Australian kayak duo aim to paddle from Sydney to Auckland

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2007

SYDNEY (AFP) — A pair of Australian adventurers have set themselves the goal of becoming the first kayakers to paddle across the Tasman sea from Sydney to Auckland. James Castrission, 24, and Justin Jones, 23, will begin their 2,200 kilometre (1,370 mile) odyssey later this month in a custom built nine-metre (29.7-foot) kayak designed to withstand the rigours of the treacherous Tasman Sea.

The pair initially dreamed up the challenge when they were schoolmates on a kayak expedition along Australia's largest river system, the Murray-Darling, but they put it on hold for years because of the logistical problems. "We've done a lot of risk assessment work and worked out ways to deal with every conceivable problem we might encounter -- sharks, rough weather, container ships,"...