This was the most fun I've had kayaking in ages.
Liz and I had a superb day paddling the back "streets" of this iconic city with Rene Seindal who runs VeniceKayak.com.
Rene and I then recorded the podcast you can hear at SeaKayakPodcasts.com. You can also find on iTunes, or listen to the streaming version below.
It's definitely more of a tourist experience than a kayaking one, although if you're used to handling a kayaking you'll enjoy it much more.
We did the "full day" tour, and then as it was finishing, hopped onto the "half day" tour, so we were on the water for a long time.
We were offered composite kayaks but felt the shorter, plastic boats would be easier to turn in the confined waters. I think it was a good choice, although edging was a lot of effort for very little result.
We were offered composite kayaks but felt the shorter, plastic boats would be easier to turn in the confined waters. I think it was a good choice, although edging was a lot of effort for very little result.
It was surprisingly 'bouncy' in the main canals, largely due to the wakes from so many motor boats being reflected off the buildings, creating confused clapotis.
By contrast the back streets were extremely calm, although avoiding Gondolas was a constant task.
The road signs - no entry, one-way etc - apply to the water taxis, so it wasn't unusual to paddle the wrong way down a one-way street.
This takes a considerable amount of knowledge, because few of the water taxis obey the speed limits and come whizzing around blind corners.
"Keep close to the left side", was a regular instruction.
Oh, and don't even think about doing this if you're shy - we were photographed SO many times by people trying to get a 'different' shot of Venice.
Rene has had lots of media interest in his business, which he runs with Marco, his Venetian business partner. They don't want it to get too large and can only just cope with the amount of visitors they currently take kayaking.
I hope you enjoy the podcast as much as I enjoyed the day - it's all recorded on location. The streaming version is below and you'll also find the interview at SeaKayakPodcasts.com with many, many more.