Southern Exposure A Solo Sea Kayaking Journey Around New Zealand's South Island

by Duff, Chris

• ISBN13: 9780762725953
• ISBN10: 0762725958
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-03-01
• Publisher: Falcon Guides

Summary

In this epic tale of sea-kayaking adventure, award-winning author Chris Duff places readers in the cockpit of his 18-foot kayak and lets them experience the full power and beauty of the South Pacific Ocean and the wild energy of the Tasman Sea as it thunders onto New Zealand's uninhabited west coast. Not just an account of human physical endurance and determination to attempt what had only been accomplished once before, this exquisitely written narrative reveals the philosophical and psychological life of a man who has chosen the sea as the master to sit before and to learn from. The intense and often terrifying sea journey is balanced by serendipitous meetings along the way with friendly New Zealanders and with the diverse wildlife of this tiny and remote island country.Southern Exposureis a force of writing that will captivate the armchair adventurer as well as the seasoned ocean traveler.

Author Biography

Chris Duff has traveled more than 15,000 miles by sea kayak and was the first person ever to solo circumnavigate England, Wales, and Scotland. He is the author of On Celtic Tides (St. Martin's Press, 1999) and has contributed articles to Sea Kayaker magazine and the anthology Seekers of the Horizon (Globe Pequot, 1989). He lives in Port Angeles, Washington.

Table of Contents

Foreword	iv
Acknowledgments	v
Introduction	1	(8)
Prologue	9	(2)
Giving Wings to Dreams	11	(20)
Solitude and Gales	31	(18)
Sharing the Dream	49	(12)
Southern Gales-Kiwi Connections	61	(6)
Praying for Summer	67	(14)
Expedition Momentum	81	(16)
Good-as-Gold Meri	97	(18)
Paddling the Edge, Pushing West	115	(12)
Storm Force Winds and the Refuge of Friends	127	(30)
Fiordland Fury	157	(28)
Gifts from the Sea	185	(6)
Shattered Fiberglass and Broken Dreams	191	(14)
Rescue and Repairs	205	(8)
Rebuilding the Boat and the Dream	213	(4)
Tasman Trials	217	(6)
Living on the Edge	223	(8)
Transitions and Calm Winds	231	(18)
Safe Haven and Calm Waters	249	(14)
Epilogue	263	(2)
Appendix	265

Excerpts

All the years of paddling, the thousands of miles of exploring, the whales, the seals, the albatrosses, the sunsets and the wonder of the sea, all vanished into the awful terror that what I feared most was actually happening. "My God I'm going to get blown out to sea!" The realization flashed through my mind as the fear soared and started to flare into panic.
"THE RADIO! GET THE RADIO OUT."
Another blast from the side hit with such force that the boat went over on its edge and hung there for seconds without rolling. The blasts shifted slightly and the boat recovered with a hip snap.
"FORGET THE RADIO."
I didn't stand a chance of opening the hatch behind my seat and getting it out. If I let go of the paddle for an instant it would be ripped out of the other hand and would be gone just like the chart.
"FOCUS. JUST STAY FOCUSED. THERE'S NO ONE TO CALL ANYWAY!"
The bow dove again and I ducked into the wave that broke over me. I lay low over the foredeck trying to minimize the sail area of my body, and trying to breath with my chest compressed and the water flying into my face.
I jammed my feet onto the pegs, pushed myself farther back in the seat and locked my thighs under the cockpit cowling. My legs started shaking from the strain of trying to keep the bow dead into the wind. If the wind caught the bow and swung it off course I'd never get it back.

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Excerpted from Southern Exposure: A Solo Sea Kayaking Journey Around New Zealand's South Island by Chris Duff
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.