Kayaker Richard Barnes eyes new quest to cross Tasman Sea after failed 75-day attempt

There are many ways to celebrate one's 60th birthday, but kayaker Richard Barnes wanted to do it in style — a solo voyage across the Tasman Sea. 

Having participated in some of the longest Australian and International canoeing races, Mr Barnes says «a sense of adventure» defines his character. 

«Canoeing has been the outlet of that adventure for 40-odd years now and I have done the Hawkesbury classic many times and went over to Alaska and did a 1,600-kilometre event over there,» Mr Barnes says.

«Each time a challenge is completed, it leaves the question of how much more we can push ourselves.

»I asked myself, 'Where to next?' and I hadn't tried the ocean yet, so it seemed like a good place to head."

For his challenge, the Narrabeen man set off on November 15, 2021 to «cross the ditch» from Sydney Harbour to New Zealand on a kayak.

The journey would end back in Sydney after 75 days, New Zealand still a distant goal after Mr Barnes paddled into a serious problem. 

«My family and friends certainly thought I was mad, but when they realised how much it meant to me, they became very supportive,» he says.

Because oceanic kayaks are uncommon and not available for retail, Mr Barnes custom-built his own vessel named Blue Moon. 

«It is a bigger kind of kayak featuring a cockpit, where you paddle, and a place with enough space for you to live inside the kayak,» he says.

A structural engineer by trade, the canoeing enthusiast found his skill set «came in handy».

«An appeal of doing this was going into the unknown and solving those problems,» he says.

«It was definitely exciting to design the boat that would keep me alive on this journey.

»I was thinking in an engineering sort of way to find the solutions to a myriad of problems to prevent my