Kayaking the Tasman Sea and 'Adventuring'

      I find the psychology behind why people go on dangerous journeys interesting.  Many adventurers do what they do just because it's dangerous, whether it's summiting an 800m+ peak or paddling across channels.  In the end, they are doing these things just to say they did it, or maybe so they can be in the books as the first ones to do it.  Ad they can justify these things by saying they are exploring or whatever, but in the end they are just doing it because it is dangerous.  It's not to see anything cool or explore new things.

     So the news that Scott Donaldson is attempting a crossing of the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand across the notoriously stormy and brutal South Sea (you can follow his progress here), reminded me of Andrew MacAuley's 2007 ill fated attempt which ended up with him presumably drowning just 30 miles short of New Zealand. 
They never fund his body, just his kayak.  Solo: Lost at Sea is a really good documentary worth checking out about his journey, featuring eerie footage both video and photos, that was taken from an SD card they found on the kayak.  The conditions on the Tasman Sea, combined with spending 30 days in ultra tight quarters with him actually sleeping in the kayak is crazy.  But the drive that people have to do certain things just to say they did it is remarkable as well.

     Although the kayak that Scott Donaldson is now paddling isn't really a kayak in my opinion, it's a custom designed boat with a sleeping cabin, similar to the one that James Castrission and Justin Jones paddled across the Tasman sea which he happens to be paddling kayak style.  Apparently Castrission and Jones have now made a career out of doing doing long and dangerous expeditions for the sake of doing long and dangerous expeditions.  I guess the media calls them 'adventurers' much like Sir Ranulph Fiennes, but I don't buy into it.  I suppose all the power to them to be doing these things instead of working in a factory or an office, although they aren't really doing anything for society as they pretend they are, other than being entertainment.

Links:
AndrewMcAuley.com
Andrew McAuley Wikipedia
Doubleditch.co.nz (Scott Donaldson's website)
Casandjonesy.com.au
Sir Ranulph Fiennes