Tuesday 4 December 2012

From the November Scrapbook

Rafting up by Horsesands Fort for the 2 minute silence on Remembrance Sunday
Rafted up, unfortunately the raft drifted into the Fort during the 2 minutes, necessitating an emergency break-up as the gun sounded to resume normal activity.
 On the way back from Fishbourne, paddling ahead of a training ship.

 and the lunch stop at Fareham.
 Chichester Harbour last weekend, sunshine in the morning,
but a wintery sky on the way home.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Kimmeridge - Durdle Dor 29th July

Alternatively, Durdle Dor or bust and it was bust!. The main party were baulked by the wind & waves, electing to stop at Lulworth Cove for a well earned lunch. The hardy few pushed on, only to be turned back by the security marshals patrolling the Weymouth Olympic Sailing area.

Many thanks to Glynn & Helen Carter for these fantastic pictures.









Wednesday 27 June 2012

Swanage Weekend


Despite the poor weather forecast, 14(+1) hardy souls arrived at Woodyhyde Campsite just outside Corfe Castle on Friday evening and Saturday morning this weekend. The forecast of SW – WSW F4-5 was spot on and Saturday saw a dry day with plenty of afternoon sunshine through the gaps in the clouds.

We tackled a simple but interesting (due to the wind) paddle from Knoll car park, Studland and into Poole Harbour circumnavigating Brownsea Island. It was tough paddle with a consistent 18-20knots of wind accelerating through the gaps between islands to 25-28knots on the nose. It was hard work for most of the group and we abandoned our intended lunch stop at Shipstal Point on the Arne peninsular and went ashore at Pottery Pier on Brownsea Island instead.

Lunch saw one of the rarer kayaking injuries one is ever likely to encounter. One unlucky paddler received a 4” slice to his right cheek care of an irate Peacock who wasn’t getting as much of the paddler’s lunch as he would like! It was potentially a very serious injury but the group’s first aid skills handled it well. All that was required at hospital later was a tetanus jab. Well done team!











An enjoyable surf down the back of Brownsea was followed by another slog into the wind back to Studland but the sun stayed out and we were back at the campsite in time for a an evening swapping tall sea stories around the braii.

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Bank Holiday Chelsea Kayak club Visit


The early May bank holiday saw members of the Chelsea Kayak Club visit the area and the club for two days of paddling on the South Coast.


On the Saturday, Portsmouth (and Chelsea’s) Richard Bate put them through their paces with a skills training day in Langstone Harbour’s famous ebb tidal flows.

On the Sunday they joined in with Portsmouth Club’s circumnavigation of Hayling Island. Here are some pictures taken by Steve Woods of the lunch stop at The Ship Inn and the surf landing out at Sandy Point.











Sunday 22 April 2012

April Sunshine, Showers and Smiles – Poole to Wareham

Today’s paddle was promoted as a gentle, flat-water bimble from Lake Pier in Hamworthy to Wareham and back. Crossing the open upper section of Poole Harbour it actually turned into a slightly harder push into a, strengthening, SW wind, ebbing tide and a river flow strengthened by the past week’s heavy showers.

Lunch was taken in the lee of the town centre bridge soaking up the last of the sun’s rays before the ominous dark clouds brought a blustery 18knots to blow us home in just over an hour.

The dark clouds and cold shower couldn’t dampen anyone’s enjoyment and there were bright smiles all round. It was great to see a turnout of nine including a new member Gordon and Anne in her new Avocet. Thanks to Simon for his organisation and leading on the day.

The briefing.

Sharing The river Frome with other users.

Redcliffe Yacht Club - right on the water.

Darkening skies behind Wareham Priory.

I hope my sparkling Rockpool never gets this neglected.

A pair of Mallards in their natural habitat - water and a posh hostelry close by.

More local fauna - a bearded Spurling in it's natural habitat - water and a posh hostelry close by!









Thursday 19 April 2012

Beaten by Bracklesham

A post appeared from "Magicseaweed Surf" on Facebook the other day, saying that there was going to be big swell, but a lot of wind. So I checked out the surf and weather forecast for the Witterings, and looked good for Wednesday evening, with the wind dropping later. A 5ft forecast, 7 seconds between waves, with F4 Westerley. LW about 16:30, so getting there at 18:30 and it should be OK. Playboat still broken, so sea kayak it shall be.

Decided to check out West Wittering first of all. I was running late, getting there at 19:15. The car park would cost £2 and closed at 20:30. Had a quick look at the beach, looked sandy, gentle slope and a long way to walk at LW! Decided that I needed more than an hour, so went on to Bracklesham. The car park there cost £1.20.

By this time the tide had come in quite a bit, with the water coming up to the shingle. The period looked more like 4 seconds, so it was going to be a battle. Moreover, the water surged in onto the shingle, and then back out, providing some spectacular clapotis as the outgoing wave fronts met the incoming ones.

I must have spent the best part of half an hour engaging in comedy entries and exits; I was trying to enter in about 2 foot of water off the shingle, with technique that just didn't work for me in those conditions. I must have looked like a complete novice. Perhaps this was an omen that I should just give up there and then! Undeterred, I resorted to getting in on the shingle and just slid in. Whilst faffing I got broadsided and side-surfed back up onto the shingle, as if the sea gods just wanted to put me back in my place on the beach. I had to get out again and have another go.

Finally I managed to get away from the shingle, and was breaking through the onslaught of waves as they arrived. At one point a pair of waves broke on top of me, backsurfing and almost capsizing me, I felt pressure on the back of the blade for about 3 seconds, after which time I threw myself in and rolled back up.

I persisted with the paddle out, and finally got to the back of the breaking zone. There was still a lot of big 3m swell, but I was able to pump out. Feeling pleased with myself that I managed to get through the melee with the cockpit 1/4 full of water, I then turned round to do my run. Time was getting on so it would be the only one. I was feeling a bit stiff; I should have rammed my knees alternately to loosen the hips. At the time I didn't know that I was making a mistake; I didn't look at the shore to see if I needed to paddle along to get back in line with where I launched, I just turned round on the spot.

As I paddled in, I briefly caught a couple of waves. Seeing the bow dive, I leant back and fell off the back of them. Then I paddled in some more, and saw the next wave front. I paddled like mad to catch it, then got onto the wave. After 20 seconds of ruddering I was really determined to stay on it; I really wanted to keep riding the bloody wave and get a total hard-on. However at the point where I should have switched from a rudder to a bongo slide, I opted to keep ruddering. And promptly fell in shoreside, for the first time since I can remember. Then I attempted to roll up, in a really lazy fashion. I shifted the paddle shaft along, and reached for the surface with the paddle in a stabbing fashion. My "top hand", head and body were a long way from the surface; I didn't lean forward and kiss the deck. So I managed to get halfway up, my body being over the back deck, and my head reaching for the heavens. I got a breath and repeated the exercise. Another 5 times.

Then I ran out of lung capacity and bailed, and found myself shoreside of the boat with a big wave coming in. I tucked myself in and faced down as the wave surfed the boat over the top of me. I came up after the wave, looked up and saw that the boat was long gone, thinking, "thank f**k I'm not out to sea"! I was quite a way offshore, and must have spent what felt like a very long 5 minutes swimming to shore, with every breaking wave surging me forwards, trying to rip the helmet off my head. I was peturbed to see my boat heading for one of the groynes. Then the two became acquainted. Too well acquainted. They even started mating! Fortunately, the water was high enough that the boat could pass over the top of the groyne after its brief romantic encounter.

Finally I got ashore, retrieved all the flotsam, and commenced the long drag back to the car park, reflecting on how the roll that I had believed to be pretty bombproof had failed to be so. It must have been a good 500m downshore to where I'd started.

I feel battered and bruised at being defeated by the Bracklesham surf. What an excellent place it can be to test and practise your skills in a rough environment. I will go away and do some roll practise, then be back there very soon to get very wet and love the water instead of trying too bloody hard to keep my head out of it!

Monday 9 April 2012

Easter Paddling

Several club members were paddling this weekend.
The “Lundy Lunatics” made it out to the iconic rock in the Bristol Channel, I believe there was club paddle on Easter Day and Mark & Sherril managed one short paddle from Porth Clais, south of St David’s Head in Pembrokeshire. Hopefully we will get some pictures of the Lundy trip and the Club Paddle to put up as a separate post but here’s a few pictures from West Wales to wet people’s appetite.

The rocks on Ramsay Island known as "The Bitches" which produce a famous wave for play-boating in the right conditions. Up to 6knots of tide run through the sound and the moving water viewed from the mainland cliff top was inspiring, especially as we saw a pair of porpoises and a seal being flushed through.

Three sea-kayakers also being "flushed" through the mainland side of the channel.

Horse Rock, a cathedral sized spire of rock sticking up 60meters from the seabed protruding at low water. You can see the size of the wave to get an idea of the power of the ebb tidal stream. It looks like the conning tower of a surfacing submarine!

Launching at Porth Clais.


Rock-hopping - caves, collapsed arches, interesting strata.




We paddlers weren't the only people out enjoying the coastal geology.