Midlifekayak

Geoff and I have had an extraordinary few weeks. We’ve seen some amazing scenery, had some privileged encounters with wildlife, met some inspirational people, and made some new friends.

We gave the expedition a decent shot, making good progress at first. However, in the last three weeks, our progress has slowed dramatically. The persistent northerlies and westerlies continue to create difficult conditions. Unfortunately it doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon either.

We are confident we could continue and eventually finish, but shortly we will have had as many days off the water as we had in both our previous Ireland and Britain expeditions put together.

That means instead of forecasting an end date of 3rd week in August, we are now looking at end of September or even early October.

The desire to make progress in the face of difficult conditions, also means we have been pushing the boundaries of what we would normally describe as safe.

It has been a long time in dreaming about this one and in preparing for it in earnest, so of course we are disappointed. Neither of us like giving in – we are both a bit stubborn like that.

We’ll get over it though so don’t feel sorry for us. As I said at the beginning of this post, it has been a blast. Every single day has been an adventure and left us with incredible memories.

Our only regret is that we can’t continue to share our adventure with you all.

Thank you all for your incredible encouragement and support. From the amazing send off, and your continued messages and notes. We felt the love, particularly when we were in the tough stuff!

Thank you also for your very generous donations to our three charities.

We may never embark on such a long expedition again, but we do have some ideas for some micro adventures. Maybe even one later this year.

Looking forward to making the most of the rest of the summer back home with family and friends.

Love

Andy and Geoff

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Last night we pitched our tents on the edge of the sand dunes and sought a little protection from the wind behind two signs that, ironically, said “no camper vans overnight”. We checked with a couple of locals and they said it wouldn’t be a bother.

I stuck my head out of the tent first thing and checked the state of the sea and wind. It looked a touch more settled. Double checking the wind forecast it looked like we would get westerlies until we reach the end of Kerry Head and soon after that it would be backing to west southwest.

As I made some porridge on the sea wall, Geoff made up some cheese rolls for the day’s journey. It was going to be a longish one. 32 miles without the chance of getting out of the boat. So a committed crossing.

We both discussed the sea state, swell, which was forecast to reduce, and wind direction. It wasn’t ideal still as the weeks of westerlies and northerlies had built up a lot of energy in the swells, but it was going to be the best opportunity for a week for us to get round Loop Head and up to Kilkee.

We launched just after 8am and made great progress with the ebbing tide along Kerry Head. 5 miles, and around an hour and a half later, we were bouncing through some lively but manageable clapotis and stream around the headland.

We were encouraged. We thought that if this was a sign of what it might be like around Loop Head, we would be fine.

Loop Head appeared before us, almost exactly 10 miles away. It should take us around 2.5 hours to get there.

The wind did indeed start to back and was now coming over our left shoulder. We were getting a bit of a shove.

The swell didn’t appear to have died down from yesterday despite the forecast, but we were both feeling comfortable. We pushed on.

An hour later I asked Geoff if we could raft up so I could take a pee. We normally only need to raft in the biggest of conditions. Geoff grabbed hold of my boat, up wind of course so he didn’t get splashed!

We had our first cheese roll and commented on how we could now start to see the detail on Loop Head. The lighthouse and surrounding fields occasionally illuminated by some sunshine before the clouds closed over again.

Another hour of concentrated paddling later, we were a mile or so south of Loop Head and half a mile wide of it. We were anticipating some clapotis and wanted to stay out as much as possible. We stopped one final time before going round the head, had a drink, bite to eat and a pee.

We were ready to go. With a little trepidation we moved onward. As we approached the point under the lighthouse the expected clapotis started, it was a little bigger than around Kerry Head but certainly manageable.

We were a little relieved but we also recognised that the north side of the Head would be subject to the worst of the northerly swell.

As it turned out we were right. I am not sure I can describe quite what we faced over the next hour and a half so I won’t try. In summary though, the westerly swells met with the northerly swells at this spot, combined before bouncing violently of vertical cliffs and rebounding into and onto us.

As we battled with the confusion, the amazing cliff colony of Manx Shearwaters and Fulmars swooped down to hunt and check out us mad kayakers. It would have been an amazing sight to stop and video. As it was we had other things on our minds – including the horrifying thought that we might have 14 more miles of this before the safety of Kilkee.

As it was, it did eventually settle down a notch. We would still face tough conditions for the next three hours but not quite as extreme.

Geoff and I have paddled more than 4000 miles together over the last 14 years or so, and there are probably 3 occasions when we thought that “we really shouldn’t be out here”. This was one of them and is now top of the list.

If you have been following our blog over the last week or so, you will know we have faced some difficult stuff. The apparently fixed position of the jet stream which is creating the north and westerlies, means that the whole of this coast is being battered by big seas. The winds themselves aren’t too bad but when combined with swell and big cliffs, it is a different story.

Geoff and I always review our planning when something like this happens. We felt like we did everything we could to stay safe but sometimes you find yourselves in an unpredictable situation and you have to rely on your own skills and calmness to get out of it. We did, but it could have been different and that fact isn’t lost on us.

In our first two weeks of this expedition we had good conditions and we made almost 300 miles. Since arriving at the west coast of Ireland we had 9 days off and only one decent paddling day. The other days we have made progress but often at the very edge of what is enjoyable and safe.

The forecast for the next 10 days suggests we might only get 1 or 2 days paddling in. Just as a comparison, in 2015 when we circumnavigated Ireland, we only had 2 weather bound days in the 6 weeks it took us to complete the whole trip.

After Loop Head, Geoff told me he had had some moments where he had been quite scared. That’s the first time I have ever heard him use that word. Me on the other hand, I get scared a little more often.

We don’t share all of this to dramatise or exaggerate, but we are both now having to rethink whether, without a shift in weather systems, we can continue this expedition. At the moment, what we planned to be a 4 month expedition tops, is looking more like 5.

Gosh this all sounds serious and depressing. It isn’t. We are having an extraordinary time. We feel so fortunate to be able to do this. Every day is an adventure and is providing us with memories that we will treasure. We just want to be sensible and balance our desire to do this and keep our promises to ourselves and our families, to stay safe.

Even on our stressful paddle into Kilkee, we were marvelling at the incredible coastline and birdlife.

We even saw our first Sun Fish today!

Tonight we are looking forward to heading to the Greyhound Bar where we had quite a few pints the last time we paddled this coastline.

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We said our good bye’s to Pádraig after finishing our last Guinness and climbed into our tents by 9pm.

Next morning we were super efficient in packing up, having breakfast, porridge and muesli, and getting our paddling gear on. Even being super efficient, it takes around 90mins to launch. It’s always the transitions that are hardest.

As we pulled out of the Quay at 8am, we headed north east across the bay towards Straggane Point and on towards Ballyheigue, tucked in the corner under Kelly Head. It was crossing of about 16 miles – a short day.

The wind was blowing westerly F4, so appeared over our left shoulders.

As we emerged from the shelter of Brandon Mountain, the westerly swells that have been with us consistently for the last few days, popped up to say hello again.

Despite the winds having dropped a notch, there was still huge energy in the swells. Regularly Geoff and I lost sight of each other as we both sank into troughs either side of a swell. Three or four seconds would go by before Geoff would appear at the peak, waving over to me and giggling at the size of the seas rolling in on our beams.

Every twenty minutes or so, something more special would appear out of the corner of our eyes. Swells the size of a house with steep sides, perhaps 6 or 7 metres in height. We could feel and hear the wind rush through our ears as we rose and then fell down the other side as they passed.

Occasionally alarming, but also just awe inspiring.

Mostly the swells passed through us without complication, but every so often the crests would break in the wind and cause us to use a brace stroke – placing the flat back side of the paddle on the surface of the water to give stability.

The area we needed to avoid at all costs in these conditions, were shallow ground or rocks just under the surface of the water. This is where the swell rises up and explodes. The Irish call them “boomers” and it is an apt name. The sound is tremendous.

Concentration is required most of the time in these conditions.

Aside from that we made good progress and landed in Ballyheigue around lunchtime.

After changing into civvies and scouting around for a bivvy spot, we grabbed some food and reviewed our plan for Loop Head the next day.

Throughout our travels in Ireland, we have seen reminders of Ireland’s struggle against Britain’s colonial past. In the centre of Ballyheigue is a statue to Sir Roger Casement, who was knighted in 1911 for his report in into the human rights abuses in the rubber trade in Peru.

He worked for the British Foreign Office as a diplomat and was known as a human rights activist. He became disillusioned by the injustices of colonial rule. He subsequently became an activist and strong supporter of Irish Republicanism and was an Easter Rising leader. In 1916 he tried to convince the German government to provide arms to the IRA. He was found out, arrested and tried for treason and executed in Pentonville Prison.

The position of the jet stream has been making progress up the west coast difficult for the last few days, bringing consistent northerly or westerly winds. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it wants to shift anytime soon. We are trying to make as much progress as we can, but even in the weather windows conditions are pretty ‘exciting’ to say the least.

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We are now in position at Brandon Quay to get ourselves over to Kilkee, some 38 miles north of us. Between here and there is Tralee Bay, Kerry Head, the mouth of the Shannon and Loop Head. It is the second last major crossing on this west coast.

Last time we paddled this section, with Mick O’Meara, we did it in a oner and 7m swells. We are not planning on such a big day this time. The low pressure system currently centred east of Iceland, is sending us some unfavourable north westerlies. So the plan is to spend another day in Brandon Quay (and Murphy’s Bar) before setting off in the slightly lighter winds tomorrow towards Ballyheigue on the south side of Kerry Head.

That sets us up for a 32 mile paddle to Kilkee on Thursday when the winds turn south westerly for a few hours.

Well that’s the plan anyway. Let’s see how it unfolds!

In the meantime a couple of photos.

The first of us with Pádraig the landlord. A great fella who we are trying to convince to paddle round Ireland!

The second was taken by Peter Evers a photographer who we met at St Margaret’s Bay. He was part of a team filming a car advert. We joked that they just needed a couple of kayaks in the shots and next thing we know we were being filmed pretending to load our kayaks on the fancy electric car. They had four beautiful models with them (male and female) – they obviously needed some rugged crusty old geezers for the contrast.

Lovely chatting to Peter and thanks for taking some shots of us and sending them through!

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On Thursday afternoon we finally packed up the kayaks, bid farewell and said our thank yous to the Team at the Fastnet Marine and Outdoor Education Centre.

The aim was to get ourselves into position by Brow Head, ready to get round Mizen Head the next morning when we expected the winds to die down.

Mizen Head marks the most South Westerly point of Ireland. The strong westerlies over the previous week had meant it was impossible to get round this famous landmark.

We were up and out of our tents early and on the water by 8am. Beyond Mizen we would push across Bantry Bay, towards Dursey Island.

After the dramatic seas of the last week, everything had calmed down. Last time we crossed to Dursey Island we were escorted by Minke Whales. This time it was the turn of dozens of Dolphin to entertain us and take our minds off the crossing. Mostly they concentrated on feeding, but several curious pods came in to check us out and circled round the boats and leapt out of the water in front of us. Magical experience.

That night we camped in Garnish Bay. Met a Cork fisherman who reminded me of what a small world it is. Years ago, he had bought a boat from a friend back in Cornwall.

The next couple of days involved two more significant crossings. Unlike the crossing to Dursey Island, the crossings to Valentia Island and then Clogher Head were more in the “epic” category.

In the case of the former, we started the day in glorious sunshine. We took a little detour to Allihies to meet with Tim and Mary-Kate who very generously agreed to meet us to hand over a couple of new cags we had ordered through Jon Hynes the week previous. Expeditions are tough on kit as well as bodies!

After a coffee and chat we launched again toward Deenish and Scariff Isalnds. We were making great progress. As we got close we could see Bolus Head in the gap between the two Islands. We headed straight for it.

Bizarrely, as we paddled through, the wind picked up and delivered a very different sea state.

I’ll spare you all the details, but for the next 5 hours we made little more than 2.5 mph against a F4 winds which steadily grew in strength to a F6.

It was a long and very tough paddle. Right up there with some of the toughest, and occasionally hairiest, of days we have had in any of our expeditions.

As we passed Bolus Head, finally, the conditions became quite severe with very few options of getting out we kept evaluating the risk and our contingency plans.

However, the day was also “epic” because we saw our first two whales on this trip. Two Minke, no more than 50 metres away from us, broached, exposing their flanks before submerging again. What a treat.

The next day, the conditions had calmed down a notch but still required a 7 hour slog into a F5 gusting F6 headwind. With the extraordinary sight of the Skelligs, and then the Blaskets accompanying our day, we finally punched round Slea Head and then Clogher Head before landing in a beautiful bay.

Being bank holiday in Ireland, the coast is full of holiday makers and camper vans. No sooner had we arrived than someone brought us over a sausage each that they had just cooked on the BBQ and someone else gave us home made chocolate brownies. All was right with the world again.

Today we paddled just 20 miles to Brandon Quay. This time we had wind and stream with us, but the northerlies bouncing off the cliffs created some enormous clapotis. Photos and videos don’t do justice to those conditions, but it is quite a special place to be. Of course, if you ever ask us about it over a beer we will exaggerate!

As soon as we landed in Brandon we popped into Murphy’s bar. It had been a life saver for us 9 years ago when we landed after the Atlantic had given us an absolute hiding. Pádraig, the landlord, told us the pub had been in his family for 140 years. If you are ever in the area, you have to visit. It is just how pubs should be. Decent food and outstanding Guinness.

Unbelievably Pádraig remembered us from last time and has been following our social media.

The west coast of Ireland clearly wants us to stay longer as the forecast is not great for the next few days. We are going to squeeze out a few miles each day and see how we get on.

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