Derek Hutchinson

Hutchinson helped establish one of the first kayak lifeguard rescue units in the United Kingdom and designed numerous kayaks, introducing watertight bulkheads and hatches as standard features.^[1][2] Boats like the Baidarka, the Umnak, the Ice Flow, the Gulf Stream, the Sirius and the Orion are now widespread around the world.^[3] In 1975 he led a failed attempt to cross the North Sea by kayak, but succeeded the following year with Tom Catsky and Dave Hellywell, completing the journey from Felixstowe to Ostend in 31 hours, a record recognised by the Guinness Book of Records.^[2][1] His later expeditions included paddling Scotland’s Corryvreckan whirlpool, Alaska’s Inland Passage, and a circumnavigation of Prince Edward Island.^[1]

Hutchinson wrote more than a dozen books, notably Sea Canoeing (1976), later retitled The Complete Book of Sea Kayaking, which became a standard reference work for the sport.^[2]

A frequent lecturer and storyteller, Hutchinson continued teaching (on-water) well into his late seventies. He died of cancer at his home in South Shields on 10 October 2012, aged 79. He was survived by his partner, Maureen Cook, his two sons and a daughter. His wife, Helene, had died in 2004.^[2][1][3]