Starting this a little late, in that I’ve already bought the kayak and taken it out twice without documenting anything. I only decided to do this tonight – I wanted to make a note of the mistakes I made on today’s trip as a way of helping me to remember and improve, but thought it would be way more valuable and enjoyable to make something more substantial and engaging. So here we go…
I got the kayak in Ferns, Wexford, from a place called Spirit Craft Kayaks. It’s a Necky Zoar Sport. It was a toss-up between a Necky Narpa, the Zoar and a Prijon Seayak. In the end, the Zoar’s better seating arrangement decided it. The other two were not quite comfortable enough and had no adjustable features. The Zoar beat each of them on both counts.
I almost wished that I wouldn’t find a suitable kayak in Spirit Craft as I’d pretty much decided I’d buy a new Dagger Stratos at the end of May if I hadn’t found anything else by then, and I was pretty excited at the prospect; the Stratos is sleeker and has a skeg where the Zoar is wider and has a rudder. I preferred the idea of a skeg because of its robustness and simplicity of function and maintenance. The Stratos also has great reviews and looks lovely. It seemed like the ideal boat for me.
But I got the Zoar, paddle and spraydeck for €575 – as opposed to €1,000 for the Stratos alone (though I-Canoe would have given me a 15% discount on it with a set of starter gear) – plus I’m a novice and realistically any decent boat will serve me well for a year or two at least.
So now I have my kayak, spraydeck, paddle, buoyancy aid and makeshift leash. My brother gave me an old roofrack that does the job and I bought a tarpaulin to protect it from the sunlight when not in use. I’ve been out twice in Greystones harbour. Both times I ventured beyond the harbour mouth, though I didn’t think I would (as I have no safety training). I wear my diving shorty, boots and gloves along with my rash vest. I also bought a baseball cap and sport sunglasses after being very dazzled by the sun on today’s trip.
My plan is to get my safety training up to scratch and build my strength by heading out from Greystones harbour, then start doing more adventurous trips, starting with Dalkey Island. By the end of the summer I hope to have done something much more challenging, like an overnight trip on the Shannon or along the coast. I also hope to do some exploring of inland waterways, starting in Wicklow and branching out over time.