FP with a Greenland Paddle. On rescue duty!
What do you do as a team builder for 30 marketing staff in a glorious city like Sydney? There’s a whole range of fun things to do, but this time around we convinced the HotelClub decision-makers that kayaking on Sydney Harbour would be a winning option, and after a 2 hour marketing workshop, we all head off for Rose Bay.
Kayaks, the Sydney skyline, and a landing sea-plane!
Of course there are TWO places to rent a kayak in Rose Bay, and all 30 of us caught cabs to the wrong place and then had to walk a bloody kilometre or so to the right place, all during a humid 30-odd degree day. But once there, we threw our swimmers on and dragged the hire kayaks into the bay. It was great to finally hit the water after such a long hot walk! Anybody who has tried kayaking before, in Australia or on weekend breaks in England, France, or anywhere will know what fun it is. You really have a sense of speed, fluidity and freedom that no other sport gives.”
A paddler, a Sydney Ferry, a lighthouse and a naval ship!
As luck would have it the weather gods had calmed the Harbour to the glassiest level I’d seen for some time, with the only wave hazard being from passing fishing and cruising boats. Of course one such wake washed one of the paddlers overboard and I had to circle around to help get the paddler back into his boat, but otherwise there were no other accidents and everyone made it out to Shark Island for a swim with a great view of the Sydney skyline.
Meli enjoying a swim off Shark Island
Next we circled around the island and head off for a beach on the western side of Rose Bay, where we were able to have another swim and a quick regroup before the final paddle for home. At this point we split up some of the slower double kayaks and a couple of stronger paddlers (myself included) helped some of the novices to paddle back.
The next beach stop on the west side of Rose Bay
Not a bad view from this beach. Not a bad skyline either - haha!
Once back we did what any Aussie would do after a bit of exercise – we hit the pub! So we all bundled off into cabs and buses before easing into a few beers at our local beer garden, all under the watchful gaze of a local Magpie. A great corporate team builder, I can’t recommend it enough – cheers, FP.
The watchful gaze of a local Magpie
Final Word: it would be remiss of me not to mention that HotelClub has a great range of Sydney hotels at excellent rates, or in most cities globally for that matter! 
Tags: HotelCLub, kayaks, Rose Bay, Sydney Hotels
Huge fun in a rare waterfall off the Roseville Bridge
It’s funny how some of the best paddling days start off with low expectations. With Sydney being deluged with water and hit by waves of big blowy storms, I really didn’t expect much from the day’s paddle other than a hard slog into chop and wind, but needed to get out and test the new “Rock Garden Series” by Adanac Paddles. Luckily on arrival at The Spit we were at least greeted with glassy conditions across the murky stirred-up water.
With half of Team Fat Paddler unable to make the day’s paddle, I hooked up with Alan Jones and Tim Kennings for a run up to the Roseville Bridge. But as we took off up into Middle Harbour, we were met with a floating raft of debris washed into the Harbour from the flooding rains, that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Debris packing the surface of Middle Harbour tangling our kayaks
Cutting through the debris proved annoying, although it did yield a treasure trove of tennis balls, which we promptly scooped up to throw at each as we made our way through the mess. Like ice-breakers in Antarctica, we smashed our way through, only needing to reverse back out of tangled timber on a few occassions.
Once in Bantry Bay we met the Coffee Boat for a quick coffee in the pouring rain, before making our way west to the Roseville Bridge. As we travelled, we started to discover waterfalls gushing through the hills and into the Harbour, which we promptly paddled over to for closer inspection. These falls were beautiful, slicing through the hills and amongst the trees, but I was bummed that I couldn’t get a decent shot from the kayaks. Still, we photographed a few as we went.
Rushing water and oyster beds
More rushing water
Waterfalls hidden in the green bushland, seen from the oyster beds
Once we turned the corner into the Roseville marina area, we could see the Roseville bridge a kilometre in the distance and could just make out a series of waterfalls cascading off the bridge, with one big central waterfall in the bridge’s centre. Alan immediately joked that he was going through it, despite our protests that the water would be dirty from the bridge above. We all paddled down to the Bridge to get a good position to see Alan go through, but seeing him laughing wildly as he ducked under the rushing water like the Solo Man, we all decided to get in on the fun.
Alan's first run through the waterfall
Timbo follows with a dash under the shower
Fat Paddler wants a turn with his new Adanac Paddles!
Alan runs through again, giving us his best "Solo Man" impression
This day of ordinary weather was turning into a heap of fun, as we mucked about in the waterfalls laughing and giggling like kids. Of course we needed to get Alan’s hire boat back to Sydney Harbour Kayaks before it got too late, so we turned around and made our way back through the debris to The Spit.
The Adanac paddles proved brilliant (full review coming soon) and the day proved that no matter how gray the weather may look, when you’re paddling with friends there’s always a heap of good times to be had. Get out there, get wet and have fun! Cheers – FP
More fun that Disneyland!
Tags: adanac paddles, kayaks, paddling fun, waterfalls
Final thoughts: "Clean sheets and soft pillows soon...."
When you kayak a long distance on your own, you inevitably have meandering thoughts about many things ranging from current muscular pain to family to why your bow wake is glowing like fluoro ribbons in the dark. On my recent paddle as the night grew late and I found myself paddling in the dark alone and in considerable pain, my thoughts grew crazier and a little scattery as the night progressed. Of course these were fed by some of the amazing things I saw during the night, such as the aforementioned luminescent algae creating glowing lines in my bow wake, or exploding in fluoro clouds as my paddle bit into the water. Or the sight of a paddler catching a ferry cable around the neck in the dark due to paddling too close to the shore. Or the vision of billions of stars stretched out like a milky ribbon across the sky in a display seldom seen in the light-sodden skies above Sydney.
The final light of Saturday - only 90kms to go! Bummer...
So what did I think about during the more painful hours of my paddle? I thought alot about my family: my wife Bec and my two daughters Grace and Ella. I thought about my last car accident, and the pain I went through learning to walk again with a shattered pelvis. I thought about sharks occassionally, and the unlikelihood of there being any this far up the river. I thought alot about my support crew, actually worried about them and their safety driving through the night (had I known how much fun they were having I may not have had these particular thoughts!).
Best chicken noodle soup I've EVER had! 83km to go...
I thought about my paddle mate Ned, who had pulled out at the 30km mark with a raging nauseating migraine, and hoped he was feeling better. I thought about cutting my pants off with scissors to try to alleviate some of the pressure sores that were developing (it wouldn’t have helped). I thought about my Greenland Paddle and how lucky I was to have a paddle that could do different strokes, resting muscle groups when they badly needed it. I thought my future kayak adventures, and what I should aim to do next.
A mixture of pain and relief at the end of the 111km
There were many dark thoughts too. I thought on a couple of occassions about pulling over to the side of the river and sleeping for the rest of the night until a rescue boat found me. I thought about simply pulling in at the next checkpoint and refusing to paddle anymore. I thought about taking all my remaining pain killers at once (I had taken a couple and had half a dozen left) to cut down on the pain. And on the odd occassion, I seriously thought about stopping and crying.
Finished - woohoo!
When I look back at the event now, I realise it is this level of hardship that really allows you to test your mental resolve. I honestly felt mentally weak on quite a few occassions out there in the dark, and yet somehow I managed to keep putting the paddle in the water enough to get me to the end (unlike many who pulled out). Whilst I’m in no real hurry to do something like this again any time soon, I can see why people become addicted to this type of pursuit. So if you are about to embark on a big and gruelling adventure, I’d like to send you my heartfelt wishes for your success.
Tags: endurance paddles, Hawkesbury Canoe Classic, kayaking, kayaks
Corporate Sponsors - thanks for your generosity!
The final tally for my fundraising efforts ended at $3,640.55 after a late rally, a spectacular amount far beyond my initial target. This is due to the fantastic support of corporates and individuals, who I want to individually thank. In no particular order:
HotelClub.com is a global hotel online specialist with great prices on over 60,000 hotels globally. The generosity of its staff on its “Footy Friday” fundraiser was a significant contribution to the overall total.
NSW Waratahs are a Super14 Rugby Union powerhouse (I admit, I’m a Life Member), whose incredibly generous donation of season memberships helped fundraising efforts reach the level they did. memberships for the 2010 season are now available!
Ireckon supported Fat Paddler both with a cash donation to the Arrow Bone Marrow Foundation and by supplying @ireckon to be part of the Team Fat Paddler support crew (cheers!). They are a web design and strategy company servicing some of Australia’s biggest media properties.
Sydney FC is one of the Hyundi A-Leagues top teams and donated game tickets for fundraising. Tickets still available for the rest of the season.
Vinylstickers.com.au is Fat Paddler’s sticker supplier and has been incredibly generous with both product donations and cash donations to the Arrow Bone Marrow Foundation. Their laser-cut vinyl stickers are superb quality and great for boat names, signage etc.
Sydney Harbour Kayaks support the Fat Paddler with kayak gear. Their sales and rental shop at The Spit offer a range of kayaks and gear for every paddler, all from their beautiful Middle Harbour location.
Splashpack supported fundraising with both a cash donation and product for the HCC. They make attractive protective waterproof cases for phones, ipods, gps units, cameras and more.
Torque partners have made numerous cash donations to the Arrow Bone Marrow Foundation. They are a team of marketing strategists, analysts and project managers helping organisations develop, implement and evaluate smarter marketing strategies.
Folbot have made a generous cash donation to the Arrow Bone Marrow Foundation. They have been continuously hand-making folding kayaks since 1933 including the Folbot Cooper that Fat Paddler takes on his travels.
Team Fat Paddler - Darryl, Burnsie, Grummett
A huge thanks to the Team Fat Paddler lads who will be looking after me throughout the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic. Burnsie is team captain, is an ex-Navy cook, and will be looking after my dietary needs. Darryl (otherwise known as @ireckon) is my Combat Systems Operator and will be looking after comms and systems – and live tweets throught-out the event. Grummett will be on driving and carrying duties, and as a pom will no doubt whinge alot. Fellas – thanks a heap.
Personal Donations - thanks everyone
Lastly, to all the friends and colleagues who gave their own money, thank you all so much. In no particular order: @FollowMeAussie, Ned and Megan, Liza, Richard, Marni, Abbie, Rachel, Meli, Doug, Stephanie, Stewart, Steve, Randolph, Portia, Markus, Sacha, Steve, Santiago, Dunc, Emily, Guy, Danny, James, Nat, Chloe, Kit, Deb, Avis, Andrew, Ben, Brigid, Steve, Mark, Shazz, James, Nicola, Hannah, Paul, Oliver, Mark, Andy, Judy, Heidi, David, Rebecca, Grace and Ella. Thanks again.
Tags: #fat111, Hawkesbury Canoe Classic, HCC, kayak, kayaks
Shrike B450 plastic sea & surf kayak
My friends at Sydney Harbour Kayaks have introduced a new brand of kayaks, Shrike, to their already impressive quiver of paddle-craft. After being talked up as incredibly high-quality hand-made boats I asked to take one for a test paddle, and in blasting 30 knot winds and armed with my greenland paddle, out I went.
First impressions – the boat was pretty difficult to get into for a big fella like myself, and it took a bit of effort to squeeze myself into the cockpit. This is a common issue for me, and for someone a bit lighter I can’t imagine this would be much of an problem.
Stability in the boat is pretty good considering it has such a streamlined shape, and I was impressed at how much lean I could push into her without tipping myself into the drink.
Shrike B450 - clean sweeping lines, light-weight plastics
The speed for a plastic kayak is excellent. Paddling alongside Shannon from Sydney Harbour Kayaks, who was paddling a composite Boréal Design kayak, and even with my greenland paddle he was struggling to keep up with me. For a plastic kayak, the speed is really very impressive, and enabled by both its streamlined shape and its incredible lightness (enabled, Shannon tells me, but an innovative construction technique keeping the weight down to a measley 22kg – astounding!). Its nicely finished off with hatch-covers made from 100% recycled plastic, a plus for those of us with a slight green leaning.
The rudder system is an innovative sprung-sling system than needs to be seen to be understood, and is quite an innovation in terms of rudder storage design. In terms of steering though, I found it a little soft, but the Shrike B450 is incredibly manouverable without the rudder, and I found myself easily throwing the boat around with edging and paddle strokes.
The Shrike B450 classic kayaker's bow shot
In terms of general feel, this is a really fun boat. I bounced her around some big swell and boat wake and found her really easy to handle. Her manouverability makes this boat ideal for rock-gardening, and if it wasn’t the demo stock I would have loved to have bounced her off some rocks in the surf! This is a undoubtedly a close-shore specialist and if it came in a bigger size I’d love to have one for surfing, exploring and general fun amongst the rocks. A great addition to the SHK range – thanks for the test paddle!
Tags: kayak, Kayak Review, kayaks, shrike, shrike A490, shrike B450, shrike kayaks
