Jan 24th 2017 - Tuesday Before Work Paddles
Here are photos from our Tuesday paddle today:
There are still places available for the Before Work Paddle series on Thursdays starting Feb 2nd. Check out Before Work Paddle
Nov 16th 2016 - Tuesday Before Work Paddles - starting next week Nov 22nd
We have a new Tuesday Before Work paddle series starting next week - spaces are available.
Oct 26th 2016 - Tomorrows Before Work Paddle Cancelled due to wind forecast
There's a forecast 15-20 knot southerly change forecast tomorrow morning when we'd be out on the water. That creates the potential for 30 knot winds around headlands like Blues Point which is way to strong for paddling so we'll skip out paddle tomorrow.
Oct 24th 2016
The Thursday Before Work Paddles have started and are booked out.
I've postponed the start of Tuesdays group as I've injured my back (lifting a patient in hospital) so I'm limiting my kayaking while I recover. Hopefully a week or so and it should be OK - it's more that I need to lift and shift lots of kayaks that's the problem. I'm OK to kayak. I'll update the Before Work paddle page once I'm confident I'm well enough to start it. If you want to add your name to the list of those interested just email Patrick
Balmain Paddle - Saturday Sept 10th, 2016 at 8:00am $120/person
If you are interested ring Patrick 0427 225 072 (or Email: patrick@kayaksydney.com) to confirm availability (4 places available). The forescast is for possible rain but if that doesn't bother you then it's should be a good paddling day - there's top of 23C forecast, northerly winds.
Billy Blue Paddle - Sunday Sept 11th 2016 at 8:00 am - $75
We are running the Billy Blue Paddle this Sunday. If you are interested ring Patrick 0427 225 072 (or Email: patrick@kayaksydney.com) to confirm availability (4 places available).
The weather forecast is for fine weather with light winds.
Tuesday, Dec 22nd 2015 - Today's Before Work Paddle Cancelled due to rain
It looks like it will rain quite a lot and there are currently 15 knot southerly winds likely to increase so no paddle today.
Thursday, Nov 5th 2015 - Today's Before Work Paddle Cancelled
We won't paddle today due to the rain.
Thursday, April 30th 2015 - Today's Before Work Paddle Cancelled
There's a lot of rain out there and it doesn't look like stopping before our paddle so we won't be paddling today.
Thursday, Mar 5th 2015 - Google Picasa Albums links not working
It appears Google has made some unexpected changes and links to photos albums have stopped working. I will resend the links to those I believe are affected.
Wednesday, Jan 28th 2015 - Tomorrow's Before Work Paddle Cancelled
The forecast is for rain and southerly winds 15-25 knots (strong !) so no good unfortunately.
Tuesday, Jan 27th 2015 - Today's Before Work Paddle Cancelled
No paddling today due to the rain. Wind forecast says 15-20 knot E-SE. SE would not be good.
Thursday, Dec 11th 2014 - Today's Before Work Paddle Cancelled
No paddling today - too much rain.
Wednesday, Nov 26th 2014 - Tomorrow's Before Work Paddle Cancelled
Southerly winds 15-20 knots are forecast (with showers) tomorrow morning. I have sent the group an SMS to see if Friday suits everyone as an alternative.
Tuesday, Nov 25th 2014 - Today's Before Work Paddle Cancelled
Sorry but with the current rain and a strong southerly change forecast with winds up to 25 knots this morning we'll have to skip the paddle this week.
Wednesday, Nov 5th 2014 - Tomorrow's Before Work Paddle Cancelled
There is a strong wind warning for tomorrow with 20-30 knot southerly winds so we won't be able to do our paddle. I'll email everyone to check if Friday is a suitable alternative.
Monday, Oct 13th 2014 - Tomorrow's Before Work Paddle Cancelled
The weather forecast for tomorrow is for strong southerly winds and heavy rain so we won't do out paddle this week. See you next Tuesday.
Thursday, Sept 25th 2014 - No paddle tomorrow - Friday.
The updated weather forecast for Sydney Harbour includes a strong wind warning for the morning with winds up to 30 knots.
Wednesday, Sept 24th 2014 - Tomorrow's Before Work Paddle Postponed to Friday.
The weather forecast is for Thursday is for rain early so we'll do our paddle this Friday instead.
Wednesday, Mar 5th 2014 - Tomorrow's Before Work Paddle cancelled.
The weather forecast is for potentially strong southerly wind up to 25 knot winds - not good so we won't do our paddle tomorrow. Friday's forecast is for light winds so I've sent an email and SMS regarding this. I'll let everyone know about Friday once I've heard back from the group.
Wednesday, Feb 26th 2014 - Tomorrow's Before Work Paddle cancelled.
The weather forecast is for a strong southerly change early morning with 15-25 knot winds - not good for kayaking so we'll skip the paddle this week.
14:00 Monday, Dec 9th 2013 - my mobile phone is finally working again !
You can contact me on: 0427 225 072. It only took since Friday to connect me despite Amaysim's claim that the outage should be no more than 12 hours.
Monday, Dec 9th 2013 - my mobile phone is still out of service. Ring 9899-1001 to contact me.
I'm switching my mobile from Optus to Amaysim. They say the maximum outage is 12 hrs however my phone stopped working with Optus on Friday and is still not connected with Amaysim at 12:45 pm on Monday despite me chasing them about this twice a day. In the meantime you can try to catch me on my landline - 9899-1001. And don't believe carriers when they claim there will be minimal outage.
Friday, Dec 6th 2013 - my phone is temporarily out of service
I'm in the process of switching phone carriers and my mobile has just switched off on Optus and I'm waiting for my Amaysim SIM to become active. This should only take an hour (should be working by 20:00 if their website is to be believed). My landline (9899-1001) diverts to that mobile so don't bother trying that either for now.
Wed, Dec 4th 2013 - Tomorrow's Thursday Before Work Paddle
cancelled.
The weather forecast for Sydney Harbour is not good.
That combined with one of the highest tides of the year would make for pretty
nasty paddling conditions.
Strong Wind
Warning for Thursday for Sydney Closed Waters
Winds: North to
northeasterly 15 to 20 knots, ahead of an early morning southerly change
15 to 25 knots
Tuesday, Nov 26th 2013 - Today's Before Work Paddle cancelled.
Only 3 people could do a swap from Tuesday to Wednesday so we'll skip our paddle this week. I'll send an email out to everyone about this as well.
Monday, Nov 25th 2013 - Tomorrow's Before Work paddle
The weather forecast for tomorrow morning is for 15-25 knot southerly winds which would not be good for paddling so I've sent an email to everyone to see if they can do Wednesday instead.
Tuesday, Nov 19th 2013 - Today's Before Work paddle
cancelled.
The weather forecast was updated this morning for
stronger southerly winds. That combined with the fact it will probably be
raining makes it pretty unsuitable so we'll skip our Tuesday paddle this
week.
Wednesday, Oct 23rd 2013
Next week, Tuesday October 31st we are starting a new Before Work paddle series. This is a series of 5 weekly paddles from 6:30 to 7:30am every Tuesday. I have at least 2 spaces available if you are looking to join in.
I'm currently caring for a Pacific Black duckling I rescued on Sydney Harbour last Sunday. We were paddling past the Opera House on the north side and there it was all on it's own. WIRES were too busy with the bushfires so for now I'm it's mum & dad. It's very cute and demanding of attention !
Tuesday, Oct 8th 2013
My mobile phone went for a swim yesterday and is dead so if I haven't returned your call that is why. I'll get a replacement today and return any messages after that.
....OK, I've got myself a $39 phone from Dick Smith so I can answer calls again. If you've left a message I'll get back to you shortly.
Here's a photo album of our Tuesday Before Work paddle. We have magic weather this morning - really beautiful on the water:
Friday, Oct 4th 2013
Paddled around the Navy International Fleet Review today - here's some photos. It was pretty choppy sitting out at Fort Denison - mainly from spectator craft wash so the photos aren't as sharp as they could be but they're OK.
Friday, Sept 27th 2013
If you see a big white space on my homepage that's because it's an embedded Google Picasa slideshow and they seem to have broken something so it does not work as of today.
I'll replace it with something later today. Hmmm, Google ain't what it used to be - they have some pretty buggy software these days.
Monday, Sept 16th 2013 - Tuesday Before Work Paddle postponed to Wednesday
The weather forecast for Tuesday's paddle isn't good so we'll do the paddle on Wednesday instead (I sent an email out to everyone earlier today).
Wednesday, Aug 28th 2013 - Before Work Paddle ?
I've postponed the start of the Thursday series of Before Work paddles until we have a few more people. If you're interested please email Patrick. The Tuesday Before Work paddle group is running but this is fully booked.
Friday, July 26th 2013 - Before Work Paddle dates
I've just updated the Before Work paddle page with dates for the next Before Work paddle series. I'll start these Tuesdays from August 20th and Thursdays from August 22nd. I send an email out soon to those who have asked to be updated.
Wednesday, May 1st - Thursdays Before Work Paddle postponed to Friday
We'll do our Before Work paddle on Friday instead of Thursday. The weather forecast for Thursday is for strong southerly winds up to 30 knots. Friday morning the forecast is for light winds and a sunny day.
Tuesday, April 30th - Thursdays Before Work Paddle postponed
The weather forecast for Thursday is for strong southerly winds so we'll postpone the paddle to Friday if that suits the majority. I've sent everyone an email about this so please RSVP to that to let me know if Friday suits you. Patrick.
Monday, April 15th - tomorrow's Before Work Paddle postponed
The weather forecast for Tuesday morning is for 15-20 southerly winds and rain. We'll skip our paddle tomorrow. If most of the group can do Wednesday we'll do that instead. The forecast for Wednesday is for light winds and scattered showers.
Thursday, April 4th
If you are waiting on photos there's a bit of a backlog at the moment - the latest build of Google Picasa (version 3.9.0 Build 136.19) has lots of problems. It seems Google are working on a solution. If they don't fix it in the next two days I'll look at re-installing an older build and getting the photos out with that.
Friday, March 1st - no kayaking tomorrow due to strong winds forecast
The weather forecast is for winds: Southerly 25 to 30 knots turning southeasterly 15 to 25 knots early in the morning
That would be pretty horrible so we won't be running the Balmain Paddle that we had planned.
Monday, Jan 28th - tomorrow's Before Work Paddle CANCELLED
The weather forecast is for pretty terrible conditions - strong winds and rain. We'll skip the Tuesday Before Work paddle this week.
Friday, Dec 28th - Mobile phone has died...
My "waterproof" mobile has proved to be not so waterproof. It sort of works but there's not sound so I can't hear anything much. I'll swap to a new phone when I get home this evening. Sorry if I've not answered or returned calls.
Wed, Nov 21st - No Kayaking tomorrow - strong wind forecast
There are 20-30 knot southerly winds forecast for Thursday morning.
Tuesday, Nov 20th - todays Before Work paddle CANCELLED
There are 20 knot southerly winds this morning with a forecast of it getting up to 25 knots - no good for our paddle
Tuesday, Nov 13th - todays Before Work paddle CANCELLED
Sorry but there are 25 knot gusting southerly winds this morning - no good for our paddle.
Thursday, Nov 8th - yes our paddle is on
The weather looks great - no rain showing on the radar for Sydney area despite the forecast of rain. Light northerly winds. Excellet for our paddle.
Tuesday, Oct 23rd - no paddle tomorrow
Sorry but most the group couldn't make it so we won't be doing a paddle.
Tuesday, Oct 23rd - Before Work Paddle CANCLLED for today.
There is still a strong southerly wind. Tomorrow looks like a good alternative - forecast to be sunny with light winds and a lot warmer.
Mon, Oct 1st - Before Work Paddles start next week.
The Before Work Paddles will start next week. I'll send out an email shortly to everyone who has expressed an interest in signing up. Daylight Savings starts next weekend so sunrise will be around 6:20am we our paddles start next week - a really nice time to be on the water.
Later this week I'll be doing some filming for a virtual reality production (think something like Google StreetView but movie) for a government tourism promotion. Should be interesting. The "talent" will be wearing a helmet with the VR camera - I'll be paddling alongside.
Mon, Sept 3rd - Before Work Paddles start postponed.
Sorry but due to personal reasons (death in family and mother criticially ill) I'll hold off starting the Before Work paddles for a while. I'll update the website and send an email to those interested when I've set a new start date.
Mon, Aug 20th- Before Work paddle start postponed.
I've just updated the Before Work paddle page and changed the start of the next Before Work series to September (originally scheduled for this week). That should give us some warmer weather.
Mon, April 16th - tomorrows Before Work paddle postponed to Friday
The forecast for tomorrow morning is pretty horrible - southerly winds 15-25 knots with rain. We'll do our paddle on Friday instead - the forecast for Friday is for light winds, scattered showers.
Tues, April 10th - Before Work Paddle this morning postponed to Thursday
The weather bureau forecast is now for 20-30 knot southerly this morning. Last night they had conflicting forecasts with one saying 15 knots and the marine forecast saying 20-30 knots. This morning they both warn of strong winds again - although outside right now it's westerly. Hmmm. Anyone not worth the risk of getting caught out in a strong southerly change.
Wed, Dec 22nd - Before Work Paddles in 2012
Just changed the Before Work paddles for 2012 - they are now $180 (previously $198) but will be a 5 week series (instead of 6).
Wed, Dec 21st - Before Work Paddles in 2012
I've just updated the Before Work page for our next series of paddles. These will start the second week of January - Tuesday Jan 10th and Thursday Jan 12th. If a group is mostly people who have been before then I'll try and do the first instructional session for new paddlers sometime in advance.
Mon, Dec 19th - Tuesday Before Work paddle postponed to Wednesday.
The forecast for tomorrow morning is for rain and possible thunderstorms with a southerly change early morning 15-20 knot southerly winds. Wedneday is looking a bit better with possible showers and 10-15 knot winds. See you all Wedneday.
Tues, Dec 13th - Tuesday Before Work paddle postponed.
The forecast for tomorrow morning is for rain and southerly winds up to 25 knots - no good. I've emailed everyone regarding an alternative - we'll do a paddle either Friday or next Tuesday. I also have some spare places on Thursday.
Thurs, Nov 24th - Before Work Paddle CANCELLED due to strong winds.
Sorry guys but it's gusting pretty strong from the south and would be much stronger in parts of the harbour so best not to risk heading out. See you next week.
Mon, Nov 14th - Tuesday Before Work paddle postponed to Wednesday.
The forecast for tomorrow morning is for southerly winds up to 25 knots - not good. We'll do our paddle on Wednesday instead. The forecast then is for light northerly winds and fine weather in the morning.
Mon, Aug 15th - Before Work Paddles next week.
I've just update the Before Work Paddle page to say these will start next week. I saw the weather forecast for this week and it didn't look like a good week to launch these again. Hopefully we'll get good weather next week. I'll send out an email reminder to everyone later today.
Wed, May 25th - Tomorrows Before Work paddle postponed to Friday.
The forecast for Thursday is for 20-25 knot southerly winds decreasing around dawn to 15-20 knots along with scattered showers. Not good. Friday's forecast is for sunny conditions with 10- 15 knots winds -much better!
Wed, May 4th - Tomorrows Before Work paddle cancelled due to strong wind forecast.
Unfortunately the forecast for Sydney Harbour is for southerly winds increasing in the morning up to 25 knots. No good for kayaking so we'll skip our paddle this week.
Thurs, April 28th - Todays Before Work paddle cancelled due to heavy rain.
The forecast is for scattered showers but looking at the radar there's lots of heavy rain headed our way this morning so we'll skip our paddle this week.
Wed, April 27th - Todays Before Work paddle cancelled due to strong winds.
Despite the forecast of 10-15 knot winds it's actually blowing over 25 knots from the south this morning - too strong. We'll skip our paddle this week.
Mon, April 25th - Tomorrows Before Work paddle moved to Wednesday
Since Tuesday is a public holiday we'll do our "Tuesday" paddle on Wednesday this week. See you there at 6:20am.
Tues, April 5th - Today's paddle cancelled due to rain
We'll give the paddle a miss today. Friday might be possible instead if everyone can make it. Sorry for the late notice but the weather is a little worse than expected from the forecast.
Mon, Feb 21st - Tomorrow's Before Work paddle postponed to Wedneday.
The weather forecast is for 15-20 knot southerly winds and rain. The forecast for Wednesday is for 10-15 knot southerly winds and no rain. See you Wednesday.
Mon, Jan 17th - Tomorrow's Before Work paddle postponed to Wedneday.
The weather bureau updated the forecast tonight to say 20 knot southerly winds which is not good. The forecast for Wednesday is for 5-10 easterly winds. There's a chance of showers but at least it's light winds.
Mon, Dec 6th - Tomorrow's Before Work paddle cancelled.
Please see the email I sent for details.
Wed, Dec 1st 18:50 - It's likely to be too wet for our Thursday Before Work paddle. I will SMS everyone at 05:45 tomorrow morning to let you know if it is on. We might be lucky and get a clear window for our paddle.
Wed, Dec 1st - today's Before Work paddle (Tues group) cancelled due to the rain. See you next week.
Tues, Nov 30th - today's Before Work paddle postponed to tomorrow (Wed).
The forecast for Wed is looking better - light northerly winds, scattered showers. Hopefully the showers will miss us in the morning.
Thurs, Nov 4th - today's Before Work paddle cancelled.
Sorry guys but the forecast yesterday didn't predict the 20+ knot southerly winds we have this morning. It's now raining too! Not pleasant. The forecast for tomorrow is worse. I'll email everyone to work out when we can re-schedule.
Monday, Nov 1st - Tomorrow's Before Work paddle swapped to Wednesday.
The weathe forecast for tomorrow morning is for heavy rain and strong southerly winds so we'll move our paddle to Wedneday (light winds, isolated showers). See you there at 6:10am, Wedneday.
Wed, Oct 27th - Tomorrow's Before Work paddle swapped to Friday.
The weather forecast for Thursday is not good (rain, southerly winds) so we'll move our paddle to Friday this week. See you there 6:20am, Friday.
Saturday, Oct 2nd - don't forget daylight saving starts tomorrow.
Daylight saving commences at 2:00 am when clocks are put forward one hour.
Photos on Google Picasa
We are now putting the photos from our paddles on Google Picasa. You can find photos of recent paddles via the link below:
Sunday, Aug 29th
This was a perfect paddling day. We'd scheduled the Balmain Paddle but being such a calm day we ended up doing the Bridge Paddle instead. Here's the photos:
Wedneday, Aug 25th
Tomorrow's Before Work paddle is on. The forecast has improved so we won't be postponing. Our paddle will be to Neutral Bay.
Friday, Aug 20th
Our Thursday Before Work paddles series started yesterday. This is now booked out but I am organising a Tuesday group if you are interested. Here's a link to the gallery of photos for the Thursday group. I'll add our photos to this each week.
Thursday, Aug 12th
Next week we are starting the Before Work paddle series. We have 2 places left for Thursdays group. We'll start a Tuesday group the week after.
Here's another Picasa album of photos from a paddle last weekend with students from Keeshaw State University, Georgia.
Monday, July 12th - Whales, dolphins in the harbour
It's a cool time for kayaking in more ways than one. This morning I spotted a whale in the harbour and on Friday I saw about 20 dolphins not far from Fort Denison. Only problem is I've spotted these from my apartment and not in my kayak. Next time hopefully it will be from my kayak.
Wedneday, May 26th - tomorrow's paddle postponed to Friday.
The forecast for Thursday is for 15-20 knot southerly winds and rain!
We'll shift our Before Work to Friday which is forecast to be fine with light northerly winds. Sunrise is 06:49 so we'll meet at 6:40.
Wednesday, May 12th - Tomorrow's Thursday Before Paddle postoned
The Coastal Waters Forecast for tomorrow is not good so we'll skip out paddle this week. It looks like the southerly winds will be around for a few days.
Coastal Waters Forecast for New South Wales
Issued at 3:52 pm EST on Wednesday 12 May 2010
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Thursday: Wind:West to southwesterly 15 to 20 knots tending south to southwesterly 20 to 25 knots during the afternoon. Waters:Choppy to very choppy.
Monday, May 10th
I'm just experimenting with putting my trip photos online on Picassa. Here's an example from our paddle yesterday.
Wedneday, April 14th
Thursday's Before Work paddle 6 week series starts tomorrow. I have 4 places available. It's not too late to join it if you miss this first session as I can run a catch-up on the first instructional session for you.
If you are interested please take a look at the Before Work paddle page.
Monday, March 1st
Tuesday Before Work Paddle for March 2nd - postponed to Thursday.
There are 15-20 knot southerly winds and showers forecast for tomorrow morning. We will postpone our paddle to Thursday. The forecast for Thursday is good.
Monday, Feb 22nd
Tuesday Before Work Paddle for Feb 23rd - CANCELLED
There is a strong southerly change forecast for tomorrow morning. We could swap to Thursday this week so please reply to the email I sent you to let me know if you could do that.
Tuesday: Wind:W/NW 10/15 knots, ahead of S/SE change 20/25 knots later in the morning. Waters:Choppy.
Monday, Feb 15th
Tuesday Before Work Paddle for Feb 16th - CANCELLED
There are strong winds forecast for tomorrow so we'll have to skip our Tuesday Before Work paddle this week. See you next week.
Issued at 3:52 pm EDT on Monday 15 February 2010
valid until midnight on Thursday
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Tuesday: Wind:S/SW 20/25 knots, easing to 15/20 knots late. Waters:Choppy.
Wedneday, Feb 3rd
Friday Before Work Paddle - places available.
I currently am trying to get a Friday group for the Before Work paddle series. I have 3 people signed up and need another 3 before we'll start. If you are interested please take a look at the Before Work paddle page.
Monday, Jan 18th - Tuesday Before Work Paddle postponed to WEDNESDAY
The forecast for Tuesday isn't looking good :
Wind:SW 10/15 knots, reaching 15/20 knots at first. Waters:Choppy at first.
The forecast for Wedesday is a lot nicer:
Wind: NW/SW 5/10 knots
Monday, Dec 14th - Tuesday Before Work Paddle for Dec 15th postponed.
We'll do this either Thursday or next Tuesday (maybe both). It looks like most can do this Thursday but I'm just waiting for feedback from a couple of people before confirinmg.
Monday, Nov 30th - Tuesday Before Work Paddle for Dec 1st Cancelled due to Weather Forecast.
Tomorrow's Forecast for Sydney Harbour:
Tuesday: Wind:S/SW 15/20 knots, tending S/SE 20/30 knots in the afternoon. Waters:choppy at first, becoming very choppy in the afternoon.
High tide tomorrow is at 06:55am at 1.78m which combined with the southerly would make it very choppy along the Kirribilli shoreline. We'll postpone our paddle to next Tuesday.
Monday, Nov 16th - Tuesday Before Work Paddle Swapped to Wedneday this week
Confirming that we will do our Tuesday Before Work paddling on Wednesday instead. The forecast for Tuesday is for terrible weather. The forecast for Wednesday is excellent.
Sunday, Nov 8th
I have just moved my web site to servers based in Australia. Hopefully the performance of the web site should improve. If you have any problems please let me know.
Thursday, Oct 15th
Our paddle is on. The weather looks OK for now. It will be windy later in the day.
Wednesday, Oct 7th - tomorrows kayaking CANCELLED.
Sorry but the weather forecast is terrible!
We'll skip the Before Work paddle this week.
Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology New South Wales
UPDATED Coastal Waters Forecast for New South Wales
Issued at 5:10 pm EDT on Wednesday 7 October 2009
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Gale warning
Thursday: Wind:S/SW 30/35 knots, slowly easing to 20/30 knots later in the day. Waters:Very rough
Monday, Oct 5th - no paddling tomorrow.
The forecast for tomorrow morning does look like it's worth it.
Tuesday: Wind:S/SW 15/20 knots
The metro forecast is also saying showers. Sleep in tomorrow !
Friday, Sept 25th - Tomorrow's Bridge Paddle CANCELLED.
The forecast for tomorrow morning is not good.
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Saturday: Wind:N/NW 20/30 knots, turning W/NW of similar strength early. Waters:Very choppy.
Sunday's forecast is not good either but we'll wait till the 4:00pm forecast on Saturday before making a decision.
Wednesday, Sept 23rd - Tomorrow's Before Work paddle CANCELLED.
The forecast for tomorrow morning is for choppy water and S/SW winds 15/20 knots which is not good. We will skip our Thursday paddle this week.
Monday, August 24th - Tomorrow's Before Work paddle CANCELLED
The Coastal Waters forecast for Sydney Habour tomorrow is not good so we'll skip our Tuesday paddle this week.
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Gale Warning.
Tuesday: Wind:W/NW 20/30 knots, reaching 30/40 knots at times in the morning. Waters:Very choppy to rough, abating later.
Friday, August 21st
I've just updated the Before Work page and scheduled the next series of paddles to start in 2 weeks on Thursday, September 3rd. I have 8 places but I am about to contact people who have expressed an interest in joining this so get in quick if you want to reserve a place.
This is a great time of the year is fantastic for paddling with mostly calm mornings.
I also have a Tuesday group running that there are no places available.
Tuesday, August 11th - updated
Our Before Work paddles started today. We have 2 places left and it's not too late to join this group. We can arrange a catch-up session to cover the instruction we did today so you are ready to start next Tuesday. There will be a max of 8 in the group and we are paddling west from Lavender Bay each Tuesday.
Sunday, August 2nd
The Before Work paddles start next week, on Tuesday, August 11th. We'll be exploring the harbour west from Lavender Bay.
There are currently 6 places available. To book please see the Before Work page.
Saturday, May 23rd
I've just updated the Before Work paddle page. We'll start the next series of Before Work paddles on Tuesday, August 11th. At this stage the plan is to do the paddles heading west from Lavender Bay. That might change if most of those booking have done those routes and would prefer the eastern routes. There are only 8 places available and you can reserve a place now if you wish.
Monday, May 4th
Tuesday paddle postponed to Wednesday
The forecast for tomorrow is for showers and fresh southerly winds. Wednesdays forecast is for fine weather and light northerly winds:
Forecast for Tuesday
A shower or two, chiefly near the coast, clearing later. Partly
cloudy. Moderate south to southwest winds, fresh near the coast,
Wednesday Fine.
City: Min: 14 Max: 21
Wind: NW/NE 5/10 knots.
Thursday, April 30th
Friday's paddle is on. We won't count this as one of the 'Tuesday' paddles since a few people can't make it. It will be an extra paddle. If you have missed a paddle now's your chance to make that up. We'll meet at 6:20 am.
Modnay, April 20th 2009
Tuesdays "Before Work Paddle" cancelled due to weather forecast:
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Tuesday: Wind:SE 15/20 knots, easing to 10/15 knots later. Waters:Choppy, becoming slight later.
Wednesday, Mar 4th 2009
Thursday"Before Work Paddle" cancelled due to weather forecast:
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Thursday: Wind:S/SW 18/23 knots, easing late morning/early afternoon. Waters:Choppy.
Monday, Feb 16th 2009
Tuesday "Before Work Paddle" cancelled due to weather forecast:
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Strong Wind Warning.
Tuesday: Wind:SE/SW 20/30 knots. Waters:Choppy to rough.
Wednesday, Feb 11th 2009
Thursday "Before Work Paddle" cancelled due to weather forecast:
Wind:S/SE 15/20 knots. Waters:Choppy.
Showers increasing
Saturday, Jan 24th 2009
Balmain Paddle cancelled for Sunday Jan 25th.
The forecast for Sunday just released is not good:
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Strong wind warning.
Sunday: Wind:S/SE 20/25 knots, easing 15/20 knots later in the morning and tending E/SE 10/15 knots later. Waters:Choppy at first, abating to slight later.
Friday, Dec 19th
Saturday's morning Balmain Paddle cancelled.
The Coastal Waters forecast for Sydney Harbour is: Wind:S/SE 20/25 knots easing to 15/20 knots in the morning and 10/15 knots later. Waters:Choppy becoming slight later.
Southerly winds over 15 knots aren't good and 20-25 knot winds mean we won't be running this paddle tomorrow. (showers are also forecast).
Monday, Dec 8th
Tuesday's Before Work paddle postoned 1 week
The forecast for tomorrow mornings paddle does not look good so we'll skip it this week.
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Tuesday: Wind:N/NE 20/30 knots. Waters:Choppy to very choppy
Monday, Nov 24th
All looks good for Tuesday's "Before Work" paddle.
The Coastal Waters Forecast (at 16:30) says:
Wind:S/SE 10/15 knots. Waters:Slight.
Wednesday, Nov 19th
Tomorrow's "Before Work" paddle cancelled due to strong winds forecast.
The Coastal Waters forecast for tomorrow morning is pretty terrible - Wind:N/NE 25/30 knots, easing to N/NW 20/25 knots. Waters: Rough
Friday isn't looking great either so we'll skip the paddle this week.
Wednesday, Nov 5th - updated 16:09
The forecast issued at 16:00 for tomorrow is perfect for our paddle:
Thursday: Wind:W/NW 8/13 knots,Waters:smooth
Fine. Lengthy sunny periods. Max 27C
The weather looks good for our Thursday Before Work paddle. It's low tide in the morning which usually makes for calm conditions. The forecast is updated at 4:00 pm today but at this stage it looks good for our paddle to Balmain.
Mon, Nov 3rd
Tuesday Before Work Paddle Postponded.
The Coastal Waters Forecast for tomorrow is not good:
Tuesday: Wind:S/SW 20/25 knots, easing to S/SE 13/18 knots in the afternoon or evening. Waters:Choppy to slight.
If everyone can do this Friday instead then we'll aim for then otherwise we'll postpone our paddle till next Tuesday. I'll email everyone about this shortly.
Wed, Oct 29th
Tomorrows's Before Work paddle is on. The Coastal Waters forecast is good - light winds, slight conditions on the water. The general forecast is "Mostly fine" although there could be some drizzle in the morning but that might have cleared by the time we start.
Wed, Oct 22nd
Tomorrow's Thursday Paddle Postponed
The forecast is for rain and southerly winds so we'll skip the paddle this week.
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Strong Wind Warning.
Thursday: Wind:S 20/30 knots, easing to 15/20 knots during the afternoon, 8/13 knots later. Waters:Rough, gradually abating.
Mon, Oct 20th
Tomorrow's Tuesday Paddle Postponed
The forecast is for rain and southerly winds so we might try for Friday again if that suits everyone.
Mon, Oct 13th
Tomorrow's Tuesday Paddle Postponed
Once again the weather forecast for tomorrow is pretty terrible so we'll try for Friday morning if that suits everyone.
Mon, Oct 6th
Tomorrow's Tuesday Paddle Postponed
The weather forecast for tomorrow is pretty terrible so maybe we'll try for Friday morning if that suits everyone.
Tuesday: Wind:S/SW 20/25 knots at first, easing to 15/20 knots in the morning and tending SE/NE 10/15 knots in the afternoon. Waters:choppy becoming slight.
Bugger....and we wake up Tuesday morning to find the forecast now says:
Tuesday until midnight: Wind:S/SW 8/13 knots, turning SE/NE 5/10 knots during the afternoon/evening. Waters:Slight.
Sun, Sept 28th
Today's paddle was cancelled due to the current Strong Wind Warning for Sydney Harbour. Right now (7:00 am) however it seems to be dead calm....hmmm. The forecast for Sydney Harbour is currently:
Sydney Closed Waters, Pittwater, Port Jackson and Botany Bay:
Strong Wind Warning.
Sunday until midnight: Wind:NW increasing to 20/30 knots ahead of a late SW/SE change 20/30 knots. Waters:Becoming choppy.
Wed, Sept 24th
The weather forecast for our paddle tomorrow morning looks perfect"
Thursday: Wind:Variable around 5 knots at first, tending E/NE 8/13 knots in the afternoon. Waters:Slight.
Fine. Mostly sunny. Min: 11 Max: 20
Mon, Sept 22nd - updated
Tuesday paddle postoned to Thursday
The 4pm udpate to the Coastal Waters Forecast for tomorrow (Tues) is worse than before: :
Tuesday: Wind:Early S/SW change 20/30 knots. Turning S/SE 15/20 knots during the afternoon and easing SE 10/15 knots during the evening. Waters:Rough at first, abating.
The Thursday forecast looks good (NE 5/15 knots).
Fri, Sept 19th - updated
Forget tomorrow (Sat) for kayaking. The Coastal Waters forecast is prediction 20-30 knot winds and choppy water so it's not good for kayaking.
Sunday looks good. I am running the Balmain Paddle but this is now booked out.
Wed, Sept 17th
The weather for tomorrows (postponed) Before Work paddle looks perfect !
Wind:NW 5/10 knots turning N/NE 10/15 knots.
Waters:smooth to slight
Just as well I had postponed the Tuesday paddle - we had winds over 30 knots (55 kph) at 7:30 am and the waters were very rough.
Mon, Sept 15th
Tuesday Paddle Postponed to Thursday
The forecast for tomorrow is very similar to last Tuesday, which if correct, would make for some difficult or at least unpleasant paddling (Wind:W/SW 15/20 knots, Water: Choppy). We'll do our paddle on Thursday instead. The forecast for Thursday is good (NW/NE 10/20 knots).
We are protected from the northerly winds but anything from the south over 15 knots is usually not good. Wind gusts are up to 40% stronger and winds around headlands are usually around 20% stronger.
Fri, Sept 12th
Saturday forecast now for 27C with 10-15 knot northerly winds which is perfect for paddling
I have two places left for the Billy Blue Paddle on Saturday. Sunday is not looking good for paddling since the forecast is for 20-30 knot winds and a few showers.
Thurs, Sept 11th
Saturday forecast for 26C - finally Spring is here !!
I have one place left for the Billy Blue Paddle on Saturday. I might have two places - one person is yet to confirm. It should be a perfect paddling day !
Monday, Sept 9th, 16:00
Tomorrow's Before Work Paddle cancelled The weather forecast for tomorrow is not good
Tuesday: Wind:S/SW 15/20 knots, easing to 10/15 knots later. Waters:Choppy, abating later
We'll skip the paddle this week.
Monday, Sept 9th, 14:00
The weather forecast for tomorrow mornings paddle does not look good
Tuesday: Wind:SW/S 15/20 knots, easing to 10/15 knots later. Waters:Choppy, abating later
The next update to this forecast is made just after 4:00 pm. I'll update this page again to let everyone know if the paddle is on. If the forecast doesn't improve it won't be going ahead.
Monday, Sept 1st
The weather forecast for tomorrow mornings paddle looks great.
Tuesday: Wind:W 5/10 knots at first, becoming S/SE 8/13 knots in the afternoon. Waters:smooth to slight.
We are paddling to Balls Head Bay.
Friday, Aug 29th
The weather forecast for tomorrow (Saturday) looks perfect for paddling !
Friday until midnight: Wind:S/SW 8/13 knots, tending S/SE in the afternoon. Waters:slight
Saturday: Wind:Variable to 10 knots, tending N/NE 10/15 knots during the afternoon and evening. Waters:Smooth to slight.
So...if anyone wants to get out paddling on a perfect day give me a call !
Monday, Aug 25th
The weather for tomorrow mornings Before Work Paddle looks perfect!
Tuesday: Wind:W/NW 10/15 knots tending NE 15/20 knots. Waters:Slight.
Low tide is at 9:32 so that will mean even calmer conditions.
Tuesday, Aug 12th
The Before Work Paddles series starts next Tuesday, August 19th. I only have 4 places left now so if you'd like join this please let me know.
Friday, Aug 8th
Tomorrow I have 2 places left for the Billy Blue Paddle. The forecast is for a top of 17C with a 10/15 W/SW wind, waters slight which is all fine for that paddle. I'll postpone the start of the Before Work Paddles as I haven't had a chance to do a mail out to let the regulars know about this. So... the new start date is August 19th assuming the weather that day is OK.
Saturday, July 26th
I've updated the website page for Before Work Paddles as I have scheduled these to start on Tuesday, August 12th. There are only 8 places available and I know there are a number of people were waiting for me to set a date. So... if you want to reserve your spot visit Before Work Paddles and use the PayPal button to make your payment. Friday before last the Metro section of the Sydney Morning Herald had a great story on our paddles written by Peter Vincent who did a paddle with me a few weeks back.
Thursday, June 26th
This Saturday, June 28th I am planning to run the Bridge Paddle. I have 4 places available at this stage. The weather forecast is for fine conditions, wind 5/10 knots, low tide in the morning which usually means calm conditions.
I've just updated the Before Work Paddles page to say I plan to start these the second week of August assuming the weather outlook at the time is OK. These are a 6 weeks series of paddles where we meet each week for a 1 hr session from 6:30 am to 7:30 am. These parking right where we start (unrestricted till 8:00). This is a great way to start the day. There are showers at 10 mins along the boardwalk at North Sydney pool if you are heading off to work aftewards.
Sunday, May 4th
Well how does the Bureau of Meteorology get it so wrong? They forecast 15/20 knot SW winds for this morning yet it's calm and there have been no southerly winds at all this morning with winds W or NW. Sorry to those who were due to come on a trip today but I have to make my decisions based on the often inaccurate Sydney Closed Waters forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology. The predicted conditions would have been unsuitable for our planned paddle.
Saturday, May 3rd
This morning's weather looks good for paddling however the Coastal Waters Forecast has been changed for SUNDAY. It now says:
Sunday: Wind:S/SW 15/20 knots, easing.
That's not good since we are paddling on the north side. Let's hope the forecast changes again otherwise we might have to reveiw plans for our paddle on Sunday. Sunday is currently BOOKED OUT for the Bridge Paddle.
Friday, April 11th
17:20 The Billy Blue paddle tomorrow (Sat) is now booked out. There will be no paddle on Sunday as the wind forecast is for wind S/SW 15/25 knots and rain. At at 16:42 Friday I have just two places left on the Billy Blue Paddle tomorrow (Sat). The weather forecast is perfect for a paddle - Max 24C, Wind:NW 3/8 knots, Water smooth to slight. After Saturday the forecast is for several days of rain so tomorrow is the day! If you want a spot contact me ASAP.
Friday, April 4th
Tomorrows weather looks good for a paddle. Rain is forecast from Sunday through the rest of the week so Saturday is the go if you are interested iin a paddle. The wind forecast has changed and is now for smooth water with W/SW 8/13 knots tending variable to 10 knots by late morning. Fine weather with a top of 22C. Give me a call if you are interested in a morning paddle.
Friday, March 28th
Tomorrows weather looks perfect for a paddle so if you are interested let me know. I am looking at running the Billy Blue Paddle however I can change that to the Balmain paddle if you prefer. The Coastal Waters Forecast for the harbour is:
Wind:NW 5/10 knots tending NE 10/15 knots during the afternoon. Waters:Slight.
It's low tide in the morning which should make for very calm water.
The general forecast is: FINE, Max: 21C
Thurday, March 20th
Sorry we are not operating on Good Friday or Easter Sunday. The forecast for Saturday is not good (Wind: SE 15/25 knots) so we won't be running a trip that day. There is no coastal waters forecast for Monday yet but that is a possibility.
Friday, March 7th
We had a great day paddling yesterday. It was the final paddle for our Thursday Before Work group and we managed to do a 10 km paddle around Bradleys Head and return.
Later in the morning we were filmed for an episode of Rough Guides and paddled with host Toby Amies. If you want to see some photos of the filming checkout Gallery13. We were really lucky with perfect weather and it was really enjoyable. Thanks to Luana, Toby and the team from Lion TV UK!
Wednesday, March 5th
The weather looks perfect for our Before Work paddle tomorrow.
Fine. Some early cloud then mostly sunny. Light winds tending northeast and freshening a little along the coast during the afternoon. City: Min: 17 Max: 27
Sunrise is not till 6:47 so we can't be on the water till then.
High Tide is 08:10 am (1.73m) which can make it choppy but with a light wind it won't matter. Our paddle is to Bradleys Head and back which will be about 9kms. Should be great!
Monday, March 3rd
Well, autumn seems a hell of lot better weather than summer !
The forecast looks good for our Tuesday morning paddle.
"Fine. Some high cloud developing later. Light winds at first". Top of 28C. Great!
Our paddle is to Woolwich (Lane Cove River), approx 8.2 kms return.
Wednesday, February 26th
Tomorrows, Thursday morning paddle cancelled The weather forecast issued for Thursday isn't great.
Thursday: Rain periods and the chance of a thunderstorm. Cool southerly winds freshening during the morning
The Closed Waters Forecast is: Wind:Early S/SE change 13/18 knots, increasing to S/SE 20/30 knots in the afternoon.
Since our planned paddle to Bradley's Head is quite exposed to southerlies I think it's best to postpone this a week. Let's hope Autumn turns out better that our Summer.
Wednesday, February 13th
The Coastal Waters Forecast issued for Thursday is not good news:
Thursday: Wind:S'ly 20/25 knots, easing to 15/20 knots during the morning, freshening 20/25 knots again later. Waters:Choppy at times.
Friday isn't a great deal better so we'll skip this Thursday paddle.
Monday, February 11th
The Coastal Waters Forecast for Sydned Closed Waters released this afternoon looks good for tomorrows Before Work paddle:
Tuesday: Wind:N/NW 5/10 knots becoming N/NE 8/13 knots by afternoon, 13/18 knots later. Waters:Slight, becoming a little choppy.
The Metro forecast says "isolated showers" so hopefully they will miss us. Top temp 25C. Should be good ! Not looking good for Wednesday, Thursday however with more showers and southerly winds forecast.
Friday, February 8th
The Coastal Waters Forecast for Sydney Closed Waters Issued at 4:05pm today says:
Saturday: Wind:SW/SE 13/18 knots, possibly reaching 25 knots at times. Waters:Slight to choppy. Isolated thunderstorms.
Not a good day for paddling so I won't be running anything Saturday. At this stage the Sunday forecast is for 10/20 knot southerly winds. Really anything 15 knots or over on Sydney Harbour is not good for kayaking except within a protected location. Hopefully the forecast for Sunday might improve.
Thursday, February 7th
No Kayaking Friday
The Coastal Waters Forecast for Sydney Closed Waters Issued at 3:55pm (although didn't appear till after 16:40) says:
Friday: Wind:S 20/30 knots, easing to 13/18 knots early and tending S/SE. Waters:rough, easing to choppy.
It's definitely not paddling weather. For those in the Tuesday group of Before Work paddlers, see you next Tuesday. The Metro forecast for Tuesday currently says it will be a fine day. Let's hope.
The photo above was taken yesterday in Mosman Bay - a reflection on the yacht "Nelson" - the 43m long yacht of Greg Goodman (as in Macquarie Goodman).
Wednesday, February 6th
At this stage the weather looks OK for our Thursday Before Work Paddle. The Coastal Waters Forecast released at 4:05pm today says:
Thursday: Wind:SW 10/15 knots, increasing to S 20/30 knots early afternoon. Waters:Slight, becoming very choppy.
Provided the wind doesn't get over 15 knots it's on. The next scheduled update to this forecast is around 5:30 am tomorrow although if they know they are wrong later in the day they sometimes do an update.
Monday, February 4th
Tuesday Paddle Postponed
Tomorrow, our Tuesday Before Work paddle has been postponed to Friday. The Closed Waters Forecast for Sydney Closed Waters issued at 4:30 pm today says:
Wind:NE 15/25 knots, tending SW. Waters:Choppy. Rain periods heavy at times
It wouldn't be a good idea given this forecast. Let's hope we get better weather Friday. Everyone should have received an email which I sent out a short while ago (around 4:45 pm).
Monday, January 21st
Tomorrow, our Tuesday Before Work paddle has been postponed due to the Strong Wind Warning. The Closed Waters Forecast issued at 4 pm today says:
Tuesday: Wind:S 15/20 knots, easing to 10/15 knots in the afternoon. Waters:Slight to choppy.
It's best not to take the risk as wind gusts are generally up to 40% stronger and it is also stronger on headlands such as rounding Blues Point. I've emailed everyone and asked if Friday this week is a possibility? Please let me know. Patrick.
Wednesday, January 16th
Tomorrow, Thursday is the start of our Thursday Before Work series. The weather forecast is predicting rain, strong southerly winds, choppy water. If it is raining that's OK because we can do the instruction indoors in the boatshed and skip the short paddle (we'll make it up later with some extra paddle time). If it's not raining but very choppy as predicted we'll just do some familiarisation on the water close to shore. So...just assume it's on tomorrow regardless of the weather.
Monday, January 14th
Tomorrow, Tuesday is the start of our Before Work series. The weather forecast is predicting rain but hopefully it'll miss us for the hour of our session. We'll see how we go but this session is mostly instruction with a short paddle at the end. The wind forecast is E/NE 10/15 knots with Waters:Slight whichh is perfect for a paddle. See you all tomorrow 6:30 am at Lavender Bay wharf.
Saturday, December 22nd
You might have noticed my website has been down or when up was in some strange time warp back to a 2004 version with outdated information. Unfortunately the web host I've had for many years was taken over by another company who in moving my site to a new server moved a 2004 backup and lost my entire current site and all recent backups. Brilliant. I'll be changing web hosts shortly so this site will change again. I've managed to rebuild this one using files I recovered from the cache of my browser, Google and Yahoo but it's been a tedious process. I've not been running trips much as a result since no one has been able to book online etc. Since this wiped out all my sales of Gift Certificates for Christmas I am seriously considering closing the business for 2008 since it's not viable to run with the lower customer numbers this will result in. If you have a gift certificate already, don't worry, I'll still run your trip.
One thing I am considering doing in the next year is buying a selection of single kayaks to run paddles where you get to try a different kayak each time you come along. If anyone has suggestions let me know. I want a range of probably 8 kayaks. So far I'm thinking of:
- Sheerwater or Penguin (plastic)
- Tasman Express (plastic)
- Pittarak (fibreglass)
- Mirage 530 and/or 580 (fibreglass)
- Sourthern Raider and/or Arctic Raider
- ?? any suggestions. There's no point in having anything that isn't readily available to buy. I'd need some kayaks suitable for larger paddlers.
Thursday, November 29th
Sorry I have no places available on paddles at the moment. The next available places on the Berry Island or Billy Blue paddle is the weekend of December 15th and 16th.
I've created a page so you can check current availability: Availability .
Wednesday, November 28th
OK, I've just updated the website. I have added a new paddle - The Billy Blue Paddle which is a good intro paddle of 5.5 kms around Berrys Bay.
I've renamed the Berry Island Paddle The Balmain Paddle - same paddle but just thought it better described where we go. We still visit Berry Island though.
Wednesday, November 28th
I'm currently updating the website and renaming some things so if you get confused by things that's why. I should be finished by 4:00 pm .
Thursday, November 15th
Sorry no paddling this morning. Current Closed Waters Forecast is no good for a morning paddle.
Thursday: Wind:S/SW 15/20 knots, tending SE/NE 10/15 knots. Waters:Choppy becoming slight.
Tuesday, November 13th
James Castrission & Justin Jones headed off today from Forster on a 2,200 km paddle to Auckland, NZ in their kayak Lot 41 (above).
We returned from a Bridge Paddle one day in January to find this strange kayak in Lavender Bay. They'd just come from their media launch in Darling Harbour. The problem was getting it out at the boat ramp using their 2WD station wagon. A hefty 4WD did the job eventually. It was already loaded with most their food at this stage so was pretty heavy (hope it's kept OK). Good luck guys!
You can check their progress via their website at: http://www.crossingtheditch.com.au/
There's a map showing their current location tracked via satellite and of course You Tube clips and Facebook links.
On more trivial matter my mobile is now operational again after swapping networks . My website seems to be stable now (my web host in the US stuffed up their server upgrade).
Thursday, November 8th
I've just changed the plan for the Before Work paddles - they will start next Thursday. I expect I'll mostly have paddlers who have been with me before so I might run an extra (free) session for any new people so the first Thursday can be the Berry Island paddle. It just depends who signs up. I'll be emailing everyone I know about that tonight. If you have any questions please send me an email: Patrick.
My mobile phone will be out of action for a few days so if you want to call me try my landline (9899-1001) in the evenings between 8:30 and 11:30 pm. Normally it's diverted to my mobile.
I check my email regularly so that's a better option. Make sure the subject has the word "kayak" or "paddle" otherwise it might not get past my SPAM filter.
Wednesday, November 7th
My mobile phone is currently out of action as I am swapping network providers today (hopefully it will be sorted today). My website has been up and down too because my hosting company changed with a company takeover and they seemed to stuff up their upgrade to new servers. Hopefully that is all stable now. It never rains but it...
Tuesday, November 6th
My website and email are only just back online. My web host of 10 years (Harris Media) was bought out by WebNetHosting who made a complete mess of an upgrade. Instead of a 4 hour outage it turned into several days. Anyway I think everything is back online now.
I delayed the start of the Before Work paddles till Tuesday, Nov 13th. The weather is terrible today and without a website or email I couldn't determine who'd booked etc. Hopefully we'll have some nice weather next week.
Monday, October 27th
Hopefully I'll be up and running again next week but right now I am off with the flu. I had to cancel my holiday mid-way after my girlfriend got sick and return to Sydney. Now I have it. Aaaghh.
Monday, October 15th
I've just updated the website for the Before Work paddles which will start the second week of November. If you would like to book please use the PayPal link to reserve a place and just let me know which day you prefer. I am away for two weeks but will check my email when I can and update the availability.
Thursday, October 13th
Hey it's my birthday! I am taking a break for 2 weeks (sorry but I haven't had a holiday in 3 years). My business will start again in November 1st.
Thursday, October 4th
Forget this weekend for paddling ! It might be good for some fast sailing but not kayaking.
Current Coastal Waters Forecast for Sydney Harbour Closed Waters:
Saturday Outlook: Wind: NW increasing to 20/30 knots, ahead of a late S/SW change 15/25 knots overnight.
Sunday Outlook: Wind: S/SE 15/25 knots, easing later.
Wednesday, October 3rd
I'm running trips again now but the tours are only on weekends. I probably won't start the Before Work paddles till early November. Just taking it easy this year as I was quite sick over winter this year - working 80 hr weeks for 2 years non-stop wasn't good for me. The weather really hasn't been great for paddling anyway - we are still in a very windy time of the year but that will settle down as summer approaches. Patrick.
Wednesday, June 6th
Thursday morning paddle cancelled (June 7th)
I've cancelled tomorrows paddle as there is currently a strong wind warning for coastal waters including Sydney Harbour. There may be a lull in the morning but you can't tell and there's a risk we could get out then the wind could come up and we'd be stuck somewhere.
Rain is forecast for the next 6 days (whats rain?).
As an alternative to this paddle I am looking at running a 2hr paddle on Saturday June 16th so if you are in my Thursday morning group please let me know if you can make this. To respond click here, Patrick.
Monday, May 7th
I've just changed the start date for the next series of Before Work paddles to May 17th. They were going to start this week however the forecast is for terrible weather and I also don't have sufficient people yet. By next week we could run these either Tues or Thurs - whichever day best suits everyone. I only have a couple of definite starters at this stage however I have another group finishing their six weeks tomorrow and we may get some of that group signing up for the new series.
Saturday, May 5th
I now have some vacancies for Sunday's Berry Island paddle. The weather forecast is for perfect paddling conditions - Fine. Mostly sunny. Light winds. Max 24C.
If you are interested please give Patrick a call on 9899-1001. This next series needs to run from 7:00 to 8:00 am because we can't be on the water before sunrise and at this time of the year sunrise isn't till after 6:30 am.
Friday, May 4th
Tomorrow, Saturday, looks like perfect paddling weather and I am running the Berry Island paddle with 3 places still available at this stage. The forecast is for light northerly winds and smooth water with a maximum of 25C. That's as good as it gets. If you are interested in a place please ring me on: 9899-1001 .
Sunday, May 6th is now booked out.
April 25th
THURSDAY Morning paddle CANCELLED
The forecast is for southerly winds and rain near the coast so we'll postpone our paddle one week. See you next Thursday.
April 23rd
Tuesday Morning paddle CANCELLED.
The weather forecast for tomorrow isn't great so we'll skip tomorrow's paddle and hopefully get better weather next week. The Sydney Closed Waters forecast for tomorrow is: Wind:SW/SE 18/23 knots. Waters:Choppy.
April 12th
I'm looking at starting a new series of Before Work paddles in about 3 weeks. The current Thursday group are in their 4th week so it depends on the weather but assuming we don't have to cancel any trips the next series will start May 3rd. If you are interested check out the details on the Before Work page. If I have sufficient numbers I may start a Tuesday series about one week after that.
I am considering the idea of running a similiar series on weekends over winter. If I do they will be a 2 hour version of the Before Work paddles which will give us to time to really get places and explore different parts of the harbour each week and probably land half-way if we want to to take a short break. If you think you might be interested in this please send Patrick an email and let me know. If I get enough positive feedback I'll put this on. I'd want at least 6 people signed up before I start this and would take a maximum of 8 people.
EASTER
The weather forecast for Friday and Saturday mean that it will not be suitable for any trips (rain, strong southerly winds).
Sunday looks OK and I am running the Berry Island Paddle and currently (April 5th) have three places available. If you are interested send Patrick an Email.
March 26th
I now have 2 places available for Tuesday's Before Work paddle starting tomorrow. Someone has been scheduled for Jury duty and can't make it. If you'd like one or both these spots please send Patrick an Email.
March 19th
I've just changed the planned start date for the next Tuesday series of the Before Work paddles from March 22nd to March 27th. A couple of people couldn't make the late start needed for the first session. Daylight saving finishes March 25th so we can then start at 6:30 am as normal on the 27th.
March 17th
Yes, the weather bureau got the forecast completely wrong! Hardly any wind on the harbour this morning despite their forecast of choppy water with the early southerly change.
Grrrrrrrr.
March 16th
Tomorrow's (Sat March 17th) Berry Island Paddle CANCELLED.
The forecast for Sydney Harbour is: Wind:W/NW 10/15 knots, early S/SE change 15/20 knots. Waters:Choppy behind the change.
This is makes it unsuitable for our trip. It is also forecast to rain but a southerly change like this will result in very choppy conditions since it coincides with a high tide just before 8 am.
March 14th
I've just started taking bookings for the next series of Before Work paddles either Tuesday or Thursday. Tuesday's will be heading east from Lavender Bay and is mainly for those how have been paddling with me previously. Thursday's will be heading west from Lavender Bay and is suitable for beginners or experienced paddlers. We'll start next week (Tues, March 20th and Thurs, March 22nd) if I have sufficient numbers by then.
March 8th
Friday's Before Work paddle postponed one week
The forecast for tomorrow is for 10-20 knot southerly winds with moderate to choppy conditions on the water. It wouldn't be very pleasant. Wind gusts are often up to 40% above he forecast wind speed - we could see gusts up to nearly 30 knots so it's not a good day for a paddle.
March 7th at 16:05
Tomorrow's (Thursday) paddle for the Tuesday group is on.
The weather forecast looks good for paddling. We'll be heading to Woolwich/Hunters Hill - about 8 kms return and we'll meet up at around 6:30 or so - we can't be on the water till after sunrise at 6:48 am.
March 5th at 16:05
Tuesday's Before Work paddle postponed to Thursday (March 8th). The forecast for Tuesday is terrible. Thursday's forecast looks good at this stage.
March 5th
Tuesday's Before Work paddle (March 6th) is unlikely to go ahead. The current Closed Waters Forecast is for strong southerly winds and choppy conditions. The next updated forecast is issued around 4:30 pm this afternoon and I'll update news on the Tuesday paddle then.
This weekend - March 3rd & 4th
Saturday I have two places available on the Berry Island Paddle. Send Patrick an Email. if you are intersted.
Sunday is booked out (Berry Island Paddle).
February 26th 2007
Tomorrow's Tuesday morning paddle had been postponed to March 6th by popular demand - OK it's likely to be raining and horrible and most people would prefer it is postponed. See you next week!
February 21st 2007
I've now changed my operation so the Berry Island paddle will be the "default" paddle I run each weekend. The Bridge Paddle will be for experienced sea kayakers only until I've looked at planning a new route for it to avoid choppier conditions we now experience on the harbour with increased boat traffic. In the last few years Sydney Harbour has gained around eight jet boat operators who use this area creating significant wash and chop. I've found this year it has on occasions become too choppy in the Kirribilli area late morning to be suitable for most paddlers.
If you have an outstanding Gift Certificate for the Bridge Paddle I can still run that if you wish although I'd recommend either the Berry Island paddle or a combination of the two as a better alternative.
I've removed the link from the website for Gift Certificates while I re-orgainse things.
After experiencing dramatically increased chop in the waters around Kirribilli I recently phoned NSW Maritime and spoke with the Manager Sydney Harbour. I was told that they see no need to limit the number of jet boat operators or to mitigate wash by introducing any speed restrictions - there is no speed limit on Sydney Harbour. With that policy or 'lack of' we can only expect the harbour to become a less friendly place for kayakers and small boat users. So... with no immediate prospect of anything improving I decided I need to re-organise my tours to better suit the current conditions. So much for "sharing Sydney Harbour"!
Tuesday February 13th 2007
This morning's paddle is POSTPONED.
The weather is marginal for our paddle to Greenwich so I think it's best we wait till we have nicer weather. The wind from Darling Harbour towards Berrys Bay in a southerly is always stronger than the 'average' harbour wind speed and it would only need to pick up slightly during our paddle to make things tricky.
February 9th 2007
This morning's paddle is CANCELLED
The wind this morning is gusting in excess of 17 knots from the south. This is in excess of the forecast wind. At Blues Point which we would paddle around the wind at the point is always greater so it is too strong to be certain of getting back to Lavender Bay. It wouldn't be a pleasant paddle anyway so I have SMS'd those whose mobile numbers I have to let you know this morning the trip is cancelled.
I'll still be down there for those that miss this message but we won't be doing a paddle.
February 3rd 2007
Anrew McAuley has nearly completed an amazing paddle from Tasmania to New Zealand and is expected to arrive in Milford Sound around Wednesday. Check out his website at Andrew McAuley
January 20th 2007
I've just changed the start times for my weekend Bridge Paddle and Berry Island paddle to 8:00 am. This will mean we'll be paddling in calmer water which most people will prefer. I'm happy to start at 7:00 am too if this suits people. If you already have a gift certificate and you can't make the 8:00am start then let me know and I'll start it at 9:00 am if necessary. Really the earlier we start the calmer and nicer it is particularly in summer.
January 13th 2007
If you thought it was a bit windy on the harbour today (cancelled our trip today) then think about Andrew McAuley who is currently paddling from Tasmania to New Zealand. He left Thursday afternoon. Unlike "Lot 41" the Crossing The Ditch kayak he's paddling a fairly conventional kayak - a Mirage with a cockpit cover that makes the kayak water tight and somewhat self-righting so he can sleep. If you're interested check out his website Andrew McAuley.
January 9th 2007
When we got back from our paddle last Saturday we found the rather strange looking kayak in the picture above. It belongs to James Castrission and Justin Jones who are about to paddle from Sydney to New Zealand. Yes, that's right. No, I don't know where the toilet is but there's a large compartment where one person can sleep at the rear. The bow section is already loaded with provisions which made loading this monster onto a trailer rather interesting. Trying to tow the trailer up the Lavender Bay boat ramp was more than their station wagon could handle (not much traction on the concrete ramp). It took a 4WD to eventually get things moving. If you want to find out more about their expedition check out their webiste Crossing The Ditch.
January 6th 2007
Bridge Paddle for Sunday January 7th CANCELLED.
There's a strong wind warning for Sydney Closed Water - Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) with choppy to rough conditions forecast on the water. Winds getting up to 25 knots.
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race - Dec 29th 2006
No it's not over because the big boats have made it. I think the most interesting boat is Maluka which is a 1930's 30ft Ranger class yacht that was restored for this race. Here are some good sites:
Offical Rolex Sydney-Hobart site
This has a really neat yacht tracker option where you can view the current positions on a map and view an animation of their route so far. Even neater is the Google Earth file you can save and use that to view the fleet.
Webcam from Rose Bay High School, Hobart
This provides a view of the Derwent. It appears to be a "live" webcam that is really a still image that updates every 10 mins. Great view though. I think the yacht club is downstream however so you probably won't see anything of them.
Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
NO TRIPS OVER CHRISTMAS - NEW YEAR.
Sorry we aren't running any kayak trips over the Christmas to New Year period as it is usually just too busy and crazy on the water with boat traffic. The weather forecast for the New Year weekend is also predicting rain it probably wouldn't be great on the water anyway.
Monday, December 18th, 2006
Tuesday Paddle Postponed Till Thursday
There is a southerly change of 20/25 knots forecast to hit tomorrow morning. When exactly is uncertain but it's not safe to risk getting caught out in this change so we'll postpone the Tuesday paddle till Thursday.
Wednesday - rain, southerly winds.
Thursday - fine, NE winds (good)
Friday & Christmas weekend - rain !
Monday, December 11th, 2006
Tuesday Paddle Postponed Till Wednesday.
There are very strong winds forecast for Tuesday morning so there Tuesday morning paddle has been shifted to Wednesday.
Closed Waters Forecast (as at Monday morning):
Tuesday: Wind:S/SE 20/25 knots early, easing to 10/20 knots Waters:Very choppy decreasing to slight
Wednesday Outlook: Wind: E/NE increasing to 10/20 knots
Friday, November 23rd, 2006
Tomorrow, Saturday I'm running the Berry Island paddle and currently have three places available. The weather forecast looks good - fine, 27C, NE winds. If you'd like to come along please send me an Email.
November 15th, 2006 - Thursday (Nov 16th) Paddle Cancelled
Due to the strong wind warning current for Sydney Closed Waters I've had to cancel tomorrow's paddle. The current forecast is:
Winds: Southerly reaching 25/33 knots.
kevin@kayaksydney.com