Stuart was brought up in England at Frisby on the Wreake,
near Leiscester. Being an outdoor enthusiast he took up rock climbing and
mountaineering. He moved to Australia in 1987 where he continued his sport, but
arthritis of the knees caused him to look for a challenging alternative. Having
read a book by Paul Caffyn who kayaked around Australia in 1983, he decided to
take up kayaking. Always looking for personal challenges he thought he would
have a go at emulating Caffyn, but his venture would be low-key, and
self-financed. Married, with two children, this 16 month adventure would be a
big undertaking.
There were enormous difficulties to overcome. He chose a
Nadgee solo kayak, Wilderness Wear thermals and clothing, and a Sea to Summit
Dart 2 tent to see him through the 16,000 kilometres of paddling. Taking an
anticlockwise route, he left Broome, North-western Western Australia, on 10th
April, 2010. His first day was almost his last, because he suffered badly from
heat exhaustion while paddling 40 kilometres in 50 degrees heat. Ahead of him
there were three very challenging stretches of coastline comprised of high
cliffs, each requiring him to paddle for many hours; along one stretch he kept
going for 30 hours before he could take respite ashore.
After arriving back at Broome on 28th July, 2011,
where there were no more than a hundred people to greet him. Stuart was very unassuming
of his achievement. He had sought no publicity; all he wanted was to see the
whole coastline of Australia and to fulfil his dream. He had some tense
moments, such as when a Tiger Shark bit off the rudder of his kayak, and when
he was thrown out his kayak when approaching a beach through surf. At one time crocodiles
surround him. Altogether he was capsized
five times because of heavy seas or sudden gusts of wind. When asked about his remarkable achievement he
praised his wife for her support and for the spontaneous help people had given
him on the way. His chief concern was getting back to work and to live a normal
life. There was little to say about himself.
Links
Nadgee Kayaks’ page for Stuart Trueman
Stuart Trueman's around
Australia kayak success and the challenges for all involved
The Balanced Boater
Kokatat Tag Archives: Stuart Trueman
Audio Interview with Stuart Broome (ABC West Coast SA)
Sea Kayaking
Paul Caffyn
Frisby on the Wreake
Broome
No comments:
Post a Comment