Graham ‘Bertie’ Beckram is a sea kayaker with a guilty secret. He is sometimes to be found guiding novice paddlers along the Purbeck Coast, which can be seen in the background. These folk sign up at Lulworth Cove for a paddle among the amazing coastal landforms in the vicinity. However, they don’t take to the water in a 5.5 metre expedition sea kayak as pictured here. They (and their guide, Bertie) paddle sit-on-tops, which for the uninitiated, are open-decked and unenclosed kayaks with knee straps for control.
‘Proper’ sea kayakers have been known to sniff at sit-on-tops. However, a sense of perspective is required here. Sit-on-tops are cheap, accessible and unthreatening craft with which to first enjoy the sea and learn the basic skills. More crucially, the people who paddle them are the future of our sport. Sit-on-tops outsell all other types of kayak by a big margin. If we choose to exclude these folk, then they may eventually become an unenlightened burden on the marine environment (and maybe even the emergency services). However, if we put aside our prejudices and be nice to these folk, then today’s sit-on-top novice could be tomorrow’s expedition sea kayaker; one of us. This can’t be a bad thing.
Keep up the good work, Bertie.
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