Size: 226 x 305 mm, 240 page hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-9583584-0-8
Published: January 2026
Publisher: Kayak Dundee Press
Price: NZ $75 including postage
Available from Paul: kayakpc@xtra.co.nz
In April 1989 Paul Caffyn began kayaking from Prince Rupert in British Columbia, aiming to paddle around the entire mainland coast of Alaska, completing his odyssey by paddling up the Mackenzie River to the road end at Inuvik, back in Canada. Following the disastrous 24 March Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound and the terrible spread that year of the oil slick down the coast of the Alaska Peninsula, Paul was persuaded it was too risky that year to continue, and pulled the pin at Elfin Cove. In 1990 he was back and knocked up 1,756 miles through the Gulf of Alaska, paddling through False Pass from the Pacific Ocean to the Bering Sea and stopping at Nome that year.
That trip was highlighted with stunning coastal scenery, superb sea life, encounters with walrus, whales and sea lions, while on shore, night time brown bear encounters added high drama. Paul’s low points were twice caught offshore in the Yukon delta country, miles offshore and miles from the sea when caught by ebbing tides.
Paul returned to Nome in June 1991 when he progressively weaved his way north through the Polar pack ice to Point Barrow, the very northern tip of Alaska. A charge by a musk ox and two big brown bears on either side of his kayak bow were highlights that summer. Paul then headed east with heaps of ice dodging, past the Prudhoe Bay oil fields to the Alaskan border. His last few days were on fresh water, bucking the swift Mackenzie River current to complete his Around Alaska Odyssey at Inuvik.
A fascination with how kayaks evolved in Alaskan waters was part motivation for Paul’s paddle, how the ancient Inuit crossed Beringia to North America, how the different styles of kayak evolved and how the Ancient Inuit thrived in a such a hostile frozen environment. Crossing paths with early well-known maritime explorers who were searching for the North-west Passage was another attraction.
With just topographic maps and a deck compass for navigation, Paul was seriously challenged at times with long crossings up to 50 miles whilst navigating through dense fog and meandering around a myriad of sculptured ice floes.
Paul wanted total commitment for this solo paddle with no radio, GPS or modern-day rescue communication devices. He was totally reliant on his paddling, navigation and survival skills, with no hope of a rescue if he got it wrong, just like the ancient Inuit paddlers.
Ordering information:
Paul: kayakpc@xtra.co.nz
Overseas:Email for postage