At 6am, the sun fought to be seen through the fog
I’d planned a little trip out through the Heads and down towards Bondi, since the weather and sea conditions had forecast seas under 0.5 metres and only 5-10 knts of wind. But as I left home at 5am, it became apparent that my plans would have to change, since Sydney was blanketed under a layer of fog so thick I couldn’t see further than 15 metres in front of the car.
The sun finally breaking through the fog over North Head
When I arrived at The Spit the conditions were no better, and with the distant sound of fog horns sounding off, I decided to paddle to Manly instead, staying close to the cliffs and well out of any shipping lanes where I was likely to get run over. This is such a beautiful part of the world, I figured the only way to describe it properly would be to show you a few snippets of the morning’s paddle. I hope you enjoy it! Cheers – FP
Setting off into the fog from The Spit amongst the nice yachts!
Paddling with the locals, feeding in the shallows of Clontarf Beach
Coasting through the beautiful green waters of Hunters Bay
Paddling past the cliffs of Grotto Point Reserve and towards Dobroyd Head
The sun finally emerging through the fog over North Head
The return journey from Manly in the warmth of the early morning sun
Catching little runners past Grotto Point
Giving the Crystal-X paddles a burn on the final few kms back to The Spit
Looking for Manly through the fog. Beautiful! 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing the video’s You certainly keep up a cracking pace
New camera Sean? Prey do tell us about it?
Ha! Thanks @KayakGal. Actually in terms of all the more “serious” paddlers around here I’m considered slow! But I think I do alright with my stick and my plastic boat.
Tom – still using the trusty Panasonic Lumix FT1 for still shots, but for video I’m now using the GoPro Hero HD (wide angle). I’m using the “head strap” mount, which places the camera in front of my forehead (on top of my peaked cap) with a tether running to the back of my PFD in case I end up in the water!
Still learning how to get the best from it, and haven’t yet experimented with helmet or boat mounts, will be sure to do so in the coming months.
Do you like how it turns out?
Love the video. Nice stuff. I’d love to video some of my surf landings with that thing 🙂 (Whats the video like underwater?)
I like the way the vids show your catch being pretty smooth and silent. I think – but I’m not sure as the lens is a bit distorted – but it looks like you might be using a normal euro style catch to enter the water (blade perp to water surface) as opposed to a slicing in catch that would set up a better cant with your GP.
Have a look at some of the footage at the start of the paddle, then look at the stuff at then end. The variation in catch with tiredness shows up.
The footage also shows the minimal amount of upper arm usage needed for a GP stroke – I think thats why its so easy on the body compared to a EP.
I have to be honest and say I don’t use a cant at all. I’ve had it explained in writing, but never demonstrated, so until I actually see it in action I’m not going to worry about it. I am hoping to catch up with some GP experts in either the US or Canada in a few months time, so hopefully I’ll come back with some sort of cant technique!
Agree on the comments about upper arm usage – I try to do it all with rotation only and no arm bend. And yes, funny how getting tired changes the stroke dynamic! 🙂
Hey Tom, the go pro works great in the surf. Totally waterproof. Check out my sea kayak surfing on Sydney Harbour Kayaks Facebook Sept. 5th “Sol getting smashed in North Narrabeen surf”. A good example of what the GoPro can handle.