Ramsey Sound

For Sea Kayking Stuart

I saw on Richards blog, that Stuart had asked about Horse Rock in Ramsey Sound.

I don't feel as I can offer advice or guidance, I'm only learning myself, but here's my take on it all!

Horse Rock! At really low Spring tide August 2010. Photo taken from St Justinians and zoomed right up close

Zooming out a bit you can see the White farmhouse on Ramsey

Now the full picture, I took this to show the line its on. But in reality, when sat in the kayak in the turbulant water that makes this place so exciting, looking at it from this angle counts for nothing!

This was us entering the Sound at Pen Dal-aderyn two days before. We had arrived bang on mid-flow and I was worried - not for me, but for 'us' I felt an awesome responsibility to get us through safely.

Here it is, Horse Rock as we passed it, about 50 metres off I think. It looked nasty. I do know someone who took a couple of freinds over to the Bitches in playboats, and one of them did go for a swim here on the way back when they ended up passing way too close after the mist rolled in whilst they were returning.   

It ended well on that occasion!        

I used the chart to help plot onto the map above, approx where the rock does lay.

By placing the blue line, and the lilac one from known points on the land, where the two cross (marked with a purple spot) is roughly where it is.

If there is any chance that there will be strong flow, ie. Spring tides I would always try and pass the way I did in the pictures above. (Along the thick red line)

Wind, tide, sea state and million and one other factors would dictate if I was even there in the 1st place though

This is a capture of the chart software I use (bluesend) Its old and has limits with GPS but is fine for information.

I thought I'd add this last picture (thanks to Richard). Its NOT Horse Rock! It is however Carreg Gafeiliog, and is just up from the overfalls at St Johns Point. Until the day Richard took this photo I had never seen it like this, and is now always foremost in my mind when passing Northwards up the Sound. If I don't get over to St Johns Point and out of the flow, then the next thing I'll encounter is probably this!

Hope this helps you readers, as I said, I'm only learning, and (disclaimer) I hold no responsibility for any 3rd parties' encounters whilst having fun in Ramsey Sound!