Moderate water at Hurst Castle - part two (or should that be adrenaline junkies r us?)

Oooh, errr!













I was hoping to post a bit of video from our trip to Hurst Castle a couple of weeks ago but "the computer said no" - so here are some belated photos instead.

After a hard, yet enjoyable workout in "The Trap" it was nice to get into the lee of Hurst Castle for a break and some eats.

After our pitstop we headed out for round two.

Around Portsea Island (& back for a BBQ!) 12th July 2010

A gorgeous day awaited us as we arrived at Eastney for our circumnavigation of Portsea Island. Despite the forecast predicting an overcast afternoon with winds up to F5, we were delighted to find that the conditions were absolutely perfect; just enough to work up a healthy appetite!

The tide gave a helping hand up Langstone Harbour and Russell had planned it to perfection as we passed beneath the railway bridge at Hilsea, with inches to spare.

Now on the home stretch we followed our noses back to Eastney and a well stoked bbq..... A great day out was had by all.

'Moderate' Rough Water at Hurst Castle

 

Although less than ideal on the water snapshot conditions, Hurst Castle provided a roller-coaster ride at the weekend for some club members. The inshore eddy allowing rapid progress upwind into the rough stuff; with a choice of a smooth run back down the middle with the tide, or stop-go surfing at all angles, tide against wind and waves.

Around Hayling and Portsea Islands - Sunday 27th June 2010

Wide brimmed hats and factor 30 were the order of the day as eleven of us mustered on the beach at Eastney for a 9.30am start.

With the mercury rising as fast as the Spring tide we set off into the low sun that heralded a glorious day.

The cooling breeze was appreciated as we paddled out of Langstone Harbour against the flow.

We whistled up Chichester Harbour with the flow, recording a maximum speed of 9mph!

We had made good time as we passed the Langstone Pub and continued on to the narrow creek at the top of Portsea Island where we stopped for lunch and waited for the tide to ebb enough for us to pass under the low railway bridge at Hilsea. Sheltered from the breeze we could feel the heat of the day and Steve tried to tempt us into a swim, Liz couldn't resist but the rest of us were happy soaking up the mid day sun.

An impromptu stop.... Pete isn't trying to pinch one of the flags, he just fancied a closer look, but still came away non the wiser.

In the background a modern day stealth Warship of the Royal Navy, it's angular lines designed to assist in its avoidance of radar and missile attack. In the foreground, two vessels with similarly angled lines designed to assist with the avoidance of tennis balls, something that Pete had demonstrated earlier as Steves 'smart ball' was no match for Petes counter measures.

The strong spring flow aided our exit of Portsmouth Harbour, whilst the entrance was calmer than usual it still managed to provide some interest, of the lumpier kind.

P.s Our thanks to the English football team and all involved for being so predictable and not making us feel that we should have missed this fantastic paddle for fear of missing some good footie.