Transatlantic crossing in a custom-made sea kayak
WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES IT TAKE TO PADDLE ACROSS the mighty Atlantic Ocean, from Cape Town to Salvador in Brazil, all on their own, with no support vessel? Well, judging by my conversation with Richard Kohler, a pretty laid-back one.
Jeans, flip-flops, comfy T-shirt, and a smile that punctuates repeatedly – these are the things I noticed first when chatting to this avid adventurer. But underneath all that is man with a deep determination to achieve his goals. A thinker. A planner. A man of action. And you might assume those qualities are at odds with his laid-back nature. I don’t think so. For Richard, there’s a symbiotic harmony between his single-mindedness and his relaxed demeanour. They complement each other, feed off each other, and I’m willing to bet that the sum of these traits will be the driving force that keeps Richard forging ahead during those long days and nights between towering swells out on the open ocean.
