For Your Safety
John “WIldey” WIlde started paddling on the open sea as a teenager
growing up on england’s exposed northwest coast in the mid-1960s.
For the next two and a half decades, he paddled rivers, competing in
slalom canoe on the British and australian national teams. he’s also
taken part in more than a dozen himalayan paddling expeditions,
Sur
vival
including leading the first descent of nepal’s sun Kosi River.
these days, John spends more of his time sea kayaking, putting his
T
IPS

rough water skills to use along the big-surf coasts of eastern australia.
he is the highest-qualified sea kayaking instructor in australia. John
recently undertook a solo paddle down tasmania’s rugged east coast,
notorious for its foul weather conditions, and survived paddling against
For sharks, storMs and rough Water
60-knot winds and a love bite from a giant shark. here, John shares the
b y J a c q u e l i n e W i n d h extra preparations that he credits with saving his life.
1]

Stay fit
“When an un-forecast 60-
3]

Paddle hard
and carry a
7]

Test your gear
in real-world
knot offshore wind came up towards
predictable stick conditions
the end of a 60-kilometre day, I was
For the last four years, John had like many australian paddlers, John
faced with a huge struggle to get
been paddling mostly with a wing frequently uses a kayak sail on the
back to shore—or the next stop
paddle, which is much more efficient open sea. When testing the sail
would be new Zealand!” John says
for a forward stroke. “But it is hard he intended to take on the trip in
that if it were not for his strength
to brace with, and generally more gusting 30-knot winds, he suddenly
and conditioning, he would not
unstable to use. so I went back to a found himself upside-down. and to
have made it. “For me, my fitness
standard, spooned blade, more stable make things worse, with the weight
routine means paddling several times
for bracing into a breaking wave and of the mast and a sail dragging in the
a week—if nothing else on the local
generally more predictable to use water, he was unable to roll up. From
lake, as well as rollerblading, some
when the going gets tough.” this gear test, he chose to completely
gym work, cross-country skiing in
revamp his system, purchasing a new,
season and, of late (and to combat
smaller sail that is more manageable
old age), yoga for flexibility.” 4]

Supersize
your rudder
in high winds along with a much
If you use a stern-mounted rudder,
shorter mast.
2]

Have a bombproof
chances are that in big seas, it spends
(and toothproof)
most if its time out of the water. a
boat
handy friend of John’s made him a
8]

Have a plan B
John says, “Finally I bought
When paddling in deep water
new rudder, six centimetres longer
a top-of-the-line paddle float,
offshore, John felt a sudden bump
than the standard. “this bites much
something I have never used before
as his kayak lifted out of the water.
better in a following sea, so I have
as my roll is usually strong. I had it
heart pounding, he sprinted to
more control, especially when I am
strapped to the back deck the whole
shore, to find big grooves in the gel
under sail.”
time. It’s always handy to have an
coat and compression cracks in the insurance policy!”
hull just forward of the seat—and
two glistening white shark’s teeth 5]

Practice, practice,
practice
embedded just centimetres from
“I spend a lot of time surf kayaking.
9]

Do your rescuers
a favour
where his thigh had been!
this involves lots of rolling, a really
“If something goes wrong, someone
John’s usual sea kayak is a
basic skill in surf, as well as bracing,
is going to spend a lot of time
lightweight graphite-Kevlar layup. “It
balancing and judging waves.
looking for you.” John feels that
is close to 10 years old and I love it,
all these are essential to serious
you owe it to rescuers to be able to
but it is light and easily damaged. my
expedition paddling.”
make contact, so he carries a phone
main thoughts were about dragging
secured in a waterproof pack, as well
it up remote beaches fully loaded on
as a VhF radio, PlB (personal locator
my own, or landing in big surf.” so
6]

Know where
you are
beacon), and flares stashed in the
he switched to a heavier, more robust
Practice navigation skills too;
pocket of his PFd—accessible in case
boat, which ended up not only
don’t rely on a GPs. John says that
he ever ends up swimming.
saving the boat from damage, but
expedition paddlers should try to
protecting John himself.
work with charts and maps fairly
regularly.
www.adventurekayakmag.com 5
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