Back in the pool

Construction now has its own blog at Anglesey Boat


Pool session last week (PYB) - the first for 3 years, and boy did it feel like it.

First couple of rolls worked fine (which was reassuring), but mostly downhill from then until near the end of the session when everyone was rolling fairly efficiently.

Well, someone has to supervise...

Quite forgotten how tiring throwing yourself upside-down gets. Still good to get the practice in relatively warm water.

Rich holding two sticks for the lesser spotted orange dolphin to jump through (or maybe I spent too long under water)

Breaking the ice - a woolly hat paddle

The plan was simple - put in at the old mermaid (Foel) and paddle round the corner and up the Braint to the stepping stones for brunch, and then paddle back.

The plan was nearly scuppered by the quantity of ice on the road down to Foel, but there was enough sunshine to compensate for the cold ambient air (-5).

Emma had some concerns about our newbie paddler, but the water temperature was sufficient threat to ensure that he stayed in his boat (actually Tim's boat).

and he was paddling well by the end of the trip.

Fine trip in bright sunshine and good company with a few surface ice-floes to break through (less than a similar trip last year). Slightly embarrassing when we realised that we were nearly in Dwyran and had missed the stepping stones altogether - but then, they seem to have disappeared...... and whats a couple of k between friends?

Emma reckons that one of the advantages of a double kayak is being able to drink tea 'en passage'

Great views of the mountains on the return trip.

But the temperature was already dropping quickly - so we freeze-dried the kit.

Sea, Sun, Sand - life's a beach

This time of year it can be difficult to get tide, time and weather all on your side - so two out of three was not bad with bright sunshine all day on Saturday. The tide was missing, and we seemed to walk nearly as far as we paddled, but a good first trip for Dave

who took to the somewhat unusual combination of a Europa kayak (think outdoor centres in the last century) with a clip-on skeg, and an Anglesey Stick.

Heading out along Llanddwyn - note the stabilisers/sponsons on my boat ....

we were joined by an extra paddler ......... neat launch.

Now, why is it that when a group of kayakers land on a beach (this is Pilot's Cove), one of them always lands away from everyone else?

Hard to believe that it is the 12th of December - picnic on the beach with fried sausages on the 'ghastly' plate, and lashings of tea, before paddling round the island to the usual surf landing.

Quick portage over the isthmus and here we are ready for the home leg.

A trip to Menai Bridge (Porthaethwy) to visit Emma instead of Nelson

The forecast was not great (SW4/5 with gusts to 35 knots), but cabin fever had been growing for some time ..........

Saturday's tide was always going to be big - 3 days after the full moon + a low pressure system + several days of wind from the SW so every chance of reaching Church Island in Menai Bridge if we timed it right.

Anyway, left The Mermaid (Foel) at about 10.15 - weather a bit gloomy, and a quartering sea which made for some interesting paddling.

Rich had opted for a paddle in the stealth boat

which is rather low on volume for him, and this combined with a partly open rear hatch, found him paddling with the back deck under water by the first stop. Still, it was time for a cup of tea anyway.

Better conditions as we neared Plas Newydd

(and yes, I am facing the wrong way in a shameless display of the Anglesey Stick website address)

Wind was gusting hard as we passed Nelson, and went under the Britannia Bridge - couple of groups from Plas Menai (power boat) enjoying their lunch, and we were beside the Church Island causeway in no time.

It is not very often that this is a convenient get out, but it was a high tide

Emma managed the trip from her back door to meet us (about 50 metres) and stand in the rain for a while, and admire the rainbows

There was still plenty of water, but we were a bit late leaving in terms of the strength of the tidal flow which made for somewhat challenging conditions near the bridge - Rich demonstrated how to break in and out of various whirlpools - or at least that is his story.

Through the bridge the water was doing a passable imitation of Penhryn Mawr, so we slogged over to the mainland shore to hide from the worst of the wind.

Fairly straightforward to Port Dinorwic (Y Felinheli), and a break for tea and a pasty just East of the Plas Menai slip, then kept to the Caernarfon shore until we could spot a reasonable line back to Foel. Conditions had deteriorated a bit with driving rain and spray and a darkening sky, and Rich found the left side of his face had gone numb, so glad enough to reach the beach.

About 23k paddled.

Caernarfon bar the weather

Just been for a walk along Newborough beach (Traeth Niwbwrch). Lots of ravens (50+) enjoying the updraft as the wind hits the edge of the dunes. At least the sea was rough enough to explain why I have not been in a kayak for a while.

Conditions have not been kind to the outer starboard bar buoy (C1), which has a temporary new home on the beach.

Commando Kayaking part two - getting to the pudding beach

The basic idea is simple enough - go kayaking without using a motor vehicle, and you will no doubt have been enthralled by my previous post

Today is all about the practicalities of towing your kayak with a bicycle. The obvious approach was to look on the web (JFGI) for a possible method (you don't always want to reinvent the wheel), and see what could be created from scrap lying around .

Google had plenty of hits, and most solutions looked something like this:

picture courtesy of Tony's Trailers in BC, Canada

Two things come to mind when you look at the picture - do you need a bar running down the length of the kayak? and maybe the hitch is too high on the bike for stability/flexibility? - think motorbike and sidecar.

I already had a trolley with road wheels that could be fixed fairly securely to the kayak with standard tape 'roofrack' straps - surely all I needed was something simple at one end of the kayak to connect it to the bike?

 

 

A piece of plywood, a couple of brackets, and a bungee - simple but effective.

The tow is surprisingly positive, and the bungee allows enough movement for cornering though you have to remember how long the bike/kayak combination is, and not cut corners.

Other road users seem to keep well clear (occasional applause), and as far as I can find out, there is no restriction on bicycles towing trailers.

Does anyone think the bracket would be a viable commercial product?
Would you buy one?
Likely price range?

Making the double

By popular demand, some info and picks about making the double kayak.

I started by ordering plans for the Chesapeake Double, but was advised that it was really a lake tourer for 'Fat Americans' - stereotype or tautology depending on your point of view, and that I should consider the Sport Tandem instead.
Unfortunately, the plans revealed that this was too long to fit in the workshop, and so with some trepidation, I decided to have a go at adapting a design in 'The New Kayak Shop' by Chris Kulczycki. Essentially it is a cut and shut design, stretching a Chesapeake by adding about 18 inches of length to the mid-section, while (hopefully) retaining the proven lines. This left some anxiety about exactly where to place the cockpits, and how to arrange the deck line such that the forward paddler was not 'swamped' - hence the 'step'.

Construction pictures: