SeaSharp

There are days paddling your kayak, when you do not feel in the least like a power driven vessel, but in terms of the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea ('IRPCS' or 'Col Regs') - that is what you are - albeit usually one under 7 metres in length.

Do you know how to interpret the lights, shapes, sound signals and behaviour or other vessels, and what rules apply?

Maybe a little Android App can help:

SeaSharp is an interactive learning system for all sea sports enthusiasts and marine professionals. In the UK, it is of particular help to anyone studying RYA courses (Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore, Essential Navigation, Power Boat, Safety Boat, Etc.) and the new theory courses for Sea Kayakers.

SeaSharp helps you to become familiar with:

The pattern of lights shown on vessels at night

The colours and shapes of buoys as seen by day and night, including light patterns

The shapes shown on vessels during the day

How the IRPCS* should be applied to possible collision situations

Sound signals made by vessels in fog and on other occasions

The Beaufort scale, weather symbols and common meteorological terms

The app can be used in pure revision mode, or to display multiple-choice options, with a scoring system – should you stay onshore, or are you “Sea Sharp”.

*International Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea

I am an utter fool

I find that I am uncomfortable with some of the recent comments that have been made in connection with an incident last year that led to the death of Elizabeth Ashbee.

If you are unfamiliar with the event there is a brief account of the inquest here.

I normally make it a rule not to comment on proceedings in court unless I have been present (the facts as presented are often rather different to the news reports - surely not, I hear you say), but I feel an exception coming on.

Conditions that day were not great (Rich and I postponed our planned trip from Cemlyn to Holyhead and he went walking in the mountains instead), but it was perfectly reasonable to be on the water - indeed many local and visiting kayakers have paddled in such conditions, and some in far worse - 'Utter Fools' according to the coroner - Dewi Pritchard Jones.


We are told that Elizabeth was an experienced paddler, and that three of her group managed to paddle from Rhoscolyn to Porth Trecastell (Cable Bay). We can be pretty sure that the trip was demanding with very strong gusts of wind and a confused sea. In such conditions, it is relatively easy to become separated from ones paddling companions, and much easier to carry on to a safe haven than to stop - particularly if conditions seem to be getting worse.

Much has been made of the party's lack of communications equipment. Place yourself at the scene, and have a think about how happy you would be to let go of your paddle for a while (did someone say 'raft up') - to use a mobile phone (reception poor along most of this bit of coast), a VHF (you might just reach the coastguard or get a mayday relay from some vessel closer to you) or pull out and operate a flare - and this is when you do not know that anything has actually gone wrong.

Some other commentators have questioned the groups experience and qualifications. I am reminded of the advice from motoring organisations a few winters ago - that only drivers with experience of ice and snow should venture out......



One final point. If Elizabeth was an 'Utter Fool' (I suspect then, that I am one as well) she paid the ultimate price, and in my opinion was entitled to do so without censure.

Wobble round the edges of Wales

As promised, the 'Wobbler Extreme' is now available - basically an ordinary wobbler with extra runners.

This gives the options of Easy (Wobbler on a soft surface like a carpet), Medium (Wobbler on a hard surface) and

Tricky (Wobbler on the runners).
Prices and general info on the Anglesey Stick website.

It is that time of year when thoughts turn to going round Anglesey (or maybe the bits you have not done yet), or even round Wales. My choice would be in a sea kayak, but Mark Newton is having a go on his mobility scooter, so if you can lend a hand in anyway I am sure he would like to hear from you.

Greenland Wobbler

There is an old joke - "In which month do the Irish consume the least amount of Guinness" (see below). January always seems a long month to me - the evenings are drawing out slowly, but it is easy to find yourself in front of the television, and by tradition January is dry in our household - surprising quite how much television is totally unwatchable without alcohol.

One bit of watchable television is Bruce Parry's latest effort

Arctic with Bruce Parry

Towards the end of the program, you can see some Greenlandic kids using wobblers while practising their shooting (does that make them shooting sticks?)

The board in the picture neatly demonstrates the design dilemma - an unstable board is good at testing your balance, but you cannot edge, and it is less good at developing core strength. A stable board does not get you working hard enough on the balance elements.

Enter our latest design, the wobbler extreme, which lets you experience the best of both worlds. Details on the website soon.

February.

 

Newborough snow park

Sometimes the elements are really more suited to something other than kayaking. With local temperatures below minus 10, the snow has stayed in good condition, so what do you do?

 

Get a lift in Rich's landrover to the top of the forest track

 

Take some enthusiastic people, and ski to the sea

 

It was uphill on the way back of course (have you noticed that it nearly always is uphill on the way back from the sea?)

But the entrance to the beach was worth a couple more goes (even for those with replacement knees and hip)

Now, I suppose it is back to the workshop as I have a stick and a wobbler to make.

Ice to be beside the seaside

You may have noticed that it is decidedly chilly out at the moment - not really sea kayaking weather - so we (usual suspects, plus Rod from Sea Kayak Milos) left a snow strewn Newborough beach yesterday for a short bimble up the coast, hiding to some extent from the North Easterly wind. The air temperature was just above freezing and with some sun, almost the same as paddling in Greece - actually it was pretty cold, and got colder still as we headed over to Pen-y-Parc.

 

Where some of the sand was frozen, and there were plenty of icicles on the cliff.

Quick bite to eat and some tea - too cold to hang around for long, so back across the mouth of the Malltraeth estuary where the wind had got up a bit and was attacking the extremities somewhat - still the view of the mountains  was pretty inspiring

and we were soon back at Newborough. About 13k paddled.

The cold had a pretty detrimental effect on picture quality except for this next one (taken by accident) - kind of arty don't you think?

Under the weather

Good short paddle, rock-hopping around Llanddwyn in some autumn sunshine - and home by 11am.

TV forecast was for SW 3 or 4 and the inshore waters forecast looked like this:

Wind
    Northwest backing south or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5, increasing 7 to severe gale 9 later.
Sea State
    Moderate, becoming rough later.
Weather
    Fair, then rain, squally showers later.
Visibility
    Good, becoming moderate or poor later.

Not very encouraging, particularly at this time of year, but maybe you have to look a little closer at the weather pattern sometimes - here are some pictures from the trip:

Ok, it was a little rougher on the Northern side of the island (great visibility - you could see spray from the waves hitting Rhoscolyn Beacon), with more swell, but still fairly calm really.

Here are two synoptic charts - what we were experiencing:

and the start of what was coming: