RIP Derek Hutchinson

I love to kayak.  Being one of the first to kayak off the coast of Tanzania is one of the primary reasons I started Infinite Safari Adventures.  I follow kayaking.  I read about kayaking. I paddle almost every week.

Recently we lost one of the icons of kayaking, Derek Hutchinson. I did not know Derek Hutchinson.  But I read about him.  I read his books.  I followed his advice.  I coveted owning one of the kayaks he designed.  He was truly the father of modern sea kayaking.

In reading about Derek you learn he was the first to cross the North Sea in a kayak. He also kayaked in the Aleutian Islands as well as other ways around the world.

But what made Derek Hutchinson world reknowned as was his seminal book “The Complete Book of Sea Kayaking,” I have not only read that book cover to cover, but continue on a regular basis to refer back to it to refresh my knowledge of kayaking.

Derek I wish I had a chance to paddle with you.  I know it would have been an experience I never would have forgotten and I know it would have made me a better paddler.

And thank you for all you did to contribute to a sport that has taken me all over the world, allowed me to get up close and personal with wildlife and given me that zen sense of peace and calm and my paddles dipped in the water.