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.

Wye Canadians can be fun!

The River Wye is long. Being 251 km in length makes it Britain's fifth longest River.

Technically speaking it isn't the sea, at least not until becoming tidal as it spills into the Severn Estuary. Rising (non nautical term for starts off) in Wales, and eventually forms the lower border between the Celts and the English, separating Wales from England with one of the best salmon fishing rivers outside Scotland.

It also has Canadians on it. Canoes that is.

Today I try my hand at a bit of inland paddling for the first time in a Canadian canoe. The weather looks as if it is going to hold out for a full day, the kids are off school, so some of them come too.

A motley crew of all ages from 9 to 70 something

Taliesin wonders what happened to the other end of his paddle

There is lots of room in one of these things, which makes them good fun for the two eldest to come along for a bit of "messing about on the river", as well as space for kit and dogs. (No doubt I see the possibility of some clan camping at some later date).

Jasper the dog gets the treatment

Apparently the person in control sits at the back. I found that being at the front and using bow rudders was probably just as effective a way to point the thing the right way.

Taliesin checks out stability characteristics,
and finds them suitable for water fights

while John checks to see if the water level is appropriate

Llewelyn looks smug as he commandeered Tal's paddle

er . . . Chris gives Kath a go with his red kayak

. . . watched by all the boys

A great way to spend a day

Southerndown Surf . . . again

We were blessed with some leftovers from yesterday, a little bit blown but still morsels hungrily devoured.
Warning, if you don't like surf photos, then stop now, however if you do like surf photos you might still not enjoy what follows.

I like surf pics, especially of me and in particular video, they not only feed my hungry ego but help me see what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong when moving on a wave.

Am I dancing with, or fighting, the wave - most often a bit of both. Either way it's great fun.

Developing a split personality . . . therapy required

Yet more calories burnt.
Thanks again Chris for the pics and video.

Southerndown Surf

After all the torrential rain, high winds and general poor weather, a nice swell arrives for us to play on, putting and end to a period of inactivity.

Time to burn off a few calories.



Might even be lucky and have some more tomorrow.


Thanks to Chris for taking the pics.

Puffin good Paddle

There was a certain urgency for getting down here for this trip. Puffins. I've never seen a puffin, and Skomer is a place they come to in abundance to procreate early in April. After breeding they all leave around mid to late July. I was hoping we were in time to see a few of the late departures.

We are up early and I am stoking the boiler with a morning fry-up when Steve returns from the coastguard lookout which overlooks Jack Sound. With an infectious look of concern on his face he reports of some pretty wild water, eddies, boils and such like. He'd been watching the ebb tide max out though the sound.

I decide to take a look after my nosh.

Looking down through Jack Sound an hour before slack on the ebb, towards Skokholm in distance, Skomer to the right and Tusker Rock at bottom right

By the time I take a peek (above), things seem to have calmed down from Steves earlier recon.

Mew Stone, off Skomer, in the early hours

Niel and Richard join us, after some ungodly pre-twilight drive from Cardiff, and Adrians brother-in-law from far off Pendine, so in addition to the pre-assembled Adrian, Steve and Hywel we make quite a party.

Early morning departure from Martin's Haven

We are on the water and depart 0810 (HW Milford 1224), Jack sound should be at slack water at this time. Paddling out of Martins Haven with anticipation out around Wooltack Point and across the north of Jack Sound proper. It is like a mill pond, with no noticeable tide flow. The unused adrenalin gets rebottled.

It is not to long before we pass Midland Isle and cross over Little Sound to reach The Neck. While Richard and I keep close to the island, the rest of the merry band make a beeline for the Garland Stone.

The water below the cliffs at the water edge is full of bobbing puffins

It must be quite an experience at the height of the season to paddle amongst them if the paddle with this lot is anything to go by. Gently paddling they didn’t seem to worried. Get a little to close and it is quite amusing to see them go through the motions of a comic take off procedure. Landing is just as funny, just stop flapping, plop down onto the water and bob back up. Their wings are designed for underwater swimming, but unlike the penguin they are still able to get air borne.

Passing inside the Garland Stone the full Atlantic swell excitedly introduces itself. We hitch a ride on the south going current that takes us around and down the west side of the island.

Niel looks around The Basin

Exploration of The Wick ensues with lots of jellyfish in the water and guillemots nesting precariously on ledges.

At The Wick

Niel sees the light . . . at The Wick

At about 1000 (–1.5 HWMH) we paddle due south across Broad Sound towards Skokoholm, experiencing very little tide movement as this section now approaches its own slack water.

Crossing Broad Sound

Looking west as we cross, we can just make out Grassholm Island in the far distance, host to one of the largest gannet colonies in the world, standing out white washed with gannet guano.

As Skokholm land fall approaches a little north east push, pulls us nicely into the island. This island is an SSSI, SPA and SAC. Intrigued to find out more?


Magnificent menacing black rocks provide a dramatic rockscape below the lighthouse, in stark contrast to dramatically lit rocks around the south side of Quarry Point, which are now lit by the full force of the sun, hardly a cloud in the sky.

Rounding the corner into the sunshine

Further on we have a little play time on some small overfalls by Crab Rocks before stopping for a bite to eat, floating by the jetty which was built to land building materials for the lighthouse.

More details about the lighthouse and an amusing story about the island donkey.

Just before hitting max speed around The Stack

Rounding Long Point and passing The Stack we get a sling shot of 7.5 knots and jump on the conveyor belt that whisks towards the jaws of Jack Sound.

Heading back across Broad Sound towards Jack Sound

Jack Sound

We get sucked through the Sound at full bore (neaps), standing waves and boils abound. Surprisingly not that intimidating. We do a bit of braking in and out behind Tusker Rock. I notice that Richard has stayed over by Midland Isle playing in some rough water. I wonder if I can get back against the sedate 5 knot flow. Well, ferry glide and keeping in tight to the land , I managed to get back to the south side of Midland Isle.

Exploring caves on Skomer

A bit of cave exploration ensued, with by far the most interesting being just beyond Little Sound and before Rob’s Wick. Here a cave takes you right through to the other side island (we got access at about HW Milford). The cave inside contains two other caves at right angles. A sleeping seal is abruptly woken by our paddle through.

Out the other side we paddle back across Jack Sound avoiding at least one gin palace that came roaring through, before returning to Martins Haven.

With: complex tide patterns to plan around; an early morning effort; good weather; good company; interesting scenery; abundant wildlife, this has to rank as one of those perfect paddling days.

Puffin in the bag

13.7 Nm round trip

If you're interested . . .