Whether curling up with a book to await ice-out or looking for a book to bring on your next kayak trip, this list of the best kayaking books promises to enthrall readers with stories of adventure, friendship, courage and skill. Spanning tales of daring open ocean crossings, circumnavigations and self-exploration, celebrate the timeless allure of adventure by paddle with this list of some of our favorite kayaking reads, as well as the best new releases.
Best kayaking books: New releases
By David Norwell
A soul-searching personal account of a young man’s 1,700-kilometre kayak journey from Victoria, BC, to Gustavas, Alaska, illustrated with whimsical watercolour maps and illustrations of local flora, fauna, and landscapes.
In 2014, twenty-four-year-old geography student David Norwell set off on a daunting kayak journey in search of purpose in his life. A jigsaw puzzle of jagged mainland and over 50,000 islands—stretching from southern Vancouver Island to Alaska—lay in front of him. A self-described ordinary kid from small-to-medium-town, British Columbia, David had paddled through the Gulf Islands and guided youth groups on a nine-day journey from Nanaimo to Victoria. But nothing could prepare him for this.
For the next several months, David navigated the waters off the coastal British Columbia, recording his observations, musings, and daily activities in a notebook. The result is this one-of-a-kind travelogue, filled with more than 700 whimsical watercolour illustrations of coastlines, local plant and animal species, camping supplies, and portraits of people he met along the way. He wrote about the nature of solitude, the search for meaning and adventure, the wildlife he encountered, the survival skills he acquired, and the existence of his own privilege. A Complex Coast is an unforgettable coming-of-age story that will appeal to kayakers, naturalists, and anyone looking for adventure.
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By Bonnie Hancock
254 days, 12,700 kilometres, sea sickness, sharks, crocodiles and ocean. Bonnie Hancock broke numerous records on her fastest ever circumnavigation by paddle around Australia but that wasn’t the achievement she is most proud of. Testing the limits of her mental and physical toughness, she learned what it means to overcome adversity and how important teamwork and perspective truly are. What looks distressing from the rocky shore or storm-tossed waves can be inspiring when you look to the heavens.
The Girl Who Touched the Stars is a love story, a travelogue and an exhilarating exploration of human ambition coming face to face with the beauty and power of nature. But most of all it’s a lesson in overcoming self-doubt, trusting others and finding your true self. Bonnie demonstrates vividly and honestly the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of reaching for the stars.
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By Kirsten Pendreigh (Author),
Crystal Smith (Illustrator)
After Grandpa dies, a girl and her mother take the trip he had planned for her, kayaking along the Pacific west coast to look for the whales that he loved.
The trip will do them good, Mom says, but the girl isn’t sure. How can that be true when Grandpa isn’t there? And how will they find a whale in all that water, anyway?
There is so much to see as they paddle through white-tipped waves and calm coves: glowing moon jellies, fluttering anemones and slippery seals. All the while, the girl watches for whales. Could one be swimming beneath their kayak or along the shore of their camp? Are the whales even there?
Finally, in the dark of night, they hear them—pushhhhhhhh, pushhhhhhh—humpbacks breathing in the bay.
In this lyrical story, luminously illustrated by Crystal Smith, mom and daughter find the space to grieve Grandpa and reconnect with each other in the wild beauty of nature. And they come to realize that—perhaps like whales—those we’ve loved are always with us, even if we don’t see them anymore.
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By Nigel Foster
In 1976, Nigel Foster had no idea he would attempt to circumnavigate Iceland by kayak the following year. A chance meeting with a well-known expedition kayaker in the Scottish Isles changed all that. While others scoffed, he made plans, using the technology of the day: calling people on rotary dial telephones, visiting public libraries, consulting travel agents, folding letters into envelopes to be stamped and carried to the mail box. Slowly, as Foster learned about Iceland, he began to realize the difficulties ahead.
Nobody had circled Iceland by kayak before. So, was it a foolhardy escapade? Possibly, but Foster describes how his earlier adventures made him optimistic. When the small team he first envisions dwindles to two, he has misgivings, but the project seems to take on an energy beyond his control. In June of 1977, he finds himself with Geoff Hunter on the heaving deck of a ferry bound for Iceland with snow dashed mountains rising before them.
Despite contrasting personalities, Foster and Hunter have compatible goals. Together, they enrich their adventure, forgoing speed of travel to better experience Iceland. Icelanders welcome them with touching generosity. Their encounters are often outright hilarious. Ashore, the two hike up steaming volcanic peaks, not missing the opportunity to bask in mountain hot springs, or in contrast explore glaciers and ice-filled lakes. They camp on black sand beaches, eat seagulls and puffins, and deal with malfunctioning gear. Afloat, it is the moody ocean that pervades all, with its heaving shore-breaks and numbing chill. Here are towering cliffs, cacophonous seabird colonies, whales, driftwood logs from Siberia, and storm-whipped islands. As they forge ahead, their story becomes interwoven with threads, historical and geological, that enrich the narrative, making it a valuable resource for any traveler to Iceland.
This is a story of Iceland as experienced in the 1970s. It reveals the atmosphere and character of the land and people at that time. There is a freshness untouched by high tech, which makes the recounting of this major accomplishment, the first circumnavigation of Iceland by kayak, a delight to read.
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Best kayaking books to read
By Michael Daugherty
This concise guide, written by Registered Maine Guide and inveterate paddler Michael Daugherty, features 50 of the best sea kayaking adventures along the New England coast, from Maine’s Bold Coast south to the mouth of the Connecticut River. These are trips that can be done in a day or turned into an overnight, perfect for beginner to intermediate kayakers looking to explore the storied coastlines of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. The book includes day trips near large northeastern cities like New York City and Boston. Each of the trips features a full description and map of the route, plus bullets on distance and time, where to launch, tide and currents, “plan B” routes, and nearby attractions. An at-a-glance trip planner and a selection of nature and history essays round out the offerings in this essential sea kayaker’s guidebook.
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By Sarah Outen
On 1 April 2011, rower and adventurer Sarah Outen set off in her kayak from Tower Bridge for France. Her aim was simple: to circle the globe entirely under her own steam—cycling, kayaking and rowing across Europe, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, the Atlantic and eventually home. A year later, Sarah was plucked from the Pacific ocean amid tropical storm Mawar, her boat broken, her spirit even more so.
But that wasn’t the end. Despite ill health and depression, giving up was not an option. So Sarah set off once more to finish what she had started, becoming the first woman to row solo from Japan to Alaska, as well as the first woman to row the Pacific from West to East. She kayaked the treacherous Aleutian chain and cycled the Americas, before setting sail on the Atlantic, despite the risk of another row-ending storm…
Dare to Do is more than an adventure story. It is a story of the kindness of strangers and the spirit of travel; a story of the raw power of nature, of finding love in unexpected places, and of discovering your inner strength. It is about trying and failing, and trying again, and about how, even when all seems lost, you can find yourself.
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By John Connelly
On June 25th, 2016, John Connelly became the first to both canoe the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and kayak the Maine Island Trail, but went a step further connecting them with the Saint John River and Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada; 1500 miles in 75 days. This solo expedition launched in the Adirondack Mountains on April 16th proved challenging, rewarding, eye-opening and was tracked in real-time by satellite and was followed by thousands online. Find out how he met the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and survived violent storms. Be inspired to seek out these water trails and experience portions of them for yourself.
Connelly’s 75-day trip took him through 2 countries, 4 states, 22 streams, 58 lakes and the North Atlantic. Check out his trip at paddlequest1500.com. The trip was inspired by Connelly’s recognition of a growing body of evidence that confirms the physical and mental health benefits that come from communing with nature at a time when EPA reports suggest that Americans spend 93% of their lives indoors.
Connelly hopes that his trip can inspire others to increase the time they spend outside, citing research that suggests the profound sense of personal stewardship for natural resources that such contact inspires. “This was a physical and mental challenge; an adventure of epic proportions living out of my boat experiencing wild rivers, the volatile ocean, unpredictable weather, diverse wildlife, unique people, quaint backwoods towns and rugged working-waterfront villages along the way; all in one extraordinary 1,500-mile canoe and kayak journey.” –John Connelly
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By Paul Alexander
Do you ever long to escape the monotony and modern day madness of long distance commuting to a stressful job? The daily rat race, driven by materialistic possession’s shallow friendships and social networking. In a media driven world where false news, celebrity and sensationalism have become the norm. Is greed and avarice consuming and obscuring all the things that really matter in a life well lived? Escaping The Madness is the story of Paul Alexander’s journey to discover the richness of true human kindness and the beauty of nature while kayaking solo and unsupported 1200 miles around the island of Ireland. The book follows his adventure as he battles mountainous seas, treacherous headlands and swirling currents to discover hidden caves towering sea stacks and isolated beaches. The people he meets and the beauty of the natural world he encounters provide proof that a simpler more sustainable existence is the answer to true happiness. (All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Muscular Dystrophy Society Ireland Ltd Reg Charity 20012038.)
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By Joe Glickman
Freya Hoffmeister, a forty-six-year-old former skydiver, gymnast, marksman, and Miss Germany contestant, left her twelve-year-old son behind to paddle alone and unsupported around Australia—a year-long adventure that virtually every expert guaranteed would get her killed. She planned not only to survive the 9,420-mile trip through huge, shark-infested seas, but to do it faster than the only other paddler who did it. As journalist and expert kayaker Joe Glickman details the voyage of this Teutonic force of nature, he captures interminable days on the water and nights camped out on deserted islands; hair-raising encounters with crocs and great white sharks; and the daring 300-mile open-ocean crossing that shaved three weeks off her trip. For 332 days Glickman followed Freya’s journey on her blog—along with a far-flung audience of awestruck, even lovesick, groupies—as she took on one terrifying ordeal after the next. In the end, he says, “her vanity and pigheadedness paled next to her nearly superhuman ability to master fear and persevere.”
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By Chris Santella
In Fifty Places to Paddle Before You Die, the newest addition to the Fifty Places series, Chris Santella explores the best destinations for the diverse sport of paddling. The book features the world’s top spots for kayaking, rafting, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding. Destinations include the Grand Canyon, Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, Baja California, Indonesia’s Komodo Islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula, as recommended by paddling experts. Compelling travelogues are complemented by beautiful and vibrant photographs of the locations and travel tips to help readers experience the destinations for themselves.
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By Victoria Jason
During the summers of 1991 through 1994 Victoria Jason and two companions—Fred Reffler and Don Starkell—set out to kayak from Churchill, Manitoba to Tuktoyaktuk on the Beaufort Sea. When she set out in 1991, Victoria, already a grandmother of two, had been kayaking for only a year and was still recovering from the second of two strokes.
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By Pete Bray
“I confess to several moments of mixed excitement and apprehension … It was a clear night, the wind and tide were in my favour. I felt really up for it.” Kayak Across the Atlantic is an extraordinary first-hand account of the first ever single-handed crossing of the North Atlantic, achieved against all formidable odds. Former SAS sergeant Pete Bray’s solo unsupported voyage in a flimsy twenty-seven-foot kayak is one of the most courageous feats undertaken by man through one of the most inhospitable oceans in the world. For seventy-six days in 2001, the indomitable Cornishman paddled relentlessly across more than 2,000 miles of sea, enduring extremes of fatigue, equipment failure and foul weather before finally making landfall on the west coast of Ireland a few days before 9/11. Written in an approachable and matter-of-fact style, this is an incredible true adventure story.
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By Chris Duff
Expedition kayaker Duff strikes a highly readable balance between the external and internal elements of a long paddling trip. Vivid descriptions of stormy crossings and explorations of ancient abandoned island monasteries are balanced by the beautifully expressed philosophical musings born out of the challenge and purity of a long solo quest.
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By Don Starkell
Don Starkell decided to paddle a kayak from Hudson Bay 3,000 miles through the Northwest Passage.
Paddle to the Arctic is Don’s diary of his journey from Churchill, Manitoba, north and then west all the way to Tuktoyaktuk, close to Alaska. The voyage took him three Arctic summers. Each attempt almost cost him his life.
The first year, aged fifty-seven and “very scared,” Don paddled north through the thawing ice-fields. How he survived a spill in frigid waters miles from shore before fighting his way home is in itself an incredible story. On his return to Churchill he was greeted by a local with the words “I was hoping you wouldn’t make it back.” Why? “If guys like you are successful, it will encourage others to try, and the whole west shore of Hudson Bay will be piled deep with bodies.”
Undeterred, Don tried again the next year with two companions. Fred soon gave up, but Victoria gamely survived their jousts with polar bears, walrus, and other hazards all the way to Repulse Bay. (For most readers, one of the book’s pleasures is learning the geography of the North as Don visits each community in turn.)
The third year was the big test. Dragging their sleds across the peninsulas proved to be too tough, and snowmobiles had to be used to get to Spence Bay. Then it was straight across the frozen sea, hauling their kayaks on sleds.
Although Victoria had to give up (“My God, he’ll kill us both,” she told a Winnipeg paper), Don kept on, not seeing another human being for weeks, and risking his life as he waded across the thawing ice (“Fell through the ice up to my neck at least ten times yesterday …”). At Cambridge Bay he abandoned the sled and threaded his way through the breaking ice by kayak, out into open water. There he confronted storms, giant Arctic seas, and (“August 19 – snow!”) the growing threat of freeze-up.
The variety of Don’s adventures will astonish every reader. “So far on my voyage,” he writes, “I have seen polar bear, grizzly, caribou, reindeer, muskox, belugas, whales, seal, walrus, Arctic hare, siksik, lemmings, fox, and lots of Arctic birds.” Whenever his days seem about to settle into a rhythm, another crisis erupts. The landscape changes, from welcoming Inuit settlements or camps, to permanently smoking hills, and from an historic site where he finds an explorer’s sword hilt, to surf-lashed cliffs.
And as he closes in on his destination, his supplies running out and his ocean highway freezing over, we find ourselves sharing his blazing, driving determination to reach his goal, at the risk of his life. This compelling book makes armchair travel the ideal way to go.
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By Ken Whiting
Whether your interest in kayaking stems from the desire to get outside and exercise, spend time with your friends and family, or explore the endless waterways that surround you, this easy-to-read guide makes paddling fun and safe for both new and experienced paddlers looking to broaden their horizons.
Inside this book, you’ll learn how to choose the right equipment, the essential strokes, maneuvers, and paddling techniques you need to know, information on capsize recoveries, paddling on the ocean, in surf zones, on rivers, on lakes, and in moving current. Plus, learn how to get the most out of your kayak, how to stay safe on the water, paddler’s first aid, and much more!
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By Doug Cooper
This is a practical guide that will help the reader to master the skills needed to manoeuvre a sea kayak efficiently. For beginner and intermediate paddlers. Doug draws on his personal and coaching experience to help the reader master sea kayak handling skills and techniques. Accurate sequential photos and simple concise language make the descriptions easy to follow and understand. The foundation skills of posture, connectivity (how your body is connected to the kayak), power transfer and learning to ‘feel’ how the boat responds, are explored initially. The author then goes on to tackle forward paddling, keeping the kayak on course, reverse paddling, edging, turning on the spot, forward turns on the move, reverse turns on the move, stern rudders, moving sideways, support strokes, and the use of skegs and rudders. Sea Kayak Handling is recommended as support material for the British Canoe Union 3 and 4 Star (Sea) awards. (The 1 star is a novice ‘encouragement’ award, the 2 star covers basic generic kayak skills, the 3 star basic/intermediate sea specific skills and experience, and the 4 star covers intermediate sea specific skills and leadership in moderate conditions.)
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By Gordon Brown
Following on from his hugely successful book Sea Kayak, Gordon Brown brings his vast experience and unique style to this latest publication Sea Kayak Safety and Rescue. Each chapter begins with a real-life incident which sets the scene and helps to emphasize what follows. The underlying principles are highlighted, practical lessons learnt and the hard skills explored in detail. Numerous colour photos complement and illustrate the text. This book is essential reading for any sea kayaker, and will be enjoyed and valued by both novice and experienced paddlers alike.
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By Derek C. Hutchinson
First published in 1976, The Complete Book of Sea Kayaking is a comprehensive guide for the beginner and an invaluable reference book for the experienced sea kayaker. Originally penned by the late Derek C. Hutchinson, an international authority on sea kayaking, it describes equipment, basic and advanced techniques, weather and navigation, and is illustrated throughout by the author’s own drawings and color photographs.
This new 40th anniversary edition has been completely updated in line with the latest sea kayaking developments by Wayne Horodowich, a longtime friend of Hutchinson’s and the founder of the University of Sea Kayaking.
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By Shelley Johnson
The first edition of The Complete Sea Kayaker’s Handbook received immediate acclaim with its selection as the Best Outdoor Instructional Book by the National Outdoor Book Award group. Now this book boasts 352 pages with changes throughout to reflect the growth of kayaking as a sport. This book is your first step to adventure on the water, with everything you need to know, from buying a kayak to dressing for the water.
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By Kim Heacox
In this coming-of-middle-age memoir, Kim Heacox, writing in the tradition of Abbey, McPhee, and Thoreau, discovers an Alaska reborn from beneath a massive glacier, where flowers emerge from boulders, moose swim fjords, and bears cross crevasses with Homeric resolve. In such a place Heacox finds that people are reborn too, and their lives begin anew with incredible journeys, epiphanies, and successes. All in an America free of crass commercialism and overdevelopment.
Braided through the larger story are tales of gold prospectors and the cabin they built sixty years ago; John Muir and his intrepid terrier, Stickeen; and a dynamic geology professor who teaches earth science “as if every day were a geological epoch.”
Nearly two million people come to Alaska every summer, some on large cruise ships, some in single kayaks—all in search of the last great wilderness, the Africa of America. It is exactly the America Heacox finds in this story of paradox, love, and loss.
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By Dave Shively
In the summer of 1987 Ed Gillet achieved what no person has accomplished before or since, a solo crossing from California to Hawaii by kayak. Gillet, at the age of 36 an accomplished sailor and paddler, navigated by sextant and always knew his position within a few miles. Still, Gillet underestimated the abuse his body would take from the relentless, pounding, swells of the Pacific, and early into his voyage he was covered with salt water sores and found that he could find no comfortable position for sitting or sleeping. Along the way he endured a broken rudder, among other calamities, but at last reached Maui on his 63rd day at sea, four days after his food had run out. Dave Shively brings Gillet’s remarkable story to life in this gripping narrative, based on exclusive access to Gillet’s logs as well as interviews with the legendary paddler himself.
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By Caroline Van Hemert
For fans of Cheryl Strayed, the gripping story of a biologist’s human-powered journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Arctic to rediscover her love of birds, nature, and adventure.
During graduate school, as she conducted experiments on the peculiarly misshapen beaks of chickadees, ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert began to feel stifled in the isolated, sterile environment of the lab. Worried that she was losing her passion for the scientific research she once loved, she was compelled to experience wildness again, to be guided by the sounds of birds and to follow the trails of animals.
In March of 2012, she and her husband set off on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic, traveling by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe. Together, they survived harrowing dangers while also experiencing incredible moments of joy and grace—migrating birds silhouetted against the moon, the steamy breath of caribou, and the bond that comes from sharing such experiences.
A unique blend of science, adventure, and personal narrative, The Sun Is a Compass explores the bounds of the physical body and the tenuousness of life in the company of the creatures who make their homes in the wildest places left in North America. Inspiring and beautifully written, this love letter to nature is a lyrical testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
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By Warren Richey
As far as Warren Richey knew, his life was on course. A reporter with a beautiful wife and talented son, Richey couldn’t imagine how it could be any better…. Then his marriage falls apart and he can’t imagine how it could be any worse.
The divorce leaves Richey questioning everything, while struggling to find a way forward. To get his bearings, he enters the first Ultimate Florida Challenge, an all-out twelve-hundred-mile kayak race around Florida.
The Challenge is less of a race than it is a dare or a threat. The thirty-day deadline sets a grueling, twenty-four-hour-a-day pace through shark- , alligator- , and even python-infested waters. But those twelve hundred miles are only a fraction of a journey that pulls Richey back to when he was embedded with troops in Iraq, reporting on missing children, and hiking the mountains of Montana with his son, and shows him where he went wrong, where he went right, and how to do it better the second time around.
Warren Richey’s memoir Without a Paddle is a remarkable physical and emotional journey that cuts to the heart of what it means to be a man, a husband, and a father.
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