Go Sea Kayak Blog: Tyla Images Expedition Around Wales Day 9...

Barafundle to Porth Melgan

Hard day today, really hard. Up at 5AM, (again, grrrr).
A stunning start again though, this section of coast is quite amazing & in hindsight this was my favorite leg of the whole trip.

St Govans head is a seriously imposing slab of rock, it looks from a distance like the prow of a great battleship. I had no idea however that there was a couple of arches cutting through it & I couldn't resist riding the current through one of them.

I generally kept well out from the shore but deviated inland for a closer look at the Green Arch. I contemplated going through but some big swells started pushing in so I played it safe & promised myself I'd come back soon.

Just past the green arch I was marveling at how some big swells were creating pretty large clapotis off the cliffs & trying to get a good shot of the action.
It dawned on me though that I was drifting rather quickly towards this action so I hastily put the camera away & tried to paddle to a safer stretch of water. I hit 6.3 knots in the current off the headland & with the swell coming from my front left & the clapotis from my front right it all got very tense & interesting.
I gave the headlands a wider berth after that.

The swells along this stretch of coast were around 6-8 feet evan on a calm day like this & it was keeping my concentration.

I hadn't studied the map too closely last night & so was surprised to see Lynney Head & St Annes Head further in the distance so soon into this leg.
I cut a straight line between the two heading straight for St Annes Head & was relieved to see that the mouth of the Cleddau was in a calm mood as I've heard it can get quite rough here.

Upon reaching the tip of Gateholm Island I remove my hat & don my helmet, I've no idea what to expect at Jack Sound so I prepare myself for the worst.
Turns out Poseidon was in a particularly generous mood & granted me safe passage & a view to treasure.

Glad to still be alive & in need of a rest I pull into Martins Haven & top my water bottles up. As usual there are Swallows nesting in the toilets there, wonder if its the same couple each year?

Back in my kayak I made the rash decision to head straight across St Brides Bay towards Ramsey in an attempt to reach camp at Porth Melgan.
I had about two hours to reach Ramsey before the tide turned & about 7 nautical miles to get there. Do the maths, I needed to make 4 knots across the bay.
I think at this point Poseidon wanted to see some suffering for his amusement as payment for safe passage through Jack Sound.
I had a head wind all the way across & was paddling at 100% to make about 2.5 knots. It was a very long hard paddle to reach Ramsey.

I arrived quite late & Ramsey & the tide was ripping through. I saw a fishing boat exiting the sound backwards at quite a pace, not a good omen.
After the effort I'd put in to get here I was not in a quitting mood & decided to eddy hop my way upstream catching my paddle blades in the kelp as I went.
It was a bit tense squeezing past the Bitches but finally I reached the entrance to St Justinians. It was really moving now & I had one final tricky point jutting out into the current to pass before reaching the calm water of the bay.
I was quite wasted by now & pulled onto the slipway next to the lifeboat station & made myself some Porridge & a Cup of Coffee. Amazing what a rest & some food can do.

Feeling fresher I headed off once more to reach my chosen camp spot. The wind was really strong & in my face at Whitesands but it didn't matter as I was in no rush now, Paddling gently & enjoying the views.

In hindsight Porth Melgan wasn't an ideal camp spot. Beautiful & secluded yes, but there was only a small patch of grass to fit the tent on & it was uneven. The kayak had to stay on the beach too.
Still wonderfully peaceful though.

GEEK STATS, (up-to St Justinians as batteries ran out there)

Trip Odom 28.6 nautical miles, (32.9 Statute)

Max Speed 6.9 knots

Average Speed 3.6 knots

Time Moving 08:02:35