East Coast disaster trip

Saturday 12th June 2010

Skinningrove - Staithes - Runswick Bay

When we arrived Friday Lunchtime for the Sheffield Canoe Club birthday weekend, the weather was calm, the sea reasonably flat and the forecast good. It has to be, on this coast, there are very few sheltered bits, leaving little option for getting out on the water if the weather is rubbish.

Connor hit the beach Friday evening, and immediately filled it with holes! So much energy!

So on Saturday, the plan was to do the Skinningrove to Runswick Bay paddle.

Adele ferried me and the others, and then went back with the kids to Runswick.

As soon as she drove away I knew this was a disaster!

I looked out to sea and saw the foaming messy breakers coming in from what seemed like 1/4 of a mile.

I have no photographic evidence of what happened next but it went something like:

I got into my boat and knowing who launching through surf is not so bad, (unless you get the kayak at an angle to the surf right from the start) I thrust my way out into the unknown.

I hit the first wave or rather it hit me, and the resulting spray completly drenched me. My eyes were now full of salt. I paddled on.

Hitting the next one I kept on paddling, managing a quick look over my shoulder I saw Phill & Waren launching their sea boats. Somewhere out of sight, Julie in a river boat was also committing to what looked like a certain swim.

I looked ahead, what was coming at ne now was scary! I really braced and tensed up. It hit me hard, and when I opened my eyes, all was the right way up, but my emergency paddle had been knocked out from under the deck elastic. It was stuck out at almost 90 degrees to the boat. I had to hold my paddle high above my head with my right hand and reach down with my left to re place the other in the elastic. I couldn't quite reach, so I had to use the tip of the other paddle to hook it back within reach.

I paddled forwards hard again to get some momentum, and looked over my right shoulder. If you look at the first picture above, you can make out the pole that marks the end of the under-sea pipe line I was now right on top of.

I made the sensible decision to turn quickly on the next wave, and head back in.

Normally I would wait for each wave to pass under me, but this time I just went in.

WOW! I got the longest, smoothest and fastest ride in I have EVER had! I've not surfed the sea kayak before like this and it truely was amazing.

I reached the sand with a sudden stop, dived out and ran the boat up the baech a little.

Phill was already back in to my right, and was waving and pointing frantically toward me. Looking behind, Julie was just surficing after bailing out, I waded out and helped gather the bits up. Warren was still way out looking very comfortable.

We had a quick meeting, and decided it was a no-go.

Julie emties her boat, and phill runs up the beach in the hope of catching a club member who had being watching us, luckily she hadn't left as the mobile phone reception around this area is rubbish.

After much ferrying of cars people and boats, we got back to Runswick, and decided to paddle around the bay as it looked just too rough to be heading around the points.

Once out on the water it was clear just how big the swell really was.

The bow of my boat mid-air as another giant wave passes under me.

Warren enjoying the conditions, now you see me......

......now you don't!

It was quite a big swell, somwhere in front is young Shaun in his dagger kayak, he's only 8 and so brave out here in these conditions.

 

The foaming wavelets coming back off the rocks were a testament of how we were being thrashed around.

Some video captures of the massive swell, some where easily 10-15ft

Warren high above me as another cracker passes beneath me.

And here, I'm above everyone else

Landing was always going to be interesting. The tide has come right in now, and there are loads of families playing on the beach.

I went in first so I could assist the others.

The beach was steep, and the waves were coming back fast, and colliding with the ones coming in. The foaming water seemed to swallow me up at the same time as surfing me toward a pile of stinking seaweed.

I hit the shore!

Then slid back out, got washed sideways to my left, and back in again.

This time Adele came and grabbed the front toggle to hold me in, unfortunately, as she ran towards me, her shoe came off and shot passed me into the water. I reached out for it and this picture above is the resulting angle!

A really short trip! Hardly any distance, but certainly worth it! Every time I go out in the kayak it is all worth while experience.

This one wasn't great, but I learned not to go out when you can't see the sea-horizon for breaking waves!

The eventual jaunt around the bay at Runswick, again. not very far, but a good time had in what must have been the biggest rolling waves I'll find my self in for a while!

Why do you always awake to rain on the morning you have to break camp?

Sunday 6th June 2010

Watching a race

As I left Porth Dafarch this morning at just before low tide, two guys where also leaving in their kayaks. They muttered a quiet hello, but seemed too busy to talk.

One of them was wearing the same dry-kag as mine and had the storm hood up, I though it a little strange, but soon realised that it would prevent the increasingly heavy rain from rattling on my head.

It was warm out on the sea, but with the hood up against the rain, and the dull sky it looks like a cold winters day.

I hadn't noticed where the other two kayakers had headed, but figured they might be heading to Penhryn Mawr for the overfalls & race.

On the way over I had a chance to have a good look in some more of the caves and inlets that had now changed in appearance due to the low tide, and wet rocks.

For most of the time I spent on the water this weekend these two ribs have been zipping around, with what I presume are divers

It was clear when I took this picture, that a building must have stood here once upon a time. A little research reveals it to have once been a lifeboat station, but I can't find out any more.

I arrived at Penrhyn Mawr to find the two kayakers enjoying what looked to be the worlds biggest overfalls, that 1st big standing wave kept increasing in size with a swell that came through every now and then.

These guys kept dissapearing for a couple of seconds and then re-appearing, when the swell picked up, they were getting some really fast rides down the front of the standing waves.

It was way too big for me, so I sat and played in the race between the island and the mainland, it was the real glassy surface type of flow, I could sea just how much power the water was forcing through this narrow gap with.

As I sat there, a group passed through the 'chicken shoot' to my left. It turned out to be Rock & Sea these guys were out on a trip or something.

The rock & sea guys pulled out on to theis beach, and I decided I'd better head back to dry land and make my way home.

On the way back I was sat mesmerized by the way the water was crashing up into this rock formation, it showed just how much swell there was. In the kayak it was barely noticable, but with something to gauge it by, I reckon there was a good 1.5 metres.

A nice little paddle, good to see a top Angelsey sea kayaking destination at totally different tide times. All good experience, and this little tri will certainly help me to plan any future trips safely.

Wind, fog and no toilets!

Saturday 5th June 2010

Trearddur Bay

At dusk last night the weather was promising to be another cracker for Saturday, red sky and all that.

The guy in the next tent had travelled from Porth Talbot on the train to Crewe 2 days prior, and road his bike up to Llanberis via Snowdon, camped over night. Walked up Snowdon that evening, then pedalled all the way to Holyhead the next morning. Saturday was to be his rest day whilst he sunbathed in the morning, and watched the rugby in the afternoon.

I awoke to find a thick mist hanging around, but it did feel like the sun was up there trying to burn it off.
I left the campsite, and went down to Porth Dafarch again, launching at midday and mid flood tide I went East today, and soon discovered how windy it was acroos the mouth of the bay.

It was a busy day here today, two dive rib's out on the water, a group of coasteers and at least two groups of sea kayakers leaving the same beach as me.

Looking towards Trearddur Bay I could hear the faint hum of.....

You guessed it! Jet ski's and speedboats.

This lone cormorant seemed to be gaurding the rock island he was stood on.

This house as you aproach Trearddur was reportedly derilict last year, and still lokks the same to me, but there are signs of people living in the adjoining land in a caravan, and maybe some building materials. It'll make someone an amazing place sometime.

The beach looked quite crowded, but I was getting a bit desperate for the toilet now, I'd been drinking coffee all morning. So I thought I'd land, nip to the loo's and have lunch back on the beach.

This corner of the beach is where they launch all the noisey powered craft, there seemed to be a constant stream of 4x4's and tractors dropping them off.

The beach here is nice and I'm definately going to bring the family here one weekend.

The only trouble was, after pulling the kayak up the beach, and getting all my valuables together I went to find the toilets - there arn't any!

I ate my lunch, and had to get back in to make a hasty retreat, and find an emty inlet somewhere for a pee.

As I got back in the kayak to paddle on, I realised that the mist from this morning had re-appeared. Looking West where I had left this morning, it looked real thick so I made the decision to head back where I had come from.

The cormorant had found a freind, but as is common to these speccies he was drying out his wings.

Not knowing this coastline very well, I was finding it difficult to locate my exact position. On my last visit to South West Wales my Gps stopped working, and I got sand in the lens on the camera, both of which have never worked since.

The coastline seemed to littered with coasteers and walkers.

Arriving back at Porth Dafrach, I was pleased to have dodged all the speed boats and still be alive.

A very short trip and dissapointing with the fog, was glad to get back to the beach they definately do have toilets!

A bit further than planned

Friday 4th June 2010

Porth Dafarch to South Stack (well almost)!

I had planned to be in South West Wales from Thursday onwards. But with one of the kids being ill all night wednesday, and me not getting much sleep, I just couldn't face the 5-6 hour drive to Pembrokeshire.

I hatched a plan to go over to Angelsey on Friday and stay until Sunday afternoon.

After a very hot drive, I pitched the tent at Angelsey Outdoors and went down the road to Porth Dafarch.

Launching at 1650 hrs and just after high tide, the weather was glorious, the sea calm with a slight swell.

Looking back at the beach there were still a fair few people enjoying the weather.

Looking East towards Trearddur Bay I could see other kayakers, and further in the distance Rhoscolyn Beacon out on the further most rock.

I decided to go West, and to my delite, the sea was almost flat. The caves and coastline are similar, if not the same as down South West Wales. The sea is not quite as blue though to me!

Just West of Porth Dafarch I took this picture of the nest headland, and pondered...what lies around there, and can I get back?

I've been here before, but not gone this direction, all sorts of things started to run through my mind, overfalls off the heads? Strong races stopping me from getting back? and off course, will those speedboat drivers see me before they hit me?, or will they just hear a knock on there hull?

I love to explore these chanels between the rocks, and not disapointing me....

I find some sort of random debris! Washed up? or thrown down?

And for the geologists amongst you... something more natural.

Passing back out of this gap it feels so good to be out on the water, I wonder what the weather down 'South' is doing for Richard

Then I saw this one, and thought 'this looks like it'll go through?'

Ermm, maybe not!

From above the following evening, definately not, not these days anyhow.

It did look like prior to the rock fall it might have once.

Then paddling around to the other side, a cracking natural arch, it looked do-able until....

A trip around the other end revealed a pointy rock that didn't leave much room for error in the surfing waves that came through now and then.

The view from above

Looking out toward Penrhyn Mawr, all I could think of was how big the overfalls looked on Olly Sanders' blog on his recent post

If you get out a magnifier, you might be able to see the slightly turbulent water as we are now 1 hour into the ebb tide - appart from needing to paddle a bit, nothing to worry about then! I'd get an easy ride back.

It was about now that I became aware of a quite distinct marine diesel engine thumping away somewhere close-by. As the setting sun was bright & low and un-hindered by the cloudless sky I could see no ships, and then just on the horizon, a tiny yatch motoring South.

With South Stack now in my sights, I figured I'd be silly to miss the opertunity of getting up and maybe even around on such a perfect evening. I set off across the mouth of Abrahams Bosom.

As I zoomed in for a closer shot of South Stacl lighthouse I spotted where the large marine diesel sound was coming from! Can you spot it?

To be fair, the horizon was hazy and my view restricted by the sun and having left my sun specs in the car!

With the goal in sight I spotted the white tower high up on the cliff tops, got to be the highest I would paddle under at just over 60m.

I spotted what looked like some overfalls ahead so I put away the camera and buckled up, whilst I investigated further.

Now I don't know if I was imagining it or not but I felt as though I was being pulled Northwards quite quickly here, and not wanting to get 'stuck' the wrong side of a race I decided I ought to give my goal for today a miss. Looking back I think that it was just holding me, but with no proper knowledge of the area and no-one to discuss it with, I set off back East.

Having put the stern to the sun, the photos were looking more colourful.

Now at Penrhyn Mawr the South flow was making a little more pace between the rock islands, I wondered just how big this does get in reality on a big flood tide.

Back at the beach at Porth Dafrach, it was now 2010hrs, and hunger had set in. being sea kayak central there seemed to be a handfull of people wanting to chat, and most were offering to help with carrying and loading up the car, a real bunch of freindly guys and girls - thanks for the assistance!

An unplanned paddle of 7 miles or 6 nautical miles.