Ways to Learn Sea Kayaking

I learned how to sea kayak from a book. Written by Derek Hutchinson, it was called SEA CANOEING. From that book I learned how to roll, how to outfit a sea kayak, how to surf and seal land, and how to stay safe on the water. But that was not the only way I learned how to sea kayak. To advance further I had to find better ways to learn. Let’s take a look at four good ways to learn sea kayaking, starting with the most available and working up to the highest way to gain knowledge and skill.

Eric reads John Lull book — I'm reading about rock garden "transition zones" in John Lull's SEA KAYAKING SAFETY & RESCUE book

Books and DVDs

I have a complete library of sea kayaking books, which I refer to regularly. If I want to hone up on piloting and dead reckoning, I read David Burch’s FUNDAMENTALS OF KAYAK NAVIGATION. When students ask for a good kayak surfing book, I suggest Nigel Foster’s SURF KAYAKING. My library ranges from basic books such as John Dowd’s SEA KAYAKING to specialty books on dangerous marine animals and living off the sea to destination books such as the one I’m reading now, Simon Willis’ THE SCOTTISH SEA KAYAK TRAIL (which is a very interesting read, full of gorgeous photos).

Magazines are also good sources. I regularly read Sea Kayaker magazine and a plethora of others. I also read club newsletters such as Bay Currents from the Bay Area Sea Kayakers. Many websites and kayaking blogs present useful information and comments from readers. The point is you can learn a lot about sea kayaking by reading—constantly.

Sea kayak DVDs — 3 interesting acquisitions to my Sea Kayaking DVD collection

DVDs are a good way to see techniques in motion. I’m slowly collecting good ones which range from Brent Reitz’ FORWARD STROKE CLINIC to University of Sea Kayaking’s BEYOND THE COCKPIT. There are many good DVDs out there, so check them out. Also, you can watch kayaking techniques on YouTube and the like, which is free!

Classes

Because I learned from a book without a teacher to correct my mistakes, I now have a funny-looking roll. It works, but it’s ugly. There is no doubt it is much better to learn from good teachers, as they can answer questions, show techniques, and provide feedback so you can improve quickly.

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog on Helen Wilson’s rolling clinic. Literally, in one day she taught 3 people to do a basic roll and taught Jim Kakuk to do a Greenland-style hand roll. Not many could learn that quickly just from reading a book!

Anders Landin lectures on the beach — Anders Landin (in red) lectures on surf safety

I took classes on river canoeing and river kayaking, and both really helped me gain confidence and skill on the river. My wife took a forward stroke class from Olympic gold medalist Greg Barton, and afterward she paddled nearly twice as fast. My advice is to read books and watch DVDs, and whenever possible, take an on-water class with a qualified instructor.

Mentoring

What’s better than taking a class? Having an expert train you one-on-one over time. The ideal learning situation is to have an experienced boater teach you the ropes for a year or more, introducing you to ever-greater challenges in increments.

For instance, senior Tsunami Rangers take eager and adept but less experienced kayakers under their wing and teach them increasingly complex techniques in bigger and bigger seas. They start in small surf and practice perfectly (“Perfect practice makes perfect”) until the protégé asks for more difficult water. After mastering that, the squire is ready to graduate to rock gardens and caves, under the watchful eye of at least one caring mentor. Thus far, we have never had a protégé fail our test to become a Tsunami Ranger officer. Mentoring is the reason.

Discovery

In my mind, discovery is the highest form of learning. If you’ve been fortunate enough to read good books, take classes, and be mentored, you are well on your way to becoming a complete kayaker. But there is always learning to be had. You don’t know it all; in fact, for most people, including myself, I think it’s safe to say that we really don’t know much about the sea, about boats. It takes a lifetime.

lone kayaker in surf — The highest form of learning is through personal discovery

At some point we become our own teachers. We seek new knowledge, new frontiers, and experiment with what works and what doesn’t. Discovery is not the fastest way to learn, nor the easiest, but for me it is the best. I am so happy to discover something I did not know. Like the time I grokked that when broaching, you can create a cushion of water in front of you to protect you from severe impact. Or when I realized that I could plane with the waves when paddling in following seas with a strong wind behind me and go really fast. The list of discoveries goes on. Every time I paddle, I’m open to learning something new.

My new year’s wish to you is to be a reader and a watcher, a student of kayaking, and a teacher. And may all your discoveries be timely!

I’d love to read your experiences as student and teacher. I’d like to know something you discovered on your own. And oh yes, which sea kayaking book influenced you the most?