new to kayaking

[fuzzball]

hi,
i'm just starting my kayaking experience as i won a perception freedom kayak 13ft.just need to buy a paddle for it,and some safty gear.
looking at previous posts looks like great fun and cant wait to try i out when we get some descent weather,first wanna try some trolling and spinning by the shore to get used to it.

is it worth launching from the lighthouse at shoreham then paddling out of the harbour mouth.

and how far can u saftly go out at sea i was thinking a mile or two.but only once i gain experience

any help would be great..

jay

[Orbitfish]

Having worked in the outdoor activities industry for more than 10 years I can add thiese words of...mmm...wisdom. The skill is not in knowing when to go out, but in knowing when not to go out. I employ people with years of experience and qualification to make an assessment of the risks and tell the group when not to undertake a journey.
Given that your top, flat-out paddling speed isn't much more than three or four knots (especially since you are new to kayaking and have yet to develop an efficient technique) I would pay close attention to wind and tide. To be caught trying to paddle against any one of these could feel impossible or be really hard going. Paddling against both would be like trying solve algebra by chewing gum: pointless.

The best advice I guess is to find others with experience who are willing to pass their knowledge on; perhaps there's a canoe club in your area. As seems to be pointed out often in this forum, fishing from a kayak is an extension of the sport of kayaking not an extension of the sport of fishing. Consider learning about it in it's own right and you'll be on the right path. After all, it's a rewarding pastime in it's own right. I live on the west Coast of Scotland and always thought dangling a hand-line off the back of a sea-kayak was as far as it went until I discovered these forums.
Best of luck, keep posting if you need more

[yakker]

Good advice there. Don't even consider fishing from a kayak until you have become completey competent on your craft.
First, it's safer to go with someone who is experienced. You need to get paddle fit, that is, capable of three hours paddling without stopping. Lots of short trips up and down the coast, not far out. I shuddered when you mentioned two miles offshore, this is for the fully experienced kayaker only, and not alone.
That will take you a while! You need to be fit and strong to cope with an emergency situation, like paddling back to shore into the teeth of a strong wind and tide that came from nowhere, at 1 mile per hour flat out.
You need to practice deep water re-entry, over and over, in choppy seas, until you can do it with ease.
Learn how far you can push your kayak as far as stability is concerned. Sit on the bow, sit astride the stern, try and stand up etc.
When you have achieved all this, you will feel much safer and happier to be afloat.
Then think about fishing. It's not easy at all, nigh on impossible if you don't do all of the former.
Don't be put off though, you will find just kayaking so much fun, you won't be bothered about fishing for quite a while.