Sunday 31 December, 2023
Photos courtesy of MaryT. Paddle Report courtesy of Max.
Having suffered the vagaries of inclement weather and resulting swift flowing currents on recent spoilt paddling events, it was with a sense of relief that six members of our paddling group thanked the kinder weather and took to the water on Batemans Bay Harbor on New Years Eve.
After launching from the boat ramp on the south side of the bridge, the group initially headed for a paddle along McLeods Creek but with the advent of low tide, we soon discovered Mary’s cleverly introduced term into the paddling vernacular; “lumpy water” (meaning, NO water for paddling).
Unperturbed, the group headed off through Lattas Point and the oyster leases at Budd Island before making a bee-line for Wray Bay, under the bridge, and past Riverside Beach before threading through to the moored yachts toward the southern riverside.
Once there we headed back, paddling under the various jetties and practiced reciprocal waving to the parents and kids that were on the shore. Having landed our kayaks and loaded them onto our vehicles, we sat down to drinks, nibblies and home baked treats such as Lin’s legendary cup cakes, Sharon’s fruit cake and Mary’s ginger bread men.
We toasted to the end of 2023, and the hope for a better world in 2024.