Is it worth getting up early for a paddle?
Back in March 2019, we were having a few good days of weather, cold in the mornings but heating up nicely through the day. We made the decision to go for an early paddle and watch the sun rise. This all sounds good until you start to look at the sunrise times and what time you need to meet up, what time to get on the water ready for the sun to rise.
We met at 0510 am, so a 04.30 am wake up. Now I really do love my bed and it doesn’t take much for me to make little excuses up in my head why I shouldn’t get up. I was meeting a friend so this helped motivate me, I can’t let Pete down, he knows where I live. The van was loaded up the night before but I didn’t anticipate scraping ice off the windows.
We arrived at the Barbican Plymouth, just a little way up towards the sound. It was still dark but you could see the light starting to show on the horizon. The water was like glass, not a ripple to be seen or anyone else for that matter. We paddled out and headed right towards the Tinside Lido and towards Millbay docks. The sun didn’t disappoint, it rose magnificently glowing a deep red staining the water with a red glow.
The cold fingers, the tired eyes, the early rise was all worth it! Until the next time my friend……