Saturday, 13 February 2010

Rock Hopping at the Mumbles

Andrew from Galm Boaters Club kindly offered to take me
out to the Mumbles, Swansea to work on some sea kayak
techniques.

We launched from Bracelet Bay to the South side of the
lighthouse at low tide. It was bitterly cold but the conditions
were fairly settled.

We headed out to the red port buoy due south of the bay.
It was a little choppy out here.

Looking back from the buoy to the lighthouse Islands.

We then took a bearing and headed NE to the south cardinal
buoy. We were hoping that with the tide turning and a
north easterly wind that overfalls may develop over the shoal.
It was a bit bumpy mainly due to the wind but not what we
were expecting.
From the cardinal buoy we headed toward the lighthouse.
We landed here and took a walk up the lighthouse waiting
for the tide to shut it off from the main land.
With the tide ever quickly rising Andy showed me how to
maneuver between the shallow pools between the rocks,
otherwise known as rock hopping.
We did a bit of tow line work and breaking in and out of
eddies in the flow between the island.
Andy did a couple of rolls and a self rescue but there was
no chance I was going for a swim. Even though the sun
had come out it was still to cold for wusses like me.

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