ron-t kayaking blog

26 January 2013 .............. Around Cemaes Bay

I`m down in Anglesey for a while to have a look at the tide races around the area. It seems fairly clear that they are a bit different from the tide races around the Firth of Lorne, as the sea here is much more open.

Screw up on the flood tide at the Falls of Lora, and you get washed into flat water and maybe a big eddy in Loch Etive. Screw up on the tide races around Anglesey and you are in a 5 - 6 knot current heading for Dublin or Liverpool.

A bomb-proof rough water self rescue seems to be an essential, and a back-up one for when the bomb-proof one doesn`t work.

I had my first trip out in the the Anas Acuta this afternoon for a bit of a play now that the snow has finally gone - 12" of it where I am staying. I was out a few weeks ago in a demo boat, but that didn`t really count.

I launched from Cemaes Bay, and found a quiet corner to do some self rescues - I have been glueing foam into the cockpit to see if it would reduce the amount of water that gets trapped inside - it has helped a bit, but not enough to make much difference to the success of the self rescues. I love the way it behaves, but I don`t think it is the right boat for me around Anglesey. Quite apart from the facts that I don`t like the ocean cockpit, and it doesn`t have a drop-down skeg.

Then I headed out of the bay and north eastwards along the coast. In theory at least I should have been able to do a couple of km`s against the ebb flow exploring the coastline, then turn and head back still on the ebb tide. However the wind became much more of a problem than the tide. It was from the south west and was steadily increasing, and against the ebb flow it was making the sea quite rough in places. I didn`t go too far before turning back - and then I discovered just how strong it was. It was a very slow journey back to the bay, and at times I was making zero headway - absolutely none.

It is quite an interesting concept - you are less than 500 metres from the beach, and you can`t get there. What do you do ?

What I saw of it, it is a fascinating bit of coastline for sea kayaking though.

Once back, the bay was getting the full force of the wind, so I crossed over, and got a bit of shelter, and headed out towards Wylfa Head. This was good fun, there are plenty of rocks and channels for rock hopping. It was pretty much low tide by now, and judging by the shape of the rocks, I think there would be more rock hopping potential at higher tide levels.

I stopped on the beach just before Wylfa Head for a break, and after tea and two custard doughnuts, headed back. Light was beginning to fade by now, so no pictures.

A brief but interesting introduction to sea kayaking on Anglesey.

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