NWSK Start of Season Meet - Holy Island

I haven't yet come to terms with the idea of a start and end of the paddling season, but a weekend in a bunkhouse on Anglesey is too good to miss, especially when there will be thirty other paddlers there along with more pizza than we could possibly eat (thanks Kev).

On Saturday the forecast was for NW force 4, and the tide was such that an anticlockwise circumnavigation of Holy Island was possible with an early morning launch just a few hundred metres from base. Jimski, Barry, Glen, Jean and I trolleyed our boats to Borthwen beach and were soon heading off at a brisk pace up the Cymran Straight towards Four Mile Bridge. After a quick change of woolly hat after a near falling-in I managed to snap a few pictures of birds in the Inland sea.

At Stanley Embankment we were forced to stop for a second breakfast while waiting for the tide to stop flowing in, or alternatively a bit of play time.

Once in Holyhead Harbour, a quick radio call confirmed we were unlikely to be run over by a Sea Cat ferry. Still, we stuck close together to give boats a good chance of seeing us and made our way rapidly towards the relative safety of the open sea and the conveyor belt that leads to North Stack. Owing to HW in the Inland Sea being an hour after HW Holyhead, and North Stack begining to build up an hour before HW Holyhead, it was in fine form as we reached it. A moderate north westerly wind may have added to the fun too.




After all the fun of the race we were in need of another food break, and where else but Parliament Cave. Entertainment was provided by a group of climbers abseiling in, in preparation for a gravity defying ascent of cliffs to the north.

After relaunch it was a mixture of rockhopping, and short-cuts across bays until a group of tired paddlers made it back to Borthwen and copious cups of tea at the bunkhouse.

Thanks to Glen, Jean, Jim and Barry for a fun day out.