InterMediate Sea Kayaking - Anglesey, North Wales

Our InterMediate sea kayaking course aims to move you towards solid 3 star performance skills, in wind, swell, surf and current.  And as you can see form the forecast below, it was going to be an exciting weekend of interesting weather.  Lets be honest, though.  What an amazing Autumn we've had!

Simon, Mandy and Douglas were up for the weekend and at least we had a gentle start to the day.  Trearddur bay on the West coast of Holyhead Island, Anglesey, would allow us to go into wind and then get blown back, when we decided to leave.

We started with number of circuits, working on down and upwind turns left and right.  Then running down wind, with emphasis on the use of body, along side a stern rudder to assist the turn and trying to keep momentum.  Mandy below enjoying the conditions ...

Simon below, with a low angled stern rudder ...

Douglas below ... as we headed into one of the sheltered bays and then re tracing our paddle strokes back into the bay as the wind began to arrive ...

The sea now go a little more confused, with reflected waves and now a Beaufort F4 wind was blowing ...

Time for some surfing ....  Mandy below on her way back out ....

Sunday and with the aim of working those down wind skills a journey from Moel Y Don to Menai Bridge, with the last 3 hours of the ebb, would create wind against tide conditions.   the main channel was over 1mt and surfing white tops ...  We were on a smaller tide, which was helpful and kept to the Anglesey side.  There was a couple of surging 1mt swells but over all it was more 0.5 mt as we eddy hoped our way along.

Just below the Britannia Bridge, was a super playful area which was more sheltered, and great for eddy turns and a couple of surfs.

After lunch we headed on through the Swellies which were now flowing with us and a couple of rolls later, for Douglas and then a self rescue finished the day.  Reflections and hot drinks in Dylan's wrapped up the day and the weekend.

The next Winter InterMediate weekend is the 6/7th February (1 place left), March is already full and then its the 9/10th April  (5 places currently left).  Calendar for the rest of the year will be out in the next month.

Interested?  Then email me at info@coastalspirit.com

Thanks,
Roger

www.coastalspirit.com


Below is a refection from Douglas Barrie on his Bespoke day and the weekend Intermediate course -

Theory Into Practice: The Endless Trials and Tribulations of an Intermediate Paddler

A personnel day with Roger provided the opportunity to road test whether my attendance at a “Coaching the Mind” weekend during the summer had managed to permeate my rather thick skull. Never a quick learner I am now at the age where practice begets more practice, and perhaps in the fullness of time, and then a bit, some improvement.

With following seas a particular Bogey-Mermaid of my own, the forecast conditions for the day were well suited to provide an examination of whether I would be able to grasp some of the tools offered by the two-day course on “mind control”. I’m not particularly bothered being munched by a wave when beach surfing, within the reasonable parameters of no broken bones or permanent scarring, but put the same wave in a following sea environment, and it’s that three-cracker dry mouth.

Irrespective of my personal prognosis, I’d recommend heartily the course: first of all it’s a good laugh, well delivered, and provides a balanced mix of the theory and practical.

Out at the neck of Trearddur Bay with a force 3-4 breeze and a good meter swell (Roger’s measure, not mine, my following sea swell ratings have been based traditionally more around pallid knuckles and facial blood drainage) I was bobbing around in a way that previously has tempted the flight response in my neo-cortex.

Was I happy as a sand boy – not quite- but with a bit of visualisation and self-talk (the latter unprintable, but for those with the misfortune to have made my acquaintance you might imagine it was at the fruity end of my already green-grocer rich vocabulary,) I felt I could manage what was going on around me. As the day progressed, and under the invaluable tutelage and re-assuring presence of Roger, I settled more into the bouncy water and even began to suspect that within reason I actually might begin to enjoy the surfing opportunities of a following sea – I just visualise the golden sands of a hazard-free beach about 30 meters in front of every wave.

Surfing, Tiderace's and Dolphins!!

 Flavio was over again from Switzerland for a few days coaching before the 4* Leader training.  With a good swell running we focused on surfing, bringing all those skills together, with the excitement of the ride.  The waves gently rolled in and as skills developed we moved further right, to the steeper waves.

Two other paddlers arrived, who were Mark and Amanda out for the day.  Apparently Rhoscolyn had some flow but no waves ... come and join us here then, was my reply!!

On the way back to Rhoscolyn, we nipped out to the Beacon to see if there was any change and then headed back in to wrap up the day.

With NW winds strengthening overnight, a fair swell was running into Trearddur Bay and we were soon amongst the waves.  These waves had more power ...  Flavio was really getting the idea of leaning, using the body to make the boat work for you ...

And as its likely at some point we did some back surfing ....  as the surf began to drop off, we headed along the coast towards Porth Dafach, in some good moderate conditions.


Day 3,  I was now keen to put the well honed beach surfing back in to a tidal environment.  harry Furlongs race, with a SW was nice and protected and on a neap would give us enough to play with.  Eddy turns, with low brace and carved, then maintaining position in the flow ...

 Out to West Mouse and then on around Carmell Head and time to take in some lunch ....

Not a bad lunch spot, looking across to the Skerries ....

Day 4 and the aim was Point Lynas, with a F4 SW forecast, we could build on the previous day and put some rescues into the mix too.  However, while taking the kayaks off a nice couple said we've just seen these, as the guy showed me a photo he had taken on his camera.  Its a dolphin and looks like it could be a Risso's Dolphin ... they, were about 1 mile out close to a boat, which was observing them and just west of East Mouse.

We ran down on the ebbing tide and sat and watch a pod of around 10-14, with a few younger ones in the midst.  They were slowly moving around not bothered by us or the boat, which had its engine ticking over.  Two guys on the boat were taking photos of the dorsal fins for records.

We slowly followed them as they moved closer to the coast and I'd say it was just over rate hour we shared there company.  The pod came in about 80 meters from the cliffs and then started moving out again, occasionally slapping their tails.  It was a totally magic moment, a first for Flavio and the longest Ive been with a pod for.

Apparently Risso Dolphins are closer to Whales, they have a flat front forehead and are deep water feeders.  Squid and Octopus are what they love but they will go for whats also about.

Last weekend a rare sighting of around 50 Risso Dolphins were sighted on Anglesey, by the sea watch foundation.

Full of smiles, WOWs and how amazing was that, comments we headed into Bull Bay for some lunch  ...

Roger

www.coastalspirit.com
info@coastalspirit.com

A GOOD EIGG & MORE - By Tracy Arnold

A GOOD EIGG AND MORE

What to do ? Camping from our kayak in Scotland with Whirlygig winds forecast or a Greek getaway with no kayaking and long faces ?

We couldn't forgo the camping,  we had some adventure food to trial and I needed to take my Pilgrim exped out for one last wild camp.

The forecast for Scotland included a couple of light wind sunshine days so we took our chances and many maps so we could be responsive to wind direction and like the two big kids we are excitedly set off . One bonus of being an adult and excited is we didn't ask each other if we were nearly there yet .

Parking up at the campsite at  at Caepaich outside Arisaig we had a lovely late afternoon paddle in sunshine and no wind.  We planned our next days crossing to Eigg , an open crossing of around 15k from the campsite.

We set off from within 3m of the van on the campsite reckoning on enough time to see us at the port on Eigg as the tide turned.  Winds were very light and 1knot of tide was with us .We had slight swell on our starboard stern which meant i had some sweeping and sitting in different positions to get the tracking right .I hadn't paddled this boat loaded for years.

The views were fantastic.  The Cuillins to our right and Eigg and Rum ahead. We paddled by a lone male Eider ,a couple of young Shearwaters that actually grumbled at us as we past, watched Gannets diving and saw a pod of about 10 porpoises.

A lunch stop near the campsite just outside the Port at Galmisdale and then onwards along committing coastline to the campsite of Camas Sgiotaig or Singing Sands on the northwestern side.

The coastline is stunning - amazing geology. Looking up at the Sgurr outlined against the blue sky as we paddled north was fantastic. Grazing cattle gave us an idea of scale of the height of the cliffs. Large caves are present on this side one of which was the site of a massacre hundreds of years ago.

 The sea state was a little higher on this side given that the wind was n- Nw.

We made camp  high up the beach on a fairly small area of grass and proceeded to enjoy watching the sunset behind Rum . We also managed to get the weather forecast which gave f 5-6 NW veering N the next day. We thought we would decide the onward commitment when we had the forecast in the morning.

The wind got up overnight ,we could not access the forecast so we decided to play safe and complete the circumnavigation of Eigg .We launched through 1m breaking surf and paddled north just as the tide turned against us. The swell was about 0.5 -1m at that point but petered out as we left the NE side after catching a few surfs on the way. Clear waters, many jelly fish and a Minke Whale added to our eye candy as we travelled along to the harbour to catch the ferry back to Mallaig.

Eigg is a community owned island and has earn green credentials for its management of its estate and a good cafe with a bar can be found at the Port ,  general store and Post Office . Leave food in your tent oat your peril f you stay at the campsite near the port. Apparently a rat enjoyed some teacakes that didn't belong to him (advice from paddler we met)

It was hard work moving the loaded kayaks off the ferry - thank goodness for the trolley but after a cup of tea in Mallaig, a chat with some locals, we paddled off in glorious late afternoon sunshine.

 The next leg of our Journey took us north from Mallaig to Inverie in Knoydart a distance of about 13k . We arrived just after 7pm . Just in time for the MIDGES.

Apparently the weather had been so bad the poor midges had not had time to hatch and live their lives so a couple of nice weeks had allowed them to make up for lost time. Note to self - ALWAYS take head nets unless it is actively freezing. Smidge is very good if you've never tried it .

Inverie was really beautiful but has a long carry if arriving at low water (Eds note: if the far right stream is used, as you look at the beach, one can get closer to the beach/camp areas.  Its close to a hide).  Thankfully this was not the case for us.

The next day dawned bright and beautiful - I watched a tick crawling over the outside of our inner tent and delighted in  the fact I was inside and he was out and ensured I tucked trousers my socks !

Knoydart is also owned and run by its community and is really stunning.  Westerly views look back across the head of Loch Nevis towards the Sound of Sleat , easterly looking into the mountains where a 2 day trek ends up at Glenfinnan.  We were so fortunate to see it in good weather and we made the most of the sunshine and katabatic winds keeping the midges at bay sunbathed and explored the village area.

A friendly cafe serving good food was a welcome find and there is a bunkhouse near the campsite that charges £4 for a shower which includes use of towel. The campsite loo is a composting one which was built using traditional methods and has a turf roof and hydro power is produced from the river.  The water is untreated being from the local loch and the advice is to boil it but It made delicious tea.No VHF signal so we had to  interrogate a fisherman to get a forecast for the following day which was NW-N F 3.

A misty day dawned and we set off at high water the following morning to paddle back to the van - about 20k. We sat and watched a white tailed Eagle for a while on the way out of Loch Nevis and had a pretty paddle back . Heavy rain rinsed us off as we came to the end of our journey and many seals popped up around us as we got closer to the campsite.

A long haul up the beach was necessary but after a break neck sort out of gear and superman type change into something more comfortable all was well with a cup of tea in hand.

Arisaig Inn is a lovely place to plan, eat, drink and enjoy the music and that's just what we did that evening, deciding to move to Glenuig the next day.

A leisurely morning with a clear cool start promising a beautiful day saw us finally launching from the jetty at Glenuig for an experiment to see how far into Loch Moidart we could get. The tide was with us as we paddled out in anticipation. The waters were crystal clear with many fish, sea stars and anemones' visible beneath.

A very interesting exercise in translating physical evidence to the map took place as we paddled south towards Eilean Shona and  entered the North Channel. It was an amazing day - we met a man who was practically bursting with excitement who told us how amazing he thought the coastline and the day was and that it was his first time sea kayaking. How fantastic !

 Eddy hopping up the North Channel was very pretty and we  just managed to paddle through  portaging about 5m over the ford. After getting back in the boats the water was flowing out with us which was very convenient ! We paddled round Riska Island admiring  13th Century Castle Tioram which was ruined by fire in the 1700s and lunched opposite on Eilean Shona enjoying the sunshine. Paddling west through the South Channel we passed quite a few seal covered skerries and found it difficult to give them wide berths on some occasions.

The journey back to Glenuig was an exercise in joyous relaxation and just being in the moment.

It was a super trip covering about 26k and a great finish to a wonderful holiday.

Tracy and Andy Arnold.

Foot note - The above Blog, is about an independent journey that Tracy & Andy made and aims to highlight and provide a snap shot of what others are doing, who are part of the mentoring programme.  Through coaching, support and encouragement from Coastal Spirit - great read and what a top time, you both had.  I love the mermaid shot at the end ...   ;)  
Thanks, Roger

Sea Kayaking Courses this Winter and into the Spring!

The following Anglesey, North Wales courses from CoastalSpirit, have a few spaces left on them:

Open Water Navigation and Tidal Planning (OWNTP) - 30th Sep or 24th October - theres no need to be going for your 5 star leader.  Have a good understanding of coastal tidal planning and keen to learn more complex planning.  Cost £90 and its a theory based day.

InterMediate sea kayaking with 3 star training (and assessment if suitable) - 3/4th October and at £160 for the weekend.  2 places left

Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning (CNTP) - 10th October and £90 for the day.  No need to be going for the 4 star leader award.  Having a basic understanding of coastal tidal planning is useful.

4 Star Leader Training - 11/12th October at £160 or with the CNTP above £230 for the 3 days. 2 places left

5 Star Leader Training - 25/26th October (incl night navigation) at £160 or with the OWNTP on the 24th Oct £230.  2 places left


Winter Sea Kayaking is at three levels, so you can get more from the course and allows you to keep those skills active, develop further and meet like minded people.  So when the Summer arrives you can go and have your own adventures ...

And may be, if were lucky, experience Anglesey and Holy Island as its rarely seen ... Gogarth Bay above

InterMediate Sea Kayaking for those working on 3 star skills:  7/8th Nov; 6/7th Feb and 12/13th March.

InterMediate Plus Sea Kayaking is for those who are working towards the 4 star leader award or similar skill level and want coaching and to develop further while in a moderate sea environment: 19/20th Dec; 23/24th Jan and 20/21st Feb

Advanced Sea Kayaking is for those who are working towards the 5 star Leadership award or similar skills and want further support, coaching and guidance in an advanced water environment: 21/22nd Dec; 30/31st Jan and 5/6th March.

Further details on the Winter weekends can be found here

Move towards 2016 with fresh skills, confidence and ability.  Contact me for further details or to book a place.

Thanks, Roger

roger chandler
www.coastalspirit.com
info@coastalspirit.com

Sweden - the next 4 days Coaching

On my day off we headed into Stockholm for a wander, coffee and lunch and ABBA the Museum!!  It was a different sort of day from my norm, but enjoyable.  And what an attractive city Stockholm is!

Clean and dried kit, and another sunshine start ... perfect!  This next team was made up of, Matts, Adendesh, Johanna, Anna, Ovee and Ann - plus Clara and Hawken.  I had paddled with Johanna the previous year and met Ann, may be 4/5 years ago.  It was good catch up with both of them.  

The focus of the next four days was similar, with a greater leadership and incident management focus.

Over above had made his own Greenland paddle as well as his own wooden sea kayak.  And if thats not impressive enough he had also paddled the entire Swedish coastline, with both items.  A journey of over 2000km.  A great achievement ...

It was now becoming very clear to me the Swedish, know how to life outdoors.  Lunch was always a hot meal and evenings were nice and extended.  It also explained why they tended to paddle bigger kayaks!!

We managed over all to escape the main rain and winds which pushed through on a couple of the nights.  So the days were largely dry.

On the last day after 3 previous days of Coaching, discussion and exploring of techniques.  The group was merged into two main teams and the decision was for a leader to be set various incident management tasks, by the group.  The leader was unaware of the various tasks, so as to provide an element of surprise and pressure.  The leader then rotated so all had an opportunity.

It had been another super four days, with great people.  Thanks once again for your welcome and a BIG thanks to Clara and Hawken for organising the courses and looking after me so well.

Roger

www.coastalspirit.com

Sweden - East coast sea kayaking and my first 4 day Coaching course

Earlier this year Hawken and Clara invited me to Sweden, to run two 4 day courses around Coaching, while on a journey with wild camps along the way.  I was intrigued, very interested and keen.  I had not really run a course while wild camping at static sites - going out for the day doing skills and technique coaching then returning to camp, to hang up kit and have food.  Plus I had never been to Sweden before.

The flight was great, train to Stockholm smooth and I was soon meeting up with Hawken and on a bus back to his house and to meet his wife Anna-Stina.  Super food, great nights sleep and an hour drive South and we were meeting up with the other 6 Coaches and leaders who I was going to work with for the next 4 days.

The area was beautiful, the winds were light and the sun was out.

The first 3 days were focused on skills and technique - being efficient and effective.  Rescue's both self and assisted and the use of the towline .... moving camp allowed the practise with heavy kayaks and to explore differences ...  It was also great to experience the hilleberg village  ... Ive never seen so many Hilleberg tents all together

One of the lunch breaks on a sheltered small island ...

Clara below showing great skills standing on the back of a P&H Cetus LV ...

The final day was windy and perfectly timed for putting the previously learnt skills into a new and active context.  Kirsten below, was paddling a Sterling kayak, an Illusion and apparently the only one in Sweden.  A beautifully crafted sea kayak and the first time I'd actually seen one  ...

Personal skills, group management and in two teams of 4 rescues and self rescues for those who wanted to!

It had been a super 4 days - Many thanks to Jorgen, Knut, Anna-Stina, Kim, Johnas, Kerstin, Clara and Hawken for your welcome.

I now had a day off before the next group of 6 people ...

Roger

www.coastalspirit.com