The PSK Hub – Performance Sea Paddling Stuff
The idea for the CC Challenge drifted into my peanut brain whilst paddling the GB Circumnavs. It felt like a challenge that might appeal to the more adventurous PSK paddlers, but somehow it also felt a little bit ‘full-on’, the time never really seemed right. So the idea lived on the back burner. Then Ian …
Continue reading “The Coastal Counties Challenge – Gwynedd – Day 1”
The Holy Island Lap The circumnav of Holy Island (Anglesey, UK) demands the usual tidal planning required of a short circ, but here the 32 km lap also brings a few added challenges: Accurate timing is needed to enter and leave the Inland Sea, the tidal window is only a few minutes wide. Get it …
As I mentioned on the lap of Holy Island last week, there is a trick to getting round the island efficiently. The crux-point is the tidal window at Stanley Embankment. This in turn dictates the (usual) counter-clockwise (CCW) direction of the trip, as the embankment-timings match you with the CCW ebb tide. So this means …
Continue reading “Holy Island Circumnav 2021 – The Wrong Way Around”
Holy Island lies to the immediate west of the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales, UK. It is separated from Anglesey by a shallow ‘Inland Sea’ , created by a couple of short(ish) embankments that in turn link Holy Island to the Isle of Anglesey. I like paddling the lap of Holy Island; it’s short enough …
Continue reading “Holy Island Circumnav 2021 – Record Attempt”
Anglesey The Isle of Anglesey lies just off the coast of North Wales and is a popular spot in the UK sea kayaking world. The island brings many facets of sea kayaking: cliffs, sandy beaches, tidal rapids, overfalls, islands, sheltered waters, crossings and more. It also has some of the fastest tidal flows around, this …
Recently I posted a photo on the Strictly Sea Kayaking facebook page and this prompted a question from Steve Macfarlane on the subject of the rudder. I thought the reply may interest those rudder-equipped paddlers out there. Rudder Release. If you compare the photos we can see that the paddler has moved the boat rearward, …
This was a day of strong easterly winds that coincided with the flood tide in the Menai Strait – together these make for some great waves, just beyond Menai Bridge and some excellent downwind fun! This is previous footage, it was filmed a few years ago but I’ve always wanted to edit it a little …
A gentle surf of the Swelly Rock wave in The Swellies, Menai Strait, North Wales. The rock is positioned mid-flow in the channel, and on the early part of the flood provides a nice surf wave. The wave rises and falls through a regular ‘surge’, and steadily changes as the tide fills the channel, until …
As Storm Eunice caused mischief across the UK, we found ourselves experiencing unusually high water levels at Menai Bridge. So it was time to go for a nosey around the place, dodging the wind along the way…
Easy Downwind Video. The Menai Strait is a natural tidal channel that separates the Isle of Anglesey from the mainland of North Wales. The tide runs through the channel at reasonable pace for a good few miles, and is quite fast in places. All of which gives a variety of options for moving water fun. …