jb kayak log

Bollington Pool - 3rd February 2012

2012-02-11T11:35:00.001Z

Last pool session of the winter for Gavin and me. Spent my half hour rolling on both sides and trying a few hand rolls - only about 50% success rate still! Gavin tried to roll for the first time and was doing very well - good setup position, but not quite getting the sweep right.

The Tudwals - 28th January 2012

2012-01-29T18:11:00.003Z

First day of the NWSK "Neeps and Tatties" weekend celebrating Burn's Night.

Royanne heads out from Machroes

Eighteen of us set of from Machroes (southern end of Abersoch beach) on a wonderfully calm and sunny morning to head out around the St Tudwal islands and on to Hell's mouth. Snowdonia was wearing a white overcoat from the previous night's snow and provided a spectacular backdrop.

Kirstine

Arnaud

We paddled around St Tudwal's East first, playing dare in the caves, with just a bit too much swell to let us get through the complete passages that go right through the island.

The fleet at rest by St Tudwal's East

We continued around St Tudwal's West and crossed back to the mainland and stopped for lunch on Porth Ceiriad.

Lunch stop on Porth Ceiriad

After lunch we headed around towards Hell's Mouth, playing in the more sizeable swell and going through some interesting gaps that provided some entertainment. With the sun going in and conditions getting more sporty we decided to turn round just short of Hell's Mouth and headed back the direct route.

On the water for just over 4 hours, 20km paddled. The evening meal was a very filling haggis with mashed potatoes and swede followed by whiskey ice cream!

Arnaud passing through a gap

Macclesfield Canal - 22nd January 2012

2012-01-23T18:12:00.001Z

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina
GPS packed in, so no accurate timing. Out in about 57 mins, back in just over 58. Blustery!

Cemaes Bay to Amlwch and back - 15th January 2012

2012-01-16T21:24:00.001Z

I'd been hunting around for a paddling partner during the week and was planning to go out by myself, then on saturday Julian posted on the NWSK forum that he was up for a trip, so a few hurried pms and we were on for Anglesey. The weather was forecast to be sunny but cold, however more worrying was the inshore wind forecast of 5-6 from the SE. We were hoping to paddle out from Porth Dafarch and head round to the Stacks, but on arrival at the beach the conditions didn't look too user friendly, so we replanned for a trip on the more sheltered N coast.
With high tide Liverpool mid afternoon we had a couple hours of the flood remaining with the tide turning just after 1pm. So we decided to launch from Cemaes Bay heading east on the flood.

Leaving Cemaes Bay

As it turned out I'd never paddled this stretch of the island before, so it was nice to paddle some new territory.
Excellent rock hopping ensued - on a warmer day perhaps we would have been more adventurous in the channels we attempted!

Rock Hopping

The rocky headlands and beaches were interspersed with industrial complexes - a nuclear power plant, brickworks, china clay and some dubious looking outfalls by Amlwch add industrial interest but do detract from the natural beauty of the north shore.

Brickworks in Porth Wen

A pleasant lunch stop in Bull Bay was followed by a paddle to out turning point at Amlwch. With the tide in it was possible to paddle all the way up the long harbour.

Bull Bay

Gulls in Bull Bay

The return trip was done at a reasonable pace, keeping out in the now ebbing tide to give us a helping hand.
About 22km paddled, approx 4 hours on the water. Conditions varied from flat calm to choppy on the headlands with some small tide action. Good route choice to keep out of the wind - it looked a lot rougher further out to sea to the N.

Amlwch Harbour

Julian

Macclesfield Canal - 8th January 2012

2012-01-08T20:20:00.001Z

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina
Out in about 57:00, back in 57:18. A number of fishermen were unhappy with me disturbing their contest...miserable bu@&;?s.

Menai Straits - 31st December 2011

2012-01-06T20:53:00.002Z

Final paddle of 2011 was a "social" event on the Menai Straits organised by John Willacy. Fancy dress was requested - John turned up in a penguin suit, Pete Baars wore a chicken suit and I made a token effort with a monkey mask, but this ended up being rather too hot to wear so it didn't last long.

John Willacy

Me in my monkey mask - photo by Jim Krawiecki

We paddled the menai straits "challenge" course - including the loop between the two bridges, so although it wasn't paddled competitively, we did register a time for the challenge, so we can be entered in the prize draw for those that have completed it during the year. We covered the 21km in 2hrs 20min.

Sweetie Time!

It was useful to chat to John and Aled Williams about the best route between the bridges, so I'd be better prepared to have a go myself in 2012 and put a competitive time in.

After the paddle we retired to the pub for a well earned pint!

En route to Bangor Pier

Macclesfield Canal - 17th December 2011

2011-12-17T15:56:00.001Z

First time back on the canal after a bit of a rest due to a cold, and what a shock! Loaded the boat up and drove down to the Clarke Lane bridge in heavy snow. Got on the water and within 50 metres hit a cloudy patch that then got more solid and crunchy and finally my paddle was skidding off the ice rather than breaking through it. Turning around didn't seem a good idea, so I managed to get to the side and walked back to the bridge. Looked like the trip was going to be a waste of time, but I tried the other direction and luckily the ice was never too thick to plough through. Ended up paddling for 70 minutes. Only got cold putting the boat on and off the car - "pogie" mitts were working well.

Bollington Pool - 2nd December 2011

2011-12-06T18:53:00.001Z

30 minute pool session. Slightly better success rate on the hand rolls. Left side roll not brilliant.

Bollington Pool - 25th November 2011

2011-11-29T12:59:00.001Z

Half hour pool session. Practicising rolling etc. Managed one hand roll, need get some consistency!

Macclesfield Canal - 20th November 2011

2011-11-20T20:34:00.001Z

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 53:00, back in 56:13. Feeling a bit more energetic on the way out, but still lacking overall fitness.

Bollington Pool - 18th November 2011

2011-11-20T20:31:00.001Z

Half hour pool session. Hand rolls not working this week ;(

Macclesfield Canal - 13th November 2011

2011-11-14T19:46:00.001Z

Launched from Clarke Lane and paddled south for a change. Reached 8km on the GPS and then turned around. Out in 54:10, back in 55:30. Bit windy in places.

Bollington pool session - 11th November 2011

2011-11-12T08:35:00.001Z

30 minute pool session. Right side roll fine, left side roll still borderline and lacking technique. Managed to do 3 hand rolls though! - first for about 30 years!... also did a reverse screw... stop sniggering at the back!

Penrhyn Mawr - 6th November 2011

2011-11-07T21:43:00.000Z

Setting out from Porth Dafarch the autumn sun was warm and welcome. Three groups of kayakers had already departed from the bay while we were getting ready and throughout the day we bumped into them and other groups making use of the glorious sunshine and calm conditions. It was nice to be on the sea again, after a few weeks of just paddling on the canal.

Will Herman rock hopping

We paddled out along the coast, doing a bit of rock hopping and exploring inlets and made our way around to Penrhyn Mawr. The NE flow was only just starting and there wasn't much turbulence or waves to play on so we carried on around the coast and had a lunch stop on a rocky/pebble beach in "Abraham's Bosom".

Mary Erasmus @ Penrhyn Mawr

After a pleasant lunch in the sun we paddled back round to Penrhyn Mawr where the flow had increased sufficiently to kick up some waves and fast current to play about in. A couple of the groups we had met earlier were also playing in the race, though conditions were fairly friendly due to the lack of any significant swell and the moderate tide.

Aled Williams

We bumped into Aled Williams in his new boat - an 18ft racing style kayak called the "Pace 18" that he has just put into production with Tiderace. It looks a fast machine, so hopefully they'll be even more racing kayaks at the sea races next year. We played on the tide race for at least an hour, then headed back to Porth Dafarch to land just after 4pm. More photos on flickr.

Heading Home

Packing Up

Macclesfield Canal - 30th October 2011

2011-10-30T20:17:00.001Z

Clarke Lane <> Adlington Marina.
Out in 39:30, then toured back in a leisurely 50 minutes. Bored with the canal!

Macclesfield Canal - 22nd October 2011

2011-10-23T20:43:00.001+01:00

Clarke lane - Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in about 55:00 (GPS turned off by itself), back in 58:50. Boat delays and a headwind on the return slowed me down somewhat.

Macclesfield Canal - 19th October 2011

2011-10-23T20:39:00.001+01:00

Night training paddle, Clarke Lane - Adlington Marina. Out in 39:28, back in 39:45.
Scariest moment was meeting another paddler coming towards me with no lights either.

Macclesfield Canal - 9th October 2011

2011-10-17T12:37:00.000+01:00

Usual training paddle, Clarke Lane <-> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 54:50, back in 54:15 including some boat delays.
Must sync up better with the Macc CC and use one of the K1s. Left wrist has been feeling a bit sore, so need to keep an eye on it.

Puffin Island - 2nd October 2011

2011-10-04T22:06:00.001+01:00

Relatively short paddle from Benllech to Trwyn Y Penrhyn. 18k paddled, SW wind F3-4, slight sea. Went around Puffin Island around high tide, so no real tidal action. Stopped to watch the seals on the N end of Puffin. Approx 3.5 hours on the water.

Hilbre Island Race - 1st October 2011

2011-10-04T21:58:00.001+01:00

This was the first time Liverpool Canoe Club had organised this race, so it was not widely advertised to keep numbers under control and to see how it goes.

The race started and finished at the public slipway at the south end of the marine lake at West Kirby. There were two options on race length, either a shorter 4km race around Little Eye and back, and a long race of 8km going around all the islands and back to the start.

Conditions were somewhere between slightly choppy and calm, with a southerly breeze. I was averaging over 10kph on the outward leg and more like 8-9kph on the return upwind leg.

There were 21 starters in the main single kayak class of the longer race, and I came in first in a time of 51:48.

The 3rd boat back was a canadian canoe paddled by a team of two. They looked pretty impressive and I later found out they are world marathon "masters" champions!

Preparing for the start

Macclesfield Canal - 28th September 2011

2011-09-29T12:58:00.001+01:00

Clarke Lane <-> Bridge 18 (Adlington Marina)
40 minutes each way, paddling about 9kph. Still struggling to get the speed I had just after Eddystone.

Return leg was pretty much in the dark by time I had finished and it will take a bit of getting used to. Not too bad in areas of the canal with some nearby lights, but in the more remote areas with overhanging trees it's pretty difficult to see. Don't want to use lights though, since this mucks up night vision.

Macclesfield Canal - 24th September 2011

2011-09-27T17:04:00.000+01:00

Normal training route, Clarke Lane <-> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 56:57, back in 56:15.
Tried to concentrate more on style than speed, so a bit slower than normal.
Trying to ensure good rotation, strong deep catch, straight arm action uncoiling the trunk rotation, then an early paddle exit. Not sure if I was doing all that though!....

Chester Hasler Races - 18th September 2011

2011-09-20T16:38:00.003+01:00

Raced in Div 7 over 4 miles. Came 4th out of 5, bit disappointing, but looks like I'm in the right division because I would have won the Div 8 race.

Paddled the Kirton Tor K1. Not sure if I really got the boat moving well which I suppose is not surprising since it was only my second time in a K1. Need to work on technique as I'm sure I'm not paddling efficiently.

Macclesfield Canal - 16th September 2011

2011-09-20T16:35:00.000+01:00

About one hour on the canal paddling a racing K1 (Kirton Tor) in preparation for racing at Chester on Sunday. First time ever in a proper K1!.... bit tippy at first but not feeling too unstable once going.

Macclesfield Canal - 7th September 2011

2011-09-08T21:29:00.002+01:00

Training session on the canal, Clarke Lane <=> Bridge 18 (Adlington Marina).
Shorter training route now the nights are closing in. Will attempt to keep doing this through the winter - need to rig up some light system to enable paddling in the dark.
Out and back in 40 minutes each leg.

Oban Sea Kayak Race - 3rd September 2011

2011-09-08T21:27:00.000+01:00

Before the start

This was the second running of this event that entails a 20km circuit of the island of Kerrera starting and finishing in Oban bay. It was nice to see a good turnout of competitive/fast kayaks - Inuks, Epics, Rapiers, Tarans, Nelos were all represented along with one surf ski.

The rest of the fleet

The weather was looking a bit touch and go and plans were in place to fall back to the rough weather route, but luckily conditions improved just enough to enable the call to be made to go all the way around the island - Gus (the organiser) asked me if we should go, and I gave him the thumbs up.

The race started at 1pm with us all lined up in the bay in front of the lifeboat which demanded a prominent position as the event beneficiary (but slightly in the way!). The first leg down the strait was into a gusty headwind and increasing waves. A lot of paddlers tried to keep tucked into the shores to get shelter, but not sure if this made much difference.

The rounding of the southern tip of the island was the roughest part of the race followed by a paddle across the bay to "Back Island" with waves coming on the port side. Once through the channel between Back Island and the Kerrera main island it was possible to pick up waves to get short surfing rides. These waves gradually faded out as we progressed along the west coast. Finally we rounded the northern tip and crossed to the mainland side to finish back in Oban harbour.

I was much further down the field this time due to the higher quality turnout and finished in 14th place in a time of 2:18. I was loosing places on the first leg down the straits, but once round the southern tip I managed to make up a few places and had my sights on trying to catch George Oliver who had just beaten me on the Coquet race. I didn't quite catch him and I ended up 5th in the over 50's senior race.

Bit disappointed that my time was nearly 5 minutes slower than the previous year - other people seemed to improve on their times. Main reason could be that I lost about 4 weeks paddling at the end of July and August due to US trips. Just need to be fitter next year!

Macclesfield Canal - 31st August 2011

2011-09-08T21:03:00.001+01:00

Not the normal training session this time, instead I took Gavin for a short paddle for about an hour on the canal in two boats I have just bought. Gavin has been going to the monday night sessions with the Macc canoe club and I decided to get a couple of secondhand boats that we could use to paddle at other times, so I bought an InaZone 230 and an Acrobat 270. Gavin loves the InaZone since it also matches the colour of his cag and bouyancy aid. Also being a Pyranha boat, it has the fish logo too!

Menai Straits - 28th August 2011

2011-08-29T17:32:00.003+01:00

Met up with Arnaud, Andrea and Jim from the NWSK for a paddle up/down the Menai Straits. Had originally planned to go from Moelfre, but it was perhaps a bit too windy for Andrea (NW F4-5 maybe 6 at times was the forecast) so along with quite a few other groups we opted for the more sheltered location.

Launched from Gallows Point near high tide and set off SW down the straits towards Menai. We took it fairly leisurely hugging the Anglesey side, admiring some of the fantastic houses and guessing which of the many small beaches would make good bivvy spots.

Once near the first bridge, the Menai Bridge, we picked up the main flow of the ebbing tide and started to play the various eddies and spouts under the arches of the bridge and the rocks. This trip is much more like paddling a big river than my normal sea outings with a lot of opportunity to practice river skills rather than those required on the open sea.

We had lunch on the island of Ynys Gored Goch. This is a little island in the middle of the straits with a couple of cottages on it and surrounded by fish traps (or the remains thereof). Initially we thought no-one was "in", but while sitting down to our packed lunches a long haired labrador appeared, shortly followed by a couple and some kids. A quick check that they didn't mind us landing meant that we continued to eat and admire the situation, surrounded by fast flowing water and a good view of the second bridge, the Britannia. Jim told how the bridge was converted from its original box girder design into a two tiered metal arch version.

After lunch we paddled around the middle pier of the Britannia and by this time the flow was decreasing. We chatted with some of the other groups that were in the vicinity and headed back towards Beaumaris with a gentle flow to assist us now and the wind on our backs.

Jimski

Arnaud

It didn't take too long to get back, but to our dismay when we reached Gallows Point the tide was very low (it was near springs) and the small shingle beach we had launched from was now 200-300 metres away, protected by a muddy beach covered in shellfish. We tried to take a direct approach of walking up the beach, but it was very gloopy and frequently you were going up to your shins or more. So we retreated to a spot with much less mud to cross before terra firma could be reached. Andrea, Arnaud and I made it across, but poor Jim had a nasty experience of sinking up to his thighs and getting stuck, so he extracted himself back into his boat and made his way back to the Gazelle hotel where we picked him up later and where we had a quick pint followed by excellent fish and chips in Beaumaris.

17.9km paddled.

Macclesfield Canal - 26th August 2011

2011-08-27T10:31:00.002+01:00

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton MarinaOut in 52:27, back in 52:07.Back to some reasonable form after two trips to the US. Oban race next weekend, so now time to rest.

Macclesfield Canal - 22nd August 2011

2011-08-23T19:18:00.002+01:00

Another 1 hour session while Gavin was with the Macc CC. Took it fairly easy, doing approx 4 miles.

Macclesfield Canal - 21st August 2011

2011-08-23T19:17:00.002+01:00

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton MarinaOut in 56:18, back in 59:30. Lots of boat delays as the canal was very busy.Feeling a bit more lively, but after coming back from LA, I was out in Orlando 3 days later on business and returned yesterday.

Macclesfield Canal - 15th August 2011

2011-08-23T18:30:00.000+01:00

Just over an hour long session while Gavin had a paddle with the Macc CC. Didn't feel very energetic since I'd only come back from Los Angelese the day before.

Penrhyn Mawr and the Stacks - 24th July 2011

2011-07-25T21:29:00.002+01:00

A last minute pass out from Nancy allowed me to "bag" another personal first - going round the South and North Stack lighthouses on Anglesey.

We launched from Porth Dafarch with the intention of using the flood tide to take us north and then use the ebb to return. The idea was to play in the tide races on the way out and to take our time exploring, since a number of us had not been along this section of the coast before (I'd not been much further past Penrhyn Mawr).

Porth Dafarch

A lovely sunny day meant we left in high spirits and we were soon approaching Penrhyn Mawr. This tide race has a notorious reputation, but with it only being a neap tide it wasn't showing it's nasty side. We split up and played in various parts of the race - the bigger waves were to be found on the "outside" of the islands/reefs and the easier water was in the inner channels. A number of us did rolls and some planned/unplanned rescue practice! The waves on the outer race were perhaps 2-3 feet at times but fairly gentle.

Penrhyn Mawr inner channel

Barry and Kate surfing the outer race

After a reasonable play we grouped up and headed north rock hopping around Abraham's Bosom (the bay between Penrhyn Mawr and South Stack) and we had lunch on the first boulder beach.

Rock hopping

lunch stop

Continuing on our way with interesting rock hopping and caves throughout we approached South Stack with it's impressive rock architecture. We passed under the bridge and through the small channel that separates the lighthouse island from the mainland and entered Gogarth Bay.

Approaching South Stack

Arch

Typical Cave - must bring headtorch next time!

The high cliffs with their in-situ climbers provided an awesome backdrop to our paddle. In my climbing days I'd never quite got around to doing the classic route, "Dream of White Horses" but it was great to finally see it, if only from below. We had a quick nose into Parliament House Cave but didn't stop and we continued around North Stack.

Looking into Parliament House Cave

By this time the tide had started to turn, and the North Stack race was just starting to kick up some playful waves - enhanced significantly with the swell from the SeaCat when it passed. Barry Shaw told me to just look out for the sea level rising on the horizon to get a warning of the incoming swell, and sure enough you could see the sea rise as the large set of waves came in.

North Stack race starting up

We played around in the race for a while then retired back to Parliament House Cave for an afternoon snack. The cave is a real sun trap and it's easy to just lay back and relax in such wonderful surroundings.

By this time another group of paddlers from the NWSK appeared from their circumnavigation of Holy Island, so we all joined up for the return paddle to Porth Dafarch.

This paddle has a reputation for the powerful tide races, but for me I haven't seen much better cliff and cave scenery, so to do this paddle on a calm day on neap tides is a magical experience.

About 18km paddled. Launched around 10:30am, off the water around 5:30pm.

Macclesfield Canal - 21st July 2011

2011-07-22T22:58:00.001+01:00

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina
Out in 52:14, back in 52:58.
Nice to get under 53 minutes on both legs.

Macclesfield Canal - 14th July 2011

2011-07-16T21:23:00.002+01:00

Out in 54:30, though I had to wait for a barge to clear the final bridge that cost me about 45 seconds.
Back in 52:28. Quite a few paddlers (novices?) out on the canal in Bollington on my return, apologies for not stopping to chat!

Macclesfield Canal - 7th July 2011

2011-07-07T22:13:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 50:26! Toured back in 1:06.
GPS had average speed as 9.9kph.
Must be quite fit after over 5 hours of training from the Eddystone.

Eddystone Challenge - 2nd July 2011

2011-07-03T21:31:00.000+01:00

Second race in successive weekends!...

I have a love hate relationship with this event. 28 miles is a long way and normally one of the legs is a real slog (if not both!). However it gives a real sense of achievement to finish it and is something to aim for when doing all those sessions on the canal.

This year for once the weather forecast did not make holding the event touch and go. If the forecast is more than a F4, the organisers normally abandon the Eddystone route and opt for a bad weather alternate race in Plymouth harbour and its estuaries. So with a forecast of variable 3 or less and smooth or slight seas the pre-race atmosphere was a lot more relaxed than the normal tense situation of not knowing whether we are doing the Eddystone or not.

John Willacy prepares his Taran

The victorious double surf ski

With the sunny conditions I drank plenty of fluids beforehand - a cup of tea, a bottle of sports drink and a bottle of water. I also put on plenty of sun cream. Last year I felt as though I hadn't eaten enough, so I also had a bacon butty and a cheese and tomato roll.

The race started at noon, and the field makes its way out of the harbour by the western channel around the breakwater. In side the harbour the large number of boats create wash that causes some confused waves, but once the first few km are under your belt the harbour is left behind and you are left squinting into the distance trying to make out the smallest glimpse of the lighthouse on the horizon. Hopefully then you can settle into a rhythm clocking of the kilometres and keeping an eye on the navigation.

In theory you are meant to pass close by to marshall yachts that are stationed on the route. However the field gets spread widely and hardly anyone seems to take the direct route. This year the tidal flow and slight wind pushed the field west, so I was continually aiming off to the left of the lighthouse to try and keep on the general line, but I still don't remember passing any of the marshall yachts.

I rounded the light after 2:40 hours of paddling and didn't feel too bad. I had a quick chat with a gig that rounded with me and stayed with them and a single scull skiff for a while, but again they seemed to be going off what I thought was the best line, so I ended up by myself on a route to the west of them.

Always a welcome sight!

I was managing to keep up a pace of between 7-10kph, mainly dependent on the waves - sometime there would be some swell coming in from the SE, other times it would be smooth and then sometimes wash from passing boats would cause some mixed chop that needed some concentration to not be caught out.

By this time the effect of the pre-race drinks were catching up with me and I was dying for a pee!... however I knew I'd have to wait another couple of hours. On balance I think it was a good decision to take on the liquids before hand, but I could have done without the uncomfortable feeling for the return leg.

My GPS was set with the finish line as a destination waypoint and it was continually estimating the time to finish. I gave a cheer when it said 2 hours, then you keep looking down disappointed each time to see it show longer than you think it should be.

Gradually you make out more and more of the features on the land and the city and harbour of Plymouth. The return leg enters the harbour through the eastern channel by the breakwater and you are searching for the structures on the breakwater that show where the ends of the breakwater lie. My view was obstructed by a rather large ship - HMS Illustrius had just anchored up outside the breakwater and in the end I passed by quite close. If I was further up the field, I'd have had to deal with it potentially crossing my path!... not something I'd like to consider.

The western end of the breakwater has a lighthouse, then in the middle of the breakwater there is a round fortification and then the eastern end has a conical light tower. Once you can make out that tower, you know you don't have far to go.

Nearing the harbour I was getting pretty tired and my right buttock was feeling a bit numb/sore. However I was still maintaining a steady speed and gradually the GPS was showing minutes and seconds rather than hours, and then finally you enter the harbour. Even now though you still have 3km to go, and this seems to go on for ages. Boats pass you and their wash causes you to break rhythm as you correct your course. The finish line gradually gets closer and realising it's nearly all over a final push sees me over the line in a time of 5:21.

Once over the finish line there is another mile long paddle back to the event centre and I did this very slowly being extremely tired. I landed on the slipway to be met by John Willacy who helped me hobble out of my boat and a few other folks carried my boat up the slip out of the way. I stretched my legs and then headed for the loo!

John Willacy retaining the K1 trophy

For once I felt I did the event in reasonable style - maintaining an even pace throughout and having equal times pretty much for both legs. In the end I was the second single seat kayak (K1) to finish - rather depressing though because John Willacy had finished an hour ahead of me! Overall race winner was a two seater surf ski that did it in just under 4 hours. I ate a few jelly babies and three cereal bars during the race and checking my water bladder I had drank just under 2 litres of water.

Coquet Island Race - 27th June 2011

2011-06-30T13:12:00.000+01:00

Second day of the Northumberland trip.

Fine weather was a great bonus for this race - last year's had to be restricted to just the harbour due to high winds. It was very pleasant chatting and enjoying the sun before and after the race.

The race is about 5 miles in length, starting and finishing in Amble harbour with a loop around Coquet Island.

I didn't get off to the best of starts - I was trying to get away from a group of slalom boats that congregated near me when I heard "go" shouted with no other warning!

A white water racer (river boat) steamed off in front and was never caught, however the "sea kayaks" were much more tightly bunched and I got to the front of this pack and led them out to the island. Wily racer George Oliver wash hanged me and then as we rounded the island he moved past me as we were dispersed by breakers on the island's reefs.

I tried to get back past George, but any time I got close he managed to just keep ahead. I thought I might out surf him on the return to the harbour as we had a following swell and small waves with us, but if anything my surfing took me off the best line and I couldn't make up ground on him. In the end he finished about 15 seconds in front of me. The white water racer didn't qualify for the main prizes, so I got the 2nd sea kayak prize. Slightly disappointing, because last time I did this race I beat George!

Dave Brook

Dave Brook was very pleased to win the "old man of the sea" prize for the 1st over 65.

Beadnell Beach and Seahouses - 25th June 2011

2011-06-30T12:59:00.000+01:00

First day of a weekend trip up to Northumberland. Met up with Dave Brook and Jim Krawiecki from the NWSKers.

Ollie Jay from active4seasons arranged a kayak taster session at Beadnell beach with various boats from tiderace, valley, north shore, prijon and P&H. So a number of paddlers were trying out the different boats in the small surf on the beach. I initially had a surf in my XploreS but was tempted to have a go in the P&H Aries that Jim had brought up with him.

The Aries is designed as a sea play boat and seems to perform as designed. Main advantage surfing is that you can spin it around quickly to catch a wave. It spins in a couple of sweep strokes which is great. On the wave it was definitely a lot more manoeuverable than the Xplore, but you would expect that. Wasn't so sure about the cockpit fit initially, but once I shortened the foot pegs I seemed to be fairly well secure in the boat - good job because I capsized a couple of times in the shallow water and managed to roll/push up off the bottom OK without falling out of the boat.

After the surfing sessions I paddled along the short N to St. Aiden's beach just past Seahouses. Some swell and breakers on the reefs to watch out for, and nice 2-3ft surf on St. Aiden's itself. Main attraction though was the bird life - as you get nearer to the Farne Islands the number of birds just increases dramatically - Puffins being my favourite and they were frequently on the water just a few metres from me.

Poor picture of the puffins - but you get the idea

On the water for a couple of hours surfing, then a couple of hours for the round trip to Seahouses.

Macclesfield Canal - 21st June 2011

2011-06-21T21:46:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina
Out in 56:46, back in 59:16.
Paddling the Xplore this time.

Macclesfield Canal -19th June 2011

2011-06-19T17:19:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina
Out in 54:45, back in just over 57:00. a couple of boat delays on the way out, bit tired on the return. Paddling the Epic.

Menai Straits - 12th June 2011

2011-06-13T20:49:00.000+01:00

Second day of coaching from Olly Sanders.

The weather deteriorated quickly on the sunday morning and as forecast the wind got up to strong easterly (F6+) with persistent rain, so we made for the shelter of the Menai Straits to continue practice in the vicinity of the two bridges and the Swellies.

We started off by doing general boat handling under the Menai Bridge, breaking in and out of the flow between the bridge pillars then we progressed down through the swellies to do some more tows.

After lunch we then started the "wet stuff" doing rolls, t rescues, self rescues, scoop rescue of injured/weak paddler, along with watching Mary do an excellent re-entry and roll.

All in all a good weekend, and it was nice to use the tow lines including the deck mounted tow that I have just rigged on to the boat. It illustrated some tuning of my gear is needed - mainly to have a longer "short" tow length set up on my waist tow.

About 4km paddled, not including all the ups and downs in the eddies though!

The Skerries - 11th June 2011

2011-06-13T20:35:00.000+01:00

First day of a weekend of coaching with Olly Sanders running through rescue scenarios.

Given the conditions - F3 W wind and a tide ebbing till about 13:30, it was decided to do a short trip along the north coast of Anglesey launching from Cemlyn Bay heading west.

In the eddies and small race around West Mouse we did some towing practice (single tows, towing a 2 man raft, 2 boats in line tow of a 2 man raft). We were going to head for Carmel Head, but since John had never been out to the Skerries, Olly decided we should change our plans and head out to them instead.

It was a beautiful day and once we were getting near the Skerries we started seeing the puffins and other birds that nest on the island. It was so much different from when I was there earlier in the spring with very few birds.

We landed in the small natural harbour and had a quick lunch outside the lighthouse.

The island is a nesting place of terns - arctic and common, and they are very protective of their ground nest sites and attack you when you approach. Wearing a hat is highly advisable... or follow a taller friend very close!

We bumped into a few other parties of kayakers at the lighthouse - Justine and Barry, plus the very tall Mark Pawley... who suffered a nasty attack and gained an impressive war wound!

After the ornithology interlude we got back on the water and by this time the flood had started and a reasonable size race was forming on a rock outcrop on the W side of the island giving us a good venue to practice more rescues, towing and general boat handling.

After about an hour of this we turned and headed back to Cemlyn. On the water for about 5 hours. About 16k paddled.

Rhoscolyn - 4th June 2011

2011-06-07T18:43:00.000+01:00

With a decent weather forecast we had a family trip to the beach at Rhoscolyn. I was given permission to bring the boat along so I managed a couple of short sorties out around the Beacon on one paddle and out of the bay and up to Rhoscolyn Head and back on the other. The bay was very busy with kayaks of all shapes and sizes, including various members of the North West Sea Kayakers. I did a few rolls and gave Gavin a lift!

About 9km paddled.

Macclesfield Canal - 31st May 2011

2011-06-01T08:28:00.000+01:00

Back on the canal hoping to clear out a few cobwebs from a day in the office, but didn't feel 100% with a bit of a headache. Paddled out from Clarke Lane in 56:02 at Higher Poynton Marina. Did not feel like pushing it on the way back so I enjoyed the evening sunshine at a more leisurely pace, returning in 1hr 5min.

Just as I was entering Bollington on the return I think a kingfisher flew over me. This would be great if so - I've not seen one on the canal since before the severe cold weather of Feb 2010. The canal has been frozen for weeks at a time over the last two winters and this has a devastating effect on the kingfishers, so I hope they are making a return.

Anglesey Sea Kayak Race - 22nd May 2011

2011-05-25T22:20:00.000+01:00

This was the first running of this event organised by Open Adventure and Adventure Elements. The original plan was to race from either Trearddur Bay or Benllech in a loop, visiting electronic control points on bouys covering over 20km in distance. However the weather was not playing ball and strong SW winds put paid to any thought of using the exposed coastal locations and the "plan C" location of a race in the Menai Straits was used.

I'm sure a number of people were disappointed with the thought of racing in the Straits, but in the end it turned out to be an excellent location.

The start was by the Anglesey Sea Zoo and 4 surf skis, 21 solo kayaks and 4 doubles lined up for the mass start. After the traditional 3-2-1-Go there was a mad scramble to get boats into the water and spray decks on. John Willacy and Nigel Jones set the pace on the first section of the race heading down towards the two bridges. Initially the conditions were very windy with small surf pushing us downwind.

A little more shelter was had once the field passed Y Felinheli and it was on to the two bridges and the notorious "swellies" - the tidal rapids. To add interest to the race, the organisers had set up three electronic controls in swellies that had to be visited in a set order, forcing us to loop back on ourselves. The first was just "downstream" of the Menai Bridge, the second was by Church Island and the third was back up below Pont Brittania. You could opt to miss out the electronic controls, but this incurred a 45 minute penalty. This loop was very entertaining for spectators and the paddlers had to fight their way back up stream using eddies close in to the shore or just fighting their way back up the main flow.

Once around this loop is was a straight race down past Bangor Pier and finish at Gallows Point. This started off sheltered but soon became more exposed with more surf and wind on our backs.

Nigel Jones on a ski was first followed by John Willacy in his Taran. First lady back was Justine Curgenven.

As far as my own race went I wasn't comfortable in the downwind/surf sections. I was struggling to get any rhythm and only made up time/places on the more sheltered sections. Maybe this was down to lack of practice in surf, but also the small integral rudder of the Epic is not very effective in these conditions (it is out of the water frequently). I was overtaken by Justine in the Swellies and nearly retook her approaching Bangor Pier, but as the wind and surf picked up again I dropped back finishing 7th kayak in a time of 1:46:38 - 20 minutes behind the leaders.

The event is expected to take place again next year, and hopefully with better weather will attract a larger field.

Macclesfield Canal - 13th May 2011

2011-05-13T19:53:00.000+01:00

Repeated the round trip to Marple, but this time paddling the Xplore. Did it in exactly the same time as last time. Paddled out slower (61 minutes to Higher Poynton), but much more steady on the return. Out and back in 3hr 55min, 30km paddled.

Brereton Lake - 12th May 2011

2011-05-13T19:50:00.000+01:00

Practice rescue session in sea kayaks with the Macc Canoe Club.
Performed self rescue, 'all in' scenario, T rescue and landing on rock swimming in with boat.
On the water for just over an hour.

Macclesfield Canal - 8th May 2011

2011-05-10T20:00:00.000+01:00

Fancied doing a few more miles than usual - just agreed to do the Eddystone again, so need to get used to working hard for 5+ hours.

Launched at Clarke Lane and took 54:55 to get to Higher Poynton, but instead of the usual turn I carried on through High Lane and on to the end of the canal at Marple. Turned right towards New Mills to get the outward distance to 15km.

Outward average moving speed was 9.0/9.1 kph.

I'd had a wind assisted outward trip, so the return became a real slog. Moving average dropped right down to below 8kph and the last 4 or 5 km I toured in because I was pretty tired. Total trip time 3:55.

Paddling the Epic.

Bowleaze Cove to Mupe Bay round trip - 29th April 2011

2011-05-01T22:23:00.000+01:00

We parked up at Bowleaze Cove on the road after dropping the boat off on the beach via the car park. Nancy then set off to run the route while I was to paddle it.

After a bit of the usual faff sorting the kit out I set off about 10 minutes behind her. The weather was hazy cloud - thundery showers had been forecast, but they weren't to materialise until later that evening.

The wind was 3-4 from the NE according to the forecast, but it was more E as I paddled into a bit of a headwind (more pronounced on the headlands under the cliffs).

Approaching White Nothe

Below White Nothe

Once I passed Ringstead I spotted a runner up on the top of the cliffs approaching White Nothe - didn't think it was Nancy - they seemed to be running too fast! But as the runner descended down one of the dips in the Warren I confirmed it was her and we stayed roughly together to meet up at Lulworth.

Durdle Door in the distance through Bat Head

Nancy - going the hard way!

Durdle Door

Stair Hole

Lulworth

En route to Lulworth I had a little bit of tide against me plus the gusting headwind, but the sea was generally calm. I passed two groups of two kayaks on my way out.

Quick coffee stop with Nancy

After refreshment in Lulworth, I said goodbye to Nancy as she headed back. I reckoned I could go faster, so I carried on along the coast to Mupe Bay passing another couple of kayakers plus saying hello to a couple of climbers on the excellent looking Lulworth to Mupe Bay traverse. At a mile long, this must be the longest recognised climb in the UK.

Climbers on the Lulworth to Mupe Bay traverse

East most of the Mupe Rocks

I got back to Bowleaze just under 10 minutes ahead of Nancy. 30.9km travelled, on the water for 4hr 18min.

Macclesfield Canal - 25th April 2011

2011-04-25T20:31:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina
Out in 56:51, back in 56:51.
Paddling Xplore.

Macclesfield Canal - 22nd April 2011

2011-04-25T20:29:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 57:35, back in 58:40.
Paddling Xplore.

The Skerries - 17th April 2011

2011-04-18T22:55:00.000+01:00

Finally made it out to the Skerries!

With a good forecast - little wind, with hopefully no swell - it seemed a shame to miss paddling on Sunday. Posting on the forum, only Trevor and I seemed interested in a paddle. He'd been thinking of going out to the Skerries, and I was keen because I'd never been out to them before.

Driving along the A55 along the N Wales coast, and on to Anglesey, the weather looked great. However turning off the main road in Valley we could see a fog bank just sitting in Holyhead bay, with Holyhead Mountain sticking its head above the mist. Trevor said we may be paddling on instruments... with the tides being just off springs and running up to 4 knots this got me slightly worried.

Luckily though when we launched the fog bank didn't extend as far north as Cemlyn Bay and we headed off in the sunshine. We set off 2 hours before the end of the ebb with the general plan of paddling in a N'rly direction and then letting the tide take us NW to position us to then paddle more directly to the Skerries.

Our route took us out N of the Victoria Bank marker and passed by Coal Rock. This put us in a good position to be swept in to the Skerries and we made the crossing in about an hour. Trevor clocked us at 15kph at times on his GPS.

We landed in the small harbour, had a snack and explored the island. Two workers were around the lighthouse. They were on the island to give the lighthouse and its surrounding buildings a new coat of paint. I can think of a worse job!

There is a well constructed footbridge to provide access to the NE tip of the island over a small zawn.

On the return we passed the small reef just off the Skerries E side that is only exposed on spring low tides.

The return paddle via West Mouse was uneventful - we had hoped for more bouncy conditions given the tidal stream. Perhaps we had set off too early in the flood. But it was still a great paddle.

The paddle back took just over 1.5 hours. Just under 18km paddled.

Macclesfield Canal - 10th April 2011

2011-04-16T21:59:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <> Higher Poynton Marina
Out in 59:02, back in just over 63. Loads of boat delays on the return.
Paddling the Xplore.

Ravenglass Seaquest - 3rd April 2011

2011-04-04T19:58:00.000+01:00

My original plan for this event was thwarted by the weather... or at least the weather forecast!

I had intended to enter with my son, Allen, paddling an Aleut double sea kayak. However Annette had to postpone the event 24 hours due to a poor weather forecast which meant the event clashed with an important football match for Allen. So in the end I paddled the Epic again as a single kayak.

The format of the event was as usual - collect as many orienteering control point "punches" as possible within 3 hours. Each control was worth 10, 20 or 30 points. Severe time penalties in the form of deducted points are incurred for coming in late. Unfortunately a couple of the planned controls couldn't be placed, so this shortened the course slightly on both the Irt and the Mite rivers. With high tide about 2/3rds of the way into the 3 hours this led to the plan of trying to get all the controls in the Irt and Mite first, then heading up the Esk hopefully around slack water, then returning with outgoing flow to finish.

The plan was executed pretty much as planned, apart from the fact that I was still suffering from a cold. Kate Duffus also had the same tactics and we were frequently punching controls at the same time. The only difference would be when I reached the bank near the control I would crawl out of my boat, cough a few times and stagger to the punch. Kate on the other hand was a lot more energetic!

In the end I got all the controls in a time of 2:46, with Kate just a minute behind me. Considering Kate was in a traditional style sea kayak (Cetus) compared to my racing kayak, this was an excellent result for her. She beat all the male paddlers in traditional boats...

I was 3rd single male, beaten by miles again by John Willacy and Chris McSweeney on a surf ski. John was feeling pretty full of energy still and volunteered to go around most of the course again to collect in the controls!

According to Kate we did 21km.

Thanks to Annette and Phil for putting this event on again, especially because Annette no longer lives in the area and came down from Scotland to organise it.

Scarborough to Filey - 26th March 2011

2011-03-30T18:30:00.003+01:00

We launched from Scarborough south beach, parking by the lifeboat station (expensive! £6 for 24 hours) with the intention of paddling to Filey and back again.

Leaving Scarborough in calm conditions

We were under way at 10am, and I paddled as part of a group of 6 who set off before the rest of the NWSK party who were still getting ready on the beach.

On the way south there was a fairly big swell coming in from the east giving breaking surf on the beaches and the reefs. About an hour into the paddle the coastguard gave a weather update over the VHF radio and the forecast had worsened to a F5 from the 3-4 that we were originally expecting.

The wind increased steadily from that point and the wind was coming from the S/SE and was against us. This slowed progress and also meant it felt a lot colder. Past Cayton Bay the sea state started to change as the surf was no longer dissipating its power on the reefs and beach, but was now hitting the cliffs and reflecting back out to where we were paddling (about 300-500m out from the shore). Combining this with the increasing wind blown waves from the south created confused conditions. Not too tricky, but starting to get frustrating to paddle through.

We ploughed on and eventually reached the end of the cliffs and prepared to round Filey Brigg. Filey Brigg is a reef/peninsular of rock that juts 1km out into Filey bay as an extension of the line of cliffs from the north.

By this time the tide was running against us, luckily only neaps, but there was still sufficient flow to generate a race on the E side of the Brigg. So... we now had the main swell coming from the east (and refracting around the Brigg), wind blown local wave action from the S/SE and then a tide race running from the SW. Not surprisingly, the passage around the Brigg was lively and exciting at times. It was slow progress because we were paddling against the current through the race.

We also had a relatively inexperienced paddler with us which meant we took a lot longer to get through the confused water than I liked. I also kept thinking of where they would end up if they swam... the paddler would be carried with the current NE back where we came from and their boat would most likely have been blown by the wind into the surf/impact zone on the reef. Good job they didn't fall in!

After rounding the Brigg and surfing into Filey beach we were greeted by Andy and Annie on the beach who had abandoned their paddle with the other group and come looking for people. This gave us the chance to get a lift back to Scarborough which we jumped at since we didn't fancy the return trip.

We were on the water for about 3 hours and paddled 15km.

The other group set off perhaps 30-45 minutes after us and when they reached the Brigg decided they didn't like the look of it and promptly turned back!

I wasn't feeling too good with a cold so I didn't paddle sunday, some of the others did launch from North Landing near Flamborough and went to see the Gannets on Crab Rocks.

North Landing

Macclesfield Canal - 20th March 2011

2011-03-20T12:59:00.000Z

Another session in the Aleut wih Allen. Paddled south this timecx through Macclesfield.

Cold wind curtailed going further, but we still did 10.9km in 1:36.

Macclesfield Canal - 17th March 2011

2011-03-19T08:07:00.000Z

Usual venue, but this time I was paddling a double sea kayak with Allen. We're planning to do the Ravenglass Seaquest in it and this was our first practice run. Actually paddling the boat is the easy part - being over 22 feet long and being very heavy, moving the boat around and getting it on and off the roofrack is a big challenge. Luckily we managed and with the help of my kayak trolley we got the boat back and forth between the canal and the car.

On the water the boat handled fine with me in the rear seat that also has the rudder control.

We paddled 11.9km in 1 hour 59 with a short stop at Lyme Green marina. Obviously Allen can't keep up race pace for a few hours, but I should be able to keep it moving myself.

Macclesfield Canal - 13th March 2011

2011-03-14T12:46:00.000Z

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina.

Back on the canal for a bit of "training". Not been out on the canal much over winter - it has either been frozen or I've had back problems.

Paddled the Xplore S, out in 58.33, then paddled back at a reasonable pace for the first half and then took it easy as I was getting tired and didn't want to over do it. Returned in 68 mins.

Lovely sunny day!

Bardsey - Day Two - 6th March 2011

2011-03-12T17:23:00.001Z

Day two of the Barsey trip.

Overnight the wind had got up, but the grey skies had also cleared and we awoke to a lovely sunny day. Before breakfast we walked up the island's hill - Mynydd Enlli - to survey the island and inspect our route home.

We packed up and said our goodbyes to Stephen, his family, and his sheepdogs. Richard again taking our bags down to the slipway for us.

We set off in slightly lumpy conditions, with confused waves going up the E side of the island. We then headed across the sound on a slight ferry glide as the ebb was starting to flow.

We reached the mainland just N of Carreg Ddu, and passed through the channel between it and the mainland. We were swept through, bouncing over some reasonable sized waves and headed out past Pen Y Cil on a wide sweep of Aberdaron bay. The bay contains a large eddy on the ebb, so we continued around to pass between Ynys Gwylan Fawr and Ynys Gwylan Fach and to a lunch stop at Porth Ysgo. After a brief stop we then returned to Aberdaron to finish.

The day's paddle proved to be fairly difficult for me because my boat was taking on a lot of water. By time we had crossed from Bardsey back to the mainland the cockpit had about 2 inches of water in it and this was making the boat difficult to handle. I didn't diagnose the problem on the day, but when sorting my gear out on monday, I found my spraydeck had 3 significant holes in. They seem to have been created by rubbing from my waist tow belt (that I wear with the buckle at the back, and the rope at the front). Combining this with the fact that my bouyancy aid is fairly long, it pushes the tow belt down and it may also have been pushing the spray deck against the fairly stiff back rest pad of the boat.

16.7km paddled. We left Bardsey around 11am, arriving back at Aberdaron about 3pm.

Bardsey - Day One - 5th March 2011

2011-03-12T17:04:00.000Z

First day of a weekend trip to Bardsey Island.

We launched from Porth Oer on the N Lleyn coast and set off into the increasing ebb tide that was draining out of Liverpool bay. The tide took us west towards Bardsey, but once near Bardsey sound we had to paddle in a W'ly direction to avoid being swept through the sound and into Cardigan bay. We should have left the mainland a bit earlier and headed out more into the flow as we only just made it across. Near spring tides were about 4 knots through the sound.

Once we made landfall on Bardsey we paddled around the W coast for a quick "comfort break" and food stop on the beach on the W side of the "waist" of Bardsey.

We then paddled around the S end of the island passing many seals, some of which came out to see what we were up to. We landed at the slipway on the E side to be greeted by Richard one of the island's wardens. He used the small truck to take our bags up to the cottage we were to stay in while we walked.

We stayed in one of the cottages on the island - 7 of us, but we also invited Stephen the farmer and his family plus Richard and his girlfriend to have dinner with us.

About 14km paddled. Launched from Porth Oer at 11:50, arrived at the slipway about 3pm.

Mawddach Estuary - 22nd January 2011

2011-01-24T19:56:00.003Z

Launched from the slipway at the southern end of Barmouth beach at 8am! With a high tide around 10am this meant we would be paddling with the incoming flood up the estuary.

We passed through the railway bridge and proceeded down the broad mouth of the estuary at a reasonable pace - GPS was reading between 9-11kph and that was with a bit of headwind.

We were soon down to the point where the estuary narrows and round to Penmaenpool. This time of year the pub and buildings here do not look as though they get any sun, and by this time we all seemed to be feeling the cold, so we proceeded through the main arch of the wooden bridge and on to the far bank for a snack in a sunnier location. There was a lot of frost on the ground still and frozen pools of water - not the best conditions to warm up cold feet!

After about 20 minutes of rest we paddled a bit further upstream before turning to make our way back with the now ebbing tide. The return was without incident (running out of water and grounding was the main hazard) and by time we reached the Barmouth rail bridge the flow was fast through the first three arches given some playful conditions to practice breaking in and out of the current.

We were off the water by about midday. Paddled as a group of 14 kayaks and one canoe. About 23km paddled.

Macclesfield Canal -16th January 2011

2011-01-18T19:53:00.000Z

Back on the canal now it has thawed... paddled the XploreS. 11.7km, 1:37 time. Not particularly pleasant in the rain, but I used the touring cag that I won at Oban which has a good hood. Good to be paddling again and testing my back out that has been bothering me a bit this winter (hurt it twice now sweeping snow off the drive).

Portland Harbour - 28th December 2010

2010-12-30T12:06:00.000Z

Launched at Castle Cove beach and paddled out through the N entrance to the harbour. Followed the breakwaters S to re-enter the harbour via the S entrance and straight back across the harbour back to Castle Cove.

On the water for 90 minutes, 10.1km paddled. Wind S3-4, about 4ft swell outside the breakwaters.

Weymouth Harbour - 25th December 2010

2010-12-30T12:02:00.001Z

Quick paddle on Christmas day morning to meet an old friend while providing support to the loonies that swim across Weymouth harbour in aid of charity.

It was nice to see Will Lawrence after nearly 30 years since we used to paddle together in the 70s!

Puffin Island - 14th November 2010

2010-11-20T21:35:00.002Z

Second day of the NWSK end of season meet. Although the wind had died down a fair bit, there was still plenty of swell on the W side of Anglesey, so most opted for the sheltered paddle around Puffin Island.

We launched from a beach just short of the toll collection point on the road to Trwyn Penmon and paddled out to the wreck that lies just off shore on a sandbank. At low tides you can actually paddle inside it, but the tide was not low enough today.

We headed out around Puffin anti-clockwise and on the SE side there were many seals and cormorants. The seals were in playful mood and following the boats pulling on toggles and showing a lot of interest in us.

As we rounded the NE end of the island the conditions were a lot rougher with waves of a couple of feet. The Xplore handled the conditions nicely and it was good to have a boat that felt responsive and that is a snug fit for me. The skies at this point were very dramatic with double rainbows and dark clouds.

We landed on the pebble beach just to the W of the lighthouse for a quick snack and then made our way back to the cars and stopped off in the excellent "Big Red Boat" coffee/ice cream shop for a cake and coffee.

Just over 8km paddled.

Moelfre to Point Lynas - 13th November 2010

2010-11-20T21:31:00.002Z

First day of the North West Sea Kayakers end of season meet, and also first day on salt water for the new boat!

The weather had been pretty wild the day before, but was calming down on the Saturday. We still opted to paddle on the more sheltered NE coast of Anglesey as the forecast was still up to F5 from the W. High tide was 3pm Liverpool, which meant the tide was flooding as we paddled north. In theory this should be against the tide, but the tide eddies around Point Lynas to create a N'erly flow.

The sun was shining and the conditions were quite pleasant in the shelter of the small cliffs on the outward leg.

In the more exposed bays the sidewind was noticeable and the Xplore had a tendency to luff towards the wind if the skeg was not deployed. This is normal handling characteristics for most boats, but it still seemed strange having to use correcting strokes or a bit of lean compared to using the rudder on the Epic.

We had a lunchtime stop a couple of kilometers short of Point Lynas, shuffling around on the rocks to keep in the sun as it moved behind the slope behind the beach.

Heading off again we made quick progress to Point Lynas and once around the tip we were exposed to rougher conditions with some confused swell of a couple of feet.

On the return paddle we rounded the small island of Ynys Dulas with it's tower and seal colony. By this time it had clouded over slightly giving dramatic cloud/light. The return paddle was against the tide and at times we were only making 2-3kph as a group.

Paddled as a group of 8 singles and one double. About 20km.

Macclesfield Canal - 7th November 2010

2010-11-08T20:33:00.000Z

Clarke Lane <-> Higher Poynton Marina.

I've been thinking about re-organising my "fleet" of boats, and when I noticed Knoydart were having a sale I jumped at the chance to buy a boat at a (slightly) discounted price!... so I'm now the proud owner of a Tiderace Xplore S. Just so happens that the colour is my usual - white hull and deck.

So I paddled the Xplore on the canal instead of the Epic and made the outward trip in 57:54... slower than the Epic as would be expected, but seems to be faster than the Capella. I hope that is the case, since that's one of the reasons I bought it. I've tried a number of boats in this class, but to me it seemed to have the best cockpit ergonomics for my short legs with a very positive feel as my knees fit comfortably under the thigh grips. Just need to see how it handles in rougher water at Anglesey next weekend.

The Capella is now for sale on a number of forums...

Macclesfield Canal - 31st October 2010

2010-10-31T13:34:00.000Z

Clarke Lane <-> Higher Poynton Marina.
Back on the canal after a bit of a break (still not quite finished the hall decorating!). Out in 57:14, back in 58:12. Longish boat delay on the way out and a fishing tournament at Adlington marina.
Will be nice to do something more exciting - should have gone to Northumberland for the Storm Gathering.

FSRT Course - 2nd October 2010

2010-10-03T11:22:00.000+01:00

Day long course called "Foundation Safety and Rescue Course" that is a pre-requisite for starting any BCU coaching qualifications. The course was run by Mark Finch from the MADCC and held at Brereton Lake.

The course covered a range of topics from equipment, use of throw bags, towing techniques and finally rescues of different boat types. I've performed rescues a number of times from sea kayaks and earlier in my canoeing career from the older style "slalom kayaks", but it was interesting to handle open canadians and small plastic play boats. The latter were particularly troublesome to re-enter once emptied due to the lack of buoyancy in the rear - a tactic of climbing in over the rescuer's boat seemed to work better than the "heel hook" style of re-entry.

Macclesfield Canal - 25th September 2010

2010-09-25T19:56:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 54:34, didn't feel that energetic, so had a couple of rests on the way back to take photos and admire the scenery... very nice autumnal sunshine, but pretty cool.

Chester 2 Marathon - 19th September 2010

2010-09-25T19:53:00.001+01:00

Took part in my first BCU marathon at Chester. As a new starter in the discipline I had to race in Division 9 over the shorter distance of 4 miles (hardly a marathon!). I paddled the Epic sea kayak, which being 18ft long is not strictly legal, though I doubt it is faster than the 17ft K1 racing kayaks.

I won my race fairly easily, so hopefully I'll get ranked in a higher division for next time. I'll also need to paddle a proper K1, so I'll need to borrow one off of the Macc CC.

Update 3/10/10 - Time was 37:29, and I've been promoted to Div 7. Same time would have placed me 2nd in Div 8, and 3rd in Div 7.

Fleetwood Seaquest - 11th September 2010

2010-09-11T21:39:00.001+01:00

With the highest tide of the year and the forecast being a bit windy, the organisers were forced to shorten the event from its normal 22km down to 15km and keep the race within the confines of the Wyre estuary. This missed out the mass beach start and the entertaining crossing of the harbour mouth which was a bit of a shame. Hopefully this isn't a permanent change, although the new base at the River Wyre Country Park was an excellent venue.

Event base at River Wyre Country Park

The revised course involved visiting eight orienteering type controls and punching the supplied map/scorecard. The controls had to be visited in a set order which limits any real route choice.

The new event base precluded a "Le Mans" type start, so the boats were massed in a side channel and set off with a horn blast. Heading N up the W bank against the incoming tide, John Willacy quickly established a small lead that, as we expected, he extended throughout the race. Glen Parry settled into 2nd place on his racing surf ski (the more tippy one of the two he owns). I was paddling with Ned Price and Kate Duffus for a while but by the first check point had managed to pull slightly ahead of these two.

Preparing to Launch

The second checkpoint involved crossing the estuary which meant a large ferry glide across the incoming current. Not sure if I took the best line as John W and Glen seemed to get further away - they crossed over to the other side more directly before working up the E bank to the checkpoint. I took a more direct line, but this may have involved staying in the incoming current for longer.

The 3rd checkpoint was quite a way down the E bank now, and this proved a bit of a slog. We didn't swing far out into the estuary and stayed down the E side. This meant we most likely didn't benefit much from the incoming tide, but it would have involved quite a wide track to pick up what was left of the incoming flood.

Continuing on through the next checkpoints Ned was never far behind me which gave me the incentive to keep working hard. By the S end of the race and the turning point at the bridge, Ned was about 50m behind me. I managed to maintain the difference through the remaining checkpoints and finished in a time of 1:42, 12 minutes behind John W. and a few minutes behind Glen. Reasonably pleased with the result, but it's still more down to the boat rather than me.

Lady winner - Pascale Eichenmuller

2nd Lady - Kate Duffus running to hand in control card

After the race had a quick paddle in a P&H Cetus MV which seemed quite fast, though the seat/thigh grip location didn't seem that comfortable.

Jim Wallis

Post race refreshments consisted of Lancashire Hot Pot with mushy peas followed by chocolate cake! Very tasty. My 3rd place won a £10 Brookbank gift voucher. Not quite as lucrative as last week, but nice to be in the prizes. All in all another excellent event.

Oban Sea Kayak Race - 4th September 2010

2010-09-06T22:18:00.000+01:00

This was the first running of this race, a circumnavigation of the island of Kerrera. I've never paddled in this area before, so it was a good excuse to visit Oban and enter the race.


Fine weather prerace

His and Hers Rockpool Tarans (the pinkish one is his!)

The event was based from the Kilbowie outdoor centre, just outside Oban. The centre provided parking, launching and toilets for the race and a number camped for one or two nights in the centre's grounds (including me). Registration and boat/kit checks took place from 11am till noon in pleasant sunshine, then the fleet launched and made its way en-masse down to the Oban harbour a couple of kilometers away. Once on the town beach we had an hour to kill before the race started, the reason for this being that we had to wait for a ferry to dock and subsequently depart but it also gave an opportunity for some publicity of the event with loads of kayaks sitting on the beach with a pipe band to entertain the tourists. The organisers had only decided to put on the race a couple of months beforehand and in the end 54 paddlers lined up for the start which made a spectacular site in the harbour.

Fleet makes it way to the start

Landing on Oban town beach

Waiting for the ferry to depart

The race started at 2:15 and we headed off down the Sound of Kerrara. John Willacy soon hit the front and stayed there for the whole race, gradually getting completely out of site. I managed to keep the boat moving fairly well as we battled some squalls and may be a little wind against tide effects that caused some bouncy conditions down the Sound. I rounded the SE tip in second place and managed to surf a bit as I made my way across to the Bach Island channel. GPS reading seemed to peak around 12kph.

Once round on the W side of the island conditions eased up a bit and it was possible to get more into a rythym. I maintained second position through till the fish farm just short of the N end of the island, but I was starting to tire and I was overtaken by local lad, Jon Warwick. I couldn't catch him back up but he provided some motivation to keep working hard and making sure I didn't lose any more places. I eventually finished in a time of 2:13 in third place, but importantly first over 50!...which meant I won the senior prize. One advantage of turning 50 this summer...

Glen Parry running to hand his number in

Putting it in perspective, John Willacy had finished in a time of 1:55... so still out in a different league. His partner, Pascal finished first lady, so their trip up from Anglesey proved well worth while and meant they were busy in the prize giving.

After the event we congregated back at the Kilbowie centre. The weather had deteriorated a bit by this time, so the centre very kindly opened up a lounge and area where we could eat our burgers and have the prize giving. The prizes were superb - main category winners could choose between cags, bouyancy aid, or boots then there were cash, books, dvds for other categories/lower positions. John Willacy gets his name as the first winner on the silver cup that will be presented as a perpetual trophy.

So thanks to the organisers - Gus and Mark - plus all the helpers. Thanks to the Kilbowie centre for use of its facilities and finally thanks to the sponsors for the generous prizes!... hope to be back again if they run it next year.

Annette Morris (2nd Open Lady)

Phil Cheek sprinting for the finish

Portland Harbour and the Fleet - 29th August 2010

2010-08-30T16:47:00.000+01:00

Quick jaunt from Castle Cove across to the fleet and up to the bridging camp. On the water for an hour, GPS measured 7.8km. Strange paddling up the fleet against a strong wind - progress felt slow, but GPS was reading 10-11kph - showing the strength of the incoming tide. Once turned around it was necessary to stick to the sides to miss the main flow.

Macclesfield Canal - 20th August 2010

2010-08-23T15:21:00.000+01:00

Back to the usual training paddle - Clark Lane <-> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 52.18, back in 57. Fast paddle out, but a bit of wind assistance that combined with being a bit tired from the Eddystone slowed the return.

Eddystone Challenge - August 14th 2010

2010-08-15T21:15:00.000+01:00

Back again to try and complete this in better style than last time! I paddled through out with Glen Parry my "buddy" from last year.

Weather forecast wasn't ideal (N F4-5) but conditions were fairly calm and the organisers went for it. (The bad weather alternative is a 10 mile race up the Tamar and around the harbour).

A gig makes ready

Glen ready to make his way to the start

John Willacy

We started at noon and with a light wind on our backs and a small swell generally in our favour we made good progress out to the lighthouse, reaching the light in 2:20 - compared to last year's time of 3:10. A much easier paddle than last time, with the GPS reading 10-11 kph.

Approaching the light

Glen (far right) rounding the light

Conditions were still pretty good as we approached the light but we encountered choppy waves immediately as we headed back due to tidal action around the rocks (small overfall/tide race). Another paddler took a wider route around the light and made up time on us.

Looking back towards the distant mainland the weather looked varied - sunshine in places but heavy rain was also visible. Conditions deteriorated with the wind getting up (maybe NW F4-5?) with choppy swell and small waves coming on to us from the left. Adding to that the occasional squall of heavy rain made the return paddle a real slog. GPS was reading around 5kph most of time, at times just over 6kph in the more friendly swell and down to about 2kph in the heavy squalls.

Once about 5k out from the harbour breakwater the land started to shield us from the worst of the weather and we managed to pick up speed slightly and maintain a decent rhythm and by the time we reached the inner harbour Glen and I were paddling at 9-10kph to try and ensure we made it back in under 6 hours. We finally crossed the line in a time of 5:55. Not too bad, but considering John Willacy went around in 4:39 (TBC) it's obvious we're not in the same league. GPS trip reckoned the route was 45km.

Knackered!

It was slightly easier to eat and drink this time, so I felt a bit better. Still should have eaten more beforehand - toast and special K for breakfast should have been complemented with something more substantial before the race - bacon butty from the race BBQ and/or banana perhaps. On the water I ate 2 chewy bars, several jelly babies and a chopped up double decker. As well as 1 litre in a bladder, I had 500ml of water with electrolyte added.

Bridgewater Canal - 7th August 2010

2010-08-08T15:27:00.003+01:00

Back on the canals... but a different one this time. Jim from the NWSK needed to pick up a new boat from the P&H shop in Runcorn, so he wanted to paddle it back to Manchester via the Bridgewater Canal.

Jim unwraps his new toy

So after a good look around the shop and sitting in another boat (the prototype Delphin), at 10am we launched Jim's new Cetus MV and along with Sean we headed off towards Manchester.

Don't look away Jim!

Very civilised - ice cream stop just after 11am, sausage and chips in Lymm for lunch and a pint at the Barn Owl Inn mid afternoon.

Fish and Chips in Lymm

Jim's brother Chris paddled out from Manchester and met us at Lymm just in time for lunch.

We arrived in Stretford around 4.30pm after 32km of paddling.

Rhoscolyn - 3rd August 2010

2010-08-06T20:48:00.006+01:00

Family trip to the beach, but we took a couple of boats with us. Had a paddle round the bay with Gavin laying on my back deck and Allen paddling the Rotobat.

Back on the beach I got both boys to fall out of the Rotobat, and I took them through how I would rescue them.

Had a quick paddle around Rhoscolyn Beacon by myself a bit later.

Church Bay to Cemaes Bay - 1st August 2010

2010-08-06T20:45:00.003+01:00

Met up with Will, Mary, Brian and Dave from the NWSK for a day trip from Church Bay round Carmel Head and on to the N coast of Anglesey.

Set off from Church Bay with Mary and Dave just after 11am and quickly joined the flood tide with bouncy conditions through the skerries off Ynys Y Fydlyn and on to Carmel Head. Peak GPS reading was 13kph. About 2-3 ft waves in places with the tide running against the NW 2-3 wind. The Skerries lighthouse looked very tempting, and the Skerries were in view pretty much throughout the trip.

Stopped for a snack and to wait for Will and Brian (who was delayed) at a beach just before Harry Furlough's Rocks/Trwyn Cemlyn. Once we were all together we carried on rock hopping our way round to Cemaes Bay and stopped for a late lunch and to wait for the tide to turn (HT 3.20pm).

Dave had hurt his back doing a support stroke, so he didn't want to go any further and we were planning to pick him up later, but luckily another paddler we knew entered the bay and we arranged for him to take Dave back to his car at Church Bay.

On the return trip we didn't really benefit from the ebb tide until Harry Furlough's Rocks where there was a small race and a few waves to play in. The sun had come out for a while and we stopped for a final rest at the lovely Hen Borth before making our way around quickly with the tide around Carmel Head back to Church Bay to land around 7pm.

Total distance around 31km.

Macclesfield Canal - 26th July 2010

2010-08-03T22:02:00.000+01:00

Launched at Clarke Lane, paddled down to Bosley Locks, back to Clarke Lane, then on to Higher Poynton Marina. Quick snack in the cafe and back to Clarke Lane. Just over 40km. Just under 5 hours paddling.

Macclesfield Canal - 19th July 2010

2010-07-20T09:43:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 54.24, paddled at training pace for 44 minutes back to meet Macc Canoe Club at Clarence Mill and stopped for a chat.

Brereton Lake - 15th July 2010

2010-07-20T09:41:00.001+01:00

"Come and try it" session at Brereton with Brookbank bringing loads of boats to demo (no real sea kayaks though). I think the most comfortable/best fit for me was a Dagger GT 7.8.... need to look out for one second hand. I tried a couple of "play" boats - one of which I could only just fit in and some "creek" boats that seemed very wide and volumous. If I get a river boat I think it will be the general purpose type such as the GT or the Pyranha Inazone.

Macclesfield Canal - 10th July 2010

2010-07-11T10:52:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton, plus continuation towards Macclesfield for about a mile.
Out in 55.47 with a couple of boat delays, back in 57.34, again a couple of boat delays. Carried on for another mile beyond Clarke Lane on the return, before turning back and returning at a leisurely pace. Last paddle of my forties!... not really doing enough distance/time on the water to prepare for the Eddystone race.

Macclesfield Canal - 4th July 2010

2010-07-04T22:45:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina. Out in 53.28, back in around 60... a few boat delays and a bit blustery on the way back so eased off for the last mile.

Macclesfield Canal - 3rd July 2010

2010-07-03T22:08:00.002+01:00

Usual training route, Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina, but this time I was accompanied by Allen. He was paddling my Capella, and much to my surprise he managed the 10+ mile round trip with ease.

Took us about 1hr 35 min on the outbound leg, a few boat delays en route either with oncoming traffic or when we were overtaking barges. Stopped for an ice cream and drink at the canal shop at the Higher Poynton Marina.

On the return leg we took 1hr 30min, so it was great that Allen kept up a steady pace for the whole trip. He says he wasn't even that tired at the end.

Macclesfield Canal - 24th June 2010

2010-06-24T22:39:00.000+01:00

Back to the routine...

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina. Out in 55.10, back in 56.09. Didn't feel that fast, also not sure about the footrest position after playing about with it at the weekend.

Borthwen to Ynys Meibion, Cable Bay, Rhosneigr and back - 20th June 2010

2010-06-24T13:09:00.001+01:00

Second day of the NWSK summer meet.

Launched from Borthwen again (nice not to have to move the car all weekend!). While waiting for the group to get their act together I went for a quick spin around Rhoscolyn Beacon where there were a few seals.

Seal on Rhoscolyn Beacon

Once massed, 15 of us set off rockhopping towards Silver bay. Bit pedestrian for my liking so I struck off S by myself across the bay to Ynys Meibion (the headland by the Rhosneigr Race Circuit). Quick rest in the bay on the south side, then I headed back to Cable Bay to see if I could find the others. They weren't there, so I had my lunch and continued back towards Rhoscolyn.

Out in the bay by Rhosneigr I spotted a group of kayakers inshore, and just as I thought I might call them on the radio I received an incoming call from Kev inviting me for ice cream at Rhosneiger. So I paddled into the shore and met up with the rest of the group again.

Ice cream stop at Rhosneigr

We paddled back to the rocks to the E of Rhoscolyn and played about in them for a while. Bit limited paddling the Epic, and perhaps a good idea since Jim K had a swim after an encounter with a wave/stopper in a gully.

On returning to the beach did a few rolls and we generally messed about in the pleasant sunshine. Conditions were sunny with about a N F3 wind that died out by late afternoon. About 28km paddled.

The crossing of the bay from Silver Bay to Ynys Meibion was slightly frustrating as the following sea made it a bit difficult to keep the boat straight. I still think the Epic rudder does not have enough bite, and it would have been really interesting to paddle the Taran in these conditions - its more aggressive and positive rudder would have been much better I think.

Borthwen to Porth-y-Garan - 19th June 2010

2010-06-24T12:52:00.001+01:00

First day of the NWSK summer meet based at Outdoor Alternative on Anglesey.

Leaving Borthwen

Paddled out from Borthwen and rock hopped our way around to Porth-y-Garan for lunch. Returned via the islands/reefs of Rhoscolyn Beacon back to the beach. Some tidal action around the Beacon on the flooding tide. Sunny with N F3 wind giving slight seas and a bit more concentrated around the headlands. Paddled the Epic.

Lunch at Porth-y-Garan

Once back on the beach I tried out a couple of demo boats that were kindly arranged for us through Danny at Desperate Measures. The Rockpool GT seemed a nice tourer, still fairly manoeuvrable with leaning. Not so sure about the seat/thigh grip arrangement, but most likely would need to spend more time setting up seat/footrest position (both movable).

Next I had a go in the Rockpool Taran prototype. Very interested in this boat because it is the closest to my Epic. Definitely turns easier - 3 reasons why - more positive rudder, flat mid-section on the hull and more rocker. Didn't feel quite as fast as the Epic in flat conditions. Seat and thigh grips definitely more positive and would give a lot more confidence when conditions get rougher. Seat and cockpit do not lend themselves to K1 style paddling so well either. So all in all, pretty much what would be expected. Would have liked to try it out on Sunday (see next post). The smarttrack rudder and footrest pedals are far more responsive than the arrangement in the Epic. I talked to Pete from Valley about retro-fitting one to the Epic and it seems feasible - I believe this is what Freya did on her Australia circumnavigation Epic.

Finally had a go in the North Shore Atlantic LV (formerly the Shoreline). Nice little boat - positive and comfortable seat/thigh arrangement. Would definitely consider as a day boat if I needed one.

Skerries

Macclesfield Canal - 11th June 2010

2010-06-15T11:46:00.000+01:00

Decided to have a bit of a change and paddled in the other direction... Clarke Lane <> Bridge 50... about 12.2 mile round trip, out in 63, back in 65 minutes. Couple of interesting low swing bridges to duck under. Didn't realise it, but I turned around just short of the Bosley locks.

Macclesfield Canal - 6th June 2010

2010-06-06T22:05:00.001+01:00

Usual training paddle, Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 56.20, back in 59. Lot's of boat delays.
Be nice to get on some salt water again...

Macclesfield Canal - 30th May 2010

2010-06-05T14:13:00.000+01:00

Training paddle Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina.
Out in 54:51, back in 56:00. Not feeling that lively, pretty windy.

Macclesfield Canal - 22nd May 2010

2010-05-27T12:32:00.000+01:00

Decided to do a slightly longer paddle, but didn't feel like pushing too hard since it was hot. Launched as usual at Clarke Lane, but by time I got to Higher Poynton I was quite thirsty - luckily I had some money in my waterproof cay key holder, so I bought some water and a chocolate bar from the canal side shop and sat for 5 minutes before carrying on to the A6 junction. Turned around and paddled back at a steady pace. On the water for about 2hr 40min. Lots of barge traffic, and there seems to be a large number of herons on the canal this year - must have seen at least 3 different birds. Not seen any kingfishers yet this year - I hope the cold winter did not wipe them out.

Macclesfield Canal - 18th May 2010

2010-05-18T22:26:00.000+01:00

Training paddle Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina.
Very pleasant in the evening sunshine combined with a bit of warmth for a change!...
Out in 52.28, back in 53:58. (new PB for the outbound leg, and most likely best aggregate too)

Conwy Ascent - 15th May 2010

2010-05-18T22:23:00.000+01:00

Annual race up the river Conwy from the Beacons to Dolgarrog on the incoming tide. Finished 4th overall in the singles, 1st sea kayak in a time of 1:08:30. Nearly a couple of minutes slower than last year, but I think this was because the guy in front was quite a way ahead and I no one to chase or push me along. I didn't realise that Glen was bearing down on me though and he finished 7 seconds behind me. He had a poor start, so if we had set off together it might have been more interesting.

Paddled back once the tide turned and took a leisurely couple of hours in the pleasant sunshine.

Macclesfield Canal - 7th May 2010

2010-05-09T09:11:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina
Out in 54:58, back in 55:30.
Felt a bit tired!... was going to paddle again on Sunday but I think I'll rest so I'm fresh for the Conwy Ascent on Saturday. May be helping out with a cubs group on Tuesday night too.

Macclesfield Canal - 2nd May 2010

2010-05-03T20:09:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina
Out in 55.10, back in 53.40. Headwind on the way out explains the reverse split. No major barge delays.

Macclesfield Canal - 25th April 2010

2010-04-25T18:12:00.000+01:00

Clarke Lane <=> Higher Poynton Marina
Quote a lot of boat traffic, but seemed to avoid passing barges at bridges, apart from one delay on the return. Out in 55.40, back in 54.40. Nice to feel fairly strong on the return leg and put in a good time.

Ravenglass Seaquest - 17th April 2010

2010-04-24T18:23:00.001+01:00

My 3rd Ravenglass Seaquest took place in very nice sunshine and very little wind. Annette and Phil made the course slightly longer this year and with the high tide they predicted that no-one would clear the course getting all the controls... however I managed it along with John Willacy and a couple of K2 teams. I got around with 4 minutes to spare in 2h 56m, but John W was well ahead of me and cleared the course in a time of 2h 39m. So I was the second male K1 - same as position as last year! It was pleasing to clear the course, the first time I've managed to get all the controls in the 3 hours allowed.

John W was paddling the prototype Taran boat from Rockpool. John has designed this boat as a fast 18ft touring kayak - not quite as full on racing style as my Epic 18X, but more of a fast boat that can be handled by most people in a range of conditions. It has slightly more hull rocker than the Epic and a bit of a flat section on the hull that gives it a little more stability compared to a racing hull that is U in cross section. It will be interesting to see the production versions - possibly a more "rounded" boat for me?...

Conwy - Puffin Island - Great Orme - 10th April 2010

2010-04-11T11:31:00.002+01:00

Paddle with the NWSK (12 boats in all) starting from Conwy (the Beacons car park) across to Puffin Island, lunch at the cafe at Trwyn Penmon, across to Great Orme then back to Conwy.

Little or no wind, sea either mirror calm or small waves in the vicinity of the NE tip of Puffin Island due to tide.

Set off around 10am taking a couple of hours to get to Trwyn Penmon. Did a quick time trial in the Epic reaching 13.4 kph in one direction, 11.8 in the other (average 12.6 kph).

Kate and Sean give his daughter a camera lesson

Trwyn Penmon lighthouse

Trywyn Penmon beach

One for the BBQ?

After leisurely lunch spent in the warm spring sunshine and a session watching the seals on Puffin, we paddled across to Great Orme. Kate and I set off at a reasonable pace and we were joined by Glen. The three of us left the main group behind and eventually we separated as I pushed on to the Orme. Paddled at reasonable pace all the way across and was joined by Glen then Kate and Jules as I waited by the Orme. Kev and Jill eventually met up with us, but all the remainder of the group headed back direct to Conwy.

Great Orme

Kev and Glen visited the cave on the Orme that has a carved alter in it (as featured on the Coast program). I decided not to join them since the landing involved beaching on barnacles!

Returned to Conwy dodging sandbanks and scraping the rudder a few times. Off the water around 6pm. Estimated distance: 21 miles.

Hazy early evening view towards Penmaenmawr

Kate paddles into the sunset