So Shell and I had our first paddle on the Hawkesbury River this morning. Got up reasonably early to join in a familiarization paddle organised by the Windsor Canoe club. They were a very friendly bunch of people, but it’s fair to say that we were amongst the most recreational of the kayakers there – there were a lot of very serious people with fancy, light-weight boats who seemed to think a 24km paddle was a nice warm-up before breakfast! Our Dagger Trinidad seemed rather wide and bulky compared to the racing lines of many other kayaks.

The paddle was from Brooklyn to Spencer and back, although we did actually turn around just before Spencer, making the total distance somewhere around 24-26km. Thankfully, the weather was fantastic – sunny and cool with very little wind. The trip was also organised to have the tide on our side for the return trip, which no doubt helped, although I can’t say I noticed too much assistance!

There were just under 50 boats taking part, and after crowded start, the boats stretched out, and we found our pace in the back third of the group. We were quite happy to make the 12-13km mark in around 75 minutes. The trip back was probably slightly slower, at around 80 minutes. To put that into perspective for us Cooinda folks, that equates to paddling from Banksia Peninsula to Wally’s farm on the Nicholson River in around 2 and a half hours. With canoes, gears and kids, that’s normally the best part of a whole day’s paddle!

We were very pleased (and tired) as we came off the water around just after 12pm. I’m sure my muscles will be reminding me of the paddle tomorrow!