We borrowed a kayak
I’ve never had the confidence to organise my own trip on the water, I didn’t know where to start... I have friends in scouting who have recently started paddling with their own inflatable crafts. Encouraged by their experiences and the offer of a kayak to borrow - today was the day…
I didn’t know where to start: where I could launch from, how to assess the weather and tides, if I needed to check the water quality and what other equipment I would need.
I was at scout camp last week and one of the leaders brought their inflatable kayak. It was useful as a support vessel out on the water when the scouts set sail in their constructed rafts. I was offered the chance to borrow said kayak and after brief consideration started planning a simple trip.
I planned to make up for my lack of experience and confidence through research. I looked up the manual for the kayaking that I would borrow so that I knew how to assemble, inflate and pack it away. I did an internet search of local spots and focused in on one river. I looked up the harbour and their slipway fees and parking. Using google, I checked maps and satellite images. I also found a YouTube video of the slipway and learned that at high tide, the floating pontoon does not reach the shore.
