Kinavu for Plastic Samudra.

'Kinavu/Kanavu' in South Indian language means dream! The desire for open ocean kayaking was such, I would wake up from sleep, visualizing the vessel and the journey in the open seas; sketching my sleep breakers to share it with my kayaking mates. I am not sure if my fellow kayaking mates also had such 'Kinavu'? What was common to all of us, is the love for Nature, Adventure and Water. What got us together and how the dream of 'Plastic Samudra' came about, is narrated  here.

Dani, was the one, closest to all three - Nature, Adventure and Water. Born and brought up in Shakthikulangara, Kollam, Kerala, India. His adventures started as a young boy, who slipped away from home alone, taking his Grandfathers canoe. As he paddled around an Island in Ashtamudi lake, looking for his Aunties house, he lost the only oar he had, leaving him stranded. The SAR that followed and the grand reception there after, made him an adventurer for rest of his life! Based in Dubai and working for Elcome International, his philosophy  has always been and will continue to be 'Get it done'.  He is the last to leave shore after ensuring others have a safe launch and to arrive at the landing spot early, to help recover the boats and fellow kayakers. No matter the situation or accountability, Dani, has this amazing attitude of 'can do, will do'; making him the fulcrum of our team.

Murugan Krishnan, the born nature lover and adventurer among us! How else would you describe someone who can jump and roll in sea, having multiple unsuccessful runs to learn swimming. He is a certified snake handler and nature preacher who runs his own organic farm in Wayanad District, Kerala and was part of multiple surveys/certification from the Karnataka Forest Department. Working for IBM, based in Dublin, Ireland, he is into Paragliding and plays wind/percussion instruments. Murugan's deep love for nature and his oratory of simple observation on flora/fauna captivates any audience. He comes with  tons of enthusiasm that is infectious and the spirit of doing things even in the face of fear;  courage!

In 2014 January, I and Murugan were part of a three man team that undertook Expedition NW3, first human kayaking effort from Kollam to Kottapuram, Kerala, a distance of 180Km. Dani reached out via social media and shared his interest to join Expedition NW3-K4, which we did as a Ten member team in 2014 December, kayaking from Kollam to Beypore, Kerala, a distance of 300Km.  During that expedition we had the amazing experience of paddling with Sandy Robson, the legendary Australian kayaker. Her connection got us to Jim Bush, another Australian, kayaker and outdoor instructor,  who joined us in the next Two expeditions. Jim was our guide for venturing to sea, as we did long distances in 2015 & 2016. 

We had done short trips, long trips and entered sea on our kayaks. These expeditions gave us a feeling of camaraderie that blossomed into friendship and the ultimate question 'Whats next?'. Our sea excursions  triggered respect and love for our oceans. It also opened our eyes to reality; every 100 meter of the sea along the Malabar cost had some plastic debris!. The same oceans that spawned life on land is getting decimated by human activity.

Reading about Aleksander Doba;  connecting with Abhilash Tomy and Sandy Robson, instilled in us a desire to push further. We initially thought of reaching Lakshwadeep Island in Arabian Sea, on our ocean going kayaks; rafting for shelter and rest. The idea was scuttled and we decided to go for a boat similar to what Aleksander Doba had used for his Atlantic crossing. How do you get a boat like Aleksandar Doba? In a country with close to 7000Km of sea cost and less than 1% of the population venturing beyond the beach, getting an ocean going kayak looked difficult.

We approached foreign builders for design and even offering to buy a second hand ocean going kayak. We realized that shipping and modification to fit our needs would cost us a bomb. Finally,  decision was taken that the craft has to be made in India, where the expertise exist. We explored both the boat yards that had competed for building the sailing boat for the Indian Navy's circumnavigation initiative. Our first touch point was Samudra Shipyard, Kochi ,Kerala, India; they were not excited for a one off kayak. We reached out to  Aquarius Shipyard, Goa, India, that had build 'Mhadei', the sailboat used for  Two circumnavigation (Aquarius went on to make 2 more sail boats, 'Tarni' on her last leg of circumnavigation and 'Thuriya', en-route to participate in the Golden Globe Race). Ratnakar, the MD at Aquarius was more than willing to help, provided, we had a detailed plan. Our effort to get the plan for the boat used by Aleksander Doba from designer/builder Andrzej Arminski  met with no response. We even tried reaching CUSAT - Cochin University for Science and Technology, that has a reputed department in Naval  Architecture, without luck. The same was true with Bosgraaf Yacht Design.

We went back to  Ratnakar with the show stopper news and that's when he mentioned about Peter, a friend of his. Peter, turned out to be the owner of Bosgraaf Yacht Design and worked closely to put the final shape to 'Plastic Samudra'. The name 'Plastic Samudra' signifies for the Three of us, the need to build awareness on massive pollution affecting world oceans and help mobilize people in South Asia and near geographies to tackle the issue.

'Plastic Samudra' will be a self righting, foam sandwich build ocean going kayak with a spear shaped bow and Two paddling stations. She will have a cabin each, on her bow and stern, for refuge during inclement weather. Her awesome figures are:
Length - 8985mm/29'4''
Broad 1- 1216mm/3'10''
Broad 2- 1051mm/3'4''
Broad 3- 947mm/3'1''
Cabin 2 height - 907mm/2'10''
Cabin 1 height - 810mm/2'6''
 
The Keel laying ceremony for 'Plastic Samudra' is completed on 5th April and she will be ready for launch in November, 2018. Our 'Kinavu/Kanavu' of an ocean adventure is taking its next step. As Theodore Roosevelt said 'Believe you can do and you're halfway there'.  Are we halfway there....we believe so.