We love the sensation of being close to the sea, being able to go anywhere, and stop wherever we want. You can do that with any kayak, but our kids would not have been so happy if we had chosen a normal kayak, to travel 7,300 km from Copenhagen to Istanbul. Instead we chose the Hobie® Mirage® Tandem Island.
Next, the stability which gave us adults the confidence to do the trip. To be totally honest, our sailing experience was zero before the trip. But as a kayak without sail, the Tandem Island is the most stable kayak in the world. For that reason, we felt very secure and the sailing part was just something we had to learn along the way.
Also, it provided a good platform for us and the kids to move around on, in any condition, from flat water to 3- to 4-meter high waves, and still be in control.
Often the kids were together on one kayak, playing. The Hobies allowed the kids to move around on the trampolines, playing, fishing, surfing, jumping into the water and to study – we will talk about that later.
It is a big kayak, or a small boat, but my son can handle it on easy days. We had days in Greece, going from one island to the next, and the kids had their ‘own kayak’, pedaling up to 3 kilometers by themselves. My son Tiuri was only 8 years old at the time. Liva was only 6 years old. She could not pedal, but she could steer the kayak when we needed a break or were busy scouting the coast for good landing spots.
For kayaking with kids it is hard to find a better option than the Hobie Tandem island.
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Lars Simonsen’s book LIFE IS GOOD follow us: A family kayak odyssey 7,300 km from Copenhagen to Istanbul is available on Amazon*Version*=1&*entries*=0.
