Sea Kayaking

I have been sea kayaking for about 14 years. However, due to its nature and the weather conditions, I have not been a regular practioner of sea kayaking. I would classify myself as an experienced novice. This is due to the fact that I have paddled in various places but the gaps between trips are quite long so that I do not build up a reliable set of skills and lack confidence.

What is Sea Kayaking?

Sea kayaking is canoeing on the sea. I have usually paddled in a group either in a single seater kayak or a double. The trips have sometimes been just for the day either paddling in a loop or point to point. However, some of the most interesting trips have been extended trips where the kayaks are loaded with camping gear and food and the trip can last several days.

Sea kayaks are different to kayaks found on lakes and rivers. Firstly they are much longer - typically 5.5m long. They have a pronounced keel line and paddle in a straight line easily, however, they are more difficult to turn. Often they have waterproof deck hatches that allow camping gear to be stowed for extended trips.

There are technically difficult aspects to sea kayaking but the sea conditions, tides and weather mean that preparation is more essential. The sea has areas of "interesting" water called overfalls and races. These places litter the coasts of the Uk including some very special places - Corryvrecken in Scotland, the Stacks in Anglesey, the Bitches in Pembrokeshire and the Alderney Race in the Channel Islands. I cannot say that I have paddled all of these places, but I have seen the Corryvrecken from a motorised boat. It is very impressive to see a very large amount of water moving at such speed.

However, there are many places where these technical difficulties do not exist, but the weather, tide and sea conditions mean that sea kayakers always have to be prepared for rapid changes in conditions.

Personal History

I took up sea kayaking with an introductory 5-day course at Plas Menai in North Wales followed up with several trips with Nigel Dennis' Anglesey Sea and Surf Centre. We have enjoyed (mainly) trips to the West of Scotland paddling around Bute, exploring the area near Oban and visiting the Summer Isles north of Ullapool.

Some of the advantages of sea kayaking is the ability to get closer to wildlife. We have seen sea otters very close up as well as seals, dolphins and even a basking shark. This is quite worrying as the basking shark is easily as long as the kayak and considerably more powerful.

I took part in two trips run by John Ramwell of ISKA to an international event organised by the CK de Mer club in France. The circumnavigation of the Ile de R� is not technically difficult and the pace was not rapid but the cameraderie of kayakers from Europe was wonderful. The party was welcomed at each small village on the Ile.

Other places

There are lots of organisations and clubs around to help you with sea kayaking:

Manufacturers

Makers of kayaks and associated equipment