WHAT TO WEAR AND BRING

Clothing

Cap or wide brim hat - in fluro to be seen!
Sunglasses and strap, sunscreen and lip balm
Comfortable, brightly-coloured, quick drying clothing ( not cotton ) - board shorts, active wear, UV rash vests and an extra top layer in winter as a long-sleeve thermal top
Aquatic booties or old runners to protect feet on oysters or with slippery ramps or keeping warm in winter. Not thongs or flip flops. (See Whitworths at Crows Nest or Prokayaks)
Waterproof wallet or dry bag for mobile phone and keys
Water bottle

All members need to provide their own lifejacket and paddle.

Lifejackets

It’s a Maritime legal requirement that lifejackets or approved personal floatation devices (PFDs) are to be worn by kayakers at all times when more than 100 metres from the shore. The lifejacket needs to be of the correct size for the wearer and Level 50S or greater and suitable for kayaking.

Fluro-coloured lifejackets as Vaikobi brand are recommended. These are sold by Prokayaks at Narrabeen, on the lakeside and are online and provide KSC with 10% discount.

PADDLES

Kayak paddle blades are feathered and asymmetrical to reduce wrist twisting. Paddles can come in 2 pieces for easy transport and storage. Paddles can be bought cheaply online and at places as Anaconda or Decathlon.

EXTRA items

For longer trips:

waterproof pouch/dry bag
snacks
tow rope
leash for paddle (if windy)
whistle (as a call for help)
sponge or bilge pump if in a closed-in cockpit,
kayak lights for use at dawn, twilight or very dull days.

PADDLING VIDEOS

Paddle Safe

The key safety points are:

Wear an appropriate lifejacket.
Be seen, Be safe.
Paddling techniques.
Have the right equipment.
Know the boating rules.
Understand the conditions and plan your trip.

'But there is no substitute for time spent on the water!'

see Paddle safe video

Paddle smart

Paddle Smart focuses on good paddling technique to prevent injury (to elbows, back, RSI ..) and be sustainable and efficient in paddling.

The basic paddle techniques are:

Forwards and Backwards Paddling
Sweep strokes (handy for landing or coming along side)
Support strokes
Bow Strokes
Rescue (when capsizing or helping rescue others)

see paddling strokes video

WEATHER

Sydney Weather Forecast Apps

Sydney Harbour is classified as Sydney Closed Waters.

You can download Sydney Weather Forecast Apps (for wind, wave/swell, tides, rain, UV level, sunrise, sunset) to your phone.

The most popular water-sports websites are:

1. Bureau of Metrology (BOM) provides excellent details at:

http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/meteye/?loc=NSW_MW004

This link has MetEye (Your eye on the environment). Type in Kurraba Pt and select 'detail' for temperature, wind direction and knots,

It gives forecasts at 3 hour intervals.

http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/sydneywaters.shtml

2. Willy Weather

https://wind.willyweather.com.au/nsw/sydney/fort-denison.html

It shows graphs of forecasts and real time for wind. The green and blue arrows show calm conditions.

3. Seabreeze

www.seabreeze.com.au/weather/wind-forecast/sydney

Observations for Fort Denison:

It is good to be aware of the conditions you experienced, for this look at Sydney Latest Weather

http://www.bom.gov.au/places/nsw/sydney/observations/fort-denison/

If forecasts are showing winds above 15 knots, then think twice about paddling out unless with a very experienced kayaker. Wind gusts can be 40 percent stronger than the average speeds presented on the map.

Most of the risk in kayaking is taken away by understanding the weather and knowing your own paddling limits

Wind gusts can be 40 percent stronger than the average speeds presented on the map.

KAYAK TYPES

KSC at Neutral Bay has a mix of 9 kayaks: recreational kayaks (Sit-on-tops and Sit-ins), touring kayaks, surf ski and 1 double kayak.

Recreational sit-on and sit-in kayaks are about 3 m for singles. Sit-on-Tops are easy to get on and off. To maintain stability with its higher seating position they tend to be wider and this makes them slower than other kayaks. Sit-Ins have large open cockpits, which helps to keep you drier and warmer. Recreational kayaks are commonly made of plastic (moulded polyethylene). Some are designed for fishing or photography.
Touring sea-kayaks are 3.5 to 4.5 m or more in length and have bulkheads and hatches. They are more typically made of composites (fibreglass, carbon or Kevlar) for lightness and performance. They have a skeg, fin, or rudder and with their shaped bow and stern provide good tracking. Skirts to the rimmed cockpits are not necessary although nice to have in winter.
Recreational Surf Skis are long, narrow and fast. They can have rudders and are more designed for speed, manoeuvrability but stability too.