Holm on the (firing) Range

Disappointed that a bit of an epic trip planned from South Wales to Lundy Island had been called off due to unstable weather, a trip with a bit of a challenge was needed to use the better weather promised for Sunday. We were not let down.

Famous Five, The Secret Seven, there is a touch of Enid Blyton about both the Holms stuck out in the Bristol Channel. Interesting, intriguing, certainly worth discovering, Flat Holm (the most southerly part of Wales) and Steep Holm. Even if that does involve a visit to England!

There and Back Again

It is a challenging trip, requiring a long fast ferry glide between the islands. Just after the peak spring tide, we expected quite a full on experience, with a North, North East wind F3-4 occasionally 5 there was going to be a little wind against tide on the ebb on our outward passage. Tidal stream of up to 3.8 knots was going to be expected in the shipping lane as we crossed between the two islands. Hold on to your hats, have faith in your angle, and don't stop paddling!

Penarth Pier

Bearing out to Flat Holm (left), Steep Holm (right)

Leaving Penarth on the last hour of the flood, we made an ark out into the channel ready to drop down onto Flat Holm with the ebb. That strategy worked very well.

Dropping down onto Flat Holm

Arriving at the jetty, we made our way to pay our landing fee and begin being at the receiving end of gull guano dive bombing, a repeating theme on both islands.

The island had taken a few prisoners that morning. The ferry had been unable to pick up the previous days visitors (due to absent crew members) and so they were captured 'till the evening ferry could safely land at the jetty to extract them.

Rush of water between the two islands

The Flag and Foghorn (cool name for a pub)

A very interesting island. Attractions include a lighthhouse, foghorn, a cholera sanatorium, numerous gun emplacements built to protect the channel from invasion during the late 1800s and during WWII. The Victorian canons seem to have been literally tossed to one side to be replace by the modern weapons. And of course thousands of gulls. Marconi transmitted the first wireless signal over the sea from Flat Holm to Lavernock on 13 May 1897. Just as well he used morse code, as no one would have heard him over the screaming noise of the birds.

Canon and Lighthouse - Flat Holm

Ruins of Cholera Sanatorium

Gull Galore

The Famous Five

Sharing the water with other users

Welcome to Steep Holm

Imagine how we felt when the bared gate read "by appointment" (so inhospitable these English types), we tried to phone, no answer, must be in the garden (they couldn't be down the shops or far away now could they). Not ones to be put off, we scaled the gate (the Enid Blyton excitement got the better of us), to find Mr Maslen to arrange an appointment. It transpired that no one was on the island, so we left, by walking around the perimeter to return to the gate.

Looking back down to Flat Holm from the top of Steep Holm,
with Cardiff in the distance

Holy Buried Canon Batman!

Sunny Side Up or Over Easy?

Bofors 40mm canon with shells of a different kind

Stairway to . . . a search light

"Fish for tea love or do you fancy a Shag?"

Now bugger off or I'll Shit on you

See - I warned you

Jim enjoying a Swell Time mid channel on our return

Chris also having a Swell Time on our return towards Flat Holm

We enjoyed a few civilised pints at the invitation of the yacht club, on the balcony over looking the pier in time to watch the stranded Flat Holm visitors arriving on the evening ferry.

And as if by magic it all went calm and it's not as if Lundy Island won't be there for another day.

Going after buoys

This is Jim's navigation trip. Putting into practice what he did on the navigation training at Anglesey last week.
Armed with his newly exchanged Expedition HV (he swapped is LV over to the HV as he's been eating too many doughnuts) a compass and his bearings (lost his marbles years ago he says), we head out to various fixed objects in the channel.
Leaving Ogmore beach we ferry glide over to Tusker Rock, where Jim takes a moment to refresh himself.

Jim makes a brief stop on Tusker Rock

Neal off Tusker Rock

Tusker Bell (the red thing - not the guy in the boat!)

We head to our first buoy - the Tusker Bell Buoy, which is just a short distance away. Then out on a long leg to the Scar Weather East Cardinal Buoy. Just a blip on the horizon. But we get there. Well done Jim. A short hop to the Hugo buoy and some playing on a little bit of surf on the sand bank.

Scar Weather East Cardinal

This is Hugo, Jim and Neal are surfing the sand bank in the background

Fairy West Cardinal

Then another long leg to the distant Fairy Buoy, before ferry gliding back to Ogmore.

Well navigated Jim, his tidal stream allowances were spot on. Impressive.

It was such a nice evening I didn't fancy stopping, so decided to continue on to Southerndown. Met up with Chris there. He had just bought a Dagger Outlaw for playing in the surf. (Not tonight though, as it was flat as a pancake).

Chris in his new boat

Just a tad over 28km

Murky Waters

A familiar throb throb throb was in the air as I left the house before first light. Looking out to sea I spotted the light hovering over the bay and assumed a search at first light was in progress. As I picked Adrian up, Atlantic College ILB was being made ready to assist, confirming my bleak thoughts. Not a great start to the day.

Neal rounds Lavernock Point

Penarth were launched their lifeboat (another Atlantic 75) for its regular Sunday practice as we met up with Hywel, Neal and Jim for the put in. Our objective today was to return along the coast to the west finishing back at St. Donats. A nice trip with the ebb (we thought!). Forecast was 4 to 5 in our faces, dropping off to 4.
As we were in the shadow of the high cliffs we checking into Swansea CG by phone. They informed us that a missing persons search was in progress and to expect some radio chatter.

Hywel enjoys a moment of calm (water)

Crossing Sully Bay towards Nell's Point became quite exciting for a while, the waves pitched up by the tide going against the gusting head wind. Even so we seemed to make a good 5 knots.

Catching the rays at Ffontygary Caravan Park

Jim - all smiles in his shiny new boat
(before he christened the hull on the rocks)

The Green Green Grass of . . . Aberthaw Power Station

Nice view of the 1500 megawatt coal burning, with gas turbine back-up, power station that sits on the estuary with the second highest tidal rise in the world. So I can see the logic of rather than tidal they consider it a prime site for a nuclear power station.

Water intake tower at Aberthaw
(a great place to store the radioactive by-products perhaps)

Jim plays with the cooling water being returned to the sea
from the power station condenser

We find a sandy spot to stop at Limpert Bay for our well earned lunch. The tide rapidly drops off leaving us with a short carry to get back on the water. Powering on we pass surf breaking off Col-huw Point and continue along the Heritage Coast towards St Donats.

Arriving well exercised we are faced with the sobering scene of the local constabulary maintaining a "body watch" outside the lifeboat station. The college lifeboat had had the grim task of finding and retrieving the body of an apparent suicide jump at Southerndown.

What ever the reason for such an incident, my thoughts are with all those that have had to, and are left to, deal with the aftermath.

Trip stats: 31km; Av 3.4 knots; 6.5 knots max; 5.5 hours.

Mince Pie Trip

Happy New Year!
A chance at last to get out and blow the cobwebs away.
Nice afternoon paddle with Hywel, Neal, Chris and Jim (in his shiny fast new boat).
Llantwit Major to Ogmore River mouth provided a great start to the year.
Bit of a swell, provided some nice surfing opportunities.
Starting as I hope to continue.


Chris and Neal passing Nash Point Lighthouse.


Jim flying past the Nash Sands East Cardinal Buoy.
Tide alone was moving at a sedate 4 knots.

Monkstone Rock & Flatholm

This is Monkstone Rock lighthouse. It is a few miles off Penarth and I never knew it was there.
After a look see we dropped down towards Flatholm for a spot of lunch on the beach. Landing fee here is £3.50 if you want to land and have a good look around, which I intend doing on another occasion.

Rounding the island past it's own lighthouse and various gun emplacements, we ferry glide back towards Lavernock Point which brings us back Penarth.


Trip length: 10.1Nm