Grumm taking things very easy on a lazy Sunday morning

The Team Fat Paddler boys had a go at me recently. You see, I’ve taken a liking to paddling out through the Heads to explore Sydney’s cliff-line, or donning the helmet and paddling close in to the cliffs of Middle Head. I’ve been taking the TFP lads out with me seeking thrills and instead have scared the pants off them in big swell and shark infested waters! So this past weekend they demanded an inland paddle up Middle Harbour. No swell, no death-grip on the paddle, just a cruising jaunt through national park and a possible break at the coffee boat.

We had a lovely day and it got me thinking about all the fun times & all the great and friendly people I’ve met on our magnificent Sydney Harbour. Happy smiling people having fun, real elemental fun. And it reminded me why I love paddling so much – it’s the joy at being outdoors, being part of a community, being with friends. So in honour of all you great people out there on the water having fun, I put together this little compilation of some fun we’ve had out there too. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers – FP

Tags: fun, fun paddling, sydney harbour

A Sydney Harbour sunset.... what an awesome city I live in!

I’m usually an early morning paddler so I don’t see many sunsets from the water, but I received an invite for an evening paddle from my close mate Nat (a recent convert to the Church of the Double-Bladed Paddle). Pushing off into Lavender Bay, Nat immediately fell in and needed to self rescue, but with that out of the way we paddled out to the Sydney Harbour Bridge to have a look at the city.

Nat starting to dry off after his swim. Not a bad view from here!

The most incredible aspect of the paddle was the fact the usually busy Harbour was deserted. Clearly Sunday nights aren’t that attractive to sailors or party boats, and we were able to scoot around at our leisure chasing ferries and playing in their wake. We paddled past Neutral Bay before turning into the heart of the harbour and up to Fort Denison, an old prison from Sydney’s early penal history that was now mainly used for corporate functions and parties.

Fort Denison, formerly Pinchgut Island (prison). Built to defend against Russian warships!

The sun was now almost down and around us the city was swept with burning red light. We cruised towards the Garden Island naval yards, watching bats taking off for the nights hunt and flying above our heads. The short film festival Tropfest played to outdoor audiences a stones throw from where we were on the water, oblivious to the paddlers sliding past in the dusk.

Nat looking beautiful bathed in pink light - haha!

We continued on into Woolloomooloo Wharf, paddling between the super-yachts moored to the expensive Finger Wharf where Russell Crow has an apartment. The lights of East Sydney’s skyline started to come on as the last few minutes of light slowly disappeared, leaving us to cruise the dark waters of the harbour using lit marker buoys for navigation.

Last light over the East Sydney skyline.

We slowly meandered over to the Sydney Opera House, watching carefully for boats or ferries knowing they probably couldn’t see us (I had the Kayalite blazing on the rear deck and Nat had lights on both the front and back of his PFD, but in a little boat you can never be too careful). This great Aussie landmark is next to Circular Quay, the central hub for Sydney’s ferries, and can be a treacherous body of water to navigate due to the heavy ferry traffic and ridiculously confused waters. We pulled up in front the Opera House’s sea wall so we could look out for exiting ferries, bobbing about in the dark in the messy waves, whilst gazing out at the city of lights of the Sydney skyline.

The lights of North Sydney reflected on the Harbour.

Then suddenly three big ferries pulled out of the quay, all heading east. As they passed us a few hundred metres away, the giant Manly Ferry (more like a fast frigate really!) came in from the east heading back into the quay. Between all four of the ferries, the churning wake-waves that they created started to combine, jacking up into huge walls of water hurriedly speeding towards us in the dark. As they hit, we rode nose first up and over the series of waves before hearing them boom as they hit the sea wall behind.

“GO!!” I yelled as we heard the waves hit. Nat in his fast ski took off like a bullet, with me following not far behind, before the first of the huge messy rebound waves caught up with us. I felt the stern of the kayak angle up skyward as suddenly my boat launched down the waves face, the nose carving out a bubbling bow wave as I sped along.  Nat’s ski fired like a rocket, and as I started to drop off the back of the wave, I lost him from sight as he zoomed out across the Harbour.

Behind me were a whole series of giant rebound waves, and I managed to catch each one for 10 or 15 seconds before falling off. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw another ferry passing in the distance ahead of me, and before I knew it I’d hit an incoming wave as I was flying down the face of the one behind me. And then I was airborne, yelling into the darkness as my boat flew through the air before plunging nose first into another wave, submarining the bow before we exploded back up out of the water. This was absolutely awesome!!!

Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Luna Park Ferry stop

I was getting close to the other side of the Harbour now, with Nat now a good 50 metres ahead. The water was confused from all the ferry action and I battled to keep from being washed into the Milsons Point sea wall, as we made our way back towards Lavender Bay. As we approached the lit-up Luna Park ferry stop however, we had our last ferry incident as an incoming ferry blasted its horn at us as we raced to pass the ferry stop before it came into to dock.  Ahead Nat got broadsided by the churning ferry wake and struggled to stay on board, whilst I shot up the breaking wake right behind the ferry as it passed, flying through the foam and bouncing around in the turbulance behind. And then suddenly the waters were quiet again, as both Nat and I gave a little sigh of relief.

We paddled the final stretch back to our launch point at Lavender Bay. When Nat was off his ski he admitted the whole thing had been amazing, but terrifying. His arms slowly began to unknot from the death grip on his paddle, whilst I just simply sat with a grin from ear to ear on the awesome final part of our Sunday session.  It’s moments like these when you you can do nothing but bask in the joy of it all, and I was in paddling nirvana. This was really living, and I couldn’t have been happier. Until next time, cheers! FP

Tags: night paddling, Night surfing, ocean ski, sydney harbour

Good morning Sydney! And welcome 2011.

For my first real paddle of 2011 I wanted to get back to the scene of the amazing NYE Fireworks, Sydney Harbour. Grumm and I made the early morning trek a little after 5am to get down for that magical time of the morning, sunrise. And what a morning it was, with glassy waters and incredible light as we paddled amongst the early morning ship traffic. I don’t think words can really do it justice though, so I’m going to let the photos tell the story!

The sun starting to rise in the distance, somewhere over Bondi Beach

Our first ship of the morning. Only a little bigger than Grumm, on the right

Grumm getting in the way of the camera (again). Stop ruining my shot!

Our second ship of the morning. And not a bad sunrise!

Fat Paddler's turn to get in the way of the camera. Such a media whore!

The poles of Goat Island, right in the middle of the Harbour

Finished back where we started. There are worse places to paddle!

Since we’d started so early, we also finished in time for breakfast, and had worked up quite an appetite splashing about the Harbour. So we made a quick stop to Wrapido, one of my favourite brekky spots, for some fresh coffee and a decent feed. Seriously, could we start the day (and the year) any better? Somehow, I don’t think so!  Cheers – FP

Grumm's brekky - The Egg and Bacon Sarny!

FP's brekky - TexMex Eggs with sausages on the side - yum!

Tags: Grumm, sunrise, sydney harbour

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

"The Coat Hanger".... aka the Sydney Harbour Bridge

I don’t often paddle in the heart of the city of Sydney because of excessive boat, ship and ferry traffic, but every now and then I do just to see our magnificent city from the Harbour. My completely biased view is that Sydney is the most beautiful city in the world, and exploring her waters is always a pleasure.

The Famous Tim Kennings and I met up at Blues Point and set off into the darkness at 6am, enjoying the view of the city lights reflecting off the water before sunrise lightened the sky. For the rest of the morning we explored her shores, stopped for coffee in Chowder Bay, surfed wind chop and ferry wake, paddled & surfed under the Luna Park boardwalk and generally had a blast as the wind and chop built up over the morning.

Needless to say I’ll let the photos tell the story. Cheers – FP

TFTK in the early morning amber light at sunrise, the Sydney Opera House in background.

Exploring the Harbour's northern shoreline

The world's most beautiful harbour.... well, I think so!

Even harbour's get swell and waves. Good fun to play in!

The iconic Sydney Opera House. As seen from the water!

Kirribilli House, the official Sydney residence of Australia's Prime Minister

Paddling under Luna Park. Timbo surfed through this lane!

Style. Poise. Grace. The Famous Tim Kennings in his North Shore Atlantic!

Tags: Kirribilli House, Sydney, sydney harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Tim Kennings