Tuesday 22 May 2012

Dolphins, Puffins and Rough Water ... Perfect Ingredients!

I'm going to keep it brief and allow the photos to paint a picture of the last 4 days of a Bespoke sea kayaking course.  Aimed at Intro-mediate to Inter-mediate paddlers, this was the 3rd year I had provided a sea kayaking course, for Beat and Michaelas group from Switzerland.

Puffin Island was the first days destination ... the seals much easier to catch on camera the puffins were more elusive, but always great to see ... we worked on eddy turns, ferry glides and maintaining dynamic posture ...




Day two and with a NE forecast F4/5 and increasing, a down wind run from Beaumaris to Menai Bridge and with some work in the Swellies at the end of the ebb was the plan.  The journey provided good stern rudder work and channelling speed ...




Day three was down on the Lleyn and a paddle out to the Tudwall Islands, F3 to begin and the settling.  Some small wind blown surf in the bay, provide a great circuit and warmed people into the journey out, with some exciting reflection on the far end of one of the islands.  We then headed on to Porth Ceriad, for some lunch and a break.  Within moments of landing we were greeted by 3 Dolphins, who looked like they were hunting fish they had directed into the shallows of the bay, a super moment.







Day four and our final day was the Stacks with a F2/3 NE forecast and approaching springs all looked good for a spectacular finish.  North stack was into the 2nd hour of the ebb and provided some good sport, with all remaining dry ... well no capsizes anyway!!

Some caves and arches explored and a break in parliament house cave, before on to South Stack, which as the speed of the current picked up interestingly got flatter ... the wind was also pushing it down, then on to some great close quartering, in and out of the rocky channels ...







Well the air temperature ranged from 8c - 18c over the four days and the winds allowed a mixture of venues to be paddled, great the sun came out ... now im off to the Stacks with another smaller group ... happy days!!

roger chandler
sea kayaking courses
www.coastalspirit.com

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