Lt Cmdr Gelo having a heap of fun at the newly named "Gelo Cliffs"

A small contingent of Team Fat Paddler gathered at the The Spit to see off one of the team’s most popular members, Lt Cmdr Gelo. After a year paddling canoes and kayaks with us, the Greek-born Gelo has had to return to Europe to take care of some family matters, leaving behind a country he loves and a team he’d found friendships within. Nat, Grumm, Gelo and I set out for the last TFP paddle before Gelo’s departure, with him determined to squeeze in as many different paddling experiences as possible into the session.

Cruising past the Grotto Point rock garden

Gelo exploring some rocks looking for some fun

The morning’s conditions were pretty flat with virtually no surfable waves at all, but we were able to find some swell coming into the Grotto Reserve cliffs which made for some interesting paddling in rebound and froth. Gelo and I backed our boats into the cliffs and played around in the bouncy stuff whilst our faster paddling mates in their composite boats took off for safer waters… which we discovered later meant a cafe in Manly! In the meantime Gelo and I decided to rename the Grotto Reserve cliffs to “Gelo Cliffs” in honour of his previous thrashing during our session with Captain Kuk of the Tsunami Rangers.

Rebound and spray, a great way to wake up in the morning!

After a few hours playing in the rocks the rest of the team returned and we made our way back to The Spit where we were joined by Lt Cmdr Alan for the usual Egg & Bacon roll breakfast…. Gelo’s last until he someday returns to our shores.

Finding some fun at the newly named "Gelo Cliffs"

Starting to get pretty bouncy now at Gelo Cliffs

Oh yeah! I think we're having fun now!!

When the morning was done, we took a quick moment to interview Gelo about his experiences in the team. We’ve added his responses to the following video dedicated to his year with Team Fat Paddler… a year of crazy stuff ranging from horse rescues, to rock gardening, to the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic and more.

So from all of us at Team Fat Paddler, safe travels and fare thee well. Stay in contact and your Aussie friends will await your return when fate leads you back Down Under. Cheers – FP.

A final photo with Team Fat Paddler. Take care Gelo!

Tags: Gelo, Gelo Cliffs, rock gardening, rock gardens

There's something awesome about rock gardens. But they can be painful too!

It started off well. Mike, Lt. Gelo and I met at Sydney Harbour Kayaks at the start of a magnificent Saturday morning. We kitted up in protective gear – wetsuits, booties, helmets etc – and set off for Grotto Point looking for some fun in either surf or rocks. The weather report for the morning looked great (seas a little under a metre and 13knts of wind) and we couldn’t wait to get amongst it.

Mike in his new helmet and wetsuit looked more like a Navy SEAL than a paddler!

But beware of enthusiasm! When we arrived at Grotto Point the seas were slight and the rocks looked inviting, and I zoomed ahead of the others and made straight for our usual starting rock garden, riding a small wave in before jamming the paddle into the drink to bring me sliding in behind a good sized rock. At this point I felt excited to be in the zone and looking forward to the fun about to commence. What I didn’t do however was look over my shoulder to see what might be behind me, because at that exact moment a big once-an-hour bommy sucked the water out from behind the rock, dropping me down a couple of feet right in its lee, before jacking up and crashing over the rock itself.

Of course I didn’t have time to take much of this in. All I knew was that I had suddenly dropped, and in that split second of realisation, spun my head around at the exact moment a wall of water crashed over the rock directly into my face.

The change in water height can be deceptive from outside the break zone

At the moment of impact I threw my weight and paddle into the wave, expecting it to carry me side-surfing into the rocks behind me. Instead I seemed to burst through the wave and was now leaning and bracing in exactly the wrong direction to stay upright, and rolling down the back of the wave toppled over and past the point of no return.

Everything slowed down as I teetered on the very edge for a split second, then as I started to roll my paddle hit rocks below me, and my first thought was to prop myself up with my paddle. However another wave sucked the water out from below and I toppled upside down and under the water, landing head first on the rocks below. As the next wave rolled over me, it picked me up (still upside down) for the briefest of moments, before slamming me back down onto the rocks.

Lt. Gelo could hardly hide his satisfaction that it wasn't him being smashed against rocks this time

Despite the pounding I was getting on the rocks whilst upside down and locked in my kayak, I was amazed at just how calm I was. I’ve never tried to roll in a combat situation before but, as I peered through the frothy green water around me, I figured that now might be a good time to start. I quickly setup for the roll but again I was smashed down and pinned against the rocks below me – I now couldn’t move my body at all, let alone my paddle.  Still, as my boat got picked up by the next wave I started to sweep out for the roll when my skirt and legs were ripped from the boat and I emerged at the surface, paddle in hand but out of the boat.

The water looks soft and frothy, but as I discovered, it hits the rock with force!

The first thing that hit me was the next wave, smashing me against my boat which was rapidly filling with water. I slipped my paddle under the bungees and dragged the boat around facing the oncoming waves. The big rock was still between me and the safety of deeper water, and I was keen to get the boat out of the way, so as the next wave poured over the rock I launched my boat nose first into the wave, over the rock and out towards Gelo and Mike.

Now I had the problem of getting past the rock myself so I could swim to safety. Sometimes I could stand on the rocks below, other times I couldn’t, so as the next wave came in I launched myself onto the back of the rock, scrabbling up to its top.  As I perched there I realised how vulnerable I was, as the next wave hit and swept me off it backwards (I’m sure I heard Lt. Gelo laughing at this point!).  I climbed it again on the next wave and then launched myself immediately off it, thankfully into a lull between waves where I was able to swim out to Mike and Gelo who were now holding my boat.

Mike watching the currents swirling around "the rock" that got FP earlier

When I got to the boat I took stock of the situation. I looked to see how far we were from the rocks, and helped by the outgoing tide, realised they were no longer a danger. Then I took stock of my own physical condition – the wetsuit was keeping me warm, but my right shoulder felt like it had been run over by a truck. I wondered if it might be dislocated but it seemed to have a full range of movement so I put that thought out of my head.

Next was talking Mike through his first assisted rescue. He dutifully followed my instructions, emptying my boat of water and then steadying it for me to climb back aboard. I think he was amazed at how quick the rescue happened, and within a few minutes I was back in the boat sucking in some deep breaths to recover from the ordeal. I also realised at this point that I hadn’t turned the video camera on and had missed the entire episode (again!!).

If there’s anything I’ve learnt from my many ordeals it’s that sometimes you need to get straight back on the horse to ensure fear doesn’t keep you in its grip later on. I looked at the rock garden, and that big bloody rock in the middle, and knew I had to get back in there and beat it, so I pushed off from the boys and charged straight back in, this time keeping a closer eye on what the waves were doing around me.

Ok rock, you haven't beaten me yet. Bring it!

Dropping down into the suck zone behind the rock as the wave comes in

And then punching in through the wave and over the rock. Owned!

For the rest of the morning we played without incident. We bounced around in rock gardens, paddled the Grotto Reserve cliffs for a while, and sat off the Dobroyd bombora watching it’s awesome tubes in the southerly swell. Then we head back to the rock garden for a last play before starting the calmer trip home.

On the way back a couple more things happened. First we met Terry in his magnificent Skin On Frame kayak, complete with home-made Greenland paddles. We stopped for a lengthy chat on the boats he’d built and how they performed in various conditions before he set off again. Then as luck would have it Garry arrived in the coffee boat, allowing us to stop and drink fresh frothy coffees by the edge of the rock gardens we’d played in earlier – brilliant!

Terry and his SOT kayak and Greenland paddle. Beautiful!

Garry and his Coffee Boat. Equally beautiful!!

When we got back I had time to think about what had happened. How should I have reacted differently, what should I have done to keep myself in my boat, what did I do when I swum to safety that might have been done better. Instruction and reading is all important when developing skills and knowledge, but there’s a lot to be said for learning from experience. And importantly, it’s far better to have friends around to help you if you do run into trouble.

Mike later demonstrated his wet exit technique.

Until the next adventure – stay safe, but have fun! Cheers – FP

Tags: kayak rescue, rock gardening, rock gardens, rocks

Gelo - youngest member of Team Fat Paddler, showing off his new cliff-rash with a smile

There’s something about paddling that’s been bothering me for a while – I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I just sensed there was something missing. Recently, whilst reading other people’s paddling blogs, I came across the following “Wanted” notice on Eric Soares’ blog about the future of the Tsunami Rangers. The opening paragraph went as follows:

“The Tsunami Rangers are looking for new members.  Ideal candidates will be strong, bold, courageous, fun-loving, adventurous and love water, kayak well, be proficient at many outdoor activities, be individualistic and a team player, a fast learner, and a true friend.  And young—18 to 21.”

Those final words grabbed my attention as I realised what it was that had been eating away at me about the sport I love. There aren’t any young people in it.

Froth, Friends and Fun! Now if only someone could make a cool looking helmet!

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this. Why does paddling seem to be made up largely of older people? Is it the access to funds for kayak purchases? Is it seen as boring? Are the skills required too difficult for young people to pick up in the shorter attention span they are alleged to have? Are there too many rules and certifications? Are there just not enough people giving their time to take young people out for a half a day’s paddle? Or does it just look too uncool with pics of people in dry-suits or legionnaire hats??

When you look at other water sports you see that there are plenty of young men and women out there. They are surfing on our beaches, sailing on the Harbour,  running whitewater in Penrith, paddling their SUPs along the coast  or racing their ocean skis at sea . They are getting involved in water sports of all shapes and sizes – all of course, except sea kayaking.

All this bouncing around and adrenalin and stuff. It has another name. Fun!

So why is our sport so devoid of young men and women. On the 1st of April the California Kayaker Magazine Facebook page ran a tongue in cheek April Fools status that said the following:

“Big News! Cal Kayaker Mag is changing. Sports Illustrated has shown that photos of girls in bikinis can improve any magazine. Kayakers in CA seem to always be in cold-looking locales and bundled up in unflattering dry suits and PFDs, where SUPers are in bikinis in tropical locations.  So no more kayaks, and instead now we will be focusing on SUPs (and tropical bikini girls).”

I admit I fell for it at first (it had been a long day!) but after having a good laugh, I wondered if there might be a little truth in it. Is our sport the ugly friend of the more sexy water pursuits like surfing,  SUPs and ski paddling? Is there a fundamental image problem? What does the average sea kayaker look like to an outsider?

Gelo getting his adrenaline fix in the froth and bubbles of ocean whitewater

The average sea kayaker has bunches of gear stashed on deck, an array of clothing that looks fit for exploring Antarctica, and a bizarre face smothered in zinc cream whilst hidden under a hat with flaps of material hanging to the neck. Not only are we not sexy, we’re down-right bizarre. And not in the strange-but-somewhat-sexy Lady Gaga sense of the word.

What about what we do, is that boring also? Sure, ask any paddler and they’ll wax lyrical about the zen-like properties of sea kayaking. They’ll talk about being one with the ocean, the joy of sea salt in the face, the bliss of being completely focused on the present and how the world’s stresses and problems dissolve away. But to an onlooker, the same kayaker will look much like a grey-nomad cruising their campervan too slowly down a straight highway. Hardly inspiring stuff.

Then last but not least, we’re a risk-aversive bunch.  I’ve been involved in many past-times, both on the water and off, that actively promote people to push their boundaries. In sea kayaking we insist on safety above all things: make sure you have the right gear,  make sure you learn the right skills, make sure you earn the right certifications, make sure you only go to safe places. And if you get past all of that, then maybe, MAYBE fellow paddlers might refrain from frowning at you as you slowly plod your way out into the blue waters along our coast. Read the letters section of Sea Kayaker magazine in the US and you’ll see all manner of people outraged at the risks others have taken in previous stories. Outraged!

Gelo's frothy swim - unexpected, exciting, watched by team-mates in case he needs help

But all is not lost. There are small pockets of resistance out there that captivate and thrill us with their wild antics and risk taking. The extreme coastal kayakers the Tsunami Rangers are a classic example, who much like their contemporaries the Banzai Bozos and Force Ten would relish the extreme environments of surf and cliffs for their kayaking exploits. Today younger extreme paddlers like the Hurricane Riders continue the tradition with amazing feats on the tide races of Skook or the rock gardens on North America’s west coast. Even our homegrown surfers up in Queensland, Gnarlydog and his crew, are having a blast surfing and rolling their boats in the breakers. Sure, there will be people who disapprove, who point and shake their finger, but it is these paddlers who push boundaries and inspire the young to take part, that show these generations that sea kayaking can be an exciting thrill ride if they look at it the right way.

Last week Team Fat Paddler took the opportunity to learn from extreme kayaker Jim Kakuk on the joys of paddling amongst breakers and rocks and made the realisation it not only felt fun, but it looked fun. Paddlers coming past stopped, watched and laughed. People fell out in the bubbly froth and had to make a swim for it. Laughter, bragging rights, and rock-rash were the highlights of the day. And finally we felt like the sport of sea kayaking was rediscovering its youth. Who knows if this “fun” thing will catch on, but rest assured we’ll be having as much fun as we can manage! Cheers – FP

Kayaking can be fun if you let it be fun. Even more so with friends!

(Thanks to J. Kakuk and P. Grummett for use of their photos)

Tags: FP, Gelo, Grumm, Jim Kakuk, rock gardens, young kayakers

Captain Kuk leads the way for some serious fun in Sydney Australia

Team Fat Paddler are all about fun and the lads were ecstatic about locking in a session with Tsunami Rangers Captain Jim Kakuk before he returned to his home in California. No-one knew what to expect but we all duly packed our helmets and took Jim out to some small rock gardens to see what we could find. What ensued was a brilliant few hours of watching, learning and playing! Full write up coming soon, but here’s a little video of our fun on the day. Thanks Kuk, and thanks Sydney Harbour Kayaks for your support on the day!

Cheers!! FP

Tags: Jim Kakuk, rock gardening, rock gardens, Team Fat Paddler, Tsunami Rangers, Video

Important rules when paddling near cliffs - always wear a helmet... and an ugly shirt.

With my usual paddle mates either away for the weekend or too hungover to get out on the water, I took off for a solo paddle and decided to go and explore the cliffs of the Harbour’s Middle Head. This rocky outcrop separates Middle harbour from the main part of the Harbour and is exposed to the open swell coming in through Sydney’s Heads. Rock shelves in front of the cliffs create sections where the incoming swell jacks up suddenly before breaking violently against the rocks. It’s a truly beautiful section of the Harbour.

When water meets rock, all sorts of unexpected things can happen. Be careful in this zone!

The ocean was fairly calm with swell no more than 1 metre coming through. Bobbing around 5 metres out from the cliff, I’d rise over the waves as they came in and then bob around as the rebound returned heading back out to sea, enjoying the ride and the incredible aqua colours of the bubbling aerated water.

I moved around to the south east of Middle Head which catches swell a little  more violently than the rest of the cliff. There I found a good sized rocky outcrop jutting up a few metres out from the cliff. The waves would rush over the top of the rock before swirling back around it creating little whirlpools and eddies, and I paddled up close mesmerised by the wonderful spectacle of water changing form as it was pushed and pulled across the rocky structure. It was simple, harsh and beautiful.

The south-eastern rock awash...

....as water sucks over and around it....

...creating dynamic whirlpools and flows across the nearby cliff-face.

I then paddled back past the cliff to a section with a decent rock-ledge under the surface. I watched as seemingly small swell suddenly tripled in size before sucking the legde dry of water as it broke across the craggy cliff base.  This was an incredible sight and I fairly quickly learned two very important rules about paddling near cliffs.

(a) Keep a close eye on which the way the tide and currents are moving, particularly if they are causing you to drift into the break zone, and…

(b) Check behind you at regular intervals.

I learnt this because as I drifted taking photos of the cliff, I suddenly heard behind me the slow building roar of a wave that is sucking water into itself just before it breaks. Looking behind me, I suddenly realised I’d drifted right into the break zone, and was about to be smashed broadside by an incoming roller. Fortunately my old rugby reflexes kicked in straight away and I did the only thing I could think of in the split second before being punched by the wave – I tucked my head in and dropped my shoulder straight into the face of the wave. Incredibly the weight behind this manouver somehow carried me through the wave, and with a relieved laugh, I paddled a little further out to the safety of deeper water.

The last thing I saw before turning to face the breaking wave.

I decided to get a little more actual paddling in so I rode the swell and boat chop across the sound to the cliffs of Grotto Point Reserve. I cruised the cliffs there until I came to the Dobroyd Point bomborra, another zone with a hidden rock ledge that can create incredible waves when the swell is right. For the most part it wasn’t doing anthing, but ever now and then a decent sized swell would roll in creating a beautiful 6 foot high bowl-shaped break across the ledge. I kept the kayak on the edge of the break zone for a while whilst watching these incredible waves roll in.

Dobroyd Point - a beautiful little break across the rocks.

With my paddling fix now achieved, I turned and head back to the Spit for a hot coffee and a little reflection on where my paddling was going. I’d learnt some time ago that I wasn’t really interested in being far from land, because I found open water somewhat boring. What I love is that zone where water hits the land, that zone where swell becomes waves, and waves become rebound, and the water becomes bubbly turbulance. But  this zone is also a dangerous area, and one in which I dont know nearly enough about. So I figured the more time I spent along the cliff-face, the more I’d learn about the dynamics of this turbulent area, and the more I’d learn to handle the dynamic conditions. And of course have some fun along the way! Cheers – FP

Tags: cliffs, Dobroyd Bomborra, Dobroyd Point, kayak helmet, Middle Head, rock gardens