A chat with the coastguard!

Thursday 13th August 2009

Some clothing on the rocks

I managed to pry myself out of bed a bit earlier today, and was actually on the beach ready to depart at 0825!

The weather had again been a little unstable earlier this week so it was good to get out. Today I was doing a solo paddle just for practice etc.

The plan was to go around to Porth Clais and see how things were, and await the Flood tide and return back to Porthsele.

Looking out from the beach the sky looked as though it couldn't decide what to do for the day, it was feeling a little blustery, the beach however was deserted!

Rounding St Johns point and heading into Ramsey Sound the last of the Ebb tide made for an easy going with only a little swell, and a gentle breeze.

Before I passed through the sound I allowed the Southerly flow to carry me and had time to reflect on a great couple of weeks down here at Pencarnan.

Then after passing around Pen Dal-aderyn in the last rocky inlet before Porthlysgi bay, I spotted what looked like a Lacey top or a bra hanging on the rocks. I got in close and was sure that was what it was. When I set off again, just around the corner there were two more items of clothing, a pair of jean shorts, and a coral coloured shirt. Just 20 ft up on a natural ledge there was another item I couldn't make out.

My mind was racing now, I was convinced that this was clothing, and although I could not see up onto the ledge, there appeared to be no-one around. I had a good look around, but as I sat still in the kayak a back eddy was spitting me back out towards Ramsey Sound. I figured that if anyone had been in the water for whatever reason, then they'd be long gone from here.

I tried not to worry too much about the clothing, and as I paddled through Carreg Fran towards Porth Clais, I just had lobster pot marker bouys and the odd sea bird to keep me company.

I reached Porthclais and hauled up onto the shale to have some breakfast.

Plenty of people seemed to be launching sit on tops from here.

Whilst here TYF took every one of their sit on tops out of the storage rack and took the worlds biggest group out on the water!

I was just back in the boat and out of the corner of my eye I spotted a dragonfly floating past in the flow from the stream, I managed to get him out, and layed it out on the deck in a hope he'd dry out.

I passed him on to a family who were crab lining before setting out to sea, I didn't think taking him with me would be fair.

With Carreg Fran in the distance I started thinking about the clothing again, I decided I would Go back to Porthsele via the life boat station at ST Justinians and let them know what I'd seen.

Passing through Carreg Fran, I wondered if I would get through the slanting natural arch today.

When I went for a look there was quite a bit of swell coming through from the sea side, I went around for a look.

It didn't look possible, so I paddled back to the sheltered side, and then adventure took over and I just went through. As I set off it seemed like I had made the wrong decision with 3 big rollers one behind the other coming straight at me.

I had a bit of a bumpy ride, but managed to get through without either banging my head or the kayak. I ran the camera on video, and it is good to watch, but won't upload here, so here's a couple of stills from it.

After passing through the arch, I had just a short paddle to where the clothing was on the rocks.

I took another photo showing the layout, and checked my grid reference. Nothing had moved, and there still seemed to be no one around.

I then had just the overfalls to contend with, last time I had encountered them here on Pen Dal-aderyn, it was the beginnings of a southerly ebb tide, now it was mid flood, and the standing waves were biggish!

I had again set the video on the deck, but the still captures above show the excellent conditions!

After passing through without incident, my next point of call was to be the lifeboat station to report my findings, I hoped there would be someone there, as I took the hard route up the eddy line and across. I could have stayed in the Northerly flow for a while otherwise, but I still need to learn a little more about the whereabouts, and the effects of 'Horse Rock'

I hauled up under the slipway at St Justinians, and found the worlds supply of boat passengers waiting to go on their trips.

I climbed up to the operations room in the Lifeboat station, and reported what I had seen to the coxswain and another lifeboat crew member.

We called the coast guard, and let them know everything, and they decided it would be worth sending out a land based mobile team for a look. They noted my phone number and left it at that, saying they would call if they needed any other information.

I then had to get back into the kayak on the crowded slipway, and make my way back to Pencarnan. That afternoon during another scorching burst from the sun, the coastguard phoned me, and let me know they had found the site, but that the clothing was in fact 4 towels, apparently discarded by some young lads who'd been spotted fishing from that point the day before.

I was really pleased that the coast guard had called me back, as I would have been wondering what had become of the situation forever otherwise.

I did feel afterwards that maybe I had wasted the time of the coastguard, but really I know that if someone had been in trouble, then I would have felt terrible not to have done something.

A trip of around 11 miles, very enjoyable.