Menai Straits - 27th October 2013

With the open sea being pretty wild, we opted to take cover in the Menai Straits for a short paddle between the two road bridges.

We launched at the slipway in Menai Bridge and headed off SW against the incoming tide and strong wind. We punched up through the fast flow under the arches of the Menai Bridge and picked our way up the Anglesey side keeping to eddies to allow us to make headway "upstream".

We had lunch in the woods just before the Britannia Bridge and once back on the water I hugged the bank and forced my way up against the flow and now very strong gusts to go through the bridge and around its central pillar. I rejoined Rachael and Jim and we headed back "downstream" playing about in the eddies breaking in and out of the flow.

Jim was due to be taking his 4* assessment this weekend, but it was cancelled due to the weather, but Rachael decided he could do with some rescue practice and threw herself in accordingly. With Rachael now rather cold we headed back to the slipway.

On the water for about 2 hours, just over 5km paddled.

Trearddur Bay - 26th October 2013

Because a planned trip to Bardsey was cancelled the week before due to bad weather, I decided to join up with the NWSK meet on Anglesey. Unfortunately, the forecast for this weekend was even worse, so everyone had dropped out for one reason or another, so it was just Jim, Rachael and I who stayed at Anglesey Outdoor for the weekend.

On the Saturday, with a S-SW force 5 to 6, then gale 8 forecast, we decided we'd opt to play in the surf of Trearddur Bay. The bay gives some protection from the wind on its southern side and the reefs in the mouth of the bay take some of the energy out of the waves, leaving manageable sets for us to surf.

We arrived about an hour after low tide and there wasn't much in the way of surf on the beach, but as is the case with a number of surf beaches, the surf builds on the incoming tide such that by time we got on the water there were some small waves big enough to surf on.

It wasn't long before bigger sets of about 2 foot were coming in giving some fun rides and a good introduction to surf for Rachael. We had lunch on the north side of the beach, sheltering in the lee of the public slipway. We re-launched and paddled across the bay in very strong headwinds to the mouth of the bay where there was another group surfing the bigger waves. A quick hello was followed by a surf back to the beach and some more rides on the beach break that must have been about 3 foot by now and fairly entertaining.

On the water for about 2 hours.

Macclesfield Canal - 13th October 2013

Clarke Lane <> Bridge 21
There and back to my usual halfway point - back/hip have been playing up a bit so didn't push it.
60 minute round trip.