A blustery Paddle from Cemaes

The weather forecast promised that Saturday would be the best of the weekend, so five hardy members of NWSK set off from Cemaes bay to blow the cobwebs away. It was another chance for me to get to grips with my new camera. I've mounted it on my front deck so all pictures are going to include a triangle of boat complete with spare paddle. I'm also trying out a new paddle holder from Reed. Normally I carry my splits on the back deck of my boat but a few problems recently have led me to experiment with them on the front deck. At least I can see if they are coming loose.
Here we are waiting for Jimski to get launched.

 As we head out of Cemaes bay the camera captures this insignificant little splash. Not desperately exciting but I just like the picture. I'm hoping for better things in the future but it's fun to find out what the camera can do.

 Rounding the corner out of Cemaes bay the island of Middle Mouse came into view. As a group we had opted for a more challenging trip and the sight of an island sitting in the middle of a tide race was more than we could resist. We made the short hop across to middle mouse, then misjudged the speed of the flow and ended up missing the upstream end of the island and had to about-turn and make for the eddy downstream. Unfortunately as usual the picture doesn't do justice to the water conditions.

Another picture with water on the lens but I couldn't resist this narrow gully.

  

In all we paddled about 20km from Cemaes Bay, to Middle Mouse and on to Bull Bay for lunch before returning by a more direct route to Cemaes. As we approached Bull Bay were became aware of a mayday call from a small boat at a location very close to ours. Visibility was pretty poor and we were unable to see the boat in question. Fortunately another group of kayakers were able to relay VHF messages between the boat and coastguard and provide information regarding the boats location. This was another great example of the value of carrying a VHF and informing the coastguard of intended whereabouts. As we left Bull Bay we saw the conclusion of a successful lifeboat rescue as the small boat and crew were brought ashore.

Our trip ended with a blast into wind of about force 6 as we turned the corner into Cemaes bay. It felt good to have managed an exciting trip in blustery conditions.

Great Orme at Night

 Having suffered the frustration of traffic queues on the A55 knowing that Jimski and the others were already on the beach, it was a relief to unload, kit up and get afloat. This is the launch, into calm sea on a lovely evening with the prospect of a good sunset. It was also the first outing for my new GoPro camera.

As the camera lens gathered droplets of water we made easy progress towards the imposing cliffs of the Orme.

Cruising along under the cliffs the sea took on a glassy surface as the sun sank lower and daylight faded.

Darker still and the moon makes an appearance.

We paddled just 9km, starting from the prom in Llandudno, paddling directly out to the cliffs of the Orme to a point just short of the tip of the peninsula. The return journey was much closer inshore with the bright lights of Llandudno reflecting in the water. It is lovely to paddle at night and this trip, though short was a lot of fun and a good way to start the weekend.

Windermere Summer Solstice Race

It was supposed to be summer. It didn't feel like summer as we readied ourselves for the race- the longest lake on the longest day. The forecast was for south westerly force 4 wind all day with gusts up to force 6 and that is exactly what we got.
Here I am trying not to embarass myself at before I even get to the start line. It's a wobbly boat that I've been in just four times before, and always in very calm conditions.

Getting to the start line wasn't too bad. Trying not to fall in while we waited for the race to start was a bit more of a problem.

Here I am underway. This bit of lake doesn't look too choppy.

 That soon changed. Just look at the sailing boats. I am keeping very close to the shore as I am never quite certain that I am not going to fall out of my boat.

Another picture which just about shows how windy it was.

Just about to cross the finish line. I am exhausted. Partly because I have just paddled 17km in a race and partly because of the amounts of energy I expended just keeping the boat upright. It was a relief to finish in a time of 2hrs 3 minutes. This placed me 12th overall.

Windermere Challenge 2

The map says it all really. This was another attempt by David to run the length of Windermere faster than I could paddle it. We started at Waterhead at the north end of the lake and finished at the road bridge at Newby Bridge. His route is a bit longer than mine and includes a few hilly bits. Although the margin was smaller I still beat him in a time of 2hrs 11 minutes. He did it in 2 hrs 17 minutes.

Coquet Island Race 2013

The sun shone as paddlers descended on the Braid country park in the Northumberland town of Amble. The race is a five mile route down the river, out through the harbour and round Coquet Island.

Here paddlers are assembling before the start. Conditions are about perfect and the seals and terns are ready and waiting to ambush us in the vicinity of the island.

This is where we went.

I couldn't take pictures during the event, but this is the prizegiving afterwards. I won the women's prize but I think I'm going to have to do a bit more training before next time as there wasn't much gap between first and second.

last Day in Kefalonia

On our final paddling day we set off from our campsite near Fiskardo to paddle to the island of Ithaka. The crossing was about 2 miles in calm conditions. Once across we explored the rocky coastline of the north of the island. I didn't take many pictures. Here we are having lunch, unusually our only lunch break of the day.

Some of the hardier members of the group tried to learn how to fly.

It looked lovely but the water was still pretty cold. Once the swimming was done, we made our way back to Fiskardo where we were met by Pavlos' (our local guide) wife ready for the spectacular drive back to our base.

Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium

Saturday dawned bright and sunny, which shouldn't have been a surprise as it's always sunny on Skye. About 250 paddlers took to the water, this group looking at forward paddling technique.

 Gordon's fun and games session was a fantastic way of developing balance in or on the boat.

Greenland style paddling skills and rolling were popular sessions.

As was rescue practice.



More rolling practice.



Last session of the main event and it's all starting to get quite relaxed.

Here's a picture of my new stealth boat.

And here's a big group of paddlers enjoying the trip between Kyleakin and Plockton, with the Cuillin in the background.

Near Tarskavaig we saw otters, there were two but one swam off before I could get a picture.

Then at the deserted village of Boreraig were found an adder in the grass.

Nearby are several amonite imprints.



Here's the stunning view as we paddled into Coruisk from Elgol.

Impossibly calm conditions as we came in to land on the island of Soay.

The main event was three days followed by four days of guided journeys. 250 paddlers were involved and it was fantastic to see so many people out on the water together.