Leave it in the car and Murphy's law will bite you.

[Raptor]

Went for a little paddle on Sunday from Okahu bay out to Bean rock to toss around a couple of softbaits but it was more a paddle day than a fishing day.
It was such a fantastic day on the water I then decided to keep going across to Rangi.
I was just about to channel marker 14 and had to do a quick brace as the wake hit from two of the big ferries passing either side of me.
It was nothing dramatic at all but just as I put the weight on there was a loud crack and my Kevlar paddle parted right in the middle.
I normally carry every bit of safety gear you can think of but as it was such a fantastic day and as I hadn't intended to go far I had left my spare paddle in the car (yes I did still have all the rest including the vhf etc.)
Thankfully it was only 3km back to Mission bay (not helped by an outgoing tide) but not a lot of fun using half a paddle.
It has been 20 something years since I last broke a paddle at sea but Murphy made sure it happened the one time I didn't carry the spare.
Lesson learned.

[FatherOfMany]

Glad you didn't get into serious trouble...

Are the Kevlar paddles more likely to break, Raptor? I never thought of carrying a second paddle with me, but I do have a lot of space inside the Predator... Might be worth keeping a spare paddle in there, maybe I can find one that breaks apart into 2 pieces for storage.

[Hairy Little Dwarf]

Murphy is always watching....

http://www.kayakfishingnz.com/forum/vie ... 509#p76509

[Raptor]

Glass and Kevlar paddles are generally pretty strong and will take some serious knocks but if they are damaged it can be in such a way that you can't see it until it suddenly fails as mine did.
The ali shaft plastic blade paddles are pretty much indestructible but they weigh a ton which makes a difference when you are covering a bit of distance.
You can break or lose any paddle so as a sea kayaker I have always carried a spare split paddle strapped to the rear deck, particularly when going out wide, its just part of my standard safety kit.
If you do want to carry a spare all you need is a cheap two piece (split) paddle which hopefully you won't ever need to use. The one I have is still unused unfortunately

[Raptor]

Bit more drama than I had Hairy Little Dwarf, at least I wasn't hanging upside down trying to catch fish in my teeth at the time.

[dedant]

Yea, been there! I lost a blade off North Head. Paddling a barge one bladed against the tide was no fun, but I know now I can do it!

[BOBCAT]

Recently picked up a split paddle on Trade me for $40 - good value -several to choose from.-worth a look