Storm Runner

Racing the clock to beat the storm

Racing the clock to beat the storm

Sydney in Spring can offer up beautiful sunny days, and horrendous tropical storms. And occassionally, both on the same day! On this particular day I’d spent hours drenched in glorious sunlight, enjoying the warmth of the Spring sun. Then the sky started to cloud over and turned a very ominous green. A quick stop into Sydney Harbour Kayaks for a weather check and my fears were confirmed: a storm warning had been issued, and they were clearing kayaks from the water.

Rising winds and ominous rumblings. Bloody hell...

Rising winds and ominous rumblings. Bloody hell...

The problem for me was that, unlike most weekends when I park at Sydney Harbour Kayaks for launch, on this day I’d parked another 6km away, by the Roseville Bridge. Which meant I had about an hour’s paddle to get back, hopefully before the full brunt of the storm hit.

This was a good test for the Greenland paddle – ie could it get me somewhere fast when I really needed it to. I asked it the question, and it responded a firm YES. I was able to power through the increasing wind, passing other paddlers with relative ease on my race to Roseville. And as luck would have it I managed to beat the storm, and the rain, hail and lightning that came with it.

Love a bit of excitement with my paddles. đŸ˜‰

The last glimpse of sunshine before ice fell from the skies.

The last glimpse of sunshine before ice fell from the skies.