All the Way Round (32 page)

Appendix—Equipment

Nadgee Solo Sea Kayak with trolley system and spare paddles system from Nadgee Kayaks

Sail and mast from Flat Earth Kayak Sails

Dart 2 tent and sand pegs (Sea to Summit)

Sleeping bag

Coolmax sleeping bag liners (Sea to Summit)

Small tarp (Sea to Summit)

¾ Thermarest and ½ foam mat

Trangia cooker

Head torch and spare batteries

Fork, spoon, cup

5-litre portable sink from Sea to Summit

Matches and lighter

2 litres of methylated spirits

First aid kit

Insect repellent

Soap

Toothpaste and toothbrush

Sunscreen

Water purification tablets

Handheld weather recorder

Voice recorder and waterproof container

Shortwave AM/FM radio, ability for Single Side Band (SSB) for weather forecasts, and aerial extension, AA batteries and spare batteries

Reading glasses and case

Waterproof camera and charger

Sailor needle and thread

Duct tape

Spare rope and cord

Fibreglass repair kit and sealant

Maps and waterproof case

Multi-tool

Small mirror

Pen and notebook

Cockpit cover

Two large carry bags

Small collapsible rucksack

Mozzie head net

Pipe, tobacco

Quality polarised sunglasses with case and strap from Spotters

Money, credit card, phone cards

List of phone numbers, emails, web pages for contacts

Pocket knife

Water bottles and Pack Tap (seven 6-litre collapsible water containers from Sea to Summit)

Plastic bags (resealable and others)

Food

‘Pilbara’ wide-brim hat and ‘Mullet’ cap (Sea to Summit)

Items of clothing (would change depending on climate) including: GORE-TEX Paclite Anorak paddling jacket, MsFit Tour PFD, PFD rear pocket, paddling shirt and shorts (all from Kokatat); merino wool and polypropylene thermals and socks from Wilderness Wear; fleece top and trousers from Canoeing Down Under; and Reed kayak jacket from Expedition Kayaks

Pee bottle, sponge

Paddle and spare paddle (Mitchell Blades Bombora paddle from Expedition Kayaks and spare paddle from Nadgee Kayaks)

Drink bottle

Paddle leash

PLB, knife, whistle

Dry bags to pack clothes, food, first aid and sleeping bag etc.; tapered dry sacks, compression dry sacks and dry sacks – 2, 4 and 8 litres (all from Sea to Summit)

Personal Flotation Device (PFD – life jacket)

Spray skirts (one from Expedition Kayaks and one Solution spray skirt from Sea to Summit)

Sponsons and rear deck bag (picked up at Esperance for crossing of the Bight only)

Desalinator (picked up at Esperance for crossing of the Bight only)

My first day from Broome — 11 April 2010. Day one of my sixteen-month journey kayaking alone around Australia and it was not a great start.

Working out the best place to camp can be tricky business — camping just above high tide on Ninety Mile Beach, 20 April.

The beach south of Spit Point after De Grey River on 26 April. Half the rudder had been bitten off by sharks just before I landed at Eighty Mile Beach.

Twenty-four hours into the 200-kilometre Zuytdorp Cliff crossing on 29 May; first light was a major goal but the time after dawn was hardest.

West Cape Howe, the most southerly point in Western Australia — 26 July.

The camp I shared with the four-wheel-drive fishermen after I’d completed the 160-kilometre Baxter Cliffs crossing on 31 August.

Leaving Eyre Bird Observatory on 4 September; behind me is a wrecked fishing boat.

Off to Eucla, a 270-kilometre paddle away — note the deck bag on the back, 4 September.

A handsome chap, paddling between Eyre Bird Observatory and Eucla on 5 September.

Launching from weed beds in the Bight, 6 September.

Looking worse for wear after finishing the 190-kilometre Bunda Cliffs on 16 September. This shows the edge of the reef I landed on; the Head of the Bight is in the background.

Staging my departure for the ABC film crew on Glenelg Beach, 23 October — with my daughter, Brittany.

NSWSKC members kindly escorting me into Botany Bay, Sydney, on 18 December.