Sydney shoreline - where I'd like to paddle eventually...
A lot of my online paddling mates from the northern hemisphere have been whining recently about Winter’s intrusion on their paddling, the freezing over of lakes, and generally bloody cold conditions making kayaking difficult and uncomfortable. I wanted to prove to them that Summer in Sydney is just as tough, what with all the horrible sunshine, the balmy weather, the calm Harbour waters and the tough sandy beaches.
So I’ve made a short little video for you northerners. Nothing spectacular, just a little taste of gentle cruising on arguably the best harbour in the world. A few waves, a bit of sun, a little splash amongst the rocks, and frolicking Sydney-siders playing water polo in harbour pools. I’m telling you northerners, it’s bloody tough down here! Cheers – FP
Yeah, my heart’s breakin for ya. Thanks for this–great music, too. Made me feel like I was out there on the water myself!
Feel free to rub it in a little more. I noticed ice in our harbor yesterday. Here’s a video from this spring about spring paddling on Lake Superior: http://vimeo.com/3755572
FP: Saw your query on Freya’s blog concerning rolling, and see from your previous post that you probably had good reason for the inquiry (being an aspiring “roller” myself, I fully understand the interest). Anyway, I can recall at least one instance where Freya mentioned doing a roll out of necessity. That was on Aug. 31, and the roll might have been more of an extreme brace, judging from her description. See:
http://qajaqunderground.com/2009/09/01/day-226-monday-31082009/
A few days later (Sept. 6) she had a hell of a time paddling in the surf while headed for Lancelin. That one is worth reading, just for its hair-raising aspects. It was a bit unclear if rolling the kayak was among the many challenges involved, but the way I read her description, it might well have been. See:
http://qajaqunderground.com/2009/09/07/day-232-sunday-05092009/
Might well have been other instances, but I don’t recall them.
Best wishes, Chuck Haberlein
Gday Chuck! I started thinking about it since there are some that say a good roll comes out of a bad brace (boo to the knockers!). I just wondered if Freya had been through conditions where she had no choice but to do so. Thanks for the links too, I’ll check it out shortly. 🙂