|
This paddle is becoming a fixture in the Club’s January
events. We have successfully completed the paddle for the
last 3 years now. We were expecting a group of 10 or 11
paddlers but several dropped out right at the last minute so
it was just 6 stalwarts who met on a very cold dull morning
at Sandbanks – supported by Sharon, our shore contact.
There was very little wind and the sea was calm so there
were no real issues on launching. Well David did manage to
fill his boat with water but that was the only wave of the
day and he managed to find it!
We paddled at a good speed throughout the day in order to
keep warm as it was bitterly cold. Handfast point and Old
Harry Rocks never fails to impress no matter how many time
you have been there. The stacks and pinnacles are
magnificent and as it was so calm we were able to explore
them thoroughly. The stacks point out from Handfast Point
towards the Needles on the Isle of Wight 28kn across
Bournemouth Bay. ‘Old Harry’ is an archaic name for Satan,
and is generally used to describe the stack at the seaward
end. In the nineteenth century Harry had a wife but she
collapsed into the sea along with another stack.
There was no tidal activity off the stacks. We remained
inshore and paddled close to the spectacular chalk spires
and caves that follow. The cliffs get progressively higher
and then fall away in Swanage Bay. As it was so cold we
didn’t paddle all the way across to Swanage but instead
paddled down to the closest beach and stopped for half an
hour of lunch and very bad jokes. (Ask Hugh!)
Back on the water we kept up the brisk speed to bring the
feeling back into chilled hands. Paddling once more between
the spires and stack we rounded Old Harry Rocks without
incident and headed at speed for the National Trust cafe –
hot chocolate and fudge cake were well deserved by this
point.
Once refreshed we completed the last stretch back to
Sandbanks. There was hardly any other craft on the water so
crossing the shipping Channel wasn’t a problem and we were
greeted at Sandbanks by Sharon at 3pm.
|
