Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 29, 2009, 6:50 am
Over the past few weeks I’d been lamenting the fact that I wasn’t getting the same sense of adventure out of my paddling. Whilst initially I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, I rea...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 28, 2009, 4:05 am
With 2009 drawing to a close I thought it time to run one last competition. The last competition is – “Where’s the Fat Paddler?“.  To enter, follow the following steps: 1. Get...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 27, 2009, 10:04 pm
A visiting work colleague from our Chicago office, Anne Marie has been a fan of FatPaddler.com for quite some time. It only made sense then that I should take her out to see Sydney Harbour from a kaya...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 23, 2009, 5:38 am
I took my new kayak out for it’s maiden voyage on Saturday down at the Spit at the same time as the Balmoral Blast combined with Sydney Harbour Kayaks to run the first Blast time trial from the ...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 21, 2009, 2:25 pm
Last night the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic held their 2009 Presentation Dinner, which Team Fat Paddler and their poor suffering wives attended in the hope of winning something (we certainly weren’t...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 20, 2009, 9:53 pm
Got up at 4am this morning to get my new Valley Aquanaut out for the first time, managing to get out on the water for  sunrise. I can’t stress this enough, if you haven’t been out for a s...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 19, 2009, 4:48 am
Too excited to write! Hopefully the pictures will tell tell enough of the story. Special thanks to Mark Sundin from Expedition Kayaks for dropping the boat, paddle and other gear over today.
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 18, 2009, 6:55 am
My mate Doug from WozThatYou.com hit the beach at Dee Why this morning and captured some brilliant shots of  a mad paddle-surfer carving up the early-morning waves. According to Doug, even the stand-...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 17, 2009, 4:54 am
When I decided to sell Cayenne, my Boréal Design Nanook, I thought it would take a while.  After all, she’s a high class girl and doesn’t come cheap. But in fact she sold within 7 days o...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 15, 2009, 6:56 pm
I dropped into Sydney Harbour Kayaks for a trial of the new Nadgee Solo composite sea kayak that they recently added to their stock.  The Nadgee is a beautiful, locally-made composite expedition kaya...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 8, 2009, 4:37 am
A good mate of mine who has been living in the Middle East recently returned to Sydney for a few weeks and we organised to head out for a paddle on Middle Harbour.  We both rented matching BD Epsilon...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 7, 2009, 2:34 pm
Manly Beach is one of Sydney’s premier beaches, and yesterday hosted the Manly Festival of Surf.  It’s great to see the sport of Stand Up Paddling now accepted amongst the surf community ...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 6, 2009, 5:44 pm
A little bit of video of my recent test paddle of the Valley Aquanaut, thanks to Mark Sundin from Expedition Kayaks. We started out heading off to the heads until I promptly fell in after edging too f...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 3, 2009, 9:14 pm
I received an email out of the blue from Ron, the kayak guide from Backcountry Safaris who showed me around Bear Glacier on my recent travels to Alaska. He’d just returned after packing down his...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 2, 2009, 5:51 am
I was recently introduced to the story of brothers Martin & James Gribble by a stranger I met at the pub one night. It’s an incredible story of tragedy and hope that needs to be told. Both of th...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 1, 2009, 7:05 am
I had the pleasure today of getting out of my comfortable BD Nanook and trying out a couple of British-style skeg kayaks, all under the watchful gaze of Mark Sundin from Expedition Kayaks. He’d ...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Nov 1, 2009, 3:11 am
Am currently upgrading the site so please excuse the dynamic nature of the site format over the coming few days. However, please enjoy this great shot that my Alaskan guide sent me today (having just ...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 31, 2009, 3:20 pm
Is there no end to the wonderful things we can do with kayaks? At a recent beach party with Sydney Harbour Kayaks yet another ingenius use for kayaks came up – the bulk drinks eski! Not only cou...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 31, 2009, 8:45 am
Today I had the pleasure of meeting Lawrence, the owner-operator of Nadgee Kayaks, arguably Australia’s best locally-made sea kayaks. He’d driven up from his home near Bega on the south co...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 29, 2009, 7:44 am
I just did an interview on Twitter with @ireckon (who just happened to be in Team Fat Paddler) via Tweeterview where I shared my experience during the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic. If you’re interes...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 28, 2009, 11:23 pm
Credit to Pat Wellner for bringing this to my attention! On a recent search for directions from his home in South Dakota USA to Sydney, an interesting instruction came up on Google Maps. For each majo...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 28, 2009, 6:46 am
As much as the HCC turned into a gruelling night of sleep deprivation and pain, for many it’s a paddling festival of colour and fun. My land crew (Team Fat Paddler) seemed to be having more fun ...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 27, 2009, 8:19 am
When you kayak a long distance on your own, you inevitably have meandering thoughts about many things ranging from current muscular pain to family to why your bow wake is glowing like fluoro ribbons i...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 27, 2009, 4:37 am
** Team Fat Paddler tshirts available for limited time HERE. ** At the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic just gone, we had a lot of comments on the Team Fat Paddler tshirts, as well as many requests to buy one...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 26, 2009, 3:36 am
A four minute compressed version of an 18 hour overnight kayak endurance event held on the Hawkesbury River in NSW (Australia) to raise money for Leukaemia research. Featuring the Fat Paddler struggli...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 23, 2009, 4:42 pm
The day of the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic is upon us and Team Fat Paddler is ready to set off on the big adventure. With three responsible (!!) fellas in the Fat Mobile following me down the river, I ca...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 23, 2009, 6:03 am
The final tally for my fundraising efforts ended at $3,640.55 after a late rally, a spectacular amount far beyond my initial target. This is due to the fantastic support of corporates and individuals,...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 21, 2009, 8:20 pm
With the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic just days away, I’ve been thinking alot about paddling at night.  I personally love to glide through inky darkness with the stars overhead and the silence that...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 20, 2009, 6:39 am
With only 4 sleeps to go, a certain heavyish kayaker is getting somewhat nervous. Have I trained enough? Is everything organised? Will I be able to paddle all that way? Well, with the Hawkesbury Canoe...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 19, 2009, 7:21 am
When you paddle Middle Harbour as often as I do, there is a section of Sydney Habour that seems to rarely ever get visited, and that is the southern part (ie Watsons Bay, Rose Bay, Double Bay etc). In...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 17, 2009, 4:06 am
This will be short and sweet, as I don’t intend doing a full review of Greenland paddling itself.  But I did receive my new Elver Greenland Paddle yesterday (having recently been converted to G...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 15, 2009, 10:20 pm
Sydney Harbour Kayaks are putting on their Summer Launch Party for paddling friends and family to bring in the sunny season on Saturday 31st October down at The Spit. They’ve been gracious to op...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 15, 2009, 7:45 am
One of the reasons I love paddling Sydney Harbour so much is there is always something cool to see. On this particular paddle, it was the bright pink yacht “Ella’s Pink Lady“. If you...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 14, 2009, 7:11 am
My good friends at Sydney Harbour Kayaks let me know that the latest container-load of kayaks had arrived from Boréal Design, and that I should try out the newly-designed Epsilon kayak series*.  Thi...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 11, 2009, 5:28 am
There are too few people in the world whose actions are truly inspiring, and when I think about kayaking there is one name that instantly springs to mind – Freya Hoffmeister. I’ve been fol...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 10, 2009, 8:43 am
A bloke named Ned, another Hawkesbury Canoe Classic competitor, got in contact with me a little while back and we decided to meet up for a night-time paddle as part of our training. So we decided on t...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 8, 2009, 6:26 am
With my 111km paddle in the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic just weeks away, I thought I should get out and kayak up the Hawkesbury itself to get an idea of the conditions I’d be facing. On this partic...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 6, 2009, 5:15 am
As the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic approaches, a small niggling problem has started to bug me.  That is the fact that my kayak doesn’t have a name. My other kayak, my Folbot Cooper, was given the ...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 4, 2009, 4:57 pm
The fantastic thing about paddling in Sydney is that there are so many secrets to be found.  On my usual paddling spot (Middle Harbour) there are all types of areas to be discovered, and one of these...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 3, 2009, 5:29 pm
My friends at Sydney Harbour Kayaks have introduced a new brand of kayaks, Shrike, to their already impressive quiver of paddle-craft. After being talked up as incredibly high-quality hand-made boats ...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Oct 2, 2009, 8:11 am
Apart from kayaking, my other passion is rugby union, and in particular supporting my local team (Waratahs) and my national team, the Wallabies.  For our national side, our biggest rivalry is with ou...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Sep 30, 2009, 8:01 am
Doug, A mate of mine on the northern beaches of Sydney, gets up before sunrise each morning and lugs his impressive camera gear down to whatever beach is working best. Then he sets about taking pictur...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Sep 29, 2009, 7:01 am
I met Jonathan whilst out on a gentle paddle to Balmoral and we had since organised to catch up for a kayak on Middle Harbour.  Meeting at the very respectable time of 5.30am last Saturday morning, w...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Sep 27, 2009, 4:17 am
It was a crazy day to head out kayaking – 35 knot winds, gale-force gusts and white-capped breakers on Middle Harbour. But tucked in behind the Spit Bridge is my usual launch site, Sydney Harbou...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Sep 22, 2009, 10:16 pm
Sydney-siders awoke this morning to what appeared to be Armageddon.  The skies at 5.30am were fire-red and thick with dust, the early stages of what has turned into a full-blown gale-force dust-storm...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Sep 22, 2009, 7:07 am
Sydney in Spring can offer up beautiful sunny days, and horrendous tropical storms. And occassionally, both on the same day! On this particular day I’d spent hours drenched in glorious sunlight,...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Sep 21, 2009, 6:23 am
Spring in Sydney is a sensational thing, and there’s no better way to experience it than getting out on Sydney Harbour.  As soon as I got the kayak onto the water I could sense the day w...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Sep 20, 2009, 6:39 am
I recently submitted ten of my Alaskan kayaking photographs to a competition and won a place in their final exhibition, held in the Global Gallery in Paddington, Sydney. For a whopping four hours too ...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Sep 19, 2009, 5:30 pm
It’s embarrassing to admit this, but last week I forgot that my BD Nanook was still on the roof of my car as I drove into the garage. Imagine my anguished cry as I hard the smashing, tearing sou...
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Sean S. posted an article on Fat Paddler | A Big Man's Journey - Sep 17, 2009, 7:19 am
To finish off my Alaska series, I wanted to mention the journey between Anchorage and Seward via the Alaska Railway. This magnificent railway trip, whilst for me a matter of transport to the watery be...
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