On The Horizon For 2014

This winter has been a wild one, and it has given me a bit of time to dwell on the year ahead.  2013 brought a new challenge to my kayaking.  After the Irish Sea crossing early in the year I had the bug to challenge myself further.  That lead to the circumnavigation of Anglesey in one whole sweep in 13 hours.  After that the long nights and unsettled weather drew in.

Porthcawl Lighthouse 5th February 2014

The kayaking year so far has not been a successful one.  The conveyor of low pressure after low pressure bringing extreme strong winds and high seas has hindered any chance of getting on the water.  On top of that I have been firmly instructed to take it easy after having a collapsed lung, putting all methods of exercise on hold for a month or so.

So all being well this is my intended itinerary for the year ahead...

Irish Sea - after successfully crossing the southern St Georges Channel last summer we intend to cross the northern channel from Anglesey to Dublin this summer.  This is a longer crossing and could take up to 18 hours.

Lundy - A trip we wanted to get done last year.  The intention is to cross over from the Welsh coast, spend at least a day circumnavigating the island before returning.  A 3-5 overnight trip.

Isle of White - Another trip I have been meaning to do for many years.  The intention here is to circumnavigate the island within 24 hours.

Anglesy - Me an Elan intend to improve on our 13 hour circumnavigation last year.  I would also like to return for the odd weekend trip to explore the island in more detail.

Isle of Man - double crossing and circumnavigation each within 24 hours (3 days).

On the more casual side of things I'm sure there will be many trips along the Welsh coast and a return trip to Scotland later in the year.  The kids have really taken to the water at our local kayak club so there may well be some family trips in the near future.

Hope to see some of you out there, if you want to tag along to any trips join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeaKayakCymru/  or get in touch via the blog.  Safe paddling.