On the water 11am
LW Plymouth 10.09 (0.9) + 1 hr Summer time = 11.09
less time correction - 40mins = 10.29am Low Water
Crackington Haven
HW Plymouth 1617 (5.2) +1 hr = 17.17 less 35mins = 16.48
High Water Crackington Haven.
Light winds force 2-3 in the morning rising to force 4 in
the afternoon approx.
Well needless to say it was a cultural shock, I was harried
and when Barbara kindly offered to help me get ready she had
an evil sense of humour turning my dry suit trouser legs
inside out while my boat vanished down to the water's edge,
you guessed it I was last on the water.
Then proceeded a glorious paddle and an eye opener that
composite boats are for rock hopping and not just for
keeping safe in deep water. The coast was sublime with views
of streams upon high cascading down steep mountain sides to
waterfalls which eventually reached the sea providing fresh
water showers to paddlers below. It was as if the makers of
Lord of the Rings had missed a beat, this part of the coast
is truly heaven on earth. The caves were so deep that a
torch would have been a useful asset and any light source
was instantly picked up by the reflective coatings on our
kayaking gear and boats. Seals were a plenty only that the
local tour guide was probably disappointed in that we had
chosen to look at the seals without paying for a ride in his
souped up power boat. Ian was advised to paddle well away
from wildlife, probably the collective sonic gurgling of
paddles was thought to be worse than the sonic boom of those
monster twin outboards. Happy banter meant the miles slipped
by alarmingly quick and soon a hairpin bend in the cliff
face opened to the magical kingdom of Boscastle.
I was lucky this time, let me explain I have a habit of
taking a swim getting my legs out of the cockpit before
reaching shore, this time I was successful and so avoided
scraping my precious gel coat and keeping my dignity intact.
Then we dragged our boats up river towards the township of
Boscastle (OMG vanishing gel coat) & hauled our boats onto
some rocks and lay down in the sun to have lunch. It was at
this point that the floor show began or rather Nathan
decided that this was too good an opportunity to miss.. an
audience of beached whales. Well what followed was a
staggering feat of rock climbing and" see what I can do" to
the probable consternation of Tina who was urging caution.
For the return trip to Crackington Haven, Tina's child
minding shift had just begun so Paul took her kayak and
paddled back to base with an increasing wind and swell state
which made cave exploring even more interesting. On arriving
first at the beach I managed a quick swim, yes you guessed
one leg out of the boat, one in and oops I must get it out
splash, so I was last to leave the carpark and then
proceeded to get lost finding my way to the campsite. |
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Crackington Haven
pre-paddle faff |
Away at last |
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| Tony using strong
language |
David getting up
close |
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| Wonderful caves |
Bloody seal-huggers |
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| A Lord of the Rings
moment! |
Boscastle lunch break |
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| Jane under a
waterfall |
Paul released from
the demands of child care. |
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Pictures of the paddle are on
the
Galleries Page |
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