Marc Bellette

My first boat was… home made using timber and chipboard when I was about ten years old. I presented the finished craft to my parents and argued a case for a trip down the local creek. It was never commissioned.

I learnt to paddle...canoes in the first year of a degree in Outdoor Education in Bendigo (1992).

 My earliest paddling memory is... in my early 20s. I discovered paddling from an interest in other outdoor pursuits. In fact, as a kid I never paddled although I did a bit of sailing with my cousins in WA. When I studied Outdoor Education in Bendigo, despite my enthusiasm for the canoeing in first year, in second year we had to specialize in two pursuits from a list of four: bushwalking, rock-climbing, ski-touring or white water kayaking. The thought of shooting rapids didn’t seem that appealing and I gravitated towards snow and heights. I wasn’t impressed with flat water kayaking at the time either. Then when I moved to a farm in central Victoria, a local high school principal (Matthew Mann) and I thought we’d train to do the Murray Marathon full distance. At the time I owned a sea kayak and I saw it as a way to keep fit for sea expeditions. I’ve been paddling K boats ever since and never got started in sea kayaking.

My current boat is.... an Unfair Advantage Raptor. I find it surprisingly stable (although I prefer to take an occasional swim).

The boat I wish I could afford is ... an equipped sea kayak (with some added knowledge and skills for a safe journey) or a luxury cruising yacht. Come to think of it – I’ll take the yacht.

My favorite place to paddle is ... on the Yarra. It is as simple as that. In fact, I’d go as far to say that my favorite part of Melbourne is the Yarra.

The best advice I can offer young paddlers is ... “love many, have a few, but always paddle your own canoe”.

Rice or pasta? Definitely basmati rice.

Latte or flat white? Flat white, can’t be bothered with fluff.

The hardest race I've ever done in a boat is? That is a hard question. Last year I did the Hawkesbury Classic. The distance was OK, but as Anna Wilson and I drove up on Friday and back on Sunday and did the K2 race over Saturday night. I felt sick in the car all the way home.

I wish I could paddle like ... someone with long arms – do you think they can be stretched out?

Photo: Marc at the start (with Harry Brockwell) Murray Marathon 07. (Michael Loftus-Hills)