What a cracking 2 days of sea kayaking ! Sun, sea, seals, cliffs, caves & even the notorious bitches tide race!
Many thanks to you all for coming along & staying in your boats !
Day 1. Fishguard Harbour to Dinas Head
Sunshine & a flat calm sea! Just what Sammy ordered. We practised a few warm up skills in the harbour, dodged the Stena line ferry from Ireland then crossed over to the cliffs near Dinas Head. Tide too low to paddle through the archway but a following F2 to 3 led us to a nice lunch spot.
The day before the swell & tide race would have put Dinas Head out of reach but today we made it comfortably round to the caves & the geological treats. Harder work coming back into the wind but we hugged the coast line & explored the fantastic caves & arches along the way.
Has anyone seen Rich?
Day 2 . Whitesands to Ramsey Island.
Probably my best sea trip this year so far. Sunshine, tide races, good company, & a beautiful picnic on Ramsey Island.
Well done guys for plunging in the deep end & making it to the other side!
We set off from Whitesands in between the body boards & windbreaks... had a little surf too warm up (or get wet !!)
then headed out of the bay to practice some break in & outs & to get a feel for the famous tide race!
Running on a 4 m tide heading towards neaps it was all a new experience but manageable.
Paddled round the headland into one of the biggest back eddies you will ever enjoy & had a glimpse of the new Fishguard lifeboat. Waiting for a new bigger & boat house for it to fit into!
Then it was up to the southern headland ready to cross to Ramsey Island. There was still at least 2 to 3 knots of water racing north between the headland & island even in the final hour of the tidal stream (The tide here runs for 2 and a half hours after high water on the flood !!)
Despite the anxiety it was a relatively easy crossing & rather than dive for the eddy at the harbour, everyone was soon enjoying the small waves forming behind the famous bitches rocks.
One of the best lunch spots ever on the RSPB's Ramsey Island ... fantastic views & the warm sun all added to the glowing feeling that we had made the crossing ourselves! The RSPB staff were also very welcoming & informative.
The tide went slack as we snacked & within minutes the ebbing tide was rolling back the opposite way!
How many rapids are there where you can paddle them downstream one minute then upstream the next ?! Magic !
Thankfully everyone, including the instructors made it back through the rocks or it could have been a tough towing session!
We explored the beautiful caves & arches on the sheltered side of the island & got to paddle all the way through one stunning cave right under the headland. (We were met by a tourist boat poking his nose in the other end!). With the female seals coming on shore ready to calf we kept our distance whilst observing them sunbathing.
Then it was time to make the final crossing back to the mainland before the tide race picked up. With no problems crossing we headed into the bay to practise our rolls & rescues. Despite the size of the sea kayaks, i think everyone was pleased to successfully demonstrate a roll with no problems & finish off their 3 star skills.
If you would like more information about any of our sea kayaking trips please get in touch.
regards to you all
Matt Bishop
Canoe Kayak Trader and Training Ltd
Leam Boat Centre
Mill Gardens
Mill Road,
Leamington Spa
CV31 1BE
01926 88 99 28
