Welcome to my Sea Kayaking (b)log
With holidays to use up before the year end, I agreed to meet Simon Williams on the Friday for four days of paddling. All week the weather had been looking extremely unpleasant, but surprisingly on the Friday it turned out not too bad. We agreed to paddle from Cemlyn Bay and to potter around...
The forecast for Sunday deteriorated overnight Saturday and the winds were going to swing around to the NW from just after midday. So, we decided to paddle once again from Newport and paddle in the other direction, up the coast to Ceibwr Bay as a one way trip. This should see us off the...
The weather was not looking too good for this weekend and many people dropped out in the week prior, leaving just Fiona (the organiser), Lynette and me making it to Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. We paddled from Newport to Fishguard, around Dinas Island, along some spectacular coast line, stopped for lunch in Lower Town and paddled...
I somehow managed to buy a new boat during the week between my previous paddle and this weekend! It all started last week; as I was slipping in my spare paddles under the bungie cord on the deck of my Valley Etain, the bungie went snap. I managed to bodge it together enough to...
So is it Harry Furlough's or Harry Furlongs? Ordnance Survey reckon it is "Harry Furlough's" as does Welsh Sea Kayaking, and yet the chart definitely says Harry Furlong's! Searching the internet I found: "Harry Furlough's Rocks, sometimes said to be a misspelling of furlong from the length of the rocks". I'll use both terms...
I've just come across a little booklet written by the UK Sepsis Trust. I wish I had been told about this following my little sepsis episode a year ago. Or at least been given some of the info by the hospital when they discharged me. But then again, if I was told, I would...
The weather forecast was looking good for a morning paddle, with the winds increasing over lunchtime. So Andy and I decided a trip to Harry's would be a good option, leaving us plenty of time to get home. Due to the swell, Harry's was fairly messy, but it was still good fun catching the...
What a super day this turned out to be, with bright sunshine, lovely conditions and all in the middle of January. Having met up with Andy and Ann, in their new van, on the Friday, Andy and I set off from Porth Dafarch, on Saturday morning, with the plan of paddling to Rhoscolyn and...
After a day off after my trip around Anglesey, I paddled with Curly at Harry's. The sea was nice and smooth on the paddle out and Harry's was working nicely. There was nothing too big, but lots of fun, all the same. We were joined by lots of Terms, dive bombing into the water,...
For some time now I've been thinking about paddling around Anglesey. Having read the various blogs out there, by various paddlers who have completed this challenge, I decided I must have a go. Besides, there are just two small sections of Anglesey I had not paddled, so if anything, it will complete the missing...
This Saturday saw me paddling with Owain, a friend I've known for some time from paddling the white water course at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham. Owain was in Anglesey with Nottingham Kayak Club, although most of the NKC group had signed up to paddle with Roger Chandler of Coastal Spirit for the day. Owain...
On Sunday we paddled from Cable Bay down towards Llanddwyn Island. We didn't get there as we stopped off at the Church in the Sea (Cribinau), followed by Port y Cwch beach for lunch. We perhaps stayed too long on the beach. After all, it was a glorious day. We did a big beach...
Saturday saw me going to meet the gang at Rhosneigr 9:00am sharp for some super surfing. Since my last trip out in my surf boat I had found it had foot pegs, buried behind a load of foam. I had also sorted out the backrest and so it was all good to go. The...
On the Sunday, I spent the morning trying out my newly acquired Mega Bullitt'S' out on some fairly average surf at Rhosneigr. The sets were still coming in, but now the period between the sets seemed to be about every five or so minutes. The waves were much smaller than the day before. Still...
Looking out to sea from my van parked at Porth Dafarch in the morning the sea state didn't look too bad, but every now and again I would notice some fairly hefty waves coming into the bay. I'd then look out a few minutes later and all would appear calm again. Hmmm.. interesting. I had...
During a rash moment over Christmas I booked onto an Advanced Sea Kayak assessment. I thought, "March, It'll be warming up by then". Wrong! It was only the week of the "Beast from the East". Even so, I travelled up to Anglesey after work on the Tuesday night, arriving at Anglesey Outdoors close to...
Dave and I headed for Rhosneigr on Sunday hoping for some Surfing fun. When we arrived we were a little disappointed as there was not a great deal going on, but we decided to get on anyway. We were glad we did, with the surf picking up as the tide went out. It wasn't...
Having arranged to paddle Harry Furlongs on Saturday, I headed to Cemlyn bay in my van, late on Friday night, arriving at around 11:30pm. Next morning the weather was lovely and sunny and the sea state smooth. No sooner had I taken my boat of the van and carried it to the beach, I...
With the wind being f3-f4 NW and a reasonable swell forecast, I led a group of three paddlers: Keith, Spencer and Paul. This day I was paddling a Valley Gemini SP, lent to me by Valley. It is a lovely looking boat in nice metallic Blue with a funky white stripe down the middle...
At this years NWSK end of season meet, Jimski suggested one possible trip would be to do the Stacks. Four of us decided to join him, along with his friend Ashleigh. The paddlers were Jimski, Ashleigh, Alan, Chris, Graham and moi. Everyone else decided to go to Rhoscolyn. Setting off from Porth Dafarch we...
