Great To Be Back 16/08/2009

After an absence of nearly 2 and a half months it was good to be back at Pencarnan even if it was only for a day.

Leaving the shelter of Porthsele the quite strong southwesterly breeze was chopping the sea up a little as I approached St John's Point but not enough to slow my progress.

St Justinian was pretty crowded with the RIBs queuing up to drop off and pick up passengers for the trips around Ramsey Island.

On reaching the southern most tip of the Ramsey Sound mainland the tide is running quickly and the wind is whipping the sea up nicely as I paddle out into the main tidal flow and let it take me down and across to the Bitches.

At the outermost rock of the Bitches from the island I can rest in the calmer water and look back at what I had just crossed, great fun!

I now paddle over to Ramsey across the Bitches being turned one way then the other by the whirling currents over to the sheltered water behind another of the rocks where again I can look back to where I have come from. The tides are only neaps at the moment but still pretty impressive.

After a bit of a play in the white water it is back across the Bitches and out into the main tidal stream.

Instead of letting the tide take me down through Ramsey Sound I am having such a great time I break out of the current and ferry glide back to the mainland to do it all again.

This time I don't cross over to the Bitches but stay in the main current and let it take me northwards through the Sound.

At first it is quite bumpy with numerous standing breaking waves but the further I paddle north the calmer the water gets but I am still travelling at 6 knots with ease.

I paddle around the rocky reef of Carreg Gafeilliog where there are more standing waves to surf on.

It is then a short paddle back into Porthsele after a quite exhilarating trip through Ramsey Sound covering a distance of 6.5 nautical miles (7.25 miles or 11.5 kms) with a top speed of 9.5 knots.

A Bristol Channel Millpond 09/08/2009

After another hectic 6 days in work it was great to get out on a perfect August Sunday morning. Like last Sunday I launched from the slipway at Penarth but with even better conditions than last week.

With not much of a plan I decide to paddle Northeast with the last hour or so of the flood tide and then use the first of the outgoing tide to take me down to Monkstone Lighthouse.

It was effortless paddling until drawing level with the Cardiff Bay Barrage when I had to put on a little sprint to get out of the way of the UKD Bluefin a 98 metre long dredger, one of two dredgers steaming back and for from the Barrage entrance out into the Bristol Channel.

There was not a breath of wind as I paddled on for about an hour across a glassy flat millpond like sea.

Stopping for a well deserved rest as it was getting very warm I noticed I was starting to drift backwards, the tide had turned so taking a photo looking back at Cardiff Docks I paddle further out into the Channel to the Welsh Water Buoy where I definately see that the tide has changed.

I now set a course for Monkstone Lighthouse with the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm behind.

With the ever increasing tide in my favour I make good progress to the lighthouse. Monkstone Lighthouse was built in 1839 on a rock outcrop nearly 4 miles from Penarth which is underwater apart from just before and after low water.

As can be seen from the photos the tide flows very quickly here and it is amazing to think how they managed to build the lighthouse back in the 1830s.

It is now a very long ferry glide back to Penarth across the shipping lane which today is exceptionally busy. The first of two ships leaving Cardiff Docks is a large cargo vessel which I couldn't quite make out it's name.

The second is the Soul Sound which is a 78 metre long cargo ship built in 1983.

The two dredgers are still busy and then the Balmoral puts in an appearance and like last week I follow her into Penarth where she docks at the Pier to pick up more daytrippers.

A paddle of just over 10 and a half nautical miles (just over 12 miles or nearly 20kms) in near perfect conditions.

Flat Holm & Steep Holm 02/08/2009

After 3 weeks of paddling inactivity due to mostly work and the British Summer, it was great to finally get back on the water.


Launching early from the slipway at Penarth in ideal conditions, I let the last of the SW ebbing tide of the Bristol Channel aid my progress towards Flat Holm, the first of the two islands that is approximately 4 nautical miles off the South Wales coast with the island of Steep Holm, another 2 nautical miles further south.


The nearer I get to Flat Holm, the more my speed increases and as I pass the lighthouse, glancing at my GPS I am paddling at a speed of nearly 6 knots with very little effort.


Maintaining this speed with ease I am soon approaching Steep Holm which is very different to it's neighbour apart from the pretty obvious.....the height, the vegetation is a lot denser.


Paddling around Rudder Rock at the west of the island I see the first of the island's numerous gun emplacements dating back from Victorian times once again to repel the threat of a French invasion and again used in both World Wars.

Rudder Rock, I suppose was named due to the vertical layers of rock looking like rudders!

Paddling along the south of Steep Holm the layers of rock are horizontal with again more gun emplacements on the South East corner.

From here the coast of England looks very close but I will leave that for another day, also the number of Gulls seems to have increased and their constant squawking is becoing rather irritating.

Paddling northwards I pass the only steep pebbled beach on the island with it's landing jetty and now derelict inn.

On the steep cliffs on the north of the island the full extent of the Bristol Channel's huge tidal range of 15 metres or 49 feet can be seen with the dark stained high water mark a long way above my head. The Bristol Channel has the second largest tidal range in the world after so it is quite important to try and get the tides right!

I paddle right along the north side of Steep Holm back to Rudder Rock passing another gun emplacement perched high on the cliffs and then paddle on a course back over to Flat Holm.

I was soon at the lighthouse built in 1737 and was again greeted by the squawking of the Gulls.

Paddling along the south of the island I pass more gun emplacements, and on rounding Bottleswell Point on the Southwest side of the island I paddle on a course for the South Cardiff Cardinal Buoy.

After about 25 minutes of paddling I reach the Buoy which is straining at it's moorings due to the ever increasing flood tide.

On the last leg of my paddle back to Penarth I am passed by the MV Balmoral one half of the Waverly Excursions running pleasure cruises in the Bristol Channel during the summer months.

In 2009 the Balmoral is celebrating its 60th year being built in Southampton in 1949. I follow her as she pulls alongside Penarth Pier picking up more passengers.

As I load the kayak on the Landrover I watch the Balmoral leave and take one last look at Flat Holm and Steep Holm in the distance after a great paddle of 14 nautical miles (16 miles or nearly 27 kms).