Postman Pat Saves The Day...

I should have known the idyllic weather we had yesterday wouldn't last & my plans for a pre dawn paddle out to Flat Holm were a tad ambitious. 

 Myself & Sean Hurrel arrived at the Captains Wife in Sully at 05:30 to be ready to hit the water for 06:00. I wasn't liking the forecast though! With a Southerly Force 4-7 & moderate sea state predicted it would be pushing it a bit in the daylight but we were setting off in the dark!

 Luckily Chris Evans was late, very late! I was pretty relieved actually as we could do something less committing & have more fun!

 Postman Pat finally arrives & at speed too probably to make up for his tardiness?

 We finally hit the water at 07:00 but the tide is right in & making for a tricky launch. Sean finds a tiny bit of beach to launch off.

 Myself & Chis opt for the normal launch spot but the water is right against the steps & bouncing off the surrounding walls.

 We'll have to get into our boats from the water, self rescue style.

 Inevitably Chris gets wet :)

Sorry Chris ;)

 I suggest he swims his boat out to sean on his towline so he can get some help climbing back in.

 Worked a treat :)

 My turn next. I wait for  some calmer swells & hop on.

 Leaving my legs out till i'm clear of the shore, phew!

 It was looking quite bouncy on the causeway, definitely not Flat Holm weather. I'm glad Chris was late.

 The sunrise was lovely but dark clouds were gathering.

 A quick stop for Mr evans to pack his towline away & empty his boat.

 The back of the island was choppy & the tide was very high. I could have paddled over a ledge that normally sits above water level. I've never seen it that high before!

 I get too close to the cliff & get covered in spray! :)

 Time to hit the tide race.

 The tide race was looking playful & Sean gets stuck in.

 Vanishing occasionally.

 Mr Evans doesn't look so keen?

 But gets stuck in anyway.

 For a bit.

 Then legs it for the calmer water :)

 We finished with a quick play on some small standing waves that had formed on the causway. Just enough to put a smile on our faces :)

Two Virgins For The Monk...

Finally after weeks of bad weather & not being free on the days that the wind did die down a little I finally got to go for a paddle :)

 I made my way to Penarth to meet up with Chris & John for a paddle out to the Monkstone & Flat Holm.

 Chris was in his new boat, a Dagger Exodus.

 We left Penarth keeping a far off buoy at 45° off our right shoulder as its a steep angle across the tide to Monkstone.

The Bristol Channel has the second highest tidal range in the World! Today it was a 13.9M range.

 We left Penarth mid ebb so I knew we would probably have to go around or over Cardiff Grounds, a big sandbank. We chose to go around to reach Monkstone.

 The tide was ripping as we got closer so we steepened our angle a bit & ferry"d the final stretch to the rock.

We were near to low water, arrive here at high water & the lighthouse looms straight out from the sea.

 I overcome/ignore my fear of heights & scramble up the ladder to the top of the lighthouse. It looks a long way down!

 Muppets!

The view from the top.

 Steep Holm (on the left) & Flat Holm in the distance.

 We have a short break before commencing on to Flat Holm 3 miles away.

 Enjoying the tranquil scenery.

 45'ish minutes later we reach Flat Holm & have a well earned rest.

 I hand Chris my camera & pose for a shot :)

 Man talk!

 And Man Love?

 Chris is happy with his new boat!

 We don't linger to long as we don't want to be ferrying across the tide too steeply. We leave 15 minutes after the tide turns & follows the early flood in the direction of Lavernock. We don't plan to get there, its just a ferry angle (13.9M tidal range remember!).

 I look back as we leave the islands behind.

 And then forwards as we approach the finish at Penarth.

And the end of an awesome day :)

All going to plan I'll be back on Flat Holm again tomorrow doing a pre dawn paddle from Sully to get there. The weather however is looking dubious at the moment. Fingers crossed!

Short Shakedown...

After a very short paddle last week to try out the new boat i was itching to do a little trip, just a small one to get a feel for the new boats handling.

I had to get up a little early for the paddle. It was dark, windy & tipping down when I rose from my slumber but what the heck! wet paddles are quite pleasant when your wearing a dry suit :)

 I met with Noel at 08:30 on Penarth sea front, left my car there for the return & made our way to Sully for our launch. The plan was simple, just follow the tide back to my car :)

 Unfortunately the red boat is mine, she's a North Shore Atlantic that I bought last week from Up & Under in Cardiff.

To be fair she's an awesome boat, inexpensive, good looking & handles beautifully, Noes boat is just better!

 Noel getting comfy as we prepare to head into some small waves on the causeway to Sully Island.

 The waves weren't huge but they were fun all the same.

 After a good warm up, (did I mention it was freezing!?) we turn East & head for Lavernock Point.

The Rannies were quiet today but still threw up some mild excitement. Before long we were back at Penarth & happy we didn't let laziness & the bad weather put us off going for a splash :)

No Rest For The Wicked...

Hmmm, crappy weather according to the Met Office though their timings were out yesterday, looked like Cardiff Bay was to be the venue for todays paddle. I cant say I was too keen especially when Chris mention the 09:30AM start time! I've been getting up at 06:30 all week for work & was looking forward to a bit more time in bed!

I did fancy a paddle with my mates again though so I persuaded myself to get out of bed despite the rain hammering on my campervan roof. I arrived at Channel View at 09:30 to meet Chris, Sean, Stu, Pete & Blaine (who I've not met before). Simon was there too to give everyone some beer, walnuts for me though as I don't drink :) He wasn't paddling today though.

We chose to paddle up the River Taff which was interesting against the current with the river in flood. It was proving hard work!

There's always one!

We went a little past the Millenium Stadium but the current was getting quite strong now, time to head back for the Bay.

The sun was blinding on the way there but all that was soon to change!

  

Here comes the rain

And hailstones too!

A bit of hiding was required.

Before making our way across the Bay & back to the cars tired & hungary. I was finding myself dreaming of a handful of Simons nuts by this point :s

Great to get on the water with the misfits again, a good morning on the water :)