An early morning paddle

This mornings high tide was 38.5 feet or 11.7 metres and was the last really big tide of the year.  So Tracey and myself decided to head towards La Cotte de St Brelade to see just how close the water gets to where the archaeological excavations are taking place.

It was still dark as we launched the kayaks off the slip at St Brelade, before heading across the bay.  It was noticeable that a swell was approaching the coast from the south west, which combined with the clapotis created less than ideal conditions for photography.  It was still dark when we arrived but by  high water at 07.55 there was just enough light to obtain some rather mediocre photographs but they at least illustrate what we had come to see.

 Due to the effect of the high pressure the height of the tide was depressed by approximately 6 cm today.  This may not sound to much but this year the tide on the 21st March was 0.4 metre higher than this morning and if there was a low pressure system passing over the area it is not unreasonable to predict that the water might rise about 0.8 metre higher than today.  If this was coupled with a large swell then it is highly likely that the waves would reach the loose material at the back of the gully.

The white mark at the rear of the gully is where some of the recent excavations have taken place, so it is possible to imagine that it could be vulnerable to erosion if the appropriate meteorological conditions occurred with a high spring tide.

After having got up so early it seemed a pity not to make the most of the morning so we completed a quick circuit from Pt Le Fret to Beauport before returning to St Brelade's.  The shear volume of water which was starting to move was quite astonishing.  We arrived back at the slip way 45 minutes after high water but there was still no sign of the beach due to the height of the tide.