By Callum Ludwig
A group of loyal kayakers are taking on one of the toughest challenges in Australia.
Healesville locals Jesse Martin and Bryce Martin, Yarra Junction local James Siepel and Jesse’s partner Emily Gardiner are set to attempt to cross the Bass Strait and are aiming to do so at the end of April 2023.
Jesse Martin said he and Bryce had been considering the diea for a couple of years.
“Covid was really the catalyst for it, we’d done heaps of kayaking in Victoria, a lot of adventuring and kayaking down in Tasmania and just thought let’s go for it, let’s give it a shot,” he said.
“Neither of us are particularly skilled at kayaking, perhaps Bryce more than me but it will be the adventure of a lifetime. We really wanted to raise money for something as well, so we are raising money for the Australian Marine Conservation Society who are a fantastic organisation.”
The group will begin their over 320km trip from Wilson’s Prom, heading south to Hogan Group, then onto Deal Island, before the longest day’s trip at about 70km to Flinders Island. From there, they will make their way down the coast of Flinders before finishing the challenge in Musselroe Bay, Tasmania.
Jesse said they have a bunch of trips planned in preparation for the main adventure.
“We’ve got a large kayaking expedition through Eildon which is probably going to be either this weekend or next weekend, then after that we will do across they bay, before a real test around Wilson’s Prom and a trip down to the Twelve Apostles, as well as loads of little trips on the Yarra and down to the bay as well,” he said.
“Traditionally, the best route fo the final trip is one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world, but there’s a window between th end of April and end of May when it should be calm, so fingers and toes crossed we will be able to go through then.”
The entire trip is estimated to take the group between two and three weeks.
When asked whether he thinks he will feel confident or nervous come the time to take the plunge, Jesse said it is a little bit of column A and B.
“I definitely feel nervous about it, but at the same time, with the trips that we’ve got planned, I think that we will all be comfortable enough to be able to tackle it. Speaking to people who have done it in the past, as long as you pick your weather windows right, it is about batting your own mind more than anything else,” he said.
“You want to be 100 per cent committed to it and you want to feel absolutely confident that you can undertake it so that if something does arise, you’ll be able to tackle it with as much panache as possible.”
Anyone interested can donate to the fundraiser at https://gofund.me/dbaa34be.
