Early morning coffee, Pittwater side of Palmy (thanks to Pete Morgan and Mitchell Gailbraith for pic)
Officials setting up and trying to get out of the wind. Wonder if any paddlers will turn up?? (Only about 170 paddlers!)
Pittwater. A little windy. A little wet. A little cold. And no-one cared. 
The Team Fat Paddler boats ready to dominate.
Like sleeping mako sharks, the Team Fat Paddler boats awaited the race and the imminent destruction of all their competitors.....
Ok, this boat may have been a little faster than ours (thx to Sydney Harbour Kayaks and Blast Paddlers)
Paddle craft of all different shapes and sizes. Fortunately we were next to the TAB board so Grumm could put a big bet on England beating Germany in the World Cup.
Team Fat Paddler chasing down their competitors. Look at the fear on their faces. Smell their terror! (again, thanks to Pete Morgan and Mitchell Gailbraith for the pic)
Grumm, laughing after robbing Team Fat Paddler of its two podium places by deciding to take a swim in Pittwater instead. WHAT'S SO FUNNY GRUMM???
Thankfully, there was a gaggle of gorgeous girls with tables stuffed with brilliant foods to help ease the pain of not winning.
The Brains Trust of Paddle For Pete. Well done for an awesome event. Cheers - FP
Tags: Blast Paddlers, Grumm, Paddle for Pete, Team Fat Paddler
Different paddle craft prepare for Paddle for Pete
UPDATE: Results from the P4P now available on the Blast Paddlers Website.
Local surf lifesaver Pete was seriously injured during a surfing accident at Easter. Local clubbies, paddlers & business’ got together to raise money for his ongoing medical support on a cold, wet and windy day at Pittwater, Sydney. Lots of different paddle-craft including Surf Boats, Paddle Boards, Skis, SUPs, Kayaks, Outriggers… all came together for one morning, one big paddle, as one great community. It’s days like this that make you feel proud to be a paddler.
Big thanks to all the local business’ including Blast Paddlers and Sydney Harbour Kayaks who donated their time and equipment to help make the event successful. Over $7000 was raised for Pete’s medical expenses, an amazing outcome from a mornings’ paddle! Cheers – FP
Tags: Blast Paddlers, Paddle for Pete, Pittwater, Sydney Harbour Kayaks
Paddling out to sea in the darkness
All the weather and marine forecasts said the same thing – small waves and an even smaller ocean swell. Despite weeks of big seas and high winds, here was a one-day window of opportunity that was too good to ignore. It was time to head to sea.
Leaving home around 5am, the temperature gauge read 2 degrees C, a very chilly start to the day. With all my winter paddling layers on, I finally pushed off from The Spit and paddled past Balmoral Beach, then Middle Head, across the shipping lane and finally to Sydney Harbour’s South Head. With a final look back, I paddled past the rocky headland and out to sea.
Breaking light over the Tasman Sea. Beautiful.
With half an hour to go before sunrise, I turned south and paddled along Sydney’s cliffs for a kilometre or so, admiring their ruggedness in the early light. Motor boats were steadily leaving the Harbour and heading to sea, with fishing, diving and whale-watching boats taking advantage of the calm conditions. I was sitting a little under half a kilometre out to sea waiting for the sunrise, and quietly hoping to see migrating whales. And then I get to enjoy the sunrise, with the cliffs of Sydney bathed in the mornings first orange glow.
Sunrise over calm seas.
Early morning cliffs
With the sun now up, I turned and paddled back in towards the cliffs before slowly paddling back towards South Head, and its candy-striped Lighthouse. As I got closer, I could just make out a lone paddler rounding the head, with the unmistakable blue Atlantic signaling that it was the The Famous Tim Kennings.
The South Head lighthouse
After a quick hello, we paddled up to North Head’s impressive southern cliff where we watched divers, fishermen and ski paddlers frolicking close to the cliff-line. Then with a wave, Timbo headed south for a burn along the cliffs whilst I paddled back into the Harbour to finish off the morning’s paddle and get a hot coffee into me. Cheers – FP
FP with Sydney's cliffs in the background.
Tags: North Head, South Head, Sydney, Sydney's Cliffs, tasman sea, Tim Kennings
The Australian-made Ozflyte R21 in carbon fibre.
The rise of ocean racing ski paddling has been dramatic in Australia, with the Harbour regularly abuzz with these Formula 1 paddlers on their skinny boats. Thus far the market has been dominated by popular international brands such as Fenn and Epic, but now local surf ski manufacturer OZFlyte has designed and launched a true Aussie racer onto the market.
Ozflyte R21 - a skinny speedster!
To launch the R21 in Sydney, my mates at Sydney Harbour Kayaks got together with Blast Paddlers and OZFlyte to hold a demo day down at The Spit where local ski paddlers could put the new ski through its paces against the usual Blast flotilla of Fenns, Epics and Think Unos.
The OZFlyte R21 ahead of the Epic by a nose
Needless to say the ski boys and girls had a heap of fun testing the new boats and now have a local and affordable alternative to the usual ski range.
OZFlyte / SHK Team Paddler Amy Nurthen from Terrigal
The new skis can be tested and ordered from Sydney Harbour Kayaks, so if you’re in the market for a ski, get down to the The Spit for a test paddle. I might even test one myself! Cheers – FP
Tags: aussie ski, Blast Paddlers, Epic, Fenn, ocean ski, OZFlyte, OZFlyte R21, racing ski, Sydney Harbour Kayaks
Bring on the sunrise! Pittwater, looking north-east.
Cold, dark and quiet. This is how we found the put-in at the southern end of Pittwater this winter’s morning. Grumm, The Famous Tim Kennings and myself had met up around 5.30am for a Pittwater paddle, and despite our enthusiasm, we struggled to get ready in the pitch black and icy conditions of this winter’s morning. The water, although much colder now than in recent weeks, felt balmy compared to the cold air around us. But despite all this, we pushed off and head north for Scotland Island and the impending sunrise.
Sunrise. Worth the early start in the cold.
Despite the incoming tide, a blustery southerly wind was pushing us along as well as whipping up some steady wind waves. Us usual, Grumm was fighting to turn his boat more than 5 degrees, and you could see him gritting his teeth in the cold air. But I had found that my boat was starting to ride the wind waves, and with a bit of a burst here and there I found myself racing ahead on the steep little waves.
Grumm and Timbo in the early light
Finally we got the sunrise which we all stopped to watch (it never ceases to leave me stunned!). Then we settled in with the wind behind and quickly made our way up the waterway. By now we were all feeling the need for coffee, so we paddled onto a secluded little spot called Portugese Beach.
Kayaks at rest, Portugese Beach, Pittwater
Portugese Beach, looking south
I whipped out the Trangia and put it to use to make coffee for us all. The Famous Tim Kennings had brought his own coffee cup (as had I), but it appeared Grumm hadn’t received the memo. Rustling around in my dry-bag, I managed to find a spare for him so we could all enjoy a cuppa. And a good laugh at Grumm’s expense.
Coffee kit - a necessity when there's no coffee boat around!
Grumm's coffee cup. Nice mug, ya mug!
We were joined by a very friendly Magpie as we finished our coffee, and then a large Kookaburra flew in for a closer look too. We’d also seen a white-bellied sea eagle earlier, so the birdlife display was adding to a quite magical morning.
The friendly Magpie, who was keen to get into Timbo's muesli bar
The curious Kookaburra who flew over to check us out
Just a random artsy shot I took from the beach
With us all feeling warm from the sun and hot coffee, we set of from the beach hugging the western shoreline for a closer look. Timbo and I paddled between the rocks, adding a few bumps and scratches to our kayaks, but Grumm paddled out to deeper waters as he continued to struggle with the steering of his fast, straight rocket. Finally Timbo had a quick look and suggested Grumm stop using his skeg. The look on his face was priceless as he realised the answer was so simple, and with that his skeg was up and for the first time, he approached the rocky shore and cut through a little gauntlet.
Exploring rocks with Grumm holding off in deeper water
Grumm finally gets amongst it!
With Grumm now in tow we hugged the rocky shores for a while until we came across a fairly hidden mangrove area. Looking closer, we found a channel throught the mangroves that opened up into a beautiful little lagoon, complete with crystal-clear water, a gently flowing waterfall and lush green forest. For a while we just drifted on the lagoon, enjoying the peaceful ambience of this hidden gem.
Timbo in the hidden lagoon
Finally we head off for the final push home. Paddling into 10 knot winds and against the tide, we pushed on with Grumm racing ahead in his faster boat. Pittwater was starting to get busy with numerous big cruisers getting out on the water, giving The Famous Tim Kennings and I a few final surfing opportunities, before making the final run into McCarrs Creek where we had started.
Ordinarily this would be the end of the adventure, except Grumm had one more treat in store for us. He reached the shore a good 30 metres in front of us and to my surprise, looked to attempt a roll right on the beach. Except I realised it wasn’t a roll, but just a brilliant stack into the water as he’d tried to get out. Both Timbo and I cruised into the beach with tears of laughter in our eyes as the now very wet and embarrassed Grumm grinned at his misfortune. A brilliant giggle at the end of the paddle!
Finally, as we packed our kayaks onto our respective cars, we had one final spectacle as a lovingly restored old Ford cruised past us all. Not something you see everyday! Cheers – FP
An old classic
A labour of love
