Epicnic Voyage                    by John Rickman

Day 1 - wipe-out

The day started with a short meeting. Instructors and students introduced themselves and detailed their kayaking experience. I had signed up for the course with my brother. We were by far the oldest and least experienced. Everybody else appeared to have been kayaking since birth.

Sid (chief instructor) outlined what the course was about and then said "let's get on the water".

We put the kayaks on the bus, drove to a bay on the SW coast of Anglesey and dragged our kayaks half a mile or so to a sandy beach. A force 4-5 wind was blowing on shore producing some fine surf. Our instructions were to paddle directly out to sea to beyond the breaking waves, turn left and head down the coast to the Menai Straits.

It was not so simple. Within five minutes, six of the nine kayaks had capsized in the rough seas. We spent the next two hours in the bay practicing staying upright in the surf, then dragged our boats back to the bus and returned to Plas-y-Brenin.

Day 2 - a breeze

We loaded our kayaks with tents and food for a three day expedition and headed out to the Menai Straits. We entered the water roughly where we should have got to the day before and headed up the Strait. The wind was still coming from the SW so was blowing us along. The tide was against us, but by keeping close to the bank we were able to use the back eddies which helped us along even more. We passed under both bridges, slightly scary but very enjoyable.

Once we were out of the Strait we were under pressure to get to a campsite that would give us a good start in the morning. We reached Puffin Island in good time, rounded the point and beached our kayaks. After a short rest with the the deep bell note from the lighthouse in our ears we set off again. This time there was no assistance from wind or tide and the five miles to our campsite in Red Wharf bay was a hard slog at the end of a day's paddling.

Day 3 -  fall-out

Red Wharf Bay is big. I would have liked to creep around the shore but our orders were to paddle straight across. The wind was still coming from the SW but  was no longer on our backs. Instead it was blowing from the shore and striking our kayaks side on..

In the next twenty minutes I learned what happens when a skeg is down and the mechanism for raising it is jammed.

I put my skeg down when we started out, thinking this would help the boat to go in a straight line - it probably works that way on still water. Unfortunately, with a side wind the skeg provides enough drag to prevent the back of the boat from moving sideways; the front of the boat is free to pivot, and the kayak turns away from the wind. In this case pointing out to open sea in the direction of Blackpool about seventy miles away.

The further we got from the shore, the stronger the wind and waves became. I had to paddle on edge to try to turn in. It became difficult to stay upright and I capsized. Rescue was swift and efficient and we carried on our way - skeg up.

It was another very long day. By the time we passed Bull Bay and reached the abandoned brickworks where we camped we had covered another twenty miles and I was nearly dry. 


Day 4 - drop-out

The forecast was winds 4-5 gusting 6. The day's task was to paddle along the North coast round Carmel Head and down the exposed West coast to a camp site on Holy Island. This allowed for the possibility of finishing the circumnavigation on the last day.

The conditions were judged to be too difficult for me and my brother so we paddled back to Bull Bay, passing a porpoise, and were picked up and returned to Plas-y-Brenin.

Day 5 - chill-out

Chris and I spent a leisurely morning sorting out our gear and reliving the previous three days. We decided to wait for the expedition to return to see how they had got on.

They arrived back about 2 pm having had to abandon the last leg owing to an unfavourable weather forecast. Winds strengthening, gusting force 8.

At the debriefing we discussed "what next". Chris an I were recommended to sign up for the introduction to kayaking course.

Finally after a bit bouldering on the climbing wall and a walk in the woods we went home.

Days 6-onwards - work-out the aftermath

The dreams began the night we got back. For the next fortnight, for most part of every night, I dreamed that I was paddling on the open sea. The dreams have stopped now.

For me it was an epic, but to a competent kayaker used to paddling twice the 10 miles a day suggested in the course notes, it might be more of a picnic.