IOPCC Trip Report

May Bank Holiday Sea Kayak Camping Trip to Cornwall
Day 2 Saturday 1st May 2010

May Day morning and we are all muddling around Trewiston Farm camp site getting ready for a 0830 departure for a 0930 launch. The clouds in the sky above looking more promising than the whole previous weeks’ forecasts but that wind was still present, which was more than could be said about Clive and Hilary who unfortunately made a slight packing error prior to arriving and were in the middle of a round robin trip back to Dorchester to get that sorted.

A five minute drive and we are able to unload on to Daymer Bay beach via a very accessible public car park, even the tide was in, so a 30 meter walk to the surf and launch after a quick but comprehensive trip briefing. Greg enjoying his first IOPCC field trip wasn’t initially too impressed by the wind over tide getting further compressed over the Doom Bar, but mainly due to apprehension of us still not even being out of the Estuary yet! We made for the Port Channel marker to RV before a full crossing over to the Narrows on the West side of the estuaries’ mouth. We eased at a nice leisurely pace past Stepper Point into the channel and hit the full weather limits for the days paddling. A fairly stiff breeze but though a large tidal swell was upon us the sun was mostly out and very little breakers to concern us.

Due to the N/NE winds driving ashore we kept our distance from the cliffs but it just enabled us to further admire what a beautiful coastline we were getting the chance to paddle. By the time we sneaked past the almost secluded mouth of Trevone Bay, Barbara’s newly repaired shoulder was feeling the affects and she took the chance to give Ian some towing practise, gladly this was short lived as after a quick break from fully working her shoulder she spent the rest of the weekend just gritting her teeth and out paddling a lot of us. A welcome tea break was gratefully received at the far end of Harlyn Bay beach, past the myriad of Surf Dudes keeping the RNLI Beach guards on their toes. John Miller took this as an opportunity to demonstrate to us mere novices the Pros and Cons of removing a spray deck before surfing into the beach, we were very grateful as he was able to fully exemplify how it can all go wrong (text book). Apparently according to the Royal and Ancient Rules of Paddling etiquette this didn’t count as a “Swim” as he never actually left the kayak!

A further little push into wind brought us around Cataclews Point and our final destination was in sight, the recently built Life Boat Station at Trevose Head. It was now as Greg (fully into the Sea Kayaking Groove) and I watched the dream team members approaching and landing on this very stepped beach, that we tried to enlist Geoff to just raft up with us and have our tea and stickies in the relative safety of the extremely high and long life boat launching ramp, alas we saw that everyone else had made it in relative safety, so not to be out done we leisurely cruised in and completely hid the fact that we nearly formed the Trevose Floating Platform Team.

After more of Ian’s baking skills and a lengthy discussion of holding ones bladder for too long, not being good for the body, we retraced our paddles back along this lovely little stretch of this beautiful counties coast and headed back. The tide had receded and not a ripple was felt over Doom Bar but someone during our paddle had decided to extend the size of Daymer Beach which meant a quite lengthy portage of boats and kit up to the car park, which to me seemed more tiring than the whole days paddle.

My first true coastal session was now firmly under my tow belt and what better way than with a truly lovely and encouraging group of like minded people, along a coast line carved over millennia just for Sea Kayakers. Thanks all.

Report: Dicky Bird | Pictures: Barbara Browning