A Paddle To Remember - Sydney Harbour

So I think it may have become apparent that I don’t do things by halves… particularly when it comes to birthdays and special occasions. 

I’m also a rather big fan of dress-up, so She SUPs’ first birthday was always going to involve a theme and an excuse to get dressed up!! If you hadn’t guessed already, the theme I chose was ‘pyjama party’!

However, the question I was left with was WHERE do we go to mark the occasion?

I have had the pleasure of paddling on Main Harbour regularly for the past 5.5 years, and it has a special place in my heart.

What many people may not know is that I’m a close friend and previous employee of a company called Sydney By Kayak, owned and run by my dear friends Laura and Ben (and their son Levi!). I first discovered Sydney By Kayak when I moved to Sydney in 2015 and lived in Milsons Point.

One cold August morning, I joined Laura on a (rainy) sunrise kayak tour on Sydney harbour. Within 15 minutes I was hooked (on both paddling and sunrises!) and had formed a new amazing friend. Being the only (some may call crazy) person from the tour who had agreed to paddle in the rain that day, meant that I had Laura and the harbour all to myself!!

Since then, Main Harbour has been a place where I’ve spent many hours on the water with Laura and friends offloading my stresses and strains working for challenging bosses, dealing with visa anxiety, toxic corporate environments and dreaming and brainstorming about one day owning my own outdoors-based business. So it felt only right to return for my business’s first birthday, to mark the occasion and reflect on just how far I’ve come. 

I am not licensed to operate SUP tours in this area but decided to hold a photoshoot with a group of experienced paddlers who all had their own boards to capture this occasion. I know the photoshoot was a special experience for all involved, but I can’t put into words just how much this paddle and these photos mean to me.

I’m sure a lot of you will be reading this wishing and wondering how you can experience a similar SUP experience because let’s face it, Main Harbour is a pretty spectacular spot to watch the sunrise. However, the experience of stand-up paddling on Main Harbour isn’t always an easy one. Thankfully we had calm conditions for our photoshoot, but being one of the busiest harbours in the world where all traffic filters under one rather small (in comparison to the harbour) bridge, means that the harbour can turn into a big of a washing machine, making standing impossible!!

Due to the risks of this area, everyone who attended the She SUPs’ birthday photoshoot stuck to a regimented agenda based on everything I’ve learnt from Laura over the past few years, ensuring we were off the water before any ferries started, and no one was in a boat channel or area of danger. There was no stopping for selfies in the middle of the harbour, we kept to sheltered spots out of harms way to ensure a great experience (and great photos!)

This particular paddle location is really best explored by vessels that can handle boat wake a lot better than SUPs (so go check out Sydney by Kayak!!), but if you’re super keen for a harbour bridge snap the safest spots for SUPs (avoiding busy ferry routes and massive boat wake) are from Shark Point in Rose Bay or Athol Beach near Taronga Zoo Wharf. We’ll be testing out the route to Shark Point when our Rose Bay Sunrise SUP sessions kick off at the end of September - so stay tuned!!! And of course, who knows what the future holds - perhaps She SUPs will collaborate with Sydney By Kayak one day soon… you’ll just have to wait and see!

So finally before I close out this blog post and leave you with some of the amazing shots my photographer Ethan Cutler captured of the morning, I just wanted to say a special thank you to my dear friend Laura. Laura is an amazing leader, entrepreneur, boss, mum, wife, kayak instructor, mentor and most of all friend. She has ALWAYS cheered me on, picked me up on days when I was struggling, helped me box (yes literally - with gloves) away my stresses, and is always at the other end of the phone whenever I need help or support.

Laura, you are a HUGE inspiration to me, thank you for everything you’ve taught me, and for being the most amazing friend. On She SUPs’ first birthday you were on my mind. You were the first person to guide me around the waterways of Sydney, and I will never forget that as I now find myself becoming that person to many women within the She SUPs community.

See you on the water ladies!

Vikki x