Flat Holm & Monkstone Lighthouse 11/05/2008

I left early on a glorious sunny morning from a deserted Penarth beach and paddled SE on a flat calm Bristol Channel towards Ranie buoy which marks the extremity of the rocks and sand spit off Lavernock Point. Here I encountered a bit of adverse tide but a short ferry glide took me out of the tidal flow and into the calmer waters on a course to Flat Holm.

Just before Flat Holm I encountered more adverse tide over the Flat Holm shelf but again a slightly longer ferry glide and I was into the shelter of the landing jetty.

I paddle in a clockwise direction and soon the lighthouse comes into view. The Flat Holm Lighthouse was established in 1737 after a ship was wrecked near the Holms with the loss of 60 soldiers. There are the remains of 4 gun emplacements which were built in the 1860's and were also used in WWII.
On returning back to the landing site I had a quick break and then preceeded to paddle on a course for Monkstone Lighthouse, my third lighthouse of the weekend. The tide was in my favour so it wasn't long before I reached Monkstone.

Monkstone Lighthouse was established in 1839 and was changed to solar power in 1993, note panels.

I now had a leisurely 5km paddle on glassy flat calm waters back to Penarth. It was on this paddle back that I had a close encounter with a Garfish..... paddling along, minding my own business, I was viciously attacked!!? by a Garfish, it leapt out of the water and slapped my hand with it's body, then went on it's way still leaping as he went. Frightened the life out of me at the time as I was in a world of my own!

Arriving back to a very busy Penarth after a paddle in idyllic conditions, I covered 10.5 nautical miles reaching a top speed of just over 6 knots.