Treasna na dTonnta 53

Irish Sea Kayaking Association

No. 53

Earrach 2013

Sea Kayaking; A journey- Loop Head; Kilbaha to the Bridges of Rosses- Night Navigation in the Fergus Estuary -Surfski in Sydney

Irish Sea Kayaking Association Editorial Hi Folks. Welcome to the this edition of Treasna na dTonnta. We’ve got a couple of new sponsors on board for this issue; thanks to Colm at iCanoe, Jon at H2O, Des at Deep Blue Sea and Nigel at SeaKayaking UK. If you are purchasing something from them, make sure you mention that you saw their add in TnadT. Thanks to Sue, Conor and Emma for their articles. and photographs..

Tadhg

sea kayaking weekend. You know the story, ‘Let’s do this together, it will be good’. The horrors returned when I sat in the boat. I was hyperventilating before we had even pushed off the slip. However, with support, encouragement and not straying too far from an instructor, I really enjoyed the day. Over the next year or two, I took the odd introductory and improver course, maybe one a summer, always hating the bit where we had to ‘capsize’. I avoided this, never tipping over, just putting a leg out and sliding out the boat.

Cover pic; Kilbaha by Conor Smith Sea kayaking– a journey.

Come 2010 and I had two or three days on the water over the summer.

I liked it. I decided I would do more and began to go out more often. As I slowly progressed, avoiding capsizing was not an option. Eskimo rescues were fraught, I would insist on pairing with an instructor, never another client if I could avoid it.

Eyes bulging, deep breaths, endless waiting as I tried to pluck up the courage to tip over. Tears. ‘I can’t’.

Bailing out often, rarely catching the nose of the rescue boat, spray deck hauled off before the boat was half way over. The order to ‘be there’ spoken to whoever was rescuing meant ‘have the nose of your boat touching mine right where my hands are, as I tip over please’. I cannot stand the feel of water in my nose, that hideous feeling as it flows into

by Sue Honan It does not take long to die underwater and when you survive the panic lasts many years.

In 1976, I capsized in a kayak on the river Barrow while on an introductory session. Panicking, I forgot all about the spray deck, writhing and kicking out of the boat scarring my knee. I did not go near a kayak until a few years later and that time, I lost consciousness when trapped in a kayak on a lake in Wicklow. Overall, I think, not a good introduction to kayaking. The fear of kayaking has stayed with me for a long time.

A few years ago, I decided to go with my husband on an introductory

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association your head when you are upside down chills my soul.

helped. It has taken a year of chipping away at the fear and apprehension. Sean Pierce and Eileen Murphy have showed endless patience with me in tricky conditions. Des took me aside to quiet water at the end of a day’s tuition and spent time building my confidence upside down away from the group. That few minutes helped so much. Paddling friends Niamh Bookle, Rob Scanlon, Frank McGloin, Petr Sedlar and Leon Conway all at some stage have ‘been there’. Waited beside me, rescued me and encouraged me to roll on every trip we took.

Sometimes I did and sometimes I did not, always regretting it when I did not roll in and then feeling brave enough to do it once off the water.

So, by summer 2011 I decide to do more paddling but rolling is mentally beyond me. I try pool sessions with goggles and nose clips and warm water and someone standing beside you to pull you up. I manage a pawlata in the pool. Out in the real world its fear and panic.

I decide the only way to crack this is to have a one on one session. I find myself, one summer evening signed up with Sonja Ewen at Bulloch H a r b o u r. S h e i s p a t i e n t a n d understanding (as everyone has been) and holds my boat as I am pleading ‘don’t let go’. She supports me, slowly lowering me into the water. Then, she waits as I gather the courage to tip myself into the water – like falling off a high ledge, sickening. She shows me how to move the paddle, and after a couple of attempts, I manage to roll up.

I can roll both sides now; rolling in promptly without my eyes looking like they are trying to escape from their sockets! I am developing a love affair with Greenland Rolling, enthralled by how it asks you to slow down, relax and accept the water. I still have to roll in

A cathartic release of emotion escapes me. I shake and cling to her sobbing. The poor thing must have thought she had a complete nutter on her hands. It surely took me by surprise anyway! I gather myself together, and collect what is left of my dignity and complete the class. I drive home elated.

anger not yet having experienced being knocked over by a wave except for the odd tumble in the surf. I am sure another trip to Wicklow head will sort that one out! I still have my nose plugs stashed in my buoyancy.

So thankfully, from being a source of great fear, sea kayaking has become

Since then, having a ‘wet head’ policy on each trip has certainly

a slow, powerful addiction. Navigation

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association you will need, even if conditions are not perfect, but a full day allows you enjoy the full trip with plenty of cave exploration along the way. Probably best to avoid rough weather as you are exposed to anything the Atlantic might decide to throw at you, with no get out points along the way.

and tides exercise the intellect. The sea on west coast of Ireland is a lesson in scale. Birds, fish, wind, sea, cetaceans, ships, sky and weather combine to ensnare your senses and free your mind. Nothing else matters while paddling at sea.

by Emma Glanville

The car drop is only 2.5km at Keatings pub in Kilbaha, “the nearest pub to New York!” Here you can get food and beverages.

If you are planning a trip to Clare and the weather is good, bring your kayak and head as far away from civilisation as possible to Loop Head. Not that they are uncivilised down there! But it is a long way to travel on top of getting to Ennis. If you paddle anywhere from Carrigaholt, on the south side of the Shannon Estuary, out around to Doonbeg on the Atlantic side, you will not be disappointed. This is a stunning stretch of coastline with endless caves, stacks and cliffs.

At the recent ISKA meet at Loop Head, the weather was perfect. A group of 24 headed out from the pier, rafting up momentarily for Máire to take a few group shots, before filtering out around the pier wall. With a group this size, exploring becomes impractical, so we split into two. Those that didn’t want to mooch headed off and left us dawdlers behind. Knowing how rare it is to get such perfect conditions on this headland, I hung back to mooch.

Loop Head Trip

It became apparent however, that myself and 4 others were really “taking the mick” to the extent that we were even holding up the moochers.

Rather than delaying anyone else, we abandoned the second group too and did our own thing, with a lot of exploring. The tendency is to head straight to the headland, by-passing the caves on

However I am only focusing on Kilbaha GR:Q383479 to the Bridges Of Ross GR:Q347503 in this article.

I have been lucky enough to do this only once in slightly rough weather, and 3 times in perfect conditions.

The last time out, on which this article is based, had by far the best conditions. It is a short paddle of only about 15km. A half day is all

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association the estuary side and instead just hitting the ones on the Atlantic side.

This would be a mistake and an opportunity lost. There is so much to see on the estuary side and if at all possible, it should be given due time.

Horse Island. This is not a true island, as it is connected at the north eastern end to the mainland.

There is a sheltered bay just before the island but with any kind of swell, the shallow ledges at the entrance kick up a break and the bay is not always accessible. If you get into the bay you can exit through a gap in the fin of rock that sticks out from the eastern end of the island.

The kayaking interest begins about 400 metres after launching, with a series of caves, some of which are tunnels, with more than one exit.

Others are so narrow that you really wonder why you are entering them.

If you look up at the ceilings of the caves, you can distinctly pick out the ripples in the rock made millions of years ago, when the silt and mud was being laid down to form the rock. After about 2.5 km you reach

Be vigilant as you paddle along the south side of Horse Island. Half way along there is a narrow entrance into an eighty metre long almost square shaped tunnel, leading you through the middle of the island. By doing this you skip going around Dunmore head. Once

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association out into the bay don’t be too hasty, go straight across to the north side of the bay to explore some more caves and hidden channels. These continue all the way out to Loop Head. Beware paddling along this section, as there are many ledges and hidden rocks below the surface just waiting to pounce. Margaret got a very good test of her bracing (which was rock solid), defeating a nasty breaking wave that attacked with no warning. We were all a little more cautious after that.

and for the most part, difficult to get through. Usually the swell is coming from both ends and bouncing off the walls on the inside. To mix things up a bit more, there is a small arch within the channel about half way along, through which the sea also surges.

Needless to say on a normal day, this is not a place to be.

The swell also breaks up against the southern end of the stack and across the southern entrance to the channel.

On the day, we arrived at Loop Head to the calmest sea I have seen there. There was a very gentle rise and fall inside and we were like kids in a sweet shop, wanting to do everything. We went through the channel both ways, Eskimo rolled in the middle, went through the little arch (which needed good timing), just sat and watched as the fulmars soared around the rock faces.

Sitting looking at the stack it occurred to us that we could land on the north end, letting the boats drift and climbing up to about ten feet.

Once there, the simplest and handiest way to get back down was to jump - so we did. Swimming below the stack, we realised just how lucky we were with the conditions.

We explored everything that the kayak would fit into and disturbed a few seals in the back of caves. One poor seal was woken from deep slumber, narrowly being missed by a yellow paddle. We were able to land for a snack on the beach at Aillnagreagh. This is a steep storm beach laden with drift wood and I would imagine this is only very occasionally accessible by sea and never by land (unless with ropes).

Between here and the headland there are a few more delights, a cave with two entrances and 4 dead ends within, again with a couple of seals.

At Loop Head itself there is a large stack, Diarmuid and Grainne’s Rock, which is 15 or 20 metres off the head and approximately 200 metres long. There is nearly always a very mixed sea running through it

Time was marching on and we had lost all sight of the others, so we headed on. From the stack to the

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association Bridges of Ross, the cliff ledges in spring and early summer are lined with guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmar and razorbills, with the regular appearance of peregrines.

entered a thin narrow innocuous looking crack in the rock, only to find that after a 90 degree bend to the right, it opened up into a large cave with seals lolling around inside.

As you head north along the Atlantic coast the rock formations are amazing. The folds in the rock here are as high as the cliffs. The cliff faces are smooth, rounded in places and bulging, often without even a crack running through them. You feel like you could get a skateboard and launch yourself down them into the sea (if you had a death wish).

Ross bay is just over 1km wide and a quick dash to the cliffs on the northern side leads you into ‘The Bridges of Ross’ and the finish point. This area is from a geological perspective internationally important. Students from all over Europe come here to study the rocks. I believe it is one of the few places in Europe that this type of rock strata are visible on the earth’s surface. They are also important for study because in other parts of the world, they are associated with oil deposits.

About a kilometre north of the stack is a huge door-shaped arch. It is maybe 20 or 30 metres high with straight vertical sides and a flat roof.

As you enter you can see the cliff faces are lined with nesting birds. In nesting season, avoid going through the arch, so as not to disturb them.

When a nesting bird leaves its nest through disturbance, there is often an opportunistic bird waiting for its chance to plunder or take over the nest. You should feel guilty if your disturbance causes predation, I know I have in the past.

This last section of cliffs are equally worthy of exploration. As the name suggests, they have a few bridges of rock which you can paddle under, often with envious people standing above you. One of the main bridges collapsed a number of years ago leaving just one real bridge. But there are also some interesting caves, three of which can easily be missed by rounding the point and heading for the beach to land. As you round the point keep to the right and finish a good day by exploring.

This is also a fantastic area for snorkeling if you still have the time

The interest continues for the next 2 kilometres with caves and stacks and rock formations, not seen in other parts of the county. Don’t stop exploring the cliffs until they run out in Ross Bay. Along the way we

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association and energy. And of course Keating’s pub is only 2.5 km away.

saltmarshes and channels, with its own distinctive maritime heritage.

There are 14 plus islands of varying sizes, from 44 acres to a few hundred square metres. It is regarded as one of the most important wetland and wildfowl habitats in the country.

In conclusion, there is a lot to see from start to finish. It really deserves full attention and good weather. It would be a shame to just paddle round the Loop and not explore all that it has to offer on a good day. On the day, the 15km journey took the small group of moochers over 5 hours to complete. I would argue it is possibly one of the most spectacular and interesting stretches of coast anywhere along our shores. Good days here are hard to find, as Martin and many others will attest to.

The main islands were inhabited up until the late 50s / early 60s and are farmed successfully today. Recent archaeological studies have demonstrated that the Fergus estuary islands and their foreshores hold a rich prehistoric, early medieval, late medieval and postmedieval maritime archaeological heritage.

Night Navigation Exercise Fergus Estuary 21 September 2012

by Conor Smith

Five of us took part in the exercise, including myself, Martin Guilfoyle, Sean Cahill, Brian McMahon and Vlod Stek. Currents in the area are the main issue, with flows in parts reaching 4 knots in springs. With wind over tide, you can expect a rough ride as tide races form. In darkness, these would need to be avoided and were not an option.

As evenings shortened, we started making plans for night navigation exercises. With this being our first time out in a while, we wanted challenges and chose the Fergus Estuary.

The conditions on the evening were very calm and better than we actually wanted.

Practically no wind, almost mirror conditions, a clear sky and it was cold. To our disappointment, there were no clouds to hide the quarter moon.

This however stayed low in the sky

Entering the Shannon Estuary between the village of Kildysart and Shannon Airport, the Fergus Estuary itself is roughly 8km at its widest point, almost 10km long and narrowing to 3.5km at the northern end.

It is a unique seascape consisting of islands, mudflats,

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association

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Trip plan

and did not give off too much light.

The stars and Milky Way were very clear throughout. We saw a couple of meteors and were able to track a number of satellites. Lying back on your kayak while out on the water, really was magic.

find. These were specifically chosen to ensure you could not see the points in the dark and until you were almost on top of them. Everyone did their own homework and we met at the little slip at Crovraghan, just before dark to compare notes.

In advance, everyone was given a map with grid references, setting out a path numbered 1 to 7. Each point was a pier, a wall or otherwise and at shore level, which you were expected to locate, navigate to and

Last light was 8.30pm and we were half way between neap and springs, on an incoming tide. No point in getting washed down the Shannon if mistakes were made! Most of us were in agreement with our

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association readings, except of course for K1 racer Sean Cahill. His figures were based on faster paddling speeds, which would also affect drift between points.

As always and whenever he is in our company, average speeds were up (bloody K1 racers…….).

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almost as quick as you would expect during the day, both. Not of course that the rest of us were wrong, IF we had been allowed to go at our own pace. We are still looking for ways to tie a brick to the back of his boat without him knowing and suggestions would be appreciated.……..

GPS Track of the actual trip

It was no different on this occasion and because of this (it pains me to say it), his bearings and readings were a little more accurate. As a result of the calm conditions and Sean’s company, our speeds were

Point 1 – Doon Island was straight forward, with Brian taking the lead.

Approx 1km due south, the tiny island measures approx. 80m x 260m. It was an easy start.

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association of course, they were also given advance warning of what to expect.

Point 2 was a pier on a rounded corner of Inishtubbrid. Choosing to hit the target exactly, we missed slightly right and having paddled a short distance along the shore, we knew we missed the mark and headed back until we found it.

Point 4 was just over 1km due north across to Horse Island. Again, aiming left of target, Sean’s quicker paddling speed meant we were more left than we had calculated, as much of the drift was taken out of the equation. The handrail brought us to target without problem.

If you aim to hit a small target exactly and miss, without knowing whether you are left of right, this must be considered a fail. Always “aim off” and handrail back to your target when possible. It is better to be a few hundred yards off and know you are definitely left or right, because you will always find your mark. If you aim exact and are not sure whether you are left or right, time is lost and depending on your situation, this might lead to trouble.

The next leg should have been the easiest and we more or less took it for granted. We were to handrail roughly 1.7km along the shore of Horse Island and to the NW corner before our next crossing. Rather foolishly, we ignored our paddling speed and no one took any notice of our time and how long the leg should have taken.

Point 3 – I took the lead, a short hop from Inishtubbrid to a pier on Canon Island. We aimed off right of target, also taking account of the right to left current. Out front with my head down reading the map by torchlight, as I left the shelter of Inishtubbrid, I was caught off guard as a strong current yanked the front of the kayak sharply left. It was as if someone grabbed the boat and aggressively pulled on it. Of course my surprise and string of expletives were very much enjoyed by what sounded like an erupting pack of laughing hyenas from behind. And

Paddling along the shore and not knowing for sure how far along you were was a little disconcerting.

There were no safety issues, but it was a little uncomfortable not knowing your location and how long more to your destination.

It highlighted a very important point – always keep track of your speed AND time!

Points 6 and 7 were straight forward but the return leg threw everyone. It was a crossing of only 750m to the side of a small island 300m wide.

Our cars were at the slip on the

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association !! If there is a choice between a big and small target, choose the bigger one; !! Never take anything for granted, particularly when in the dark or in fog; !! Don’t let Sean dictate the speed!

mainland in behind the island. We chose to hit the SW point exactly, with a view to just having to turn in around the small island and to the cars.

We missed our target well left for such a short distance. Assuming we had correctly hit the island, everyone turned left and continued to paddle SW. It was only after a few minutes and noticing trees (knowing there were none on the island), questions were raised.

Turning around, everyone in the group was dumbfounded.

We had instead hit the mainland shore. On hitting land, if only one of us had just looked right, we would have clearly seen the island and realised the error.

Our quicker paddling speed certainly didn’t help by negating any current. However, I will put it more down to a lackadaisical attitude and taking for granted that we couldn’t miss such a large target over such a short distance.

I have paddled at night on several occasions, but usually on a river.

Despite the darkness, thick cloud, no street lighting nor moon, I am always amazed how much you can actually see.

Even the smallest amount of light will reflect off the water and you can make your way.

Choppy waters are a slightly different matter but you can still see more than you would expect. Land masses however fold into one and you cannot distinguish an island for example, in front of a mainland shore. At short distances, curves, bends and corners are less clear until close up.

I have not yet paddled in thick fog nor mist and would expect this to be a very different experience. While you might clearly see the water around you, depending on how thick the fog is, land, even at a short distance may not be visible.

Lessons Learned !! Always estimate paddling speed; !! Calculate how long it will take to reach any target; !! Aim off anytime possible;

Perhaps this should be our next exercise.

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association Winds of ireland, a new activity

by Tadhg de Barra

way back to shore, it also permitted them enough speed to surf a breaking wave, accelerate ahead of its break then ride the foam back to shore. Pretty soon, practitioners were taking these capable craft far out to sea to find ocean swells on which to surf. The sport of ocean ski racing was borne. !

Being a sea kayaker and a marathon K1 racer, it was a sport I had to try. My first paddle in an ocean ski was a gentle potter around Sydney Harbour. My second was an unholy baptism of fire in Force 5 winds on the Pacific Ocean with skilled international racers and former Olympians. As craft go, they are fine if you have mastered a K1 but are more difficult if you have only ever paddled a sea kayak. As with most racing craft, they become more stable the faster you go. We paddled a few kilometres out to sea beyond Sydney Heads, then surfed south as far as Cogee beach where I was assured there would be a surfless landing at the northern end of the beach. Regarding navigation, my instructions were thus; “Here mate, I dunno how you paddle but see that tower on Bondi head, well, it’s the third headland after that.” !

The sea kayaker in me found it unusual to be waiting on a virtual start line in the middle of the ocean. Someone shouted “Go”. A bunch of Garmin watches beeped, paddles churned and as we took off

I will never be an Australian. Given Ireland's unfortunate economic situation, I could be one of those who leave Ireland, embrace the Aussie lifestyle, assume an Aussie lexicon adn quickly make their home here. !

To become an Australian is easy. I tick a number of their boxes.

I am Caucasian, speak English, know something of their history and come from a country that has contributed significantly to Australian life. Even if I were none of these things, Australia is still an honest open welcoming country to all. !

They have a citizenship test online. You need 15 out of 20 questions right to become Australian. I scored 19 out of 20.

The question I got wrong was, “How is Commonwealth property identified?” I assumed it was a trick question and answered “National Flower” rather than “Commonwealth Coat of Arms.” There was no trick.

As I said, an open honest people. !

Australian life has some appealing attributes. Ocean ski racing is Australian. It came from surf life saving. Lifeguards were well practiced at paddling slender kayaks out through surf to perform rescues.

Their speed and narrow beam permitted them to pierce out through an oncoming wall of surf. On the

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association as fast as possible away from each other. !

In the way that kayakers favour balmy and windless days to practice their sport, ocean skiers crave downwind days, days when the wind driven swell permits them to surf to their destination. !

After about fifteen minutes, I fell behind. They were soon lost to me in the swells ahead. I did manage to keep one paddler in view for some ten kilometres but only when he and I were on simultaneous crests.

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For a short couple of kilometres, I learned what ocean skiing is about. You are travelling reasonably fast initially, perhaps 12kph. You feel the stern begin to lift, the paddle makes more solid purchase, your bow begins to slice through the water and you feel the venturi beneath you begin to hum.

You are surfing. You cannot stroke fast enough. The GPS jumps to 18 kph, you lean back, brace lightly, the air around your face becomes still.

You are charging along the ocean with the grace of a dolphin,effortless

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association and sustained. You are no longer a meat-driven machine trying to impose yourself on contrary elements. !

You are not stationary as you would be in a white water wave.

The land alongside zips by. Your swell isn’t going to break as a beach wave would. Ocean ski racing offers the possibility of effortless movement, of perpetual motion across the sea, as long as the swell beneath you keeps moving. !

Once you catch a wave or a “runner” as the Aussies call them, you try to hold your acceleration down the face, vectoring the rising swell against gravity's down-pull into forward motion, and keep your bow pointing down but not buried, or

perhaps slightly across the face, and if conditions are right, the skilled paddler can remain on a runner for twenty or thirty seconds. And if you fall from a runner, the next trick is to try maintain hull speed so you catch the next swell in the set, and falling again, the one after that and on and on. Thus with a few short sprints timed well, you hurtle forward for a couple of minutes with little effort. !

But I was not a skilled ocean paddler. I was very quickly an unskilled paddler who found himself all alone on a very big ocean in strong wind and big swells. As we travelled closer to land, the swells began to refract back off Bondi head creating a reasonably confused sea state. Coming from a sea kayaking

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association background, I am quite used to having all the typical safety paraphernalia of sea kayaking; VHFs, EPIRBs, trip plans, flares, drysuits, PFDs etc. Ocean skiers carry little of the above. Their culture is one of racing and so is minimalista hat, a set of thermals, your paddle and your ski. It’s easy to accuse them of recklessness but they do have certain factors in favour. Most are “water-babies” which is to say most are comfortable swimmers and would not consider a kilometre or two swim to shore overly onerous, most are comfortable in breaking surf, both in kayaks and when swimming in the water. The ocean ski, while it cannot be rolled, can be remounted by most fit paddlers almost as fast as a roll. The water temperature in Sydney is warmer so survival times are longer. The use of pfds is creeping into ocean ski racing. !

My race changed from sublime effortless movement across an ocean to a controlled conservative slog. It became apparent to me that as I had not practiced reentry into the ski, I couldn't afford to take a swim.

Neither did I have anyone nearby who could help me. I ceased trying to catch waves and instead began to paddle steadily. There was no panic, my mindset just had to adjust from that of a racing to survival; steady effort, good deep paddle

strokes, controlled breathing, good posture, allowing swells pass beneath me, keeping the speed and direction of the ski in check all the time. The swell was coming across my left shoulder, never a comfortable direction so every few minutes I was required to brace. !

My sea kayaking experience was useful. I could anticipate movement in the water and understand changes in sea state as I passed various headlands. Although I was no longer surfing an ocean ski as it was meant to be, I was still paddling a rather fast kayak, so making good progress. Bondi beach lived up to its reputation as a surfing/ partytime mecca. Although I was a couple of kilometres out to sea, I could still hear a duff-duff of loudspeakers.

After Bondi came Bronte beach, then Shark point. Being a relatively new country, Australian place names are charming in their simplicity, the country is littered with Shark Points, Long Reefs, Little Reefs, North Heads etc. The remaining landmarks are named after English explorers and colonists or else use the Aboriginal name.

Finally came Wedding Cake island (because it looks like a …) and my turn into Coogee beach and a gentle surf therein. !

Without doubt it was a thrilling experience and a great new insight into water sports. I am

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association grateful for the Aussies for inventing it and I am grateful for the Aussies for showing it to me. But I still could never become an Australian. You see, I like Ireland. I like the things that make Ireland what it is, the things ex-pats moan about. I have adapted my habits and interests to suit it. Take the rain; I kayak so I like the rain. The rivers rise so I can race down them and rain is wonderfully refreshing when you are out in a sea kayak. Take our isolation, mid Atlantic- well, our isolation has given us a magnificent coastline upon the beaches of which I love to camp and fascinating sea life comparable to anything the rest of the world has to offer- I've seen basking sharks, Orcas, sunfish and paddled amongst a massive pod of sixty dolphins. I will see a sea-turtle someday soon. The Irish weather can be cold but I like to dress warm and have good camping discipline which means dry clothes and a dry tent to sleep in at night. Give me a map and I can tell you every single spot in Ireland in which I have camped (including the orientation of my sleeping bag). The rivers, lakes and canals, I like to race on. The pounding swells, I like to surf on. I almost have the island sorted. !

But there was one aspect of Ireland which was not suiting; our wind. I had no sport for the wind.

Yes, you can sea kayak in it, but there is little pleasure in hours of

slapping hulls or stern rudder strokes. I don't sail, kite surf or windsurf. But now I have learned about ocean skis, these downwind racers. I cannot think of an environment more suited to their use than Ireland. If there is no wind, there is often ocean swell, both of which can be surfed. I can think of numerous sites along the coast where perfect conditions could be found on a regular basis. I cannot wait to return to Ireland with an ocean ski to begin exploring. !

You have to fight your corner around here. There’s a Zionist-like belief that Australia is the most wonderful place on earth and Aussies are genuinely surprised, often upset and rarely become argumentative when I tell them I come from a fine country, miss it and will be happy to return there.

That said, I am grateful to them for showing me how to ocean ski. I have found a new game for the winds of Ireland.

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association

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Irish Sea Kayaking Association

April 6-7

South East

ICU/CANI

May 10-11

Streamstown

Martin Guilfoyle

June 8-9

South East

Stephen McGrath

June 29-30

Antrim Coast

Claire Hughes

July

Donegal

Michael O'Farrell

August

Mayo or Sligo

Mary Butler

September 14-16

Clew Bay

Colin Francis, Castlebar KC

October 12-13

Belmullet

Martin Guilfoyle, Conor Smith

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Supported by ISKA, but not ISKA Streamstown Come and Try It Location to be confirmed.

Onshore.

Location to be confirmed. Bothy?

Hostel Location to be confirmed Navigation.

Offshore Symposium at Uisce Hostel (as last year)