2016-10-28 Rhosneigr to Rhoscolyn and back

End of a good days paddle at Rhosneigr

As this was a solo paddle I called up the coast guard on my new DSC VHF radio [Standard Horizon HX870] . This was the first time I had actually called the coast guard using dsc to provide trip details and having prepped all my responses, ready for the coast guard (ie. where departing from, operating area, expected return, safety equipment carried, number in party, colour of kayaks, details of shore contact), I was as little thrown when they asked for the make, model, registration number and colour of my car. For some stupid reason my radio comms went to pot at this, but the nice coastguard lady helped me through it. I felt pretty stupid though. I have since knocked together a crib sheet card to aid me when relaying the information to the coastguard.  This was something I saw another four star candidate doing on our assessment. A great idea.

Rhosneigr to Rhoscolyn and Back
Rhosneigr to Rhoscolyn and Back

The winds were light,  but due to the previous days storm, there was still a big swell which made for a very big and lumpy sea on the way to Rhoscolyn. On the way, I was heading straight into the swell. I was even getting a good surf off the back of the waves.

Soon the shelter of Rhoscolyn bay was reached, so I stopped for a snack before heading back towards Rhosneigr.

Rhoscolyn Panorama
Rhoscolyn Panorama

On my return I cut straight across the bay towards Ynys Feirig where I stopped for lunch. The swell was already diminishing in size, so the surf ride back wasn't as quick as expected. But I still had plenty of time to explore. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

On Ynys Feirig I stopped for some lunch, had a laze in the sun and did some land exploring on the rocks. I found a very large interesting rock which contained rounded stones that were obviously shaped by a glacier/water/river. A Conglomerate Rock? Anyway, I couldn’t find any other rocks like this so how this got here is anyone's guess.

Conglomerate Rock
Conglomerate Rock

By now the swell was much reduced in size so had a good surf on what was left of it, on 2-3 ft waves.

When I had finally worn myself out I headed back to Rhosneigr.  On the beach I called up the coast guard again to let them know I was back safely. This time my comms were much improved. But once again I was a little taken aback when the lady coastguard started asking if I had had a nice day and was in obvious need of a chat!

All in all I clocked up 11 nautical miles of mostly surfing. I really enjoyed this paddle as I could take my time exploring and do my own thing with out being part of a group.

It was now time to pack up and head for the excellent Anglesey Outdoors and some much needed re-hydration in the Paddler's Return.

Best days paddling ever!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to top