Tarpon 140 2008
We are pleased to be able to offer this 2008 model Tarpon 140 from Wilderness Systems. Factory-fitted rudder and in excellent condition. Come on over and give it a try – $10 per half hour or free if you buy.
More details in our second hand boat listings.
I forgot to mention that our friendly neighbourhood barge (see Barge Charge, earlier) made a return visit a short while back. Now, maybe it’s too heavy for normal anchors, or they’re too sloppy for accurate parking, I don’t know (but I should find out – intriging question) but the barge uses a complicated arrangement whereby an on-board crane lifts a large steel cylinder from where it lies on the barge, and upends it down a hole in the deck. The cylinder end sits on the river bed and locks the barge in position no matter what the tide is doing. Works well, most of the time, unless you’re trying to reach the creek bank before the tide drops and it’s night time and there’s a power line right above you when you lift the big metal cylinder ….
Fortunately, I’d been reading my NSW Waterways boating handbook and had discovered that a floating waterproof torch (flashlight, for the benefit of any Americans who might be having visions of a Viking funeral and wondering what this has to do with safer boating) is now a mandatory safety item on all powered vessels regardless of the time of day. Since we only hire out boats during daylight hours this had not previously been an issue, but now we needed at least one torch per boat. So I just happened to have bought enough torches and fresh batteries to ensure everyone on the premises was able to finish whatever he or she was doing that evening and retire in relative comfort (shame about the electric blankets though).
The power guys came and sorted out a work-around so the ice-cream didn’t melt and in the morning strung a new cable across the creek, so it was all pretty painless (and I believe no-one on the barge was injured, fortunately, as it could have been quite nasty) and it did give our breakfast guests something to watch, but it does go to show that paying attention to the small print of beaurocracy can have its benefits 
With great sadness and some shock we heard about the passing of Peter Tuziak, president of the Sutherland Shire Canoe Club. Since taking over the Boatshed we have been building a working relationship with the club and have benefitted directly from Peter’s enthusiasm and knowledge. Our hearts go out to his family and the many people he infused with the joy of paddling. Thanks also to Bill Graham, vice-president of the club, for taking time to come over personally to let us know.
This Sunday, June 13th, is International World Canoeing Day. See what Australian Canoeing says about it here, or go straight to the source here.
The local club, Sutherland Shire Canoe Club is celebrating the event with an Open Day, as well as launching their fund-raising raffle. This includes, amongst other wonderful prizes, a night in the Boatshed Frangipani or Beach Rooms.
A summary of their day is extracted from their website; please click on the link above or on the left sidebar for more details.
The base for the day’s activities is the SSCC’s Clubhouse at Burnum Burnum Reserve, Bonnet Bay and activities will run from 8:00AM to 2:00Pm on Sunday, starting with a group paddle towards the Needles at 8:00AM.
We particularly welcome people who live on the Wonnie and haven’t used their canoe or kayak for some time to take part in this paddle. You don’t need to paddle all the way to enjoy the scenery and wildlife.
In the interests of safety and to allow maximum use of craft, Test Paddlers will not be able to participate in paddles outside the Club’s 500 metre course and paddling time will obviously depend on demand. Test Paddlers are required to pay a boat maintenance fee of $5 which is deducted from Membership fees if they join the Club.
At 10:00AM there will be a 2km Sprint Race open to all paddlers in all types of canoe or kayak. The course is from the Clubhouse to the low road bridge and back.
The aim of the day is to raise awareness of the recreational and sporting benefits of kayaking and canoeing amongst non-participants, and to rekindle the enthusiasm which made non-active paddlers buy their kayak in the first place. If you are in either of these categories, why not turn up and meet some enthusiastic and friendly members? If you are a current paddler, why not turn up and meet them anyway, join in the paddle to the Needles or even lend a hand encouraging the hesitant? If you don’t currently have a kayak or canoe, why not hire one from us for the day?
Oh yes, I remember. It’s the sun!
The joke used to be “what do you get after two days of rain in Sydney?” Answer – Monday! Today, Saturday, as I started this post the situation was reversed and after what seemd like three weeks of rain the sun finally burnt a hole in the cloud cover and patches of blue showed up. Big patches, some of them. This can’t be true, I thought; someone has booked a tinny for the morning, it is not raining, and it is not low tide! This last point reflects the apparent habit of the general public to wait until the lowest possible tide before venturing out in one of our tinnies. Whilst this is not an insurmountable problem, it does usually mean I have to get my feet wet to drag the boat over the last half metre of river sand and mud between the slip and the deeper water. It also means there is less water between the propellor and that abrasive stuff on the riverbed. Regular readers will remember that I have commented on the effects of this elsewhere on this site.
As is usually the case, I didn’t finish the blog in one sitting (fortunately, some customers interrupted me ) and by the time I got back to it the sun had lost its battle with the lower atmosphere. Yes, it was raining again. At least we have plenty of boats on hand in case it continues, and I’m taking booking applications from all creatures great and small (in twos, please).