Top 5 Sea Kayak Trips

Whilst sitting around a camp fire on a remote beach or in the classroom on a 4 Star Assessment a question which regularly comes up is "What are the the 5 best sea kayak trips that you have ever done"?  Just take a minute to think about what are the best 5 days that you have spent in a sea kayak, factors to take into account might include companions, scenery, wildlife, weather etc.  What is interesting is that if you repeat the process in a couple of days time you will probably come up with some different paddles.

So I thought, what are my 5 most memorable sea kayaking day trips at the present time?  I present them below in no particular order.

There is something special about kayaking through the heart of the world's great cities. London and Paris have both been memorable paddles but looking back towards New York from the Statue of Liberty is second to none.

Heading through the Ecrehous reef.  Located approximately half way between Jersey and the coast of Normandy and visit to this delightful ref is a must for any sea kayaker who is visiting Jersey.  There will be a number of paddles arranged here during the Jersey Symposium in May

The west coast of Scotland is justifiably popular with sea kayakers and the paddle at from Elgol into the heart of the Cuillin Mountains has to be one of the finest one day paddles that there is.  This was a beautiful day a few years ago, the day trip at last years Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium included a quick visit to the neighbouring island of Soay.

Disko Bay on the west coast of Greenland has many of the basic ingredients of classic sea kayaking, isolation, dramatic scenery, memorable wildlife etc.  what makes it so special though is kayak through ice whilst there are historic and cultural links between the region and the kayaks we paddle.

This small island is Er Lannic in Morbihan, southern Brittany.  Where else is it possible to paddle in tidal streams which reach nearly 10 knots whilst less than a hundred metres away it is possible to explore semi submerged stone circles, several thousand years old?

30th Wedding Anniversary

After 30 years of marriage we decided to celebrate by heading across the Atlantic to one of our favourite cities, New York and no visit to the Big Apple is complete without a paddle.

From New York Kayak Co. at Pier 40 we crossed to the New Jersey shore and headed downstream on the last of the tide to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  The warm sunshine and light winds combined to create almost ideal kayaking conditions, and it certainly was a great way to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary

 Approaching Ellis Island.  In common with the Statue of Liberty there is an exclusion zone around the Island, which is indicated by white buoys.   Do not encroach on the islands as there is generally a swift response from the security services

 New buildings arising from the site of the original World Trade Centre dominate the views of Lower Manhattan

 Lisa and Sarah don't paddle that much so a double was the ideal kayak.  In the distance is the Verazzano Narrows bridge, beyond which lies the open ocean.

 There can be few more dramatic locations, in a made made landscape, to paddle in a kayak, than just off the Statue of Liberty.

 When circumnavigating the Island just make sure that you don't approach too closely and remember to remain vigilant because of the number of ferries and tourist boats found in the area.

Approaching Manhattan, on the return journey.  The choppy waters are all the result of the boat traffic on the Hudson.  There are no beaches, only concrete walls, so there is no absorption of the energy in the waves, they just bounce back from the wall, at times creating quite entertaining conditions.

 

Almost back at Pier 40 after a memorable few hours on the water.

Your 5 Best Paddles

One thing which we often talk about when out sea kayaking is what are the best 5 day trips that you have ever done.  I think that every time I consider which are my favourites I come up with slightly different ones although there are often a couple of the old favourites.
So when you are having lunch on a rock somewhere, sitting around the camp fire on a remote island or just having a pint in your favourite pub why not give it some thought and see what you come up with.  What's great about this is that there are no rules apart from the fact that the paddles have to be on the tidal waters.

Here are my favourite 5 for today:

 Selecting a paddle from my local waters is always difficult but the Ecrehous always have to be in there.  I first paddled out there in August 1974 and have been going back ever since.  The landscape is always changing as the height of the tide varies.  A warm summers day is a favourite but its also memorable being out there in the middle of the winter when you have the reef to yourself.

 A late evening paddle down to the Statue of Liberty, returning to Manhattan as darkness sets in is superb.  To see the city skyline at night from the water is one of the worlds greatest views.

 If there is one destination that all sea kayakers should aspire to visit it is Greenland.  The combination of mountainous scenery, ice bergs and wildlife combine to create somewhere really special.  On this day in northern Disko Bay all three came together in superb weather.

 We had been paddling for nearly 4 weeks and couldn't quite believe that we were actually going to paddle around Nordkapp, it had seemed so distant when we had left Tromso.  But we woke one morning to calm seas and blue skies so seized the opportunity to paddle around this famous headland.  The next morning there was a gale blowing, so it was a case of being in the right place at the right time.  Although this was in 1986 and I can still remember the experience as if it was only a couple of months ago. 

Scotland should really be in and this was a great day heading towards Coruisk.  Nicky and myself had driven from Gordon and Morag's house in thick fog, it suddenly cleared as we dropped down the hill into Elgol.  The Small Isles to the south and the Cuillins to the north were completely cloud free.  Lunch in Coruisk was more like a picnic in the Med.  We were also able to wander around Soay without being eaten alive by midges.  One of those days when you know you will always return to Scotland.

So that's my five for today but I think that I have already got it wrong.  What about Polyaegos and Milos, Sark or just the south west corner of Jersey.  This can lead to endless hours of discussion amongst sea kayakers.