WIND IS NOT GREAT FOR
MANY THINGS your hair, fl oaty skirts,
doing burpees on a rooftop. And, as I
discovered one Saturday morning, it’s not
the best condition for kayaking either.
It was too late to take back my
comment (or lie) about having loads of
kayaking experience (I once paddled in
a tandem kayak in Phuket approximately
fi ve years ago, so you be the judge) –
we were well and truly in amongst the
waters of Sydney’s North Harbour,
having departed Manly Wharf on our
kayak tour some 10 minutes earlier.
While the rest of my group were
headed due south-west as per instructions,
I was simply headed west on a solo voyage
straight into an ominous coastline of rocks.
The current was strong; stronger than it
had been all tour season – of course –
according to our guide Gina. And I was
struggling to keep my vessel straight.
Having to be rescued at this point
by our tour guide’s brother, who just
happened to have joined today’s group,
wasn’t as embarrassing as you might
expect. Given no amount of arm work
was going to get me back on course, the
only thing left to do was to allow my
kayak to be attached to his while he
towed me to our fi rst scheduled stop.
Tucked away at Dobroyd Head,
Reef Beach was a welcomed respite from
all that tough kayaking (for the others,
I presume...). And a super pretty one at
that. The amazingly clear aqua shoreline
was reminiscent of a tropical paradise,
and I couldn’t wait to dive in.
However, we had a scenic walk to do
fi rst. The path up to Arabanoo lookout
had been muddied by the previous night’s
downpour, but making our way through
GET
OARSOME
To book in for the Manly
Kayak Tour, head to
manlykayakcentre.com.au.
Part with $109 per person for a
four-hour tour, which includes
kayak hire, picnic lunch and
entry to Q Station
Museum.a bit of slush to score some pretty beaut
views stretching from North Harbour – and
the sailing boats dotting it – across to Manly
was well worth it. Cue all the touristy pics.
While we paddled in the water
(sans-kayak) under the beaming sun,
Gina put a call in to Manly Kayak Centre
HQ and sent for a motorboat. It turns out,
I wouldn’t be the only one struggling to
navigate a kayak across to the other side
of the harbour in this breeze.
Soon our group of fi ve, each seated
atop our kayaks, was united by ropes
to form one long line starting with the
motorboater, who kindly gave us a tow
over to Quarantine Beach.
With the wind in our hair, we skimmed
across the water, giggling like small children
because, well, it was just So. Much. Fun.
Sure, the funnest part of a kayak tour
isn’t meant to be when you’re not actually
kayaking, but deviating from plans always
adds to the adventure, right?
Nonetheless, I’d say we earned the
picnic lunch that was spread out for us
upon our arrival at Quarantine Beach –
which is named after the old Quarantine
Station that ran from 1833-1984 as a fi rst
port of call for migrant ships and passengers
arriving in Sydney during this time.
The 200-metre long beach is now part
of the Sydney Harbour National Park, and
it ranks high on the swimmable scale (I
scored it in between bites of lamingtons).
Further adventuring can be had
climbing over the rocks that bookend the
sand, or, exploring the Q Station Museum
(entry is included in the tour). Before you
hit snooze, it’s a pretty interesting trip
down history lane. The Q Station even
runs a number of ghost tours on the site
at night if you want more history.As for our tour, we had one more pit
stop: Store Beach, just o Manly’s North
Head. Paddles back in hand, we aimed to
keep our distance from the rocky headland
and dodge the wake from other boats
(we’re talking ’bout you, speed boats) as we
headed to this remote beach that can only
be reached by boat (or kayak). And boats
a-plenty there were. A glam fl eet bobbed
up and down in the water, tunes pumping
and fl oating mats out for the sunbaking.
After a fi nal cheeky swim, bidding
farewell to hours of beach and bushland
ambience wasn’t easy – and neither was our
kayak back through the now extra-bumpy
water. Although the wind was behind us for
our return journey, which on any other day
should have pushed us along, the fear of
drifting into a ferry lane was real. But
thanks to Gina’s know-how, the crew (even
me!) made it back to land, capsize-free.
That certainly wasn’t the best part.
Sightseeing while giving the arms a tough
workout – tick. Discovering beautiful secret
beaches – big tick. Maybe we should have
checked the wind forecast. And maybe
I should have opted for a double kayak.
But where’s the story in all that?Kayak school
Follow these essential tips to ace your kayaking game1 2 3 4
Start by sitting as far back
in the kayak as possible,
with your tailbone against
the back rest (but don’t
lean back). Place your
feet in front of you,
with your knees slightly
bent. If you fi nd you’re
hitting your knees as you
paddle, move your feet
out another notch.When holding the paddle,
make sure your hands are
centred and slightly wider
than shoulder-width apart.
If the blades of your
paddle are feathered,
check that the longer
edge is facing up, while
the tapered edge points
down. Use the concave
side to scoop the water.Your arms and paddle
should always be in front
of your body. If you need
to do a wide backwards
sweeping stroke, twist
your whole upper body to
reach the paddle towards
the back of the kayak.
This protects your
shoulders and also adds
power to your stroke.Before you go kayaking,
be sure to check the
weather conditions and
water temperature, and
prepare accordingly. If
it’s a sunny day, slip, slop,
slap (your skin will thank
you, later), and if it’s cold,
consider putting on a
wetsuit. And ALWAYS
wear a life jacket.womensfitness.com.au womensfitnessaustralia @womensfitnessmag @womensfitnessau 131TravelFIT