Milford Haven - Big Ships, Forts and Tales of Shipwrecks 21/03/2009

Launching from Dale, a small village in the NE corner of the entrance to the Haven. This is an ideal place to launch out of season but gets very crowded during the summer.

I paddled straight out heading towards the East Cardinal Dakotian Buoy. The buoy is named after the British steamer Dakotian which lies about 100m from the buoy. She was sunk on November 21st 1940 by a magnetic mine dropped from a German bomber and is a popular dive site. All of the crew were rescued except for one, which boats spent the night searching for him, only to find out that he had swam ashore, hitched a lift to Milford where his family lived, enjoyed a good meal, a bath and sleep, forgetting to inform anyone of his safety.

I then paddled southward to the North Cardinal Angle Buoy. Whilst there I noticed the pilot launch and 2 large tugs heading out to sea.

The pilot launch then makes a sharp u turn and heads in my direction, they ask where I am heading and warn me that a large ship is soon to be entering the Haven and could cause a large wake so would be a good idea if I vacated the area!

I thank them for their advice and have a hasty paddle eastward to Thorn Rock East Cardinal Buoy and then southward again out of the Haven hopefully to sheltered water by Rat Island where I should be far away to watch the ship entering the Haven.

Listening on the VHF the ship is the Australian Spirit, they inform Port Control that they are now committed to the Western channel so I guess you wouldn't want to be in it's way!

The Australian Spirit is a Crude Oil Tanker, built in 2004 and is 255 metres long and 44 metres wide so pretty big!

Paddling SE around Sheep Island, it was here that one half of one of the worst shipwreck disasters in West Wales occurred.

In April 1943 two experimental landing craft were on a voyage from Belfast to Falmouth. Running into rough seas LCG15 hit rocks off Sheep Island throwing all onboard into the cold stormy waters. The Angle lifeboat could not launch due to engine repairs and by the time the St David's Lifeboat battled towards the scene LCG16 had also capsized and sank. Only 1 man was found alive in the sea and 2 managed to make it ashore, the death toll that night was, sadly, 78.

Carrying on towards the vast expanse of sand at Freshwater West, I get as far as East Pickard Bay when I decided to turn back as the wind had increased, so staying close to the clifffs I tried to stay out of the northerly wind as best as I could.

Passing Guttle Hole, a jagged natural arch, I am soon approaching Sheep Island and the impressive curved rock formations on the mainland.

Rounding Rat Island I return back into the Haven and head towards Thorn Island Fort which was built in the 1850's to guard the entrance to the Haven.

It was here in 1894 that the sailing ship Loch Schiel was wrecked. She was carrying a cargo of gunpowder, beer and cases of whisky, which came ashore. Most were never recovered hence the description Wales' "Whisky Galore". All the crew were rescued but it is reported that two local men drowned whilst trying to get a keg of whisky ashore and another died from alcohol poisoning.

Turning eastward I catch my first glimpse of the LNG Tanker Tembek.

I continued paddling eastward till I reached the Angle Lifeboat Station which has just taken delivery of their new Tamar Class boat which is tucked away in the boathouse. Their old Tyne Class boat, a relief boat, the RFA Sir Galahad, is at anchor just offshore.

I now decided to paddle northward across the Haven towards the Tembek which is moored at the new Liquid Nitrogen Gas terminal. This is even bigger then the Australian Spirit, 315 metres long and 50 metres wide, in fact, it's bloody massive!

Passing the Tembek I head out to the Stack Rock Fort which is another of the forts built between 1859 and 1871. It is adorned with protest banners against the LNG terminal. I don't know much about it but all I do know is that there was a constant droning noise which could be heard back at Dale!

Continuing Northwards away from the fort and the industrial part of the Haven I soon reach Sandy Haven, a sheltered inlet, but with the tide ebbing there is no point paddling up the cove, so I carry on westward. Rounding Little Castle Head I decide to stop in Butts Bay to stretch my legs and have a brew.

It was just off Great Castle Head, to the west of Butts Bay that on November 24th 1940 the coaster Behar also fell victim to another German magnetic mine, she was carrying cable and at the top of the beach are the remains of what looks like a cable reel, so maybe this is part of the wreckage.

After leaving Butts Bay the temperature dropped and a sea mist came down, amazing how quickly the conditions can change. Approaching Monk Haven the mist lifted and I stop to watch a pair of Peregrine Falcons feasting on the carcass of some unfortunate bird, and typically the battery of my camera with the zoom decided to run out, so no pictures!.

At the east side of Monk Haven are the remains of what looks like another watch tower but it is a Victorian Folly. The castellated wall that runs at the top of the beach are part of the Trewarren Estate from back in the 1700's.

Paddling southwards towards Dale Fort on Dale Point, which is now used as a Field Studies Centre I then have a short paddle back to the slipway, finishing a paddle of 16 nautical miles (approx 18.5 miles or 29.5km) with numerous points of interest, a great day.

Ramsey Island Sunset 20/03/2009

Arriving back at Pencarnan late afternoon the conditions were ideal for an early evening paddle, with even the chance of a sunset.

The beach at Porthsele had changed a bit since I was last here with a lot more sand on the it and now a gradual slope.

I paddled towards Whitesands Bay with hardly a ripple on the sea, following the coast around into Porth Melgan and out to St David's Head.

The sun was just starting to disappear behind the head and taking inspiration from the latest cover of Ocean Paddler magazine I experiment with my camera.

I paddled a little way past the Head and then let what little tide flow there was carry me down to the small rock of Gwahan, watching the sun gradually getting lower in the clear blue sky.

Passing Gwahan I then headed to Trwyn Ogof Hen, the NE tip of Ramsey Island, where I stopped for a while taking photos as the sun disappeared behind Carreg Rhoson.

It was then a leisurely paddle across a flat calm Ramsey Sound passing the jagged rocks of Carreg Gafeilliog and back to Porthsele just as the last of the daylight fades.

A perfect way to hopefully start a weekend of great paddling.

Flat Holm ...At Last! 15/03/2009

After my half hearted attempt 2 weekends ago I arrived bright and early at the Sully YC slipway for another attempt.
The sun was already quite warm and with very little wind, perfect paddling conditions. Pausing for a drink in St Mary's Well Bay, the Barry Dock Lifeboat cruised past heading towards Cardiff. Approaching Lavernock Point I could see the SW flowing ebb tide just starting to run but no way as fast as a fortnight ago.


Reaching the point I stayed as close to the shore as I could so as not to be taken into the main tidal stream. Even with the tide just starting to run it was quite a struggle for a good few hundred yards just edging along till I reached the slower water where I decided I had gone far enough towards Penarth and started paddling out away from the shore.


I paddled on a bearing of about 60 degrees just to the left of Monkstone Lighthouse. Although this was facing away from Flat Holm I was paddling into the oncoming flow and hopefully, if my judgement was right, I would be taken across and down to Flat Holm.

It was now a matter of settling into a steady paddling rhythm and let the tide do most of the work. As can be seen by the route map, when I stopped to take the photo of HMS Express returning back to Penarth and photos of the red Cardiff Spit Buoy and Monkstone Lighthouse, how much the tide carried me from my route.

Reaching Flat Holm I had to put a little sprint on to get into the little bay by the landing jetty as the tide was racing westward causing a bit of a drop in the water levels through the gaps in Castle Rock.

As I paddled southward towards the lighthouse there was bit of adverse tide. There has been a lighthouse on Flat Holm since 1737. In front of the lighthouse is the remains of one of the four gun emplacements from the 1860's.

Passing two more of the gun emplacements which were last used in World War II, I round North West Point and I again hit more adverse tide, staying close to the shore I paddle back up to Castle Rock where the tide is still racing past.

It is now another sprint across the main flow and then another long ferry glide back across to the mainland.

Half way across the Barry Dock Lifeboat cruises by returning back to Barry.

It is now a leisurely paddle back to the slipway where the tide has gone out a fair bit since I left this morning, this is where the trolley is worth it's weight in gold!

A great paddle of nearly 11 nautical miles (approx 12.5 miles or 20km) in near perfect conditions, who knows maybe summer is finally on it's way!

The Early Bird catches the Tide 01/03/09

I wasn't the early bird this morning which kind of put an end to my planned paddle. I had planned to paddle straight out southward from the Sully YC slipway into the last of the easterly flowing flood tide and let it take me down onto Flat Holm Island.

Arriving at the slipway the tide had already turned and looking out to sea I could see the Lavernock Spit buoy already leaning at an angle as the westerly flowing ebb tide strained its moorings.

My revised plan was to follow the same route as a fortnight ago through Sully Sound and to Lavernock Point, hopefully get round the point, and then on to Flat Holm, simple!

There was a little adverse tide through Sully Sound but once I passed Sully Island I made good progress onto Lavernock Point and even the sun came out. As I approached the point a Royal Navy patrol boat motored out towards Flat Holm, where another boat appeared to be waiting for it.

I got round the point but made the mistake of taking the above photo and before I knew it I was into the tide stream and being taken back round the point. My only option was to attempt a very long ferry glide. I lined up some transits on the mainland which showed although I was making good progress away from Lavernock Point I was also losing ground and being taken westerly.

On reaching the unnamed yellow special mark buoy south of the Ranie buoy it was obvious I wasn't going to make Flat Holm but I decided to carry on with the ferry glide until I heard the noise of engines behind me, it was the two navy patrol boats returning back from their jolly!

The first one was the P163 HMS Express, the only black hulled surface vessel in the Royal Navy. She is an Archer Class or P2000 patrol and training vessel.

This was closely followed by the P167 HMS Exploit, another Archer Class patrol boat. They are both University Royal Naval Unit Vessels, P163 assigned to the Welsh Universities and P167 assigned to Birmingham University.

Whilst watching the two boats pass by I had been taken quite a way westward so I decided to call it a day and head back towards Sully Island.

Whilst paddling along the south side of Sully Island I came across a group of kayakers heading in the opposide direction, one of whom was Hywel who I paddled around Skomer and Skokholm last summer. He is off to the Scilly Isles at the end of the month for a week, hope the weather holds out for him!

Rounding the SW corner of the island I watched 3 anglers taking their lives in their hands crossing the submerged causeway between the mainland and the island.

Approaching the slipway another ship passed me by, it sure was a busy day out in the channel.

Almost the same paddle as a fortnight ago but thats what happens when you have an extra hour lay in but still good ferry glide practice!