Two crazy men in a canoe - bring it!
With the team now finalised for this years Hawkesbury Canoe Classic, I thought it time to hang up the kayak for a month and start getting some kms in with my Mad River canoe. With new Team Fat Paddler member Gelo joining me, we took the canoe up to the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park with Grumm.
C'mon Gelo, I didn't just bring you along to look pretty, paddle dammit!
With the two of us in the canoe we struggled a little with steering and synchronising our paddling but as we made our way into the beautiful wilderness of the National Park it slowly came together. In fact, despite the short boat length and incredible width, the boat seemed to manage a fair pace when we got our paddling working well together.
Nice pink paddle Gelo. Really, errr, nice!
Of course as we worked on our paddling together the scenery around us went from beautiful to stunning. Banks of mangroves changed to rocky pools and overhanging trees as we worked our way further and further up into the Park. With Sydney having put on a magnificent Spring day for us, it was hard to treat this as training!
Drifitng amongst the rock pools.
Turning around, we now had the run of the retreating tide and found that the canoe would get some real pace once running with the water. We were having some real fun now and started experimenting, with me trying out using the canoe as a SUP a few times, paddling down stream whilst standing in the back.
A canoe, or a SUP?? Who cares, as long as we're having fun!
And lastly, I wanted to test out how easy it would be to sleep in the back of the canoe with Gelo paddling, since this would be a core FP strategy during the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic! So with him straining away on his pink paddle, I gently lay back and enjoyed the ride for a while. This could definitely be the secret to enjoying the Classic in a few weeks time!! Cheers – FP
Ahhh, now THIS is the way to travel!
Tags: Hawkesbury Canoe Classic, HCC 2010, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, Mad River Canoe, Mad River Explorer, Mad River Explorer 14TT, Team Fat Paddler
The motley crew of Team Fat Paddler for this year's Classic
Despite promising I’d never attempt the Hawkesbury Classic again unless in a much faster craft, for some crazy reason I thought I’d try to put the fun back into the event by doing it in a canoe. A short, wide, slow canoe – suitable for a short, wide, slow paddler! The call went out to past members of Team Fat Paddler and two of last year’s HCC team (Grumm and Burnsie) agreed to get back in the car for the trek around NSW. Then with a few new recruits, the team has finally come together.
So to introduce all the members of this years HCC Team Fat Paddler…
Gelo – Young, fit, beautiful, and now paddling in the front seat of the canoe. His Blue Steel gaze is designed to mesmerise other paddlers allowing us to paddle past them in a blur of red.
Grumm – Captain of the Landcrew, there is much debate whether his whinging or snoring will be more unbearable on the night. If he gets anywhere near a curry, I fear there may be worse things to worry about!
Burnsie – Ex-Navy Cook, Burnsie returns as Executive Chef to prepare a full buffet of aircraft carrier proportions at each of our pit-stops. I wouldn’t let him near a curry either.
Sacha – New to the Classic but a past TFP member, Sacha was once the most beautiful man in our crew. Officially our Executive Media Producer, but I suspect will be looking to get close to Gelo’s face at some point with a heavy bat.
Nat – New to TFP and won’t be there on the day, Nat is a dark mysterious spin doctor and fixer who works behind the scenes threading a complex web of propaganda wherever he goes. He is perfectly placed as TFP’s Chief Propaganda Officer.
FP – Just some fat fella hoping to cruise in the back of a canoe paddled by some young, fit, beautiful bloke named Gelo.
Team Fat Paddler - a hard working dedicated support crew!
Of course, the important thing here is the fund raising for the Arrow Bone Marrow Foundation, an incredible organisation that supports research into Leukaemia and related illnesses. This one event each year is its main fund-raiser, so I would ask any reader to here to pull out the credit card and make a donation, no matter how small!
Donate via the Fat Paddler or Donate via Gelo
Cheers, and paddles up! – FP
FP during last years Classic - bring on 2010!
Ella (aged 2.5) and the family canoe
My wife and eldest daughter Gracie flew up to Brisbane to see family, leaving me with my youngest princess, Ella. When I asked her what she wanted to do, she picked out paddling from the long list of options I’d given her. Admittedly I was a little surprised, as she had shown far less interest in the water than my other daughter, but when I pressed her she was adamant. So after packing up the family canoe and kiddie essentials, we drove up into the hills to Berowra Waters.
Ella pointing out the Berowra Ferry on the water
After making sure Ella’s PFD was closely fitting and done up, we pushed off into the waters and commenced the paddle up into the gorge. Ella’s immediate interest was more in the muesli bars and fruit juice I had in my cooler bag, but as she munched through some food she started to take in the surroundings around her, pointing out boats and waving to other people out on the water.
There's something special about enjoying the great outdoors
As we paddled out of sight of other boaters, she started to ask important questions. What do fish eat? Where are the jellyfish? What do bunny rabbits eat? Where are the stingrays? Why is it windy? And so on. As we drifted further up the gorge we both started to laugh and enjoy this special time together on the water.
Eventully I turned into the mangroves and followed a secret stream into an area I’ve visited before – the secret pool. This lovely area has a beautiful rocky pool surrounded by cliffs and lush undergrowth and very often has running waterfalls. When we finally got up there, we jumped out of the boat so Ella could play in the sand and splash about in the cool fresh water.
Ooooh! This place is pretty Daddy!
Time to jump out and run around
After a few sandcastles and chasing baby fish in the shallows, we decided to call it a day and head back to where we started. Paddling back we found the tide rushing out over shallows and the boat flew across the water, which was great until I somehow dropped my paddle overboard! Fortunately I had a couple of spares on board and was able to circle back around to pick it up, to the delighted giggles of Ella.
Don't worry Daddy, I'll save us with MY paddle!
We finished up some 3 hours after we’d started, with Ella exhausted but happy. It was a brilliant way to spend some quality time with my daughter, I can’t recommend it enough. Cheers – FP
Tags: Berowra Waters, Ella, Mad River Canoe
Early morning light, The Spit, Mosman
My paddle session for this weekend was based around testing some different gear, but with a clear weather report and calm seas I decided to strike out for Manly. With a deck bristling with H2O Crystal-X Paddles to play with and review, I paddled off into the waters of The Spit at 5.30am heading for Grotto Point.
Sun coming up over North Head
The marine forecast was for small seas and 5 knots of wind, so I figured it would be a nice to day to head over to North Head. But as I rounded Grotto Point, the swell breaking at the foot of the cliffs looked so inviting I decided to hug the cliff line instead for some fun in the rebound.
Bearing around Grotto Point
Beach, cliffs and clear water lit up by early morning sunshine
As I pottered about playing with the new paddles along the cliffs I noticed that the Dobroyd Head bombora looked like it was breaking as the southern swell peeled into the harbour, so I made a line to the point to get a closer view of the beautiful tubing waves breaking.
Breaking water some way out from the cliff face
Peeling waves with 6-8 foot faces. So cool!
The tide was heading out during this stage and I had to fight the currents from pulling me into the wave section, so after 15 minutes enjoying the show, I turned back to the cliffs to give the paddles a bit more of a workout before heading back. Sydney had turned on another magnificent morning for me, gotta love this city! Cheers – FP
Back to The Spit, with all manner of paddles on board!
Tags: Dobroyd Head, grotto point
Reflections of the Sydney Skyline
As paddlers we spend a great deal of time exploring the outdoors but often concentrate on the natural world – waves, cliffs, beaches and wildlife. Often we forget that the urban world we live in can have a fascinating side viewable only from the water, so for this paddle I decided to get back into the city and show people the great city of Sydney from a kayaks point of view.
Breaking dawn over Sydney - golden skies and glassy waters
Starting early, I dropped the boat in at Blues Point in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and took advantage of the calm glassy waters undisturbed yet by Sydney’s ferries. Paddling over towards Darling Harbour I skirted some of the sights before heading over to the ANZAC Bridge and then back across the main channel amongst some of the islands and headlands on the Harbour. With the early start, I was done by 9am and on my way home, having experienced a truly beautiful side of this antipodean captial from the cockpit of my sea kayak. Hope you enjoy some of the sights too, and if you haven’t experienced it yourself, get out on the water and enjoy! Cheers – FP
Ocean liner "Pacific Dawn" pulled in and docked whilst I was watching.
ANZAC Bridge - named in honour of the soldiers of Australia and New Zealand
HMAS Adelaide - stripped down and ready to be turned into an artificial reef
Poles! An interesting route by Goat Island, in the guts of the Harbour
Pelican out for an early morning paddle too (just by Balls Head Reserve)
Blues Point - not a bad spot to start and end a paddle!
Tags: ANZAC Bridge, HMAS Adelaide, sydney harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Skyline
