Golden sunrise over glassy Pittwater
I recently heard from Scott Rawstorne from Global Paddler that he was passing through Sydney on his way to Tasmania and was keen for a paddle. Scott is the co-author of the paddle guide Paddling Around NSW and runs paddle tours both in Australia and soon abroad.
The Global Paddler enjoying the early morning from my Folbot Cooper
We decided on Pittwater in Sydney’s north and Scott also requested I bring the Folbot Cooper I used in Alaska, since he was looking for a folder for an upcoming paddle tour of Europe. So in the pre-dawn darkness we met up at McCarrs Creek and pushed off heading into the still waters of Pittwater.
It's hard not to stop and stare - sunrise paints the water gold
The paddle was cruisy with Scott getting a feel for the boat. The sunrise was beautiful as usual and we chatted away casually about all things paddling. Eventually our conversations turned to book publishing, since Scott is already a successful self-published author and I have a book currently in production for release later in the year. We compared stories regarding the different processes we’d taken – Scott doing it all himself and the harsh lessons he learnt along the way, and me doing it through a publishing house with a mix of extra editorial support but the tension of creative directional difference.
As the cloud cover closed in, Scott demonstrated his instructor paddling skills
As so often happens whilst paddling, the stresses of the world slipped away as two strangers with a shared joy for the water enjoyed each others company for a few hours. We talked about travel, kayaking, canoeing, marketing, business, writing, touring and more as the kilometres slipped by in the early morning. Then once finished I demo’d dismantling the Folbot before taking us both to a local hang-out for coffee and egg & bacon rolls.
Hmm, what to do today?? The Global Mobile and the Fatmobile ready for action
I love the way paddling brings people together. I’ve met more interesting people over the last few years through paddling than I had in the many years prior. It’s a great sport and a brilliant thing to be a part of – cheers, FP
Tags: Folbot, Folbot Cooper, Global Paddler, Pittwater
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
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
Emerging daylight on Pittwater
The weekend had been exciting for Grumm. He had permission from the Minister for War & Finance to buy a kayak, and with the Sydney Harbour Kayaks ex-rental sale on, was keen to get into a nice composite Boréal Design Narwhal. However, with his son’s first football game on, I’d offered to go as his proxy, and returned with a completely different boat for him. Instead of a nice cruisy stable ruddered boat, I had bought him a kayak that was 10cm narrower, 30cm longer, with hard chines and a skeg. I’d got him an immaculate Boréal Design Labrador, knowing that once he was used to it he’d thank me for the more technical boat. And in the meantime, I’d get to laugh at him regularly falling out of it!
To my great annoyance however, on the test run he hadn’t fallen out even once. And as it turned out, the boat is an absolutely flying machine that I couldn’t remotely keep up with. Unless he had to turn of course, which he simply couldn’t do, since I hadn’t shown him how to edge and the boats complete lack of rocker meant it tracked as straight as an arrow!
The next day, since he’d proven he could actually stay upright in the boat, we left home at 5am for Pittwater, a 10km stretch of water leading to the mouth of the Hawkesbury River. Grumm wanted to see his first kayak-borne sunrise, so I figured this was as good a place as any to do so. I’d also invited Timbo along for the journey, and with darkness slowly draining away we pushed off into the inky waters of Pittwater.
Every cloud has a silver lining. Or golden even!
Immediately Grumm set a cracking pace in his ridiculously fast boat. I was determined to tip him out though, so time and again I’d race up his slip stream, edge the nose of my Aquanaut alongside his stern, and then smash a hard turn to port against the back of his boat. This would immediately spin him around sideways, although I just couldn’t seem to get him to fall out. Of course once sideways it would take him 5 mins and about a 400 metre turning circle to get his boat facing the right way again, which gave me ample time to get some distance on him before he would inevitably catch-up. Then I’d do it all again – haha!
After a few kilometres of these games, we passed by Scotland Island and paused as the sun finally poked up over the horizon, bathing us all in golden light. Grumm raced ahead for the prime position to finally get his paddling sunrise.
The FP view of the sunrise. Beautiful.
Grumm gets pole position for his first sunrise.
Grumm bathed in dawn's first light.
Once we had that out the way we recommenced our northwards paddle up Pittwater, pausing occasionally to enjoy the national park wilderness on its western shores. For me, this meant a little rock-gardening whilst Timbo and Grumm took a wide-berth in their composite boats (yay for my plastic Aquanaut!). Eventually Tim got annoyed with missing out on all the fun, so pulled out his goggles and started to practice some rolls.
Timbo being a clown as usual. Nice rolls though!
By this stage we’d come about 6-7 km, with Timbo and I catching the odd boat-wake for a little sloppy surfing. But Grumm’s boat started to slow down, and we realised all the paddling over the past two days was wearing him out. So we decided to pull into Mackerel Beach, a quaint little holiday village accessible only by boat.
Time to relax at Mackerel Beach
Now relaxing on the beach, we were joined by a lovely lady who had ridden her bike down to the water’s edge. Our chat inevitably turned to coffee and we asked if she knew of somewhere to get one. She responded that she was actually off to get a few cups of Sydney’s best coffee – at a café on the otherside of Pittwater! And at that, she pulled out an old ski and paddle and set off for the 2km paddle across the water.
Coffee... over there somewhere apparently.
Looking at Grumm however it was clear we wouldn’t be making the extra trip for Sydney’s best coffee. In his whiniest Brit accent, he complained about his sore shoulders and Timbo and I could see we’d have to get him back the last 7 kms via the most direct route possible. Even though his whinging was a little tiresome, his slow pace allowed us to take in the fog that was rolling into Pittwater, a magnificent sight as it crept into the watery basin.
Fog rolling in from the Tasman Sea across the Hawkesbury River mouth
Timbo watching the fog rolling in through the valleys
Still in a playful mood, I was taking the long route back by playing in all the rock-gardens along the water’s edge. Dodging amongst the rocks, I was giving my Adanac Paddle a good workout as I zoomed through little gauntlets, with water sliding in and out of the rocky formations. Then, much to Timbo’s amusement, whilst a good 15 metres into a particularly shallow rock garden, I got stuck. Not a little stuck, but quite seriously stuck, so to the sounds of Tim’s laughter I slowly pushed off the rocks and carefully reversed out, trying not to think of the new scratches I’d most likely added to my hull. On a bright note, at least I hadn’t broken my Greenland paddle!
Grumm slowly paddling back, safely far away from any shallow rock-gardens
As Grumm’s whining got worse, Timbo took over distraction duties and coached Grumm on paddle technique and edging. It didn’t shut him up for long, but at least it gave him the chance to pick up a few skills! Then finally, we pulled into McCarrs Creek, our put-in point and the end of Grumm’s journey. I was disappointed still that he hadn’t fallen out, but with a few oyster beds to watch our for at the landing point, I thought my best chance was about to come. And wouldn’t you know it, Grumm had already flipped over on exit and taken a bath before I could get the camera primed for the shot!
Grumm trying to disguise the fact he's just fallen in and is now dripping wet!
The final verdict on the morning was that Grumm’s boat is a rocket, sunrises are great, and poms whinge a lot. Oh, and watch out for the depth of rock-gardens!! Cheers – FP
Tags: Boréal Design, Boreal Design Labrador, grummett, Pittwater, Timbo
5.45am dawn at Pittwater
There’s something magical about Autumn dawns, and with that in mind I left home at 5am for a paddle on Sydney’s beautiful Pittwater. Arriving before 6am, I was able to watch the changing colours of daybreak glimmering on the waters I was about to paddle.
Dawn becomes firey as the sun starts to shine through the clouds
I was being joined by Timbo for this paddle, with him arriving a few minutes after I did. Forunately I’d left early because I’d gotten lost finding this magnificent little put in spot (big wraps for Google Maps on the iPhone with built in GPS for getting me there in the end!!). After a quick chat and set-up, and me falling out of my kayak as I was getting in and ending up sitting in knee-high water (DOH!). We finally pushed out into the still waters by McCarrs Creek heading off into Pittwater.
Falling in on kayak entry, I turned and noticed an amused ray watching me!
It really is an amazing feeling paddling so early in the morning. Dark shadows stretch across the water in the early-morning light, especially as we weaved our way amongst the moored yachts and motor-cruisers in the inlet. The amber sky lightens and you get to enjoy the water with barely another soul out there. Absolutely magic.
The magic of early morning light
The western shore of Pittwater is part of the Kuringai National Park and is stunning wilderness (if you can call it wilderness, with houses dotted across the cliffy landscape!). With sandstone cliffs wrapped in the green shroud of the rain forrest, the shore is simply mesmerising as you paddle past.
Beautiful rolling forrest and sandstone structures
As usual Tim and I chatted and giggled as we paddled along. The conversation bounced between gossip on other paddlers, to comparisons of different kayaks, to funny stories of our most embarrassing paddling moments. There’s no doubt paddling on your own is fun, but paddling with a mate is far better. As we gas-bagged on, the kilometres slipped behind us as we cruised up the western shore.
Paddle between the rocks - fun in a plastic kayak!
In my plastic boat it’s quite fun for me to rock-garden in my travels, something Timbo is a bit more nervous about in his composite boat. So I ducked in along the shore, dodging between semi-submerged rocks as well as occassionally beaching myself and laughing as I seal-slide off submerged rock areas. Admittedly it puts a bit a few little scratches in the bottom of my boat, but then like me, I reckon a few scars just add a bit of character!
Big rocks ahead!
Yeehaw! Coming through!
Timbo watching my rock-gardening from afar, with a fair dose of jealousy!
Eventually the sneaky coffee I’d had in the car had woken up my kidneys and was starting to create a fair feeling of discomfort, so we looked for a quiet beach to land on for a pit-stop. We found a suitable sandy beach and pulled in for a convenience stop (not an easy thing when you have a PFD over a skirt over a wetsuit). There we had a break, ate a few muesli bars and watched tiny crabs scuttling about the beach.
The pit-stop.... terrible view, eh??
A curious local scuttling across the beach
Like all great things however the paddle had to come to an end, so it was time to turn around and paddle the 8km return trip back to the put in area. Timbo and I set off ready for a stiff paddle against the tide, but instead found the northerly winds helping to push us along the surface, and instead of a slow slog back, we felt like we’d barely paddled.
Pittwater - a magnificent place to paddle
Paddles like today are so good for cleansing the soul after a stressful week at work. The beautiful waterways, the sounds of nature and fresh salty air all work together to remove your stresses and bring a smile to your face. No wonder so many of us paddlers are addicted to it! Cheers – FP
