Monthly Archives: April 2009

Kayak upgrade - a composite BD Nanook for the Hawkesbury Classic

Paddling in gale-force winds is better than not paddling at all

ANZAC Day, an Aussie/Kiwi institution. The Dawn Service, the March, the beer and two-up, for many antipodeans it is the most important day of the year. The day after ANZAC…

Mate, you look a bit big for that kayak…

“Mate, you look a bit big for that kayak” “It’s rated for over 150kgs, I should be right” “150kgs! What, as a submarine??” This was the start of a somewhat…

Dirk the South African Personal Trainer, otherwise known as “The Smiling Jackal”

Today I went to the gym for my first session with personal trainer, “Dirk”. Now Dirk is not a small man, in fact he is quite a large man, who…

Avoca Lake – Part 2

I really can’t stop raving about this place. The whole lagoon system is about 6.5km to do a lap, so pretty small in the grand scheme of things, but every…

Jeolous of another man’s….. kayak

This is embarrassing. But I’m damn jeolous of paddling partner Rich’s Mirage 530.  On one hand I laugh watching him squeezing his legs through its keyhole opening. But otherwise I’m…

Brisbane Waters – NSW Central Coast

Over Easter I paddled over 41km in four days around waters on the NSW Central Coast. Day 1 on Lake Tuggerah (The Entrance) was forgetful at best – unless you…

Avoca Lake – Part 1

Just a quick shout out to the paddlers of Avoca, and the magnificent lake that I had the luck to paddle over Easter. Just sensational!

The sun always shines on paddlers (except when it rains)

Last Sunday I faced a terrible predicament. Driving to the Spit from Hornsby in howling winds and driving rain suggested that perhaps the morning’s paddle was going to be, well,…

Interesting things in the Harbour – Parked Cars

Paddled over to see this at the boat ramp at the Roseville Bridge a couple of weeks ago. Whilst obviously a very ordinary place to park the car, it was…

Starting the day with a paddle

One of the things about paddling that is so addictive is the beauty of an early morning start. Take this photo by our friends at The Spit,  Sydney Harbour Kayaks….

Coffee boat ahoy!

I can’t start to tell you how excited I was the first time I ran into the coffee boat up in Bantry Bay.  You’ve put 3-4kms paddling behind you and…

You win some, you lose some

Well it didn’t take long until one of the core three bailed.  Two weeks in fact, before Milo pulled the pin. Ok, so he has to move to Brisbane for…

Pork Maki and Asahi – the Beginning

It happened over Pork Maki and beer at a local Japanase restaurant.  Three middle-aged blokes discussed a plan to get fit.  A plan involving kayaks and a small marathon in…

The Odd Couple – A fat man and his kayak

It’s an odd mix, a hefty fella and a somewhat tippy kayak. But we have a plan to get fit and have fun doing it, with a 111km marathon paddle…