Guess what!? It is the trip you have all been waiting for! HOORAY! Sunrise Balloon Paddles is back!
Imagine yourself kayaking out onto the lake and suddenly there are hot air balloons flying low over the top you. Well your dreams can become a reality as this week marks the start of the Canberra Balloon Festival!!! Unfortunately owing to other trips over the long weekend and scheduled maintenance (13-14) the weekend after, Friday the 12th is the only (non-weekly) kayaking trip to see the balloons (so register!).
Bring warm clothes that can get wet/splashed, water bottles and your cameras to take some pics for the Insta! Make sure you bring a waterproof pouch and some way to secure it to you as we don't want to see any phones at the bottom of the lake.
The plan is to meet at the boat sheds bright an early at 6am at the latest (I WILL LEAVE WITHOUT YOU). It will take a little while to get the whole group out on the water and the balloons start inflating from 6:15 so we will make a speedy paddle around the museum and out towards old parliament house. If the balloons are going to fly, they should mostly be in the air by 7:30. We will definitely be back by 9am at the very latest (perfect to fit in before work or a full day of uni!).
I suspect this will be a very popular trip, so I will be drawing names randomly out of a hat to ensure fairness. SO MAKE SURE YOU SIGN UP EVEN IF THE TRIP IS ALREADY FULL. ADDITIONALLY IF YOU SIGN UP, YOU AREN'T GUARANTEED A SPOT as this will be drawn early next week! Spots are limited by the number of boats to 10-12 people.
This trip is very weather dependent, and will be canceled if it looks like rain or strong winds. Additionally they make an announcement at 6:15 on weather the balloons are going to fly. We will still kayak if they are planning to inflate the balloons but not fly them as even this is a sight to behold.
Please add a comment to the registration telling me about your kayaking experience (beginners are welcome, it just helps me figure out how much experience we have in the group) and your swimming ability. While it is VERY VERY VERY unlikely you will fall in, you need to be able to swim at least 200m and be able to tread water for a few minutes (in case the worse happens).
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL. PLEASE REGISTER!