Mark Rainsley organised a sea kayak meeting, based at East Prawle, which allowed some of us to dare go where we would not care to venture alone, confident of experienced leaders to get us out of trouble. This sort of trouble:
Photo by Mark Rainsley
Other people were more skillful at landing. I land backwards because otherwise the skeg gets jammed with sand and pebbles, and I can hop out of the boat quicker when it’s tilted forward on the beach. But maybe it’s better to live with a jammed skeg.
I had another wet exit the next day, surprised by a mass of foam while fumbling with the camera to snap someone else being rescued in turbulent water among the rocks east of Salcombe. Then my pump swallowed a loop of my tow line. I landed to empty the boat on a beach with dumping surf. A kind lady on the beach helped me get straightened out to meet the surf head on, then herself got caught in the breakers. Fortunately, the water is warm now – around September 4th is always the warmest day, under water on the south coast of England.
The wind was in the south east, which generated a moderate swell. The notorious tide race at Start Point was relatively benign, but still gave some scary moments.
We paddled in groups of about eight and kept mostly within conversation distance.
The evening entertainment was a barbecue, followed by lectures on interesting/scary/odd places to visit by kayak. There were about 80 paddlers gathered together – the most I have ever seen in one place.
The final picture is the melancholy remains of Hallsands, laid in ruins by a great storm in 1917.
tim P
