A familiar trip - solo

Sunday 16th October 2011

A little bad planning!

If Dad had been 100%  we were going to pack up the gear, and drive North to Dinas head and paddle there, then drive back from there.

I thought we'd save Dinas for when Dad is fit again, so he drove me around to Porth Clais.

I had run through the trip in my mind....along the South coast from Porth Clais, through Carreg Fran, and Carreg yr Esgob. Leaving the harbour, I knew it would be a bit rough out there.

A rare shot from the shore, you can see the wind sweeping across the water surface.

Must have been a rubbish photo to take, Dads boat on the roof of the car.

Hope the back is good to go soon.

I wish there was a better way to capture the size of the conditions on the water, it looks flat calm here, there won't be much picture taking today.

As I approached Carreg Fran, I suddenly had this nagging thought that the conditions around Pen-Dal-Aderyn were going to be interesting/challenging/dangerous/exciting - delete as necesary!

Getting through the submerged rocks at Carreg Fran was hard work, with a massive foaming torrent pushing through with each swell, I din't fancy trying to go out and around the head.

I never thought I would be so pleased to see the seemingly 'tranquil' Ramsey Sound.

Passing around and into the sound was not too bad. But just before it, with a gusting South Westerly and the big swell I was way out of my comfort zone! I raced through the overfalls that I had expected to be subsiding now, I'm sure they were bigger earlier on, but the swell was causing them to rear up nicely each time it passed through.

I could see that the Bitches looked pretty calm, the ebb tide was inside an hour from starting, I decided to stay over by the mainland and go through the centre of the counter eddy in the bay below St Justinians. There was a little confused water, but had mostly gone as the tide was going to be turning anytime soon.

Dad had stopped by at St Justinians, and there were a few passengers waiting to go to Ramsey for the day.

I was tempted to get out here, I was battered after being a little tense for most of the journey (if Scott is reading this, I no how you felt)

Dad got a couple of shots with my phone camera.

I decided to paddle around to Porthsele, the carry up the lifeboat stations steps would be worse than the paddle around the point.

I made it around! But not easily, with tired arms, and a slight pain developing in my right arm I had to battle the gusts and the now wind over tide Ebb flow. It wasn't going much really, but what I had not banked on was the flow coming out of Whitesands bay and emptying into the Southerly Ebb between Carreg-Garfeiliog and the mainland. I havn't seen this before to this extent but it was hard going. See map below.

It really was pouring out, and I could only just make headway against it, there was a lobster pot boat sat right were I wanted to paddle aswell, so I had to work around them, I did get the slight feeling of comfort from someone else being close-by though!

They say 'do something that scares you every day' today didn't disapoint!

Sorry that Dad could have experienced that! Lol!

Here's to next time. We had booked the caravan for the weekend, so were committed really, although it was nice to be back in the best place in the world.