You Could have Fooled Me! There are how many Types of Kayaks?

I knew this guy Jon in the Navy. While other people had pictures of women in their lockers, he had a picture of himself knee boarding in Hawaii, water-skiing in Belize, deep-sea fishing in the Florida Keys, etc. It was a montage of adventure and extreme sport. Jon was, I am sure still is, a unique person. He lived on the ship, didn’t own a car, but here he was be-bopping up the brow with a little boat over his head. I guess he answered a “sea kayak for sale ad”. I am sure he was going to tell me exactly how many types of kayaks there are in the world, complete with the history of each one in about eight seconds.

I once asked him why he joined the Navy. He told me that he joined the Navy to be jump out of airplanes, drive fast inflatable boats and infiltrate beaches after exiting a submarine. He joined to be a member of the Navy’s elite SEAL Teams.

He then showed me multiple scars running up and down his legs. They were all that remained from multiple surgeries to fix two broken legs. Limbs crushed between jagged surfside boulders and a small inflatable boat loaded down with students and gear. This was a signature student injury of that phase of the world’s toughest military training. Jon had left Basic Underwater Demolition School, or BUDS for short, injured but with spirit intact to return to fulfill his dream of becoming a US Navy SEAL.

He convalesced in the hospital and the Navy assigned Jon to our ship to retrain himself for a return to BUDS. Part of his self directed training was extreme, physically demanding sport.

I asked Jon why he was bringing an itty-bitty boat with him.

He kindly corrected me, “Isn’t it a beauty,” He further went on to school me on kayaks, “This is a touring kayak, Mike, and this is narrower and easier to paddle then the others over long distances.”

“How many styles of kayaks are there?” I asked innocently.

“There are inflatable kayaks, whitewater kayaks, tandem kayaks, racing kayaks, sea kayaks, surf kayaks, they even make a sailing kayak…” his excitement was now getting me interested, “…not to mention the different paddle combinations, the lengths, the weight..." I think he could have gone on for a couple hours, “…I even bought plans to build one, a Guillemot Kayak.’

I could hear him rambling on as I was examining the cool, sleek lines of his new toy. I still cant get over how light it was, Jon was 6'4" and about 240 pounds, not an ounce of fat on him.

His mumbling faded back in to earshot and I interrupted, "why are you bringing a sea kayak with us to Puerto Rico?"

What he said made my jaw drop, "when we get to Roosy Roads, I am going on leave.”

Bewildered, thinking that he was going to meet us back in Norfolk, I asked, “How are you get back to Virginia?”

“Oh no, I am going on leave in Puerto Rico and I am going to meet the ship in St. Thomas."

We were about to sail for the Caribbean the next day to participate in war games. This always included a stop in Puerto Rico for fuel at the completion and then a liberty port. He went on to tell me how he was going take “a little” voyage, only 45 miles or so, from Roosy Roads to St Thomas.