The plan had been to load the sea kayaks onto the RIB on Saturday morning, head up to Sark,  be dropped off and then picked up on the Sunday evening, allowing two days of kayaking around our sister isle.  Unfortunately the wind forecast for Sunday afternoon was too high for the boat to operate, so on Saturday morning at 06.30 an alternative plan was quickly hatched.  A visit to the Paternosters, off the north coast of Jersey.

 We headed east from Greve de Lecq, exploring a number of the coastal features, including Devil's Hole. It is not that often that it is possible to paddle as far back into the cave but there was no swell at all.

 Once the tide drops at the Paternosters there is a delightful lagoon which offers sheltered landing, although today sea conditions were such that it would have been possible to land just about anywhere.

 Considering it is the middle of May it was a pretty grey day.  Contrast this with our visit in February.  It is hard to believe so many of the group selected dry suits to paddle in.

 Heading out of the lagoon, about an hour before low water, hoping for some reasonably light tidal streams.

 The tide was already moving from left to right, it is just discernable behind Gary and Pete.  It was nothing that a bit of ferry gliding wouldn't compensate for.

 As there was no swell we took advantage to explore the western margins of the reef.  For some of the kayakers, although they had visited the reef many times before this was the first time that conditions had allowed them to paddle through some of the channels.

 Leaving the reef for the north coast of Jersey,  it doesn't get much flatter than this.

 Approaching Greve de Lecq.

 Nicky checking the distance on her GPS, it was just under 8 nautical miles.  Jersey's beaches shouldn't look this bleak in May.

So we didn't make Sark, that is still to be re-arranged, but we did make the most of our disappointment.