La Perouse glide
Some people call it a float, others call it a paddle, others still call it a downwind, but I would rather call it a glide. After consulting the local conditions at sea, I did not need convincing for a sortie at sea from Malabar to Maroubra and back. It was a bit chilly, so a few additional layers to offer some protection against hypothermia were of order. As I was attaching the ‘strongest leg leash in the world’ to my ankle, I felt a bit more secure, particularly after I saw a hug way smash to dizzy heights at the Malabar headland.
Instantly, you could feel that it was a powerful swell as the ski started to react underneath me. Reaching the entrance of Long Bay, I quickly reassessed the situation as the swell was decent and coming from the south west, I decided to change plans and instead head in the direction of the entrance of Botany Bay in search of the view the commandant La Perouse would have seen as he was approaching a large mass of land. The initial excitement of surfing the back of the swell quickly phased out as I settled into a rhythm and soon was moving along at a decent pace. The swell became a rolling mountain of water coming from the opposite direction and at times an even bigger mountain reared up. This was bliss, one cannot describe to the uninitiated the exhilaration of connecting with the craft and the sea, combining my velocity with the awesome power of the oncoming swell. There was hardly any wind, yet I was cruising at ease as the coastline shaped up in the rising sun. At one stage a large albatross with a 1m wingspan swooped above to check me out, I uttered ‘God’, maybe it must have been Him? And soon, a large flock of mutton birds joined the dance, it was a unison of waltzing birds, but where was the music, it was pretty quiet out there… I felt one with elements. The view of the Botany Bay headland was amazingly rugged and beautiful! I saw a large ship moored inside the bay and a quick check left and right to make sure there was no other vessel approaching. The journey back was as exciting as I was now moving with the mountain and I can tell you that it was high close to Port Botany and a quick check of the satellite map reveals why… check it out! The coastline had lit up by now to a golden orange glow, lucky I had my sunnies, I spotted a few markers such as the Prince of Wales hospital at Little Bay, just to make sure I was on track to my port of origin. Its funny, but at that moment I was thinking of Tony Abbott! Why?!! Well, who said that marriage should be between a woman and a man, what about the kayak! It so happens that when I returned home, my wife felt a bit of a kayak widow saying ‘where have you been for 2 hours”! I was so phased out and relaxed, I said ‘it did not feel that long darl’. Negotiating around a few reefs were a challenge but heaps of fun. It was a truly unique experience and I encourage others to face their inner fears, you will be amazed how together and grounded you feel during and after a glide like this one. The landing was weird as I set foot on the boat ramp, I had difficulty adjusting to my body weight for a few seconds…
I heard that the course from Little Bay to Bondi is regarded as the Oz version of the MIllers Run, I shall suss it out and report back...
Jean
Some people call it a float, others call it a paddle, others still call it a downwind, but I would rather call it a glide. After consulting the local conditions at sea, I did not need convincing for a sortie at sea from Malabar to Maroubra and back. It was a bit chilly, so a few additional layers to offer some protection against hypothermia were of order. As I was attaching the ‘strongest leg leash in the world’ to my ankle, I felt a bit more secure, particularly after I saw a hug way smash to dizzy heights at the Malabar headland.
Instantly, you could feel that it was a powerful swell as the ski started to react underneath me. Reaching the entrance of Long Bay, I quickly reassessed the situation as the swell was decent and coming from the south west, I decided to change plans and instead head in the direction of the entrance of Botany Bay in search of the view the commandant La Perouse would have seen as he was approaching a large mass of land. The initial excitement of surfing the back of the swell quickly phased out as I settled into a rhythm and soon was moving along at a decent pace. The swell became a rolling mountain of water coming from the opposite direction and at times an even bigger mountain reared up. This was bliss, one cannot describe to the uninitiated the exhilaration of connecting with the craft and the sea, combining my velocity with the awesome power of the oncoming swell. There was hardly any wind, yet I was cruising at ease as the coastline shaped up in the rising sun. At one stage a large albatross with a 1m wingspan swooped above to check me out, I uttered ‘God’, maybe it must have been Him? And soon, a large flock of mutton birds joined the dance, it was a unison of waltzing birds, but where was the music, it was pretty quiet out there… I felt one with elements. The view of the Botany Bay headland was amazingly rugged and beautiful! I saw a large ship moored inside the bay and a quick check left and right to make sure there was no other vessel approaching. The journey back was as exciting as I was now moving with the mountain and I can tell you that it was high close to Port Botany and a quick check of the satellite map reveals why… check it out! The coastline had lit up by now to a golden orange glow, lucky I had my sunnies, I spotted a few markers such as the Prince of Wales hospital at Little Bay, just to make sure I was on track to my port of origin. Its funny, but at that moment I was thinking of Tony Abbott! Why?!! Well, who said that marriage should be between a woman and a man, what about the kayak! It so happens that when I returned home, my wife felt a bit of a kayak widow saying ‘where have you been for 2 hours”! I was so phased out and relaxed, I said ‘it did not feel that long darl’. Negotiating around a few reefs were a challenge but heaps of fun. It was a truly unique experience and I encourage others to face their inner fears, you will be amazed how together and grounded you feel during and after a glide like this one. The landing was weird as I set foot on the boat ramp, I had difficulty adjusting to my body weight for a few seconds…
I heard that the course from Little Bay to Bondi is regarded as the Oz version of the MIllers Run, I shall suss it out and report back...
Jean