Sea Kayaking and BCU 5* Assessment

The last four weeks or so have been really hectic for me, after I'd finally got round to booking my Five Star Sea Kayak Leader assessment with Nigel Dennis at Sea Kayaking UK in Anglesea, North Wales. Trying to juggle Navigation work, night paddling, rough water paddling and kit preparation, ontop of my climbing training and regular paid work was very tiring for me, and before I knew it I was off on the long drive North to Holyhead in Wales. I had a few days prior to the assessment, up there, that I spent surfing and playing around in the powerful tiderace of Penrhyn Mawr in my Xcite, as well as night paddling around Holyhead Harbour, just to get used to the area and prepare myself for the assessment itself. The weather came in really bad for the assessment, and day one saw us leading groups in 5*+ conditions with F5-7 winds and big seas. It was a tough day, but we all returned safely at the end of the session, and met up later that evening for the night navigation exercise, that went very smoothly indeed due to the wind luckily dropping right off for us. Day two was the personal skills day with a bit more leadership thrown in and some scenarios to put us through our paces. The wind had eased to a F4-5 providing much more reasonable conditions in the tidal flows at our chosen location for the day, and the day went really well for me not only in the paddling, but also on returning to Anglesea Outdoor centre where I was told I had passed the assessment. I was so pleased, and relieved, to have finally gained my Five Star Sea Kayak Leader award. Woohoo! :D Now, safely back in Torbay, it's time to chill out for a bit, before hitting the climbing training once more in preparation for this season's DWS. Can't wait! Bring it on! :)

North Coast Sea Kayaking

Having sea-kayaked the entire South West coastline from our home in Brixham, down around Lands End and back up to Clovelly in a series of multi-day trips, we wanted to extend this to Minehead and incorporate the dramatic and remote coastline where Exmoor meets the sea. On Friday 30th March conditions were looking reasonably favourable for the weekend, with little in the way of Atlantic swell and only light to moderate Northeast winds, so after a last-minute decision to go, and some frantic packing of kit, we set off in eager anticipation of the journey ahead. We set out from Clovelly early Saturday morning under grey skies in a brisk wind. After a few hours we made it to Westward Ho! where we stopped for a hot chocolate and some food, before pressing on up the coast past Saunton Sands to Croyde Bay. I was surprised how many surfers were out in the fridgid 1-2 foot surf - must be crazy!? Next stop was Barricane Beach, north of Woolacombe, where we had a brew up and some more snacks to fuel us on. Once safely around Morte and Bull Points we pulled into Lee Bay, where we decided to call it a day and set up camp for the night at the back of the beach. After a long day on the water we slept like logs that night! Sunday morning was cold, but with the advantage of clear blue skies, and we set out at first light to catch the best of the tide for the first six hours. It was going to be a long day as we needed to cover 55km in order to make it to the van in Minehead! Oops! We only made a couple of very brief toilet stops in the first six hours of paddling, as we passed Ilfracombe and Lynton, finally landing just beyond the towering cliffs of Foreland Point for some proper food and a much needed brew up. It was a long slog from here, against the tide, up past Porlock where we arrived totally shattered at the north end of Porlock Bay. I stumbled out of my kayak feeling really light-headed and realised we needed to get more food (and Tea of course) down our necks to fuel us on the last leg to Minehead. We also had a good long much needed rest waiting for the tide to turn too. Late in the evening we set off on the final stretch with the tide with us again, and thankfully almost no wind for a change! This made a big difference, allowing us to cover the last 8km in just an hour and a half, even with our tired and aching bodies! We were so glad to have made it, and in the daylight - just! The only question now is; "Where next?" ;)

Bouldering Cave Progress

Finally, my bouldering cave is finished, much to my relief, after two months of blood, sweat, and hard work! Woohoo! :D After a lick of paint, and the bolting on of some holds, I couldn't wait to get on and give it a go! I soon found out climbing upsidedown is super-strenuous, and after a couple of sessions over a few days my forearms were feeling totally trashed - more than they have been in a long time. But then that's exactly what I wanted, and why I built the thing in the first place - to beast myself loads, with the aim of getting stronger as a result. I still need to buy more holds, but I've got enough for the bread and butter of my training to keep me going for the meantime. Summer DWS; Bring it on!!! Can't wait! :)

Oh, I almost forgot; on one of the recent warm sunny days we took a trip out to Chudleigh Rocks and had a splendid afternoons climbing, where I onsighted a superb E2 5b called 'Saturn Five' that was super-overhanging and suited me a treat - fantastic! Loved it! Then we climbed 'Great Western' VS 5a, which was ok, followed by 'Stalactite Direct' HVS 5a, which was very nice indeed. It was great to get out and do some lead climbing for a change. Thanks Elisabeth! x

Bouldering Cave Update

Due to the lack of water in the river this month, the majority of my time has been spent working on the build of my bouldering cave, with the odd foray out to Berry Head for some Deep Water Soloing and a few bouldering sessions locally - just to maintain some climbing fitness until I can start training on my wall. We also had a very nice paddle from Brixham to Kingswear on a fantastically sunny Sunday. After a lot of hard graft, the bouldering cave is almost finished now, with it just requiring a coat of paint and a few more inserts to be fitted. The mega jugs for the roof have arrived and I should get my hands on the paint this week, so it shouldn't be long before I can start beasting myself in preparation for this year's DWS season - haha - excellent! Can't wait! :D

January Update

Well, January has been an even stranger month than December, what with the mixed and changeable weather we've had, and this meant that the activities we did varied a lot too - from kayaking on the River Dart, to Deep Water Soloing at Berry Head, to climbing at the climbing wall. On one of my DWS days I fell in the sea for the first time since Mallorca, and I can confirm that the water temperature at the moment is pretty damn cold, especially for boardshorts and a rash vest! The other main theme for January has been working on the build of my bouldering cave, which is coming along nicely now. So far, I have the kick board, a 45 degree overhang, a horizontal roof and the arete completed, with just the back walls to finish off. I am hoping to have it fully finished in the next few weeks, including the purchasing of some huge jugs for the roof section, so I can start some training for my DWS projects this summer. Can't wait! Bring it on! Woohoo! :)

December's Activites

Well, 2011 is almost at an end now, but what a great year it has been - with plenty of trips abroad climbing, deep water soloing and kayaking, plus a reasonable amount of coaching and leadership courses being run. December was a random month though, starting with a long weekend in Lille visiting some long lost French friends. We had a lovely few days visiting the sights, eating lots of lovely French cuisine, and catching up on old times. The rest of the month was filled with a mixture of coaching on the River Dart, kayaking the Upper Dart for fun, climbing at the climbing wall, and even a few DWS sessions at Berry Head in lovely sunny conditions (including a session on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!). Currently I am in the process of building my own bouldering cave, with the aim of getting super-strong for next year's DWS season. With plenty of new DWS projects and routes on my list, I'm really looking forward to giving them a crack in 2012. Can't wait! I also have a few trips planned for the New Year, so I have plenty to look forward to. For now though, I'm welcoming in the New Year and looking forward to kayaking the Upper Dart on the 1st January. 

Happy New Year to everyone, and all the best for 2012!!! :D

Introduction to White Water Course 2011

Pure Liquid Kayaking ran an introduction to white water course over four consecutive Saturday's through November. Aimed at good BCU 2 Star paddlers who wish to progress onto the the thrill and excitement of paddling white water rivers, the course covers white water skills and techniques, safety and rescue, leadership, and equipment, but most of all it's about having fun on the river. This year we had three very keen and enthusiastic paddlers who were hungry to learn and push their skills, which resulted in us progressing onto the Loop section of the River Dart by week (day) three, and we even ran some of the last few drops of the Upper Dart by the end of the course. It was an absolute pleasure coaching and paddling with Julian Mudge, Steve Moore and Simon Berry, and it was great to see such rapid advancement of their skills over the duration of the course. Well done Guys!