I went for a lovely paddle this morning from Clontarf (in Middle Harbour) to the Bachino Bar cafe on the beach at Clifton Gardens. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the water is getting noticeably warmer. The route took me out of the Middle Harbour heads which face the main harbour heads. Going around this headland gets quite a decent swell from the ocean. It was the first time I have usd the kayak in any swell (other than boat wakes).

I have been listening the Steve Jobs biography at the moment on my iPhone. It is a facinating book and allowed me to completely tune out to the physical work of the paddle and I could just enjoy the day.

The paddle to the cafe took about an hour. I was able to sit at the cafe for 15 minutes or so and enjoy a coffee in the sun. Then I started the paddle back.

On the way back, a massive tanker came into the harbour, accompanied by a couple of tug boats. I paddled out to as close as I dared to watch the massive hunk of steel cruise past. When you are that small in the water looking up at that wall of steel, you certainly get a true sense of scale.

The trip back took just over an our. All up it ended up being about 10.5 km and very enjoyable. I am not too tired as a result.