Paddling on a calm lake in the early morning is not something I normally do. I’m obsessed with practicing under the conditions in which performance is demanded. My performance arena is the open ocean and so I train almost exclusively on the sea. But, Doug and I have driven up to Burrill Lake to get some coaching from my friend Rae who paddles on Burrill Lake a couple of times a week. Paddling a kayak forwards seems so simple but is actually so complicated. Getting the catch, the rotation, the exit right takes even expert paddlers hundreds – or more probably thousands – of hours of practice. And, it is hard to isolate different parts of the stroke and practice them well on the ocean where a paddler is almost always dealing with what the UK paddlers call “conditions.”
The lake is peaceful and calm on this early spring morning. Rae reports that holiday season is different. Motorboats and jet skis zoom up and down, but, at 8 am in September, there are only a few other non-motorized users on the water. The water is clear, a seal surfaces and disappears, and small fish swim by in the shallows.
After the big Queensland paddle trip, which we are still living down among the neighbours, I gave myself permission to take two weeks off. I enjoyed the time away from paddle training. But, on Sunday, it was time to get back at it so Doug and I paddled north up the Murramarang Coast to Dark Beach where we had the briefest of stops – not even a cup of tea – before returning via the east side of the Tollgate Islands. There was a long period swell running through with some waves well over two metres and I kept away from all reefs and bommies. In the last month, a NSW sea kayaker, of some repute and experience, had been caught in some big swells with serious consequences. The sea demands respect.
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