Two new lads - new buoy and new boy.

Reflecting in the after glow of an epic first surf of the year, I'm thawing out in front of the solid heat of a log fire, contemplating 2 trips, early start or lazy start.

Aching I decide on the later.

At noon the next day I find myself outside the Captain's Wife at Swanbridge, situated right next to Sully Island. The sun is out, fleetingly, and then decides to disappear for the duration behind the clouds of an overcast day.

My worries of being overdressed are put to rest as Hywel is intending to do some rescue practice for his up and coming 4 star assessment. We meet up with one of his regular paddling friends Rob who has 'volunteered' to get in the water for him.

Rob - wondering if this beats Sardinia as a location

It's neap tides and the intention first is to paddle up the channel to Lavernock Point and play on some rough water as the tide turns. A new play ground for me, so I'm looking forward to seeing what is on offer.

We arrive at the slab at Lavernock just in time, a little later and we would have sweated to get around. We sit and wait for the flow to build up.

Nothing exciting materialises.

We look out towards Flatholm and decide on one of the buoys out in the channel is fair game.

A nice ferry glide out. Seems to take no time to arrive, the flow has build up to just over 3 knots when we sit in the eddy behind the buoy.


This was a new buoy for me - so had to look it up on the charts when I got home (sad I know).

Special Mark Buoy

Special Mark - used to mark areas of no navigational significance but of a special nature. In this case it is the end of an unspecified discharge pipe. Does make you wonder what it is if they are not specifying it.

Rob reaches the buoy

You can just see the red Raine buoy in the distance.

Looking onto Barry - lovely innit

We paddle down with the tide, and in no time at all arrive at Sully Island ready for a little immersion - well Rob and Hywel are.

Hywel psyching himself up to roll. Flatholm in background.

I'm happy to stay in my boat and am satisfied with just a few left/right rolls.
Talk about ice cream head! That water is getting mighty chilly.

Best retreat to the Captain's Wife for refreshment. Various legends bound about this place, but it is said that before it became a pub, Sully House stood here, and was once tenanted by a ship's captain. He was in the habit of taking his wife to sea, for I'm sure he enjoyed a spot of home cooking. In them superstitious days it was considered unlucky to take a woman to sea and on one of his voyages she caught a fever and died on board. Having a corpse on board was also regarded as unlucky, so the captain stuffed her body doubled up in a lead-lined trunk in his cabin. On arriving at Sully the captain hid the trunk in the woods near the house while he could make arrangements for her coffin and burial. When he returned to collect the body, the trunk and body had gone. A ghost of a woman has haunted the site until during the 1970s when during some renovation work, underneath the area of the old stable block, a skelrton of a woman was found, doubled up. The remains were given proper burial, and the roaming captain's wife ghost was seen no more.

Not forgetting the apprés de-brief at the Captain's Wife!

Short trip today, but I'm glad we made the effort. No, really!

Not a huge trip, but nice to get out all the same

Traditionem

As one year ends a new one surely begins. Getting out for a paddle on New Years Day is stating to become a ritual neu a tradition. Needless to say I think it is a good one. Unlike the ritual that some other folk seem to partake – the annual New Year morning swim.


Well each to their own. It is after all, all good healthy fun, unless you have a dodgy ticker.

Having feasted over the festive season, I feel a little bit porky to say the least and try to rally up some souls to help me reduce my guilt and my girth - I find it necessary to open up the straps on my BA an alarmingly long way. Surely this is down to the extra layers necessary today as the water temp is heading a bit on the low side?
I’m joined by Chris and Hywel for a trip out to Tusker Rock as per last year. This time we have a beautiful sunny morning with millpond conditions.


We escape the utterly mad crowd on the beach and head out to sea for a little peace and tranquility.


It is not long before Tusker Rock appears and we land for a little walkabout.






The snow is still on the hill tops in the distance, but it is quite nice here in the sun . . . and three layers of gear!

I didn’t bother with the BBQ this year. Typical, it would have been a nice day for it, instead I shared out a few croissants with strawberry jam as a sort of continental breakfast to replace the fry-up. My excuse is that the diet starts today . . .

Boys heading out to the buoys

Jim, Neil and self head out with the ebbing tide from Llantwit Major beach. There is a little surf breaking on the spit as we launch from the plateaux to the east. The sun is out in a cloudless blue sky, a little bit of swell, this looks like a superb paddling day.

Reynard's Cave at Tresilian beach

To begin we tucking in and follow the shore westward, pop in for a visit to Reynard's Cave at Tresilian. Passing Nash Point lighthouse and move on out to East Nash buoy to pick up the Nash passage rush.

Approaching Nash Point lighthouse

East Nash cardinal buoy

From here we head on over Nash Sand Bar and out to the channel. With the following sea we get a few nice pick me up surfs on our way out to the Mid Nash buoy. We are now about 6km offshore, and it is just fantastic being out here.

Mid Nash Cardinal buoy about 6km offshore

Journey continues towards Tusker Rock which is fully submerged, marked close by with the red danger buoy.

Tusker danger buoy

We are joined at Tusker Rock for a short while by a seal who popped up and followed us for a bit towards Porthcawl.



Yes indeed. A very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

10.6Nm (a shade under 20km) trip with a nice 6.5 knot kick through Nash Sound.

Another New Year

Last year a few of us ventured out for a paddle to welcome in the New Year. It was a good feeling to be out on the water, setting the tone for rest of the year. Thought it would be nice to do a repeat.

Together with Richard Mordy from Up and Under and Hywel we set out on a blustery cold morning from Southerndown with the intention of having a big boys breakfast on Tusker Rock. With that in mind I'd packed a portable BBQ, frying pan, bacon, eggs, butties, the works.

Loading up for the Tusker Caff experience

It was cold to say the least, I can't remember the last time I'd seen ice forming on the cliff faces. This was one of those days. Carrying the boat and gear down to the waters edge my hands were painfully cold to the point of being numb. The poggies were going to earn their place in the kit today, for sure.


Leaving the beach we paddled with the last of the ebb and an increasing headwind. Approaching Tusker Rock we were facing a good stiff F5 directly into our faces and blowing against the tide.

At Tusker Rock before the flood submerges it

It was getting a little bit interesting near the rock, with the possibility that the wind would be increasing and the tide having turned and threatening to submerge our planned breakfast spot, we decided not to stop, but to make out way towards Ogmore and catch the beginning of the flood back to Southerndown and a more sedate paddle with the wind on our backs.

Passing Ogmore

The wind dropped a little for the return trip. And we decide to decamp back to my kitchen for that promised breakfast and a natter to talk of trips for the new year.

Landing back on Southerndown beach

Chill Out

Cold frosty start to the day, but it looked clear and cloudless.
No wind to talk about. Crisp.

With the last 2hrs of the flood, Adrian, Richard and I head out from the slipway at Atlantic College and head east up the Bristol Channel. No intention other than a chance to get out on the water.

Aberthaw Power Station

We head up towards Aberthaw power station, rounding the water intake as the tide turns, and stop and have an intake of food ourselves, before heading back.

Water intake for cooling at the power station

Not alone on this busy water way

Tresilian Bay and more small caves

Glad to have made the effort to get out.


10.5Nm (19km)

Cross your legs while crossing . . . Relief

A nice forecast loomed for the weekend. A quick barter for a free pass in exchange for a day of shopping sans children was made and Friday evening had me hastily putting together the plan to revisit the Bristol Channel Crossing. Hywel made a not too dissimilar transaction. It may have been hasty but it was thorough. Getting there was sorted, but our return the same day, to fulfill “the bargain”, posed a problem with tide times producing lack of daylight and at 2am with my brain going to sleep, my vectors were not checking out and I still needed to pack. Too many lemons and not enough oranges. One way trip it had to be.

Goodbye Nash

Setting off at 8.30 into the fog there was no sight of the other side and before long after seeing the last of Nash Lighthouse, there was no sight of land to our rear.


The fog heightened our awareness of crossing a shipping lane with this sort of viz. Every chug of a motor seemed to be coming directly towards us and those dark silhouettes of large vessels were appearing out of the fog in my mind at every turn. It made me feel very small and vulnerable indeed.

3 hours after departure the first sight of land . . . just

Then the sun breaks out as we cross Porlock Bay

4 hrs since leaving Welsh soil we enter Porlock Weir and are soon supping Somerset Cider in the glorious sunshine.

Entrance to Porlock Weir

14.4 Nm in just about 4 hrs would have been reduced
had I not needed to . . . well you know

There is a stark deviation to the very nice curve of the crossing near the English coastline at Hurlstone Point. Well I learnt that it is one thing to be prepared with a bottle for ones relief when away from landfall but without a zip or the means to gain access . . . well I put it off for as long as I could, and when I came close to the first bit of land I paddled like a man possessed against the tide and deviated for my own relief.

Don't give a 'Fig if a Swig turns to a 'Bender

Spring tides and Jim wants a run for his money, he fancies doing some buoys down Swansea way, starting off at the end of the Mumbles Mile. He asks me and Steve if we want to join in.

This is not up for a fight drinking talk, or an ecclesiastical past time. (Although the trip does have a definite cardinal tone).

We are heading out across Swansea Bay to end up at Ogmore-by-Sea, taking in a few navigational marks on the way.

Swig

First one up is the Swig South Cardinal

Cabenda

Followed closely by Cabenda South Cardinal

Kenfig

And then via Kenfig East Cardinal towards Porthcawl.

Before you know it we are landing at Ogmore and our 15.6 Nm trip is over having clocked up an impressive 7 knots in parts. This goes a long way to explain our speedy 3 and a half hour trip.