The photos below say it all really. Andy and I arranged to meet at 10:00 am at Cable Bay (Porth Trecastell in Welsh). Setting off from home at 6:00 am it was a chilly -2 C. The temperature didn't change much on the trip to Anglesey. Needless to say it was pretty cold.
On the water we rock hopped for a bit and did some research on good places to camp later in the year. This section of coast would make for a good overnight trip.
With the winter sun being fairly low in the clear blue sky, it did mean much of the paddling was into the sun. Unfortunately I left my peaked cap in the car, so it often meant I was paddling, squinting into the sun. Andy was sensible and donned his cap.
In the sun it was quite warm and both of us were getting boiled in the bag, having too many layers under our dry suits.
As we approached Llanddwyn Island, weird things were happening to the currents. At one point it felt as though I was ferrying to maintain my transit, first to the left and then moments later, to the right. It also felt a huge slog. Looking at the GPS speeds afterwards we were actually going fairly quickly!
At Llanddwyn Island we lunched, had a brew and got chatting to a chap who was photographing the rocks. He liked rocks! He really like rocks! Leaving him to his thing, we did a quick tour of the lighthouse buildings before setting off back to Cable.
Arriving back at Cable Bay the sun was now setting. The sunset was superb, but as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, it got very cold. So cold in fact, our hands were getting quite numb and painful just getting changed and loading the boats.
Then on the way to Anglesey Outdoors, where we were planning on camping the night, my car started making funny noises. When I stopped at Anglesey Outdoors I felt the nearside wheel. It was very hot! Seems the brake caliper had stuck on. I left it for a bit and then drove to Mickey D's in Holyhead, where I could get a phone signal to call the breakdown people. At least at McD's the breakdown people would be able to find me.
Typically, no sooner had I bitten into my Big Mac the mechanic arrived. We went for a spin to Morrisons and back. At Morrisons the juddering was so bad, there was some doubt we would make it back to McD's. When the mechanic jacked the car up to see if he could spin the wheel he was convinced I still had the car in gear. It wasn't. It was lucky it hadn't caught fire. So there was nothing for it, they were going to recover me all the way home. I got home around midnight.
Despite the car breakdown, what a fantastic day. The first sea paddle of the year too for me. A sign of good things to come in 2017.
Thanks for the great company Andy and sorry for leaving you at Anglesey Outdoors.
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