Chelsea Kayak Club

Seven intrepid CKC paddlers headed to Onich, Scotland for what turned out to be a wet and windy week! Weblink for the routes we did can be found at the bottom of the blog.

Our northbound journeys didn’t go as smoothly as expected. David had the pleasure of becoming a photographer of Gilly & Corinne’s yoga on the motorway, which resulted in new friendships being made amongst the stationary cars!

Day 1 Loch Linnhe We went to Rockhopper, Corpach to hire kayaks & additional kit that we needed for our week. We had naively thought that the mountains would shelter us from a westerly wind, but that turned out not to be the case! The wind funneled down Loch Linnhe, as a F3-4 headwind, impeding our progress south west towards Onich. The kayaks that we hired took some getting used to, and were also shorter (~15ft), so not as fast as our usual CKC/longer (~17ft) kayaks. We attempted to tow to improve the group’s overall speed but realised we were not going to make the tidal gate through the Corran Narrows. So five landed and tried out different group shelters at a layby off the A82, whilst two paddled through the narrows to get the car to initiate the car shuttle to get paddlers and kayaks home. Needless to say we were all tired, and it was much later than planned by the time we got home!

Day 2 – Shuna, Castle Staker & Port Appin
We had an easier day’s paddling, including spotting jellyfish, and seals. We launched from a layby into the Sound of Shuna, paddled down the west side of Shuna, around to Castle Stalker (before it dried out!), before landing at Port Appin. We can report that the Carrot Cake at the pub at Port Appin, made Corinne very happy. She was keen to sample some of the foods she enjoyed when she lived in London (and regularly paddled with CKC), but can’t get so easily in France! Sitting in sunshine at Port Appin was the best location we had in the week to wait whilst a car shuttle was happening =:) .

Day 3 – Caledonian Canal The winds still continued to be strong – so six of the group paddled north along the Caledonian canal, starting above Neptune’s Staircase. This included an unexpectedly long portage at the North East end of the canal. At the end of paddle, which was sheltered location – some took the opportunity to improve their rescue skills.

Day 4 Nessie at Castle Urquhart The winds were too strong for the group to paddle and so this became mainly a sight-seeing day. Corinne had wanted to see Nessie and so 4 of us headed off to Castle Urquhart to meet her. Whilst David sampled paddling in the wind, under the watchful gaze of 2 checking on him from the comforts of being land-based!

Day 5 Loch Leven We launched from Cuilcheanna beach heading east to then go through the Ballachulish narrows (under the Ballachulish bridge) and into Loch Leven. This time we easily made our tidal gate through the narrows. By now we were used to paddling with the odd drop of rain, and some wind. We were progressing well so we landed near Ballachulish coop, to see what the amazing Stiff Peaks patisserie (and Coop) had to offer for us to supplement our lunch with. After launching again we visited the burial islands. For most of our paddle this day we were predominantly blown downwind (eastwards) F4-5 with ever changing magical and dramatic skyscapes in front of us.

Day 6 Too-oo Windy! The last day of our week based at Onich, was also too windy to paddle. So some of us went for a walk around Inchree waterfall and discovered A LOT of rain had fallen recently, since the waterfall and river were clearly in spate!

Thanks go to everyone for their contribution to a happy week, from coordinating meals and shopping, planning paddling routes, transporting kayaks, driving, and being cheery in spite of the weather!

All in all a happy week, and in spite of the rain and wind, our 5th day of paddling which featured both rain and wind (coming unpredictably from different directions during the paddle!) was our favourite paddling day!

If you want to see our paddling routes – these can be seen here:

CKC Moderate Water Trip to Pembrokeshire April 2024

CKC Attendees: 

Fiona, Claire, Rich, John L, Tudor, Damian, Rachel, Jude, Gilly, Izzy, Mary, Mike L, Paul H, Steve D, Ingo, Andrew

In April, Fiona and Claire organised a fantastic trip to Pembrokeshire for “moderate water” Sea Kayak coaching with Sea Kayak Guides (SKG) who had coached CKC on a similar weekend in 2023. Pembrokeshire offers some wonderful scenery with access to some challenging moving water conditions. 

Sixteen of us converged on Trefin/Trevine, just off the Welsh coast path, on the Friday night, with several people bringing club and personal boats from London on roof-racks. We’d booked out the whole of the Old School House Hostel for the weekend, with shared rooms, a drying room and a communal kitchen stocked with copious breakfast foods laid on by the owner. After meeting up, most of us went to dinner in the Ship Inn just a few doors away. 

Saturday 20th

On Saturday we were up early and carpooled to Llanungar Caravan/Campsite to meet our coaches from Sea Kayak Guides Martin, Ben, Bramble and Pablo. It was bright and calm so we could sit outside to introduce ourselves and discuss our goals for the weekend and come up with a plan. (The trip required Explore Award or higher). After going over the tides and weather forecast we settled on putting in at Porthclais, southwest of St Davids, planning to head west to Ramsey Sound. 

The guides rented us additional boats and equipment and we loaded them up on their trailer before squeezing into as few vehicles as possible to get to Porthclais.  At Porthclais we unloaded at the bridge but because of a low tide, had a couple of hundred metres of pulling the kayaks down the stream before we could get in. Once on the water we gathered together and divided into two groups – one (with Ben and Bramble) intent on going to Ramsey Sound and the other (Martin and Pablo) spending more time to rock-hop along the shore.  

We paddled along the cliffs in beautiful, calm weather stopping to practise some strokes at a couple of points. Nearing the Ramsey sound, (site of a tidal turbine project) the coaches reviewed the tidal streams. There was a strong southward current at this state in the tide (peak flow, of up to 6 knots at springs, occurring at high tide). Bramble crossed the eddy-line to show how fast it was flowing. We were able to keep in to the shore and work North through the back eddy until we were ready to do a ferry glide across the current to the Bitches rocks by Ramsey Island. Bramble took up station downstream to be able to assist but we all made it across and into an eddy behind one of the rocks. Then there were a series of rocks with jets between and we paddled into them and enjoyed being able to ride the small standing waves after some strong paddling to overcome the initial flow. 

We paddled through an arch by the small harbour wall and then paddled back to the mainland and across to Porthlysgi beach for lunch, just as the other group was leaving. There we kept having to move the boats up the beach as the tide came in. On our way out we practised some strokes, rolls and rescues, then rock-hopped back to Porthclais where we were able to paddle all the way up to the launch ramp. 

We all went for another great dinner at the Ship Inn again and looked at weather forecasts and tides to outline some trip proposals for Sunday. 

Sunday 21st

Sunday’s weather was again great – sunny with little wind and swell. We met the guides again at Llanungar and decided on the trip options. We’d all put in at Whitesands beach, northwest of St Davids. We could all paddle round Ramsey Island, and then split into two groups – one group paddling round to Porthclais and the other returning to Whitesands, which might be a bit more challenging against waves and current. This required a bit more planning to get some cars to Porthclais. At Whitesands we put in and paddled with the current west to St David’s head before striking out to a rock off the north of Ramsey Island. There we sheltered in the eddy and split into groups to circumnavigate the Ramsey island anti-clockwise. 

As we paddled round, we visited a cave and spotted seals peering at us from the water while oystercatchers flew overhead. At the southern end of the island, our guides briefed us on paddling through the short tidal stream which was against us through the Midland gap. We broke through to the eddy on the other side and paddled up to have lunch at the harbour, the only permitted landing place on Ramsey, along with another group of kayakers.  After lunch we divided into groups again, with some paddlers heading back to Porthclais, and others returning to Whitesands, after playing in the now-northward tidal stream between the Bitches rocks. A couple of us did some assessments and self-rescuing before returning to the beach. 

Monday 22nd

Some returned to London on Sunday night, and a few people walked or cycled on Monday, so on Monday seven of us were paddling, and we met two new guides from SKG, Rich and Lucas (who had coached for CKC the previous year). We discussed goals and agreed that with the wind expected to reach a northerly force 4 in the afternoon, we should choose a sheltered route. They felt that while we wouldn’t be able to paddle around Skomer like last year, a trip along the lee shore would be possible, with some coaching and skills building as well as the chance to see puffins. 

This entailed a longer drive around St Bride’s Bay to Martin’s Haven. We unloaded kayaks near the slipway but parked cars higher up at the National Trust car park.  After getting on the water, while a dive team was shuttling gear to their boat, Rich (from SKG) had us practicing low brace turns. We then went round the headland and paddled across the southward tidal stream to regroup in an eddy behind a rock just off Skomer.  There Rich (from SKG) and Lucas coached us in entering and exiting the streams using the low brace turns. 

After playing at crossing the eddy lines for a while, we paddled southwest along the south coast of Skomer Island, and were soon paddling under hundreds of puffins, paddling out to sea to avoid the groups of puffins on the water. We rafted up while Andrew got into some dryer clothes and we had some lunch, then paddled back, catching nearly slack water in the channel but then paddling into the predicted rising northerly winds which made the last stretch quite choppy. 

Several CKC members stayed on in Trevine and took a two day first aid training course. 

Overall we had a great weekend with excellent weather in a beautiful location. The Pembrokeshire coast had very interesting, challenging paddling with brilliant coaching from SKG, who ensured the challenges matched our individual abilities. Thanks for putting together such a great trip, Fiona and Claire! 

We punched through the waves with the flow behind us down the seaward side of Suffolk’s longest shingle spit. Suddenly we were surrounded by seals.

Britain’s largest new colony of seals is well-defended by unexploded ordnance and the North Sea. The Atlantic greys first appeared on Orford Ness three years ago, where their presence was kept secret by wildlife rangers until early 2024. Judging the colony of 200 seals as strong and stable, the National Trust called in environmental journalists for the big reveal. But the seals have seen few humans since as they live on an ex-weapons research base, largely undisturbed by land visitors or tourist boats.

Seeing them was a highlight of CKC’s recent trip to Suffolk. Their wildness and isolation could be seen in how they escorted us through their territory, policing us in formation. Like other sea kayakers, I’ve often seen seals watch from a distance and follow our boats but never so many, or with such boldness.

Orford Ness is a 10-mile-long shingle spit squeezed between the River Ore and the sea. The National Trust allows visitors (for a fee) to walk among the eerie ruins of radar research stations and nuclear detonator testing sites but only on few marked paths for safety reasons. 

Our weekend in Suffolk’s restless shorelines and huge sea-like estuaries began with a Friday evening planning chat, where Jonathan, our sea leader, outlined two trips, along the Ness or up the River Deben (pronounced Deeben by locals).

As the wind on Saturday was potentially too strong for the Ness (force 4, gusting 5), we opted to do the Deben first – a good decision that delivered two days of strong sunshine and manageable winds.

On Saturday morning, we launched at Bawdsey Quay, opposite Felixstowe Ferry, thankfully not the container terminal (whose cranes were visible to the south) but a quaint village with yacht moorings. We put in below a sign that warned of ‘strong currents’ beside the ferry steps, carefully avoiding the tugboat-style ferry itself.

Dodging yachts, and the Horse Sands shoal, we set off upriver for Woodbridge, 9 miles away, with a lunch stop planned at 6 miles. We had the incoming tide pushing us along but a strong crosswind required plenty of skeg. Avoiding yachts and their support boats became one of the day’s themes.

I (Mary) was doubting my fitness after a winter on the sofa and awed when a gig-type old-world wooden rowing boat turned against the flow and swept past us. All 8 rowers were elderly women, so I worked harder to settle into a cadence.

The Deben is nearly half a mile wide at points. After three miles, it opened out into Ramsholt bend and a cross wind from the west slapped up a properly sealike swell. Another three miles along, we evaded dinghy sailors to pull in at the Maybush pub in Waldringfield – an excellent fish platter and burgers sort of place, just as Jonathan had promised. 

We enjoyed a lengthy lunch, before going on to Woodford, arriving in time turn around at slack water.

The hardest work was on the return trip as the incoming flow picked up, though we had the comfort of knowing it was in the Plan. We had another, quick stop at Waldringfield, hugged the salt marshes as the tide strengthened, and smacked through more whitecaps in the Ramsholt bend. The last 20 minutes were tough in a satisfying way.

On Sunday morning, we tackled the Ness. The plan was to go down the spit, with the tide behind us, then turn into the mouth of the River Ore (also known as the Alde) and back up to our starting point. There was no landing on Orford Ness, and tricky currents at the river mouth. It was vital to hug the end of the Ness to avoid being swept past it.

We launched from the narrow neck of land at the top of the Ness, near Slaughden Sailing Club. The water was glassy and the sun strong. Our plan to avoid the strong wind had paid off, I thought.

We saw the first seals early on, lying on the shingle in groups of 35 or more.

Orford Ness’ other big attraction is its weird-looking pagodas and pyramids, the remnants of blast testing sites. Bombs and nuclear weapons parts (everything bar the radioactive bit) were tested here. It was a radar research station in the 1930s and ’40s and used to develop military flying tactics from 1913 onwards.

It soon turned out that we were in giant eddy protected by protruding shingle where the main spit turns southwest. A line of white appeared on the horizon. ‘What’s that?’ I asked. ‘Wind against tide,’ explained David and Jonathan. The next 20 minutes were ‘very committing’, as they say. The sea remained choppy all the way and we were soon congratulating ourselves on being fine with it.

Sentry seals popped up about 20 metres offshore, evenly spaced, to defend a shingle bank dotted with cream and tan youngsters. Meanwhile, a squad of 10 or more bull seals formed up to escort us down the coast, sticking their heads high out of the water to watch us.

Ten kilometers on, we did a handbrake turn into the River Ore in brilliant sunshine that lit up the dramatic, flows in front of us. Counter-intuitively, the outgoing tide flows strongly into- and-upriver for several hours. We were relying on it to get us most of the way home. But first, we stopped for sandwiches on the far bank, and watched gulls being swept backwards by the flow on the estuary.

The river splits around Havergate Island bird sanctuary so we took the main flow up to Orford village, where we pulled up briefly at the jetty. Matt decided it was time for a flat white, despite Jonathan’s persuasive argument that ‘the longer we rest the more work we’ll have to do’. He started a rebel trend that soon spread to Jonathan himself (although for hot chocolate)!

By this time, the weather was turning greyer and windier. The final eight kilometers were tough and got tougher as the flow slackened. The river itself offered false hope in the form of hidden bends, but there was no mistaking our destination in the wide, sealike reach approaching Slaughden. We pulled in exhausted and watched a rowing boat of fishermen struggling static in the wind a few meters offshore. It was the end of a memorable trip.

Following on from the Margate to North Foreland trip in February 2024, CKC had planned a trip in another Inshore Shipping Forecast area: Selsey Bill. Checking the forecast on Friday for the Saturday trip didn’t give us much hope:

“The Inshore Forecast issued by the Met Office at 0500, Friday 1 March…North Foreland to Selsey Bill, Southerly or Southeasterly 5-7, occasionally gale 8, veering West or Southwest, 4-6, rain or squally showers, good or occasionally poor.”

Some hasty re-arranging, meant that we were able to change the day of the trip to Sunday, where the forecast was much more to our liking: “Variable 3 or less, increasing to 4 at times, mainly fair, good.”

We arrived down at Bracklesham at lunchtime and found the car park full and partially flooded. Most of the cars seemed to belong to surfers or play boaters practicing on the small but perfectly formed waves close into the shoreline. After a short safety briefing we launched through the small surf one at a time, before heading East towards Selsey. The wind was very light (F2), the sea almost flat and the sun was out in the blue sky.

The flow around Selsey is often turbulent, with waves caused by the tidal stream coming into an area of shallow water. We could see waves breaking on the Bill further out and with relatively calm water between there and Selsey we chose to paddle across close to land. Once over Selsey Bill we headed Northeast passed the Selsey RNLI station.

There were lots of people outside the RNLI station singing to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the RNLI in 1824. There has been an RNLI station at Selsey since 1861, but we’re not planning that they will need to use their two boats Denise and Eric for us today!

A bit further along the coast we spotted a shore based member of CKC and headed in for lunch near to the end of the holiday cottages. These cottages were originally railway carriages and have slowly been converted to houses, although a few of the originals remain.

We had a quick lunch on a virtually deserted pebble beach before it was time to catch the tidal stream back to Selsey. The wind had increased slightly to F3 and was in our faces for the first leg back to Selsey Bill. But more importantly the wind and tide were acting against each other so the waves started to get a bit bigger.

Around the Bill the waves picked up further (0.5m) and became more frequent (6s) making the paddling a bit more of a challenge.

The winds and waves didn’t drop off for the return journey and we kept going until we arrived at Bracklesham. We had planned the trip to arrive well after high water to avoid the dumping surf that can sometimes occur at this beach. Even so, we went in one at a time so that the shore based club members could help each paddler out of the surf zone and then everyone could help the next person in.

Once safely on the beach, changed and boats loaded it was time to reflect on the trip. It was fun trip – enjoyable with some paddling conditions that stretched the group’s abilities a bit. So ultimately it was a very satisfying trip to have had some conditions and been able to successfully paddle in them, building our confidence for future trips.