At the tail end of 2011 Welsh kayak anglers Andrew Williams and Gareth Bowen took themsleves north, to Scotland, in search of Skate…… looks like the Aleutain suits were needed in that cold weather.
We had awful weather for the week and only managed to get out onto the Skate grounds for two sessions , each lasting no longer than 3-4 hours.
I reckon I had a bait on the bottom for 2 hours tops but still managed two skate , one of 40lb the other 90lb. The pics of the 90lb fish are poor quality as they are stills taken from a video. Gareth was using my camera and was unfamiliar with it , he thought he was taking stills but was actually just focussing the camera, we sorted this by the second session which is when I had the smaller fish.
I was the only angler who caught any skate , Gareth did hook into a monster which he played for 50 minutes before his line snapped – gutted .
As the target weight of 100lb plus was not reached , I am going back at the end of March for another crack at them , along with Gareth and a few other kayak anglers.
We’ll be keeping track of progress on this as well as more reports on the kayak fishing scene and possibly some event news.
For those who don’t know Olly, he is a long time Palm paddler, but more than that he is a highly regarded sea coach, guide and expedition paddler…. as well as being a formidable mountaineer!
In other words when it comes to big trips and big adventures he knows what’s what.
From the trailer and the roll call of names he’s got involved it doesn’t look like you will have to look much further for something to inspire and also guide you in your schemes and plans.
He’s locked down editing at the moment, so hopefully it won’t be long before we can all get a copy in our hands.
There is lot of plastic out there from 20 plus years of kayaks and canoes being made this way. Luckily the properties of the polyethylene material give it a massive lifespan, but at some point boats get written off or folk will want to retire their craft and so the question pops up – what then?
Our Dagger Europe kayaks have made some small inroads with the Fiesta model, the first 100% post production waste re-cycled kayak; but that’s just the tip of the ice berg.
We were recently approached by Engineering graduate and Waste management Consultant Beth Ripper who is study kayak lifespans and she’s just sent out her findings. Read all about it here.
The swellie wave seems to be working again . A very high tide meant an early start . Its also been known as the 5 oclock wave because when the tide is right its roughly 5am or 5pm, This was about 7.30 am about an hour and a half after Low water and its was just starting to work , plus nobody else was there except Rodger chandler and myself on a lovely morning
Always awkward to get hands on coaching for this skill . Luckily this venue a good drysuit and a keen student meant we could progress quickly . The only distraction was the usual fantastic Scenary of the Lofoten Island in Norway
One of the joys of sea kayaking is the opportunities it presents to view wildlife in its natural habitat. As kayakers we have a responsibility to develop a better understanding of the wildlife we encounter in order to minimise our impact.
There is a common misconception amongst us sea kayakers that we have less of an impact on wildlife than other (often bigger, faster and noisier) craft. In fact the opposite may well be nearer to the truth! In areas where there is heavy boat traffic wildlife does appear to become desensitised to it, this seems less evident in the case of kayaks, the following points may go some way to explaining why.
Predator
Most of us who have paddled with seals will have experienced them following our kayaks, sometimes for many miles. One theory behind this behaviour is that the profile of a sea kayak from the water is similar to that of a Shark or Orca, both of which predate on seals in UK waters. Seals have been observed to follow predators, keeping them in sight whilst staying away from the sharp end!
Stealthy approach / surprise
One of the advantages of wildlife watching from a kayak is the lack of engine noise; the flip side of this is that it is very easy to startle wildlife as there is little or no warning of our approach.
Get in closer
The fact that as kayakers we can get to areas which are inaccessible to other types of craft causes its own potential problems. We are able to approach wildlife which is usually hidden from human contact by its location and therefore likely to be less tolerant of our presence.
These issues are particularly relevant at certain times of year when marine wildlife is more sensitive to disturbance. Some of these key periods are outlined below:
Atlantic Grey Seal Pupping
Beginning of August – End of November
Atlantic Grey Seals visit the western coastline in their thousands during this time of year. The mothers give birth on beaches, ledges and in caves. The first 3 to 4 weeks of the pups’ lives are crucial to their survival. Disturbance during this time will often lead to them being abandoned before they have built up the fat reserves they need to fend for themselves.
Atlantic Grey Seal Malting
Seals also visit the coast in large numbers during early spring to malt. In order to malt they must raise their body temperature which they do by hauling themselves out onto rocks and ledges. If they feel threatened they will take to the water resulting in them cooling down and having to expend valuable energy getting back out. They will usually do this by stranding themselves on a dropping tide so a disturbance could lead to a long wait in the water.
General advice
1. Do not land on seal pupping beaches from August 1st to the end of November.
2. Avoid creeping up on seals or approaching seals bow on. They may perceive you as a predator.
3. Allow seals an escape route.
4. Do not disturb mothers nursing pups. Adult females often rest in the water about 10-30m from the shore and their pup – never paddle between the female and the pup.
5. For the sake of your safety and for the health of the seals themselves do not seek to swim with, touch or feed seals.
6. Limit observation time to 10 minutes then move on.
Sea bird breeding season
Beginning of March – End of July
Many species of sea birds visit the British coastline to raise their chicks during this time. Cliff nesting birds are particularly sensitive to disturbance; these include Guillemots, Razorbills and Kittiwakes. These smaller species are particularly at threat from predatory birds (Ravens, Peregrines, Skuas and Greater Black Backed Gulls) and can become an easy snack if driven off their nests or ledges.
Guillemots and Razorbills lay their eggs directly onto ledges rather than building a nest; if they are panicked eggs can easily be dislodged and lost.
Another common sight during this period is large “rafts” of birds on the water. Once their eggs have hatched parent birds will often rest on the water before returning to feed their young; if they feel threatened they may regurgitate the food intended for their chicks before flying away. This means that chicks miss out on valuable meals!
General advice
1. Plan trips carefully and with respect to any Agreed Site Specific Access Restrictions. They are in place to protect wildlife for future generations.
2. Observe bird’s reactions from a distance.
3. The following bird behaviour indicates preparedness to fly; head craning, head turning, head bobbing and wing flapping in situ. Do not proceed if you observe this as you will make them fly – never approach closer than 10m.
4. Auks (guillemots, razorbills) incubate eggs on their feet; if they fly off ledges in a panic their eggs are dislodged and destroyed.
5. On open water you may encounter ‘rafts’ of sea birds. Avoid causing disturbance to rafting birds as they may regurgitate food meant for their young / take flight during valuable resting time.
Cetaceans
Cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoise) are present year round in British waters, although there are definite seasonal movements encounters are far more difficult to predict and can happen at any time of year.
General advice
1. On encountering cetaceans continue on your intended route as this will present predictable movements.
2. Allow groups of cetaceans to remain together.
3. Leave cetaceans with young alone.
4. Always allow cetaceans an escape route and avoid boxing them in.
5. Leave if you notice any signs of disturbance.
It is recommended that paddlers explore the marine environment in small groups both for safety, and to minimise wildlife disturbance / environmental impacts.
This article is based on my experiences paddling with wildlife off the coast of West Wales, wildlife encountered and seasonal trends will vary in other areas.
For more information on Pembrokeshire’s marine code agreement and seasonal access restrictions visit: www.pembrokeshiremarinecode.org.uk
We’ve just managed to make what we think is the first linked crossing of Vaeroy and Rost in the artic islands of Lofoten in Norway.
The two crossings are about 35 km each and the first involves crossing the infamous maelstrom of Moskennes island.
Myself and Jann Engsted, a local guide who has been guiding on the Islands for 30 years, made the two crossings an ambition he has been trying to do for a long time.
We had ocean swell moderate winds and a fair deal of fog on the first crossing , but otherwise a great few days.
The new Palm Oceana gear performed well and kept me cosy and dry.
Is the Wilderness system Tempest a fast boat, is it stable and can it deal with the rough stuff ? Well I raced a plastic tempest 170 down the river Ness last weekend in the annual Ness marathon 2011 short course and managed to win, beating the other entrants and coming only 30 second slower than the course record which was set in a wild water racer, so fast yes, good for the rough stuff, also yes it handled the standing waves and rapids superbly, and almost as fast as a racing boat without needing a change in underwear afterwards, though its noted I need to put more effort in next year. The sea kayak challenge is now set with Wilderness Systems now holding the Ness Marathon sea kayak course record, ideal fitness training for those longer journeys. See you there next year – Steve Mackinnon
Great Glen Canoe trail by Sea kayak, not just any sea kayak though, Wilderness System tempests, fast, stable and well behaved in all conditions. Enough grub to last out the whole trail without having to scrimp and save. Its not just an open canoeists paradise, its well suited to sea kayak journeys as well, no nessie shots though, sorry – maybe next time. Other photos attached, enjoy – Steve Mackinnon
