Do SeaKayakers Ferry Glide?

A couple of spare hours Thursday afternoon - enough time for a quick blast over to Caernarfon - basically a 2km ferry glide against wind (SW4) and tide (Rich's idea, after he realised that we had never visited by kayak) which was a good workout, and blew the cobwebs away.

Did a tour of the harbour (plenty of grockles), and then down to Plas Menai surfing on the following sea, and testing out a prototype paddle:

Yes, it is ugly, and made of scrap (stitch and glue plywood with a bit of mat and resin), but worked very well, and rather proved Robin Ruddock's theory about Irish paddle profiles.

Tea and scones, and some entertainment from beginner windsurfers and sailing instructors, before starting back to Foel with the tide now ebbing and steepening the waves as the wind picked up and gusted more strongly. A familiar effect as South Westerlies are funnelled into the Menai Strait.

Some of the waves were a bit more challenging than others  - as Rich said, they seemed to be 'hunting in pairs' - but then, that makes it proper sea kayaking.

About 11km paddled in 3 hours door to door.

Too busy for a race

Have been very busy in the workshop with paddle orders, and preparing a batch of sticks for Pete Baars new shop in Valley.

Just managed to get out to see the start of the race last week-end, and Catherine took some pictures from the bridge - all in all, a good effort by organisers and participants.

Excellent link on Mark Tozer's blog about how you tell when someone is drowning.

Race pics

Symposium

Slightly belatedly, some pictures from the Anglesey Symposium.

Anglesey Stick at Porth Dafarch

Much quieter on the beach than previous years, but some familiar stalwarts like Dan from Tiderace

Rich in the Tiderace Xtreme

were in evidence, and a good opportunity to meet some interesting people (for example Robin Ruddock) as well as take a few orders for paddles, and get some feedback on the wobblers.

Monday saw an 'Inuit Games' event

Inuit Games

for which, we had provided a couple of harpoons (with throwing sticks or Norsaqs)

Anglesey Stick Harpoon

Harpoon throwing from a wobbler (I didn't know Colin Charvis was interested in such things)

A strong Easterly wind blew for most of the weekend, so it was possible to be cold and sunburnt at the same time.

The Malltraeth Bore

You will no doubt have heard fearsome accounts of the Malltraeth Bore*, but we overcame our natural trepidation and attempted the 'Cefni Ascent'.

*Catherine even went to one of his lectures - mind, she did not stay long.

Red or Green

Recognising your buoys is one thing, knowing what they actually mean might be another.

This is obviously a Port hand buoy - 'can' rather than 'cone' shape, even number and Red (apologies to paddlers in the IALA B region), but am I in the channel, or not (the land is Anglesey, and the 'C' on the buoy is for Caernarfon)?

Answers on a postcard ...........

Good to be paddling in sunshine though not everyone though so.

Probably got the security guard at the Indy excited when this vision came up on his monitor.


Quick nod to Nelson, and then back the way we had come, via the only cave on the trip.

Fame at last

Spent an unusual but enjoyable time last week being interviewed by Huw Jenkins about Anglesey Sticks. As well as the work on behalf of Radio Wales, Huw was kind enough to put together a promo video.

The weather was not particularly kind, but the lack of wind was very helpful for sound recording quality, and ensuring that the sound recordist and his equipment stayed dry.

Rich kindly provided safety boat cover, and just gets a cameo role in the vid.

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