With access to both a beautiful river and the Indian Ocean, I’m not suprised by the number of sailing clubs, nor the plethora of boats that abound in Perth and Fremantle. Getting to go on one of these boats however, is surprisingly difficult. As we’ve toured the world I’ve taken any opportunity to get out on the water and was really looking forward to making the most of Fremantle’s afternoon sea breeze by hiring a sailing dinghy. But as with most places, we found the boat clubs to be very snooty institutions who won’t even consider hiring out one of their craft to anyone not paying the horrenous membership fees – it’s criminal, all those boats sat on their moorings, bobbing about aimlessly and little me wanting an hour on the water.

But the story ends well. After many enquiries we were directed to a boat hire shack on the Swan River in South Perth. We took the relaxing coffee cruise from Fremantle to Perth, where we happily rented a Funcat for an hour with minimal fuss. Alas, the wind was flakey that day and we alternated between zipping along and floating around in the middle of the river, desperately trying to avoid the ferry channel. Dave took the helm when I got frustrated and skippered very well, taking us in to shore for a perfect landing.

Despite the scorching sun and lack of wind, I was pleased to be out on the water again and it was a great way to view Perth city and it’s skyline. Thanks to the not-at-all-snooty hire guys who allowed to me partake in my number one pursuit for an hour.

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