First time around!

South West Wales

31st May 2009

After last nights paddle, I had a choice, I could go home, or stay another day, and paddle somewhere in the morning.

I needed to be away from the campsite for 14:30 latest to get home at a reasonable hour.

Richard had very kindly invited me up to their caravan for a beer or two the night before, and here we hatched a plan to paddle in the morning.

When I awoke in the morning, the weather had done us proud again. I ate breakfast, and Richard popped down to suggest we 'just paddled around the island'.

So I gathered myself together, and headed for the beach.

I must admit here, that I was a little nervous as we headed away from the sand.

I have been out to the Bitches before, and have landed on Ramsey Island, it was a long time ago, and heading out in to the sound, and ferry gliding across to the Southern end of Ramsey was making me a little apprehensive.

We take a break in a back eddy at the Southern most tip of the mainland, then I go first into the Northern flood tide, it is only just running but is pretty fast here. I noticed on Friday that the slab sided kayak of mine became awkward to handle in these conditions, and the picture below shows what happens when it is hit by a quartering flow.

Safely across at the Ramsey side of the sound, the Bitches are just in veiw behind me.

I made it with some to spare, but when I asked Richard, he would have preffered to have lost less distance as we crossed.

I reckon I lost 100m just getting the kayak back into a ferry glide after it swung around in the flow, and it just doesn't cruise that well. Ok, I was feeling it a little in the shoulders having paddle more in the last 3 days than I have all year!

We pass through the cave at Penhryn Twll, and head past Foel Fawr.

I can see through to the West side of Ramsey, and there is the tiniest swell every now and then, amazing really as there is not much between here America across the Atlantic.

My next hurdle was to pass through 'the Devils hole', the northerly flow of the tide splits through here as it heads around Ramsey. Just like a river running through really, so why was I nervous again? I have been in bigger moving water inland, but to me here it is the ultimate situation, go for a swim here and theres now edge or bank to get out on, it would mean a rescue in the flow, and in the ocean.

Richard passed through first,

I followed on, passing through without a worry. We headed along the rocks to our right, and into a bay that turned out to be full of seals, there were 6 to 8 with their heads out most of the time.

We then pass under the tallest sea cliffs in Wales,

As we travel along the coast we come across numerous overfalls, the Northerly flowing tide is giving us a free ride up the island.

In one of the caves we discovered this long exit, straight out to sea, there was a bull seal in it at first, but he dissapeared so I went through, he reappeared in front of me at one point as if to say 'hey, clear off this is my place'

We are soon heading around the top side of the island, we paddle South for a while before heading straight across the North flowing tide allowing it to carry us across almost to St Johns point.

We're soon back at Porthsele where I have to say my goodbye's and get the tent down, boat loaded to the car, and get motoring North. The sun is really hot now, and its a real wrench having to go home and back to the real world.

Again, many thanks to Richard for his hospitality and his guiding, I dropped in at the last minute to get some paddling in, and never expected to get my first Ramsey circumnavigation under my belt.

The best weather in the best place in the world.