First Trip – Kayaking on Hawkesbury River

Well, well well. 48 hours after getting my first Kayak, I could not wait any longer. Its been more than 3 years dreaming about having a Kayak and I have had enough of waiting :

I made a quick calculation in my head. Sun would set at around 5:30. It was already 2’o clock. If we pack a quick picnic, get kids from School at 3, make a quick dash to the Boat Ramp near Windsor, unpack and be on the water by 4, I will have about an hour to enjoy this red beauty.

And that was enough (at least better than dying of anticipation, waiting for another day)

After a bit of struggle, me and my wife figured out how to properly tie the Kayak to the rooftop. Getting this 30 Kg Kayak up on the roof was much easier than dealing with bloody ratchet straps (only to learn later than ratchet straps are not ideal for them and tie-down straps are much better)

In the process, I also learned a few things about my Toyota Kluger.  For example, there are apparently no hooks for a tie down at the front of the car. The only place to secure the Kayak is using the tow eye ring under the grill that is accessible after you take out the plastic cover using a flathead screwdriver. I am going for Hippo Ears next time.

 

It was concerning at first, taking a boat on top of my car for the first time, but by the end of the trip it was evident that if tied properly (although its a steep learning curve on what “proper” means), it doesn’t go anywhere 🙂

 

We finally made it to “Upper Hawkesbury Powerboat Club” Boat Ramp as its nearest to our home. Set next to the Hawkesbury River, its a great boat ramp with wide access and parking spots closeby.

Here is a picture of the Boat club from the river.

With the daylight fading away, we quickly unloaded and put all the pieces of the kayak together that was taken apart to load it properly on the roof. After fiddling with it for 10 mins, I was ready for my first adventure on my very own Kayak 🙂

And thus started a new journey…..

Bonus Pic: A cormorant welcoming the adventures ahead.

A bit of information about the Hawkesbury River:

Origin	Penrith along with Nepean River
Ends	In the sea at Broken Bay
Length	120 km (75 mi)
Depth	13.8 m (45 ft)
Volume	1,541,412 m3 (54,434,451 cu ft)
Basin	21,624.1 km2 (8,349 sq mi)
Area	114.5 km2 (44 sq mi)

Source: Wikipedia