Breton Canoeing

The forecast for the weekend was pretty dreadful, we were questioning whether the ferry would be able to sail for St Malo, and even more importantly would we be able to get home on the Sunday.  As it was the ferry did sail on the Friday and the sea state was calm enough that most people were able to enjoy a beer or wine on the crossing.

The aim for the weekend was to enjoy a couple of days of canoeing on the inland waterways of Northern Brittany, with a few people having the opportunity to take their 2 Star, mainly as a pre-requisite for their Level 1 coach course in May.  Amazingly two of the people had their 5 Star (Sea) but not their 2 Star.  In Jersey there is no inland water, suitable for paddling, so it is very difficult to get the appropriate experience, you either have to travel off island or we have to start encouraging people to paddle canoes on the sea, something which sits uneasily with me, due to the size of the tides, exposure to swell and changeable weather.

We had arranged to rent canoes from the Canoe Club in Dinan, there were 16 of us and luckily they had 8 canoes in their spacious facilities.  We headed downstream, fully aware that the forecast on French TV was for winds possibly reaching 100 kmh during the afternoon.  Clearly we needed to exercise a degree of caution.

Shelter was found inside a small inlet where it was possible to work on a few skills and also by coincidence to receive a phone call from the ferry company informing us that the sailing on Sunday had been brought forward to hopefully avoid the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, particularly the increasing wind strength.  We would get home but it meant that there would be no paddling on Sunday.

Lunch was taken further downstream before we had to fight our way back to Dinan.  It was a pleasant contrast to the sea kayaking that we normally experience in Jersey and most of the group felt that we shouldn't leave it too long before returning to France to hone our single blade paddling skills.

 Louis and Lisa getting ready to head downstream.  At this point the wind wasn't too bad.

 We found shelter in a small inlet where we were able to practice a few skills such as rescues, as well as receive a phone call from Condor (the ferry company) that our ferry was leaving earlier on the Sunday due to the strong winds which were forecast.  The main consequence, apart from getting home, was that there would be no paddling on the Sunday.

 Tracey having a go at gunwhale bobbing.  Clearly the days that she spent canoeing down the Yukon has had a significant impact on her skill level.  She looked really competent.

 Once off the water there were a couple of choices, head to the local bar to watch a Six Nations rugby game on the television or head to Decathlon in search of kit.

 Sunday dawned sunny and still, a walk around the walls of St Malo was the option in the time that we had with the forecast of a rapidly increasing wind.

 Once on the ferry we headed out past Cezembre, a small island off the coast of St Malo, which is an interesting place to visit by kayak.

 Le Grand Jardin light marks the entrance channel into St Malo, for us as we headed out to sea it marked the start of a decline in the weather, with an increasing wind and a deteriorating sea state, but at least due to our early departure we made it home.

Cezembre

Leaving St Malo on the ferry last night we went past the island of Cezembre, somewhere we have visited quite a few times over the years.  It is a delightful one day paddle, particularly during the summer months.  Although it has been nearly 24 years since I first paddled there, it was a surprise to find that I hadn't written anything about it.

The island is in the Department of Ille-et-Vilaine to the north of St Malo, the south coast of the island consists of a lovely sandy beach whilst the rest of coastline is steep cliffs.  There is a small restaurant at the back of the beach but I wouldn't rely on it being able to offer refreshments.  I would go prepared to be self sufficient and if you are able to buy something that would be a bonus.

During the Second World War the islands defences were strengthened by the Germans as part of the Atlantic Wall fortifications.  

Following the invasion of Normandy  the Americans advanced to St Malo, which was taken by the Allies on the 18th August 1944 but the German forces on Cezembre didn't surrender until the 2nd September.  Whilst trying to recapture the island an early form of napalm was dropped on the island.

On our first few visits to the Cezembre we were able to wander around but on the last visit, large areas of the island were fenced off partly because of the large number of unexploded shells.  I am not sure what the current situation is but even if you can't walk around the island it is still an entertaining day trip if you are in the area. 

 Approaching Cezembre in June 1991.  It was the final day of a great weeks paddling along the north coast of Brittany.  At this point we had no idea what surprises waited ashore.

 When we walked onto the island we could not believe the scene of utter devastation which greeted us.  There were numerous shell holes and the German guns had been destroyed.  It was impossible to imagine what it must have been like on the island in August 1944, when it was being shelled from the shore.

A surprising find on the entrance to one of the bunkers.

Leaving St Malo for another day trip to Cezembre in May 2013

Looking out from the walls in St Malo.  Cezembre is the outer island.  Care does need to be crossing to the island because the fast ferries from Jersey normally pass in between the islands.  It is really useful to know your buoyage when you see a hi speed craft approach.

Daily Picture - 18

St Malo is a port that we have must passed through literally hundreds of times when heading to and from Jersey.  Today we didn't have time to explore the Intra Muros, delightful bars and a variety of restaurants lie within the city walls but that must wait for the next visit, we could just view it from the deck of the ferry.  It has been a day of cold north easterly winds and rain showers but we have good memories of paddling out of this harbour in northern Brittany on far more pleasant days.