Ryan Stuart, explore's gear editor

Another record attempt

• Posted on September 2, 2008 at 2:46 PM
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A Rapier-20 sea kayak in action. Notice how long and narrow it is. This improves speed, but makes it tippier.

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There's something about my island that has the usually sedate and non-competitive sea kayak community all fired up. For the past few years Vancouver Island has been the scene of fierce competition to paddle around it as fast as possible. It's a shame because there are so many incredible spots, especially on the remote west coast, where it would be nice to hang out for a week or more. I've been to a couple of spots where empty point breaks crash onto white sand beaches backed by a waterfall. And I've only seen a small segment of the coast. Imagine passing it all by in a blurr.

Anyway, the onslaught of record seekers continues this September as Sean Morley, a California sea kayaker and surf ski paddler, will attempt to break the solo record of 23 days and 10 hours and the double kayak record of 19.5 days, both set in 2007. Good luck Sean.

For a record attempt like this paddlers want a fast sea kayak with lots of storage. They'll out fit it with all the bells and whistlers and a pee bottle or two, so they only have to come ashore to sleep. Can you say leg muscle atrophy.

Sean Morley will paddle a Valley Sea Kayaks Rapier 20. This British style boat is built for open water racing. At 20 feet long and 17.5 inches wide, it's much longer and narrower than most recreational boats. Length in boats equals speed on the water. Beginner paddlers would find it tippy, but it's not that the boat is unstable. The stability is just a lot closer to the water than one would expect. Relax the hips and a boat like this feels pretty stable. With a little practice this would be a great boat for one day epic paddles and adventure racing. In fact, the Rapier 20, new this year, has been used to set a new record for the English Channel crossing and was used to win a Scottish adventure race.

Here's the whole release about Morley's attempt. I'll keep you posted on how he fairs.

In September 2008 California based British sea kayaker Sean Morley will attempt to break the record for the fastest circumnavigation of Canada’s Vancouver Island. The records currently stand at 23 days 10 hours for a single kayak set by Joe O’Blenis and 19 and a half days for a double kayak set by Kieron Tastagh and Jeff Norville, both in 2007. Paddling a Rapier 20 single kayak manufactured by Valley Sea Kayaks, and representing Kokatat Watersports Wear, Sean aims to complete the 700mile journey in less than 18 days.

“Vancouver Island can present some of the most challenging conditions a kayaker can face including fierce winds and huge waves off the notorious headlands of Cape Scott and the Brooks Peninsular, high surf and treacherous reefs guarding the remote beaches of the west coast and raging tidal rapids reaching speeds of 15knots in the myriad of channels separating the Vancouver Island from the mainland” says Sean.

Sean now lives in California where he runs River and Ocean LLC; a sales and customer service agency in the paddlesports industry, and is the Western region sales representative for Kokatat. He has been a member of Kokatat’s athlete team since 2006 and is the current World Masters Surf Kayak Champion in the High Performance category. In 2004 Sean completed the first solo circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland and all the inhabited islands; a six month, 4500mile expedition and the longest journey ever undertaken by kayak in British waters.

Sean will begin his attempt to break the record for the fastest circumnavigation of Vancouver Island immediately after the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium on September 22nd 2008. You can follow his progress by following the links on the expedition website:www.expeditionkayak.com and his blog http://riverandocean.blogspot.com/