A crew of five young mates from Sydney’s Northern Beaches will complete their gruelling kayak crossing of Bass Strait today, aiming to land this afternoon at Little Mussell Row Bay, Tasmania.
The determined kayakers set out from Port Welshpool, Victoria on 30 December, island hoping through the treacherous Bass Strait to reach their Tasmania destination, fundraising and creating awareness for the Black Dog Institute.
Their aim for the challenge was to raise $32,000 – which would have been $100 for every kilometre covered crossing Bass Strait. They have blown this fundraising target out of the water, so far raising more than $38,000.
Why paddle across Bass Strait?
The crew lost a mate to mental illness at just 17 yo in 2020 and have been committed to doing something awesome in his memory that was in line with his adventurous spirit and giving nature.
Ideas were kicked around, and they settled on crossing one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world by kayak and their Strait to Tassie fundraising challenge was born.
The tight knit team consists of two experienced kayakers, two novices and one who had only kayaked a handful of times.
The lads undertook a gruelling training regime and meticulous planning for twelve months to cover the 320km from the Victorian coast to land in Tasmania – and carried three weeks’ worth of food, in case bad weather meant they had to bunker down on islands along the way.
They did need to take several days off the water to wait out stormy weather throughout their trip.
With Tasmania in sight, the epic crossing is now almost complete. You can find out more on the Strait to Tassie FB page, or the Black Dog Institute fundraising site.
