Sunny Sunday Kayaking

A group of 29 sea kayakers is an impressive sight as they prepare for departure even more so when 6 of them are in the brand new orange Tiderace Vortex kayaks, which have just been unwrapped in the car park at Ouaisne.

This was the annual visit of Tower Hamlets Canoe Club to Jersey and the plan was to head east from Ouaisne, have lunch on Elizabeth Castle before taking advantage of the increasing north easterly wind to aid our progress back.  As it was the wind and tide slowed us down earlier than we anticipated with the result that it was sandwiches on St Aubin's Fort.

That really didn't matter as we had a really entertaining paddle along a lovely section of the Jersey coastline in conditions, which were quite interesting at times.  As we paddled back into the bay you could feel the warmth of the sun on your face for the first time this year, it really did feel like spring had finally arrived. 

 Its Christmas, in March!  Unwrapping the six new kayaks ready for our friends from Tower Hamlets Canoe Club to use.

 With 29 paddlers in the group, a clear pre-trip briefing is pretty essential.

 Angus just off Noirmont

 Matt paddling in front St Aubin's.  Less than 72 hours earlier we had gone in the opposite direction on our night paddle.

 Janet enter St Aubin's Harbour.  This was a pretty big tide so the water level was dropping at about 90 cm every 20 minutes, so we didn't hang around.  Within minutes it was dry.

 

 Lunch at St Aubin's Fort.  Thanks Matt for this photo.

 Approaching Noirmont, wind and tide with us.  It was a pretty quick run back to Ouaisne.

Nicky passing through one of the narrow channels off Noirmont.

Night paddling

Thursday evenings during the winter months are the regular pool sessions, apart from one week in March when it is the local Swimmarathon.  A huge community fund raising event so we normally have a week without midweek paddling but last nights forecast raised the possibility of a night paddle out from Belcroute Bay.
Belcroute is a perfect place for a night paddle, sheltered from the prevailing wind and swell and out of the strongest tidal streams, but with plenty to explore including St Aubin's Harbour a few hundred metres to the north.  There are also plenty of navigation markers in the vicinity if you wish to improve the accuracy of your bearings and timings.
We met at Belcroute at just before 7.00 pm and it was clear that the major issue was how we were going to launch.  The 11.8 metre tide meant that the sea was pretty close to the wall and there was the occasional larger swell.  In a plastic sea kayak launching down the slip was a distinct possibility, particularly with assistance.  Launching with a fibre glass kayak was an entirely different proposition, the best option for preserving kit appeared to be to throw the kayak into the sea, jump in after it, hopefully timing your entry into the water so that the retreating swell sucked you away from the slip and then perform a self rescue, all in the dark.  Although there was some initial reluctance regarding the assessment of the situation everybody managed to perform the task without any major drama.
Once afloat we had a delightful paddle around St Aubin's Fort, built during the English Civil War and extended in the 18th and 20th Century it now serves as an outdoor centre for the Education Department.  From there we headed across to St Aubin's Harbour, which thrived as Jersey fishermen returned from the fishing grounds off eastern Canada. The splendid merchants houses along the waterfront known as Cod houses.  A paddle around the harbour is always pleasant, particularly during the hours of darkness.
The return to Belcroute was simple and the landing at Belcroute was easier than anticipated as the tide had dropped slightly but it was still entertaining, having to time your arrival in the steep pebble beach with one of the smaller sets of waves, not always easy to achieve when you can't see what is coming.  A delightful way to spend a couple of hours on a mid-week evening in March.

Listening to Derek's briefing whilst contemplating the upcoming swim.

Plastic kayaks could be launched down the slip although timing was pretty important.

Ruth swimming for it with Alex ready to help.

St Brelade's Parish hall, in a previous life it was part of the railway station.

Heading back to the entrance.

 

On the outside of the harbour, passing the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club, as we head back towards Belcroute.

John Muir Award

John Muir, the father of the modern conservation movement, was born in Dunbar Scotland on the 21st April 1838 and moved to the United States when he was 11 years of age.  His impact on environmental issues is hard to underestimate, he was an inspiration for thousands of people both through his writing and his actions.

In 1983 the John Muir Trust was formed to celebrate his life whilst at the same time preserving some of Scotland's wild places.  The Trust is now the owner of some of the most iconic Scottish landscapes include the summit of Ben Nevis, Sandwood Bay and areas of Knoydart.

As part of the educational programme the Trust started the John Muir Award, which has gone from strength to strength in Scotland.  Over the last 12 months I have started to introduce the Award into schools in Jersey, as well as about to launch a project with the Jersey Canoe Club.

Today sees the conclusion of Invasive Species Week, which is quite opportune as most of the projects that I have developed have revolved around Hottentot Fig, a South African species, which is gradually smothering the native vegetation of the south west cliffs of Jersey as well as destroying the habitat for species such as the Dartford Warbler.

Various groups have been working on the removal of the Hottentot Fig, with it becoming possible to see a reduction in the spread of the plant and a gradual re-establishment of the native flora.  The young people I have been working with are making a difference to their local environment.

It is not all about pulling up the plant though, there is the exploration of the area, which includes 19th century industrial archaeology, in the form of the quarrying, more adventurous activities, which has included scrambling over rocks, walking out to Corbiere Lighthouse, abseiling down cliff faces, kayaking into more difficult locations and cycling.  Too name just a few of the opportunities.

The activities are then shared with a wider audience, this has included a school assembly, a parents evening, a notice board, a film, model making, writing in the parish magazine etc.  Once this has been completed the participants receive a superb certificate celebrating their achievements.  Amazingly this is is all free.
The John Muir Award is a fantastic resource not just for schools but for anybody who has an interest in their environment.  The Jersey Canoe Club project is to collect rubbish off the more remote beaches and caves along the north coast of the Island.  It is something, which we might have done anyway but this provides a framework and means of celebrating everybodies commitment and effort. So really consider getting involved, you don't know how far it will take you.

 Looking west along the cliffs.  Much of the dark green vegetation is hottentot fig.

 Looking east along the cliffs of the south west coast.  The small granite building is part of the desalination plant.

 An usual view of the quarry at La Rosiere.  It has been drained for maintenance.  Some of the rock from this quarry was used for the Thames Embankment in London.

 

 A normal view of the quarry.

The remains of the quarry infrastructure.

 A pile of hottentot fig, the result of the work of year 6's from St Peter and St Lawrence Primary Schools.

If you spend enough time walking around an area there is a good chance that you will see some fascinating creatures.  This slow worm seemed totally unconcerned about my presence.

  These two Green Lizards were also oblivious of my presence.

Jersy Sea Kayak Symposium 2016

The Jersey Canoe Club organized its first Symposium in May 1992 and over the years has attracted hundreds, if not thousands, of kayakers to the Island.  Over the years we have also been fortunate enough to attract many of the top coaches to the event such as Frank Goodman, Derek Hutchinson, Gordon Brown, John Heath to name just a few.

People have traveled from all over Europe as well as further afield to attend, with participants from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States with the vast majority returning home after a real enjoyable weeks kayaking in our waters.

Bookings are now being taken for the 2016 event,  which starts on the evening of Friday 27th May.  We are going to be based in the delightful Highlands Hotel, which has superb views over the west and south coast of the Island.  There is a swimming pool, if you haven't spent enough time in or on the water plus a bar and the most amazing lounge.

The format for the week is the same as in previous years, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday there will be coaching sessions ranging from forward paddling, stand up paddle boarding, tide races, sea kayaks and cliff jumping etc, as well as coastal paddles.  Then from Tuesday the focus shifts to paddles including hopefully the opportunity to visit the offshore reefs or some of the other Channel Islands.

Every evening there is something arranged including talks, quiz night, music bbq etc.  All in all it is a full on week.

Bookings can be made online here.

If you haven't been to Jersey before we look forward to introducing you to our local waters and if you have been before you can be certain of a warm welcome.

Corbiere Lighthouse is visible from the hotel we are using.  Great paddling within a couple of hundred metres of where you will have breakfast.

 The Highlands Hotel is a perfect location for the Symposium.  There are probably 5 completely different launch spots with a few minutes drive.

A visit to the Ecrehous will be high on most sea kayakers list.  If weather permits there will paddles to this delightful reef most days.

Morbihan

Every year the Jersey Canoe Club arranges a weekend to Morbihan in southern Brittany.  Most years we are blessed with settled conditions and warm temperatures but this wasn't the case this year, particularly on the Saturday.  Continuous rain on the Saturday was accompanied by increasing wind on the Saturday evening, resulting in a couple of the tents becoming damaged.

It didn't stop us getting on the water, both days, it was just that we didn't aim to paddle as far as in previous years. 
Still a thoroughly enjoyable weekend away though.

Our first port of call, in rapidly deteriorating weather was Er Lannic.  The stone circle is thought to be approximately 5,000 years old.  Where else is it possible to paddle so close to such significant historic monuments, whilst playing in significant tidal streams?

 Our plan was to paddle up the river to Auray.  The southerly breeze considerably assisting our progress but also blowing in some very damp conditions.

 It wasn't a day for the best photographs!

 Kayaks on the quayside at Auray  It was pretty miserable and we didn't need much convincing that an afternoon in the bar was far more preferable than 8 miles into a head wind in torrential rain.

 Sunday dawned far brighter, so following a paddle around the islands in the southern part of the Gulf we returned to the play spot near Ile Berder to make the most of the waves which are generated on the flood tide.

A capital paddle

There is something quite special about paddling through the heart of one of the world's great cities.  Over the years I have been drawn to urban areas, as diverse as, Paris, New York, Seattle, Vanvouver and Venice to dip my blades into the water and without exception have never been disappointed.

Each year I have returned to London, to enjoy a weekend on the water with other members of the Jersey Canoe Club, in the company of Tower Hamlets Canoe Club.  The last weekend proved to be particularly enjoyable with perfect weather and tidal conditions, which allowed a number of options.
On the Saturday we paddled through the heart of London, from Shadwell Basin to Putney, where we took advantage of a riverside pub to top up our energy levels before heading back to the east end on the ebbing tide.

 Approaching Tower Bridge from the east.  It is interesting to see how the skyline has changed in the 5 years that we have been visiting London for a weekends paddling.

 Underneath Albert Bridge.  Most people have their favourite bridge, with Tower Bridge most people's choice but the Albert Bridge is a very respectable runner up.

The main reason for stopping at Vauxhall is to buy some egg custards from the Portuguese restaurant across the road but today we were in the company of 4 statues.  The Rising Tide, by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, are 4 horses which become visible as the tide drops.  Their heads have been replaced by oil well pumps, which is apparently a statement on our reliance on fossil fuels.  The are part of the Totally Thames Festival which finishes tomorrow, 30th September.

 With a view like this, it has to be one of the finest day trips that it is possible to do in a sea kayak.  If you haven't paddled through the centre of London, you should start planning a visit soon.

 The London Eye always looks spectacular when seen from the river.

 The OXO building was a river landmark from the 1930's until it fell into disuse in the 1970's.  Refurbished in the 1990's it is now a vibrant area of the south bank of the Thames with shops, design studios and a delightful restaurant where we once had a memorable meal overlooking the Thames as the sun set over London.

 The old and new of the London skyline.

 Nicky passing the bow of HMS Belfast.

 It was a real surprise to see the PS Waverley, which is the worlds last sea going paddle steamer.  Built in 1946 she spent her working life on the Clyde, in Scotland before retiring in 1973.  Restored to her 1947 appearance she now operates passenger excursions around the British coast.

This was a real surprise to see Tower Bridge opening, to allow the Waverley through.  Although the bridge opens about 850 times a year, to allow ships with a mast height greater than 30 feet to access the Upper Pool of London, I think that this was the first time I had actually seen it open.

Disko Bay - Day 17

Your final day on a long trip is always a time of conflicting emotions.  We had taken part in a really memorable paddle through some stunning scenery.  There was far more ice around than I had experienced on my 5 previous trips in Greenland, which at times had presented a significant challenge and even up until the last we weren't sure how things were going to go.  The French paddlers we had seen a few days earlier had taken 2 days to get out of Ilulissat because of the ice, if we took two days to get in then we would miss our flights home.

There was quite a special feeling, this was the conclusion of a project which had started over 2 years earlier.  At the Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium in 2013 we came under some pressure to run another event in Jersey in 2014.  It was eventually agreed that we would go ahead with the event but the aim was to raise enough funds to be able to buy a number of sea kayaks to place in Greenland, which would be available for the participants at the event to use.  Effectively we were aiming to re-invest in the sport.

2015 was the first year that the kayaks were available and they were used for 40 days, which was a successful year from the Jersey Canoe Club's perspective.  We already have bookings for 2016 as well as tentative inquiries for 2017.  A successful legacy from the Jersey Sea Kayak Symposium, which will hopefully allow more paddlers to experience the memorable kayaking off the west coast of Greenland.

The final morning.  We had lifted the kayaks up quite a distance the night before as there were a number of large bergs just offshore and we didn't want to risk losing the kayaks on the final night.

Eric heading south through the ice towards Ilulissat.

Our first glimpse of Ilulissat.  We were still concerned about whether we would be able to reach the town.  There was a significant amount of ice, the only indicator which gave us hope were the number of small boats going past.  They had clearly been able to force their way out of the harbour.

 The last few hundred metres and there was a hint of open water between the ice floes.

 The final slabs on which we pulled the kayaks.  At this point we knew that in 36 hours time we would be on the flights home.

Sunday morning at the Ecrehous

A small tide and a reasonable weather forecast can only lead you to think about one thing, a paddle to the Ecrehous.  Just before 7.00 am 14 members of the Jersey Canoe Club met at St Catherine's for an early morning departure to reef which lies just over 5 nautical miles to the north east of Jersey.  6 hours later we returned after a really memorable morning.

Even though it was an early morning start you don't normally expect to see such sights at St Catherine's.  A visiting French yachtsman clearly failed to grasp the tidal range in Jersey.

Although it doesn't look it the first part of the paddle was a bit sloppy.

 Alan approaching the main part of the reef.  There were a number of very inquisitive seals, which is always an unusual encounter in Channel Island waters.

 Nicky and Chris preparing a late breakfast.  The sky had cleared and the reef had a very special feel.  Today there weren't that many visitors, in contrast to a few weeks ago.

 This is always a special view, looking north across the low water reef.

The Normandy coast of France seems quite close.  It was great to meet up, accidentally, with a couple of French paddling friends on the reef this morning.

To the south was the largest island in the archipelago, Maitre Ile. 

The anchorage seemed reasonably quite today, three weeks ago there had been nearly 60 boats at anchor in this area.

The Royal Square is one of the more spacious areas between the small buildings, which are congregated on Marmotier.

Evidence of the year of construction and the parish.

 All too quickly it was time to leave in order to catch the slack tide for the crossing back to St Catherine's.

 Nicky passing through one of the small passages.  The water was delightfully clear.

 Angus and Janet en route to St Catherine's.  The obvious feature of Mont Orgueil Castle was a really useful feature for using with transits as we approached Jersey.