It's Here

It is definitely all happening at this end in the final preparation for the paddle. I picked up the Kayak the other day from Raymond Terrace Boating and what a thing of beauty it is! Thank you BLA the Necky is all I hoped for; sleek, smooth, and what an awesome seat. The Manitou is absolutely gorgeous!
I haven’t had allot of time to give the glamour boat much of a shakedown paddle yet. Just photo shooting for local newspapers etc but it is evident quickly that the Necky is going to be awesome at covering ground in the deeper water. She slices through the water cleanly and tracks nice and straight. We paddled around in circles in a couple of different spots and it has impressed so far that is for sure.
At Newcastle there was a strong run out tide and howling winds in the Harbour yesterday afternoon and she was moving almost effortlessly against both. Not sure how fast I was going as I didn’t have the GPS and as I said they are only first impressions of the boat but I am definitely impressed so far. Sure the Primary stability is not as good as the old Dagger but it is narrower and it shouldn’t take long for me to get used to that – I felt pretty much at home very quickly and I will trade that in a heartbeat for those longer stretches.
The Carlisle paddle is a beautiful thing too – I like the adjustable length and offset , which with time I am sure to get just right. At the moment I have just set the angle and length to what I am used to but I am sure with a little tweaking I will find a new perfect combination.
I feel very spoilt to have such a nice Kayak and paddle to do the trip with and it will be a sad day to hand it over to somebody at the end of the 16th. That said tickets are still for sale make sure to get some. $2 each or 3 for $5 what a bargain – you could buy a whole book if you like and it would still be an absolute bargain (ha ha!!!)
Thanks also to all my sponsors, Jayco Newcastle, BLA, Newcastle Manufactured Homes, Macquarie Generation, Lake Macquarie kayaks, Marine Matters and Ethos Health. We have raised about $4300 so far which wouldn’t have got to sick kids and families otherwise.
Please follow my progress as I paddle down the river – if you see me say G’day and please dig deep and donate for a great cause
Phil