Burnsie in his new ride - my old Valley Aquanaut RM HV

It was with mixed feelings that I saw fellow Team Fat Paddler member Burnsie drive away with his new boat – a boat that was once my main ride. As my red Valley Aquanaut RM HV disappeared down the road, I reflected on all the fun I’d had in her. From the disastrous first paddle on Sydney Harbour where I came out out in the middle of the shipping lane and needed rescuing, right through to the fun of learning to kayak surf and rock garden in the froth and rebound of Gelo cliffs. It’s a boat I’ve raced in events, used to sneak into Federal compounds, learnt to roll in, smashed myself senseless in rocks… in general she’s been a boat I’ve had a heap of good times in.

FP in his Valley Aquanaut with his first Greenland-style paddle

But inevitably us paddlers evolve and move on. I’ve never really grown to love the open sea in a kayak, preferring the dynamic area where the sea meets the land. I’ve developed a true love of surf and white water, the incredible sounds of booming waves on rocks and the rush of bouncing around in rebound. Im a playboater at heart, preferring short sharp sessions of maximum fun rather than long sessions of paddling grind. I’ll never be the expedition type, trucking for days or weeks along the coast or at sea. In fact, I’ll never become a true sea kayaker in the classic sense of the word, because I just don’t find it particularly interesting.

The Aquanaut was a great boat to learn to rock garden in. Tough, stable, and fun!

So instead I’ve settled on the boats suitable for what I love to do. For ocean surf, rock gardens and general salty fun, I have my Liquidlogic Remix XP10. It’s a hybrid white water boat with a little extra length, a drop down skeg and a back hatch for gear. It’s perfect for surfing and manoeuvring amongst rocks, so much so that even the new rock gardening group Neptune’s Rangers have one amongst their crew. For camping and inland adventures I have a pair of magnificent Wenonah canoes, that are a joy to paddle and swallow a mountain of gear. And of course I now have a Stellar SR surf ski, which I am slowly getting the hang of and developing a real love for. Any trips I end up taking at sea or on big swell will be in this machine, giving me levels of exhilaration that no sea kayak could match.

The Aquanaut Smashed into a cliff - ahhh, good times going sideways!

So it was time to find a new loving home for the Aquanaut, and what better than to have it placed into the hands of Burnsie who has used it a number of times and already fallen in love with it. He now has his dream boat, and will continue to get her wet each week in the search for new adventures. I’m sad to see her go, but happy in the knowledge she’ll keep on paddling whilst I can move on to the boats I love even more. It’s a true Win-Win situation! Cheers, FP

Lt Burnsie outside the North Head cliffs, with Manly off in the distance somewhere

Tags: valley aquanaut, Valley Sea Kayaks

A SUP can give enjoyment on pretty much any wave, anywhere (Photo credit: P. Morgan)

In my time as a paddler I’ve watched with interest the rise in popularity of Stand Up Paddleboarding, a paddling pastime that generally involves a long wide surfboard and a single bladed paddle as tall as it’s paddler. It looks a lot like surfing, except that if there’s no surf, your SUP rider can simply paddle themselves around on flat water for exercise.

I first noticed them at Sydney’s Balmoral Beach, where I’d notice women, some pregnant, taking off in groups early in the morning for a leisurely paddle across the bay. Paddling SUP is a great way to develop core strength without being too energetic, making it accessible to people of all sizes and levels of fitness.

SUP now has race categories in most paddling races and events (Photo credit: P. Morgan)

Not that SUP paddling can’t be competitive. In most paddling events now you’ll find a range of SUP categories according to boat length, with the race boards themselves developing into racing shapes and away from the big Mal-like boards used in the surf. There are now so many SUP racers that in the past few races I’ve attended, it has seemed there are more SUP racers than any other category!

When I was younger I used to surf and although my injuries have stopped that, I’ve always missed the surf culture that went it. Loud boardies, fun banter on the water with your mates, and that salty tousled look you have after an early morning surf. Well, the SUP crew have taken on the same culture and seem to be having a ridiculous amount of fun on the water.

SUPs are a great platform for most types of water, both dynamic or calm (Photo credit: P. Morgan)

Not that everyone is enamoured with the SUP revolution. There are still a lot of surfers who hate the concept of the SUP paddle and will show their dislike verbally, or sometimes even physically. You know the types, the local surfers who scream “locals only” at any visiting crew hoping to enjoy their break, the ones that ride over bodyboarders dishing out fin-chops and then laughing about it afterwards. People like the surfer in this clip below with a clear hatred of SUPs.

Despite the aggressive actions of a few, the SUP phenomenon is growing at an incredible rate, with new clubs and stores popping up all over the world to service the growing global body of SUP paddlers. Major surf brands are throwing their weight (and substantial marketing dollars) behind the sport, as can be seen in this promo video below (hell, it made ME want to buy a SUP!!).

So what to do next if you’re interested? I’ve put together a list of a few places to start that either rent SUPs, or sell them, or are just plain passionate about them. Hopefully you’ll find something to suit. Cheers, FP

Coreban SUP – One of the early manufacturers to get onboard the SUP revolution, Coreban are dedicated to SUP boards and anything else to do with the sport.

Oz Stand Up Paddle Centres – SUP lessons for new or old SUP riders, with locations in Rose Bay (Sydney) and Brunswick Heads (northern NSW).

SUP Love – The SUP Love crew from Sydney’s northern beaches make SUP boards as well as providing training, gear and events.

Wind Surf n Snow – Another store on Sydney’s northern beaches specialising in SUP, Wind Surfing and Kite Surfing

Pittwater Paddle Tours – SUP lessons and fitness on Sydney’s beautiful Pittwater.

High Country SUP – A group of SUP paddlers out of Canberra and Sydney. Many of the High Country paddlers are serving or ex-army and regularly compete in SUP events in the ACT and NSW.

Tags: Stand Up Paddle, Stand Up Paddleboards, SUP

FP hanging out with the Stellar and Slipstream Surf crew at the Summer Series

The start of 2012 has been surreal. I’ve gone from tentatively sitting on a surf ski for the first time, barely able to stay on in completely glassy waters, to rolling up to a surf ski race on Botany Bay four weeks later with a  secret hope that I stay on at least long enough to limp over the finish line. During that time I’ve trained zealously in the gym, everyday, in the hope that diminishing weight and a stronger core accelerate my ability to paddle the long white rocket currently sitting in my garage.

Nat finishes up strongly on his Think Evo. One day I'll beat him, just you watch.

To be honest though, the Stellar SR surf ski I’ve been using (thanks Slipstream Surf) is pretty stable in the surf ski scheme of things. It’s design is great for entry to intermediate level paddlers as it has great secondary stability (for a ski). But there’s still a certain amount of paddler stability that needs to be finessed before taking it out in anything lumpy (unless you like swimming) so the onus has been on me to get myself more “ski ready”.

Eleven kms on Botany Bay and it looks like FP might make it high and dry

So I’ve been training. A lot. Daily routines of cardio and core strength exercises, backed up with a nutritional plan put together by Benefit Active. Since I started training 6 weeks ago (ie two weeks before I got on the ski) I’ve lost 14 kgs / 30 lbs. This is a substantial amount of weight to lose in such a short period of time, but I’m doing it healthily. Great food, lots of exercise, carefully planned by fitness professionals.

Mogo looking great on the Stellar SR surf ski. Also looking very WET!

Of course, all that is irrelevant when it comes to racing. Botany Bay is protected from the ocean but it does get wind-blown lumps and swell squeezing in from outside. The water was certainly dynamic enough to have me worried, but I didn’t want to let on to my fellow Team Fat Paddler members so I forced a smile and off I went. Fortunately fellow TFPer Mogo had borrowed a Stellar SR ski from Slipstream Surf that morning as well so I wasn’t alone in my stability nerves.

Malcolm from Carbonology Australia gave us all awesome on-water support and advice. Legend!

To say I was slow is an understatement. For the first 1-2 kms I took it very slowly, keeping my rhythm steady and cadence slow as I concentrated on keeping the boat stable. Mogo started falling out a bit and as other TFP paddlers went to his aid, I found myself alone in growing chop and swell. I had catchable waves hitting me from behind and at a 45 degree angle, so I zig-zagged through it to enable me to gain the benefit of any runners I could catch.

In the TFP kayak (male) division, The Riddler flies into the finish and a podium place

In the TFP kayak (female) division, Series leader Meg wins another race in her division!

The acceleration on waves was intoxicating, the spray kicking up around me as I desperately fought to keep myself in the boat. Sometimes I’d dip a gunwale into a wave and the cockpit would instantly fill with water, reminding me of Nat’s submarine video on Sydney Harbour, but the gurgling venturi quickly emptied out the water and everything was fine. As I wobbled my way through the chop, I noticed a funny thing. I started to smile, a big heartfelt “THIS IS FUN” kinda smile. Much like the rush of surfing through rocks or bouncing around in whitewater.

Footage from the GoPro. Running the lumps, hell yeah!

As the race went on I kept learning about how the ski reacted to different lump shapes and changing wind conditions. I managed to assist another paddler who’d fallen out, turn the buoy and then battle on through the headwind and side chop back to the start. By now my stability had really kicked in, I’d worked out how to build stability via acceleration, and was genuinely loving the bumpy ride on the return leg. When I started I had no idea what I’d think of this surf ski stuff, but suddenly now I could see why it’s growing as a sport so rapidly. The sensation of racing through lumps on a sleek boat is truly awesome.

Winners are grinners... and we're all winners in our own way!

Needless to say I didn’t win. In fact I wasn’t even in the middle pack – I came into the beach at the finish with only two skis behind me. But to me it was a big win, because in just four weeks I’d managed to somehow race the surf ski in a few lumps without falling out AND actually finish. I’d learnt a heap about the boat, and about how to stabilise through keeping my body relaxed and my speed up. Sure, I have a ridiculous amount still to learn and a huge range of skills to pick up, but they’ll be future wins I can work towards. For now, I’ll be happy with the finish and use the success as motivation to keep up the training. Cheers – FP

Team Fat Paddler racers for Summer Series Race 3 - Mogo, Riddler, FP, Meg and Nat

Special thanks: Gavin and Slipstream Surf for the use of his Stellar SR surf skis, Malcolm and Carbonology Australia for the use of the carbon wing paddles and for his care and advice on the water, Dez and the Blast Paddlers crew for putting on the Summer Series, Alex Francois for the use of his photos from the event, and of course to my Team Fat Paddler members who make all my paddling experiences awesome.

Tags: Blast Paddlers, Carbonology Australia, ocean ski, Slipstream Surf, Stellar Kayaks, Stellar SR, Stellar Surf Skis, Summer Series, surf ski, surfski

Summer Series Race 3 - Botany Bay, Sydney Australia

On a wet, cloudy summer’s day (!!) Team Fat Paddler and a bunch of other paddlers arrived at Sydney’s Botany Bay for the third race of the Summer Series. For many, it was a fast affair in relatively benign conditions, but for a few of us (myself included) it was simply about trying to race a surf ski for the first time. Only four weeks ago I started trying to paddle a ski, and for fellow Team Fat paddler member Mogo, he had even less experience still. Regardless, with the brilliant support of Slipstream Surf who lent us both a couple of Stellar SR surf skis, we hit the water with three other TFP mates and “raced” through the chop and boat wake that had cut up the bay. Bigger story to come, but here’s my video highlights (and yes, I know my forward stroke is rubbish and needs help!!). Cheers, FP

Tags: Slipstream Surf, Stellar Kayaks, Stellar SR, Summer Series, surf ski

What better place to celebrate Australia Day than by getting on Sydney Harbour

Australia Day represents many different things for Australians, and we all have our own way of celebrating living in this beautiful country. Whether it’s a picnic in the park, a concert in the city or a BBQ on the beach with family. Sun, good food, family and friends are important! Sydneysiders especially know that the Harbour and our beaches go hand in hand with Sydney life. This Australia Day the lads at Benefit Active would like you to enjoy all that Manly has to offer by inviting you to join them.

Benefit Active - kayaking and Fitness, based at the beautiful Manly

Kayaks will launch from Manly OceanWorld at 9am this Thursday 26th. You can look forward to a leisurely paddle around Sydney Harbour passing Fairlight Beach, North Harbour Reserve, 40 Baskets Beach and then onto Reef Beach where we will have a swim. Following a swim at Reef everyone will paddle onto Grotto Point to take in the best view of the historic Crater Cove Huts that date back to the early 1930′s.

The team from Benefit Active ready to hit Sydney Harbour for exercise and site-seeing

From the huts you’ll paddle back to OceanWorld passing the dramatic Heads that lead into Sydney Harbour. Back at Manly you will enjoy a breakfast of fresh fruit salad, home made muesli (Mumsli) and muffins freshly baked in the wee hours of Australia Day morning! If all of this wasn’t enough, Benefit Active will provide Australia Day tattoos and bucket hats to help everyone get into the spirit of the day.

To book your spot, call ben on 0402 190 400 or drop him an email: ben@benstephens.com.au

Tags: Australia Day, Australia Day Paddle, Ben Stephens, Benefit Active, Kayak Manly