Our dream of owning a kayak came true in August 2020, when
we bought a tandem inflatable kayak and named her Emma. With Emma, we could
explore lakes and rivers whenever we wanted, without having to depend on rental
services.
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| The brand new kayak Emma, 2020 |
There were so many lakes and rivers in North Texas and
southern Oklahoma waiting to be explored. Between August 2020 and June 2021, we
paddled on seven lakes—Lake Lavon (four times), Lake Texoma (three times), Lake
Worth, Lake Murray in Oklahoma (twice), Cooper Lake, Lake Bob Sandlin, and
White Rock Lake—and two rivers: White Rock Creek and the Mountain Fork River in
Oklahoma.
Those trips were everything we had imagined.
Many of the lakes were in remote areas, where few people
ventured. Even at more popular destinations such as White Rock Lake, Lake
Murray State Park, and Beavers Bend, we often found ourselves almost alone once
we were on the water. Away from the crowds and noise on shore, tranquility
prevailed. We were immersed in nature.
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| Lake Murray Moonrise |
Kayaking brought us close to wildlife, especially
waterbirds, as we paddled along shorelines and ventured into secluded coves. We
saw egrets, herons, ducks, geese, turkey vultures, American coots,
double-crested cormorants, and white pelicans. There were also killdeer, belted
kingfishers, eastern phoebes, red-tailed hawks, and even a sandpiper.
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| Egrets and Ducks at Lake Texoma |
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| A corner of Lake Murray |
The views from a kayak were beautiful and unique. Sunrise,
sunset, and moonrise over the open water of a large lake looked different from
the same scenes viewed from land. Water, sky, and trees dressed in the colors
of the changing seasons came together in magnificent tapestries. Our bright
yellow Emma added another splash of color to the scene!
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| Morning Hue, Mountain Fork River, Beavers Bend, OK |
Many of our trips were adventures in their own right. Some
of the places we visited were largely undeveloped, with no clearly marked
paddling routes. We studied maps, scouted shorelines, and ventured into
unfamiliar waters, never quite knowing what we might find around the next bend.
Emma made these explorations possible.
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| Bright Yellow Emma in Green Mountain Fork River |
Our kayaking adventures in Texas and Oklahoma came to a halt
when I took up an international assignment in Singapore. We resumed kayaking in
Singapore in October 2021, and the experience brought back the same pleasures
we had enjoyed in America: tranquility, wildlife, beautiful scenery, and the
excitement of exploring unfamiliar waters.
There was one important difference, however. Most inland
lakes in Singapore are reservoirs supplying drinking water, where private
recreational kayaking is not permitted. Instead, we took to the sea,
paddling in the Singapore Strait and Johor Strait, as well as in the tidal
rivers and estuaries around Singapore's main island and Pulau Ubin.
The tropical environment proved much harsher for Emma than
the lakes and rivers of North America. Near the equator, intense ultraviolet
radiation and constant exposure to seawater took their toll on the kayak's
composite materials, particularly the adhesive bonds.
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| Paddling to Khatib Bongsu |
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| White Bellied Fish eagle over mangroves |
We did our best to take good care of Emma. After every trip,
we washed her thoroughly. Once she had dried quickly under the sun, we brought
her indoors to finish drying slowly in our air-conditioned living room. We also
stored her indoors, protected from the elements.
Over five years, with roughly three trips a year, Emma
continued to look almost new. There were only minor signs of wear and tear,
especially along the fold lines. Like most inflatable kayaks, she had to be
deflated and folded into a storage bag after each trip, and those repeated
folds inevitably left their marks.
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| inflated Emma on the beach of Pasir Ris, 15th paddling trip |
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| Courting Great Billed Herons |
Then came May 24, 2026, our fifteenth kayaking trip with
Emma in Singapore. We inflated her on Pasir Ris Beach. She looked as beautiful
as ever, and anyone who did not look closely would have thought she was still
new.
We paddled along the Api Api River on the main island before
crossing the Johor Strait to Sungai Puaka. The highlight of the trip was
witnessing the courtship behavior of great-billed herons. We spent nearly four
hours on the water, covering 11.7 kilometers.
As we approached Pasir Ris Beach, about 300 meters from
shore, I noticed something unusual. The right-side air chamber near me, at the
stern, had developed wrinkles. It was leaking!
Our subsequent inspection revealed the underlying damage. A
section of the air chamber had ballooned locally, causing the material's matrix
to crack and form a small hole. We also found delamination at several
locations, where layers that should have remained bonded together had
separated.
We patched the hole and repaired the delaminated areas using
water-based adhesive. After the repairs, Emma looked good again, although the
locally ballooned section remained visible despite reinforcement.
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| Emma after repair - local ballooning area was reinforced |
We were not ready to give up on her just yet.
We took Emma to Sentosa for another outing and enjoyed a
wonderful 9-kilometer paddle from Tanjong Beach to Labrador Nature Park and
back, lasting two hours and forty minutes. Emma performed well throughout the
trip. But after washing and drying her, we discovered more small patches of
delamination here and there. We applied a few more Band-Aids.
It was becoming clear that Emma's aging had accelerated in
Singapore's tropical environment. The combination of intense UV radiation and
seawater had taken a toll, and we knew that her remaining useful life might be
limited. We decided to take her out a couple more times before retirement.
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| Paddling to Pulau Palawan |
Our seventeenth trip with Emma took place on September 27,
2026, a cloudy Sunday. We launched from Sembawang and headed for Sungai
Simpang, the destination of our very first kayaking trip in Singapore. The
estuary lay about two kilometers away, across the open waters of the Johor
Strait.
As Lily paddled, I noticed that the main air chamber—the one
we sat on—was flexing quite noticeably. We had deliberately inflated the kayak
to a pressure below its rated level, and the chamber still appeared reasonably
full, so we did not pay much attention to it.
Sungai Simpang was clean and calm. The loud calls of
collared kingfishers occasionally broke the tranquility, and we spotted a pair
of great herons. It was a lovely place to be, and we were looking forward to
exploring the smaller branches of the estuary.
But as we reached the end of the main branch, turning around facing the
Johor Strait, the weather began to change. The wind stirred ripples across the
water, and scattered, oversized raindrops began to fall. I looked down at the
main air chamber again. It had developed pronounced wrinkles.
This time, there was no mistaking the warning sign. The
chamber was underinflated, and it was leaking.
We decided to abandon our exploration and return to
Sembawang immediately.
As we left the sheltered waters of Sungai Simpang and
entered the Johor Strait, the wind strengthened and the rain grew heavier.
The storm had arrived.
Heavy rain lashed us, strong winds swept across the water,
and thunder rumbled in the distance. Fortunately, the thunderstorm appeared to
be some distance away to the southwest. But we still had a difficult journey
ahead of us.
We were paddling directly into the wind and waves. With each
passing wave, Emma's flexible body bent and straightened repeatedly. At one
point, the wind was so strong that we made no forward progress despite paddling
as hard as we could.
The final kilometer to the launch point would normally take
us about fifteen minutes. That day, it took nearly an hour.
When we finally reached Sembawang and dragged Emma ashore,
we found water inside her stern. The cap on the main chamber's inflation valve
had been blown off. A closer inspection revealed extensive delamination on the
underside of the main air chamber, with more damage along the side chambers.
The damage was catastrophic. Emma was no longer safe to use.
We had to let her go.
After six years and 31 paddling trips—17 of them in
Singapore—we said farewell to Emma. Her retirement had come much sooner than I
had expected.
We were not entirely unprepared for the ending, though. Her
first serious accident, four months earlier, had alerted us to the damage
accumulating beneath her seemingly pristine exterior. We had hoped to squeeze
in a few more outings, but the storm on September 27 brought our adventures
with Emma to an abrupt end.
Still, there was so much to be grateful for.
Together, Emma and we explored seven lakes and two rivers in
Texas and Oklahoma, seven estuaries in Singapore, and the Singapore Strait and
Johor Strait. She carried us into quiet coves, along mangrove-lined shores, and
across open water to places we might never otherwise have visited.
We encountered mangroves, egrets, herons, kingfishers, and
plovers along the water's edge. Grey-headed fish eagles, white-bellied sea
eagles, and storks soared overhead. Beneath us were fish, monitor lizards,
crocodiles, and smooth-coated otters. We felt the sunshine and moonlight on our
faces and the breeze on the water.
From the water, we experienced nature in all its richness.
Emma had given us far more than the freedom to paddle
whenever we wished. She had given us six years of exploration, discovery, and
shared adventures. She had taken us to beautiful places, brought us closer to
wildlife, and helped us create memories that will last long after the kayak
itself is gone.
So long, Emma!
We will see you in your next incarnation.
===================
Notes
1. Kayaking with Emma/kayaking history
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Kayak on Lavon Lake at its SW Corner 1
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Sunset at Lake Texoma 2
Sunday, September 20, 2020
Lavon Lake near Brockdale Park - a photo journal 3
https://explore-nature-have-fun.blogspot.com/2020/09/3rd-trip-to-lavon-lake-tickey-creek-park.html
Saturday, September 26, 2020
3rd Trip to Lavon Lake - Tickey Creek Park 4
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge - bird watching and kayaking 5
Oct 18, 2020 - lake worth ...6
Sunday, October 25, 2020
White Rock Creek - paddling and sightseeing 7
Saturday, November 7, 2020 Camping + Kayaking
Birds, Sunset, Moonrise at Lake Murray 8
Saturday, November 14, 2020 Camping + Kayaking
Lake Murray - A Sequel to Empty Nester Camping Trip Camping + Kayaking 9
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Clear Lake Park at Lavon Lake 10
Sunday, March 28, 2021
Camping at Cooper Lake State Park 11
Friday, April 30, 2021
Wildlife at Lake Bob Sandlin State Park along its Shoreline 12
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Explore Lake Texoma 13
Saturday, June 5, 2021
Adventures at Beavers Bend 14 last time before moving to Singapore
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Kayaking at Sungei Simpang first time in Singapore s1
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Kayak at Sungai Jelutong s2
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Kayaking Sentosa s3
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Adventure to Frog Island 18 s4
Saturday, July 23, 2022
Kayaking to Mandai River 19 s5
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Sea Kayaking at Sentosa 20/21 - with Nick s6, s7
Sunday, April 16, 2023 Commercial kayak 22 Malaysia
Idyllic Rimba Resort
Sunday, April 23, 2023
Riding the Tide into Sungai Mamam 23 s8
Monday, July 3, 2023
Kayak to Sungai Puaka 24 s9
Friday, July 28, 2023
Kayaking to Sungei Khatib Bongsu at Low Tide 25 s10
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Kayaking on Lake Mapourika 26 commercial New Zealand
Friday, March 29, 2024
Explore Mangrove Forest of Sungei Khatib Bongsu at High Tide 27 s11
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Kayaking on Sungai Teris 28 s12
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Paddle into Sangai Changi 29 s13
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Api Api River Kayaking 30 s14
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Illusion On the Water by Sentosa 31 s16
Saturday, September 26, 2026 (May 24) s15
Spotted Wood Owl, Big Billed Herons' Courtship, and Mishaps during Camping and Kayaking at North Shore of Singapore 32
Sunday September 27, 2926 - Sangai Simpang - last outing with Emma s17
The last action of Emma 33
33-2 commercial kayak = 31 Emma trip
2. Kayak leaking root cause
a. Rated inflating pressure (north America standard) is overinflation for Singapore whether
b. Significant Repeated bending occurred at the location of leak - a tiny hole)
c. Sea water
d. UV
They led to accelerated wear and tear of the kayak which led to local thinning of the air chamber, which led to the formation of a tiny hole for the first leak, and massive delamination from the last trip.
