Crossing the Ditch: Two Mates, a Kayak, and the Conquest of the Tasman

Our journey across the Tasman was frightening at times. Sharks tearing at our hull‚ 30−foot waves crashing over our kayak‚ and the possibility that the stern of the boat might be ripped away; these were all very real fears. Who were we to take on the Tasman Sea? But the little kid inside me screamed‚ ?óÔé¼ÔÇ?Go on‚ mate‚ give it a go.′” − James Castrission With more than two thousand kilometres of treacherous seas and dangerously unpredictable weather and currents‚ not to mention the ever−present threat of sharks‚ it was little wonder no one had ever successfully crossed the Tasman by kayak. Australian adventurer Andrew McAuley had come close just months earlier − tragically‚ though‚ not near enough to save his life. But two young Sydneysiders‚ James Castrission and Justin Jones‚ reached the sand at New Plymouth − and a place in history − on 13 January 2008‚ 62 days after they′d set off from Forster on the mid−north coast of New South Wales. In the process‚ they overcame a litany of difficulties‚ including dwindling food supplies‚ a string of technical problems and two close encounters with sharks‚ as well as one demoralising 14−day period in which − caught in a whirlpool − they found themselves being dragged back to Australia. When they arrived in New Zealand‚ they were sunburnt‚ bearded‚ underweight‚ physically and mentally wasted … and‚ most of all‚ happy to be alive. pp. 311 illusts #1119