Members of Exeter Canoe club have long enjoyed sea and open water paddling, both locally and on trips to more far-flung places.
In recent years many pleasant weekends have been spent exploring the cliffs, coves and inlets around Falmouth and Fowey, or ‘doing’ Ladram Bay on a Saturday afternoon. Indeed there can’t be too may stretches of the South Devon and Cornwall coastlines which haven’t been explored by some club member at some time or other.
Sea kayaking is historically one of the earliest forms of paddling, with archaeological evidence suggesting highly developed craft and skilled hunter-fishermen as far back as 500 BC.
Nowadays sea kayakers are not normally in the position of needing to fish for the family pot, but the craft are remarkably similar in lines to their museum forerunners.
Sea Kayaking is environmentally friendly and appeals to all ages of people who enjoy open spaces, salt air and the feeling of being at one with nature. The sea is not, however, a big lake and the ocean has a temperament and character, which needs to be understood. Weather, tides and charts should be considered and journeys planned.
Not all sea paddling is on calm water, for some the essence of the sport is in meeting challenging conditions and undertaking long open crossings, or playing in over-falls and tide races. Sea kayaking for many however, is a quiet individual experience to be enjoyed quietly, away from the crowds.
Symposiums offer the opportunity to meet like-minded paddlers from far and wide and are great social events. Providing the opportunity to learn from some of the best sea paddlers around. As well as offering the chance to experience some of the best padding locations, in the company of some of the most experienced paddlers. Symposiums are held in several places; such as Skye, Anglesey, the Channel Islands, Pemboke and the Isle of Man, throughout the year. Not forgeting our own Andy Proctors solstice weekend based in Axminster.
For many years’ dedicated sea paddlers have looked to the north of Scotland, the Welsh coast or even further afield for their paddling. However the Southwest peninsula is fast earning a reputation for excellent paddling. So much so that it is the subject of Pesda Press’s latest kayaking guide. We are right in the middle of the SW peninsula, with relatively short distances to travel to some of the (in my opinion) finest sea paddling in the country.
For many one of the main attractions of sea paddling is that whatever time of year, given reasonable weather, two or three paddlers can put the boats on the car and go off for a days paddle. No need to worry about access or sorting out shuttles. Normally, when you’ve had enough, you just turn around and paddle back to the car, or at most wait for the tide to turn.
Traditionally sea kayaks have been expensive, often custom built, composite craft, lovingly fitted out and modified to suit their owners needs. However the development of successful rotomoulded plastic boats, (which are cheaper and above all more robust) has seen the interest in sea kayaking mushroom in the last 10 years.
Until recently if ECC members wanted to go sea paddling they had to rely on using placid water touring boats (in suitable conditions), borrowing a private boat or buying their own. We are slowly developing a useful fleet of boats suitable for sea paddling in most conditions. We have a Carolina (an excellent entry-level sea paddling boat) and a Cappella (a ‘proper’ sea boat). We also have two suitable Kirton doubles the Mocean and Tasman. The Mocean is a specially designed sea tourer, which shares the Tasman hull design. The Tasman has been modified to make it suitable for open water conditions. Please note these are big, expensive composite boats with complicated moving parts like rudders, so please treat them with care. As suitable boats come up, we will expand the fleet.
Because of the nature of sea paddling, club trips are usually arranged at short notice, when wind and tide are right. We try to arrange a variety of sea and open estuary trips through the late spring and summer months with dates planned in advance. As ever keep an eye on the events listing and email newsletter.
