Umm, well, 4 days of sunshine, the chance to get some duty free, some fishing somewhere new, a nice beach, hanging about with mates, meeting new people with shared passions, a free and easy 4 day break…
So I set off from home about 6:30 for the long drag down to Poole, stopping for breakfast to allow the bottleneck to subside shortly before joining the M25, the day getting progressively warmer as it wore on. With a couple of hours to spare before the Condor Ferries fast craft departed I had ample opportunity to make up some rigs and start a book – I’ve done precious little reading of late and it has always been something I enjoyed, my chosen book being a 50 year old copy of ‘Ice Cold in Alex’, every bit as good as the film of the same name with (local boy) Sir John Mills and Sylvia Sims…they don’t make them like that anymore! Then it was time to head through the gates for the ferry.
“Hello Sir, I need to ask you a few questions...blah blah blah have you got a knife?”
“Yes”
“Oh, umm, where is it?”
“In the back…here you are, diver’s knife, need it for safety in case I all out and get caught up”
“Is it for your trade?”
“Yes and no”
“We’ll say yes then”
“Yes”
“That’s ok then. Do you have any flares?”
Sometimes you should quit when you’re ahead and this chap was most definitely not on a roll!!! Backup was called, so I gave him an Ocean kayak brochure to spend his afternoon poring over and awaited the head port wallah.
“Hello Sir, you have some flares onboard I believe?”
“Yes, I need them for safety reasons”
“Where are they?”
“Normally in my lifejacket but they’re in my bag in the back somewhere”
And there, nestled amongst underpants, socks and the like were two loose smokes, three bagged handhelds and somewhere around some miniflares. Not a problem it seemed, I was clearly carrying them for legitimate reasons.
Onto the ferry and I had to do a U-Turn, with trailer, once inside. Ha bloody ha. I managed though and was in pole position for the exit, being lined up to be first off…and I was.
At which point I was stopped and questioned again. I used to have an honest face but after a few minutes and grilled on one side only I was allowed to depart…leaving a business card with the port official. I’m getting good at this!
More shenanigans. I printed the instructions to the campsite and left them at work. I printed them again and left them at home. It’s Guernsey, the size of a football stadium, no problem at all – I’ll head straight through the middle and find it before I hit the sea thought I as I headed onto the first pavement to avoid oncoming traffic!
The sea was beautiful…turn around and try a different road! Off I went…then spotted somebody out for a walk and stopped to ask for directions. Bugger me, it wasn’t, for once, a tourist! I struck gold and this local gent gave me superb directions. I was lost by the time he got to the cross road with the filters so he offered to jump in and take me there – he was out for a walk anyway (why walk when you can ride eh?). Bonus! It turned out to be quite a way in the end but he had me there and with a cheery wave off he wandered. Thank you, whoever you are, very kind indeed.
Then it was off to find the others…I figured I’d drive straight through the campsite until I found tem and spying a yak I head down one stretch. I got to near the end and spotted them the other side of the hedge – quite a few vehicles have yaks on the roof in Guernsey! Now to turn in a confined area, with trailer, and a tree to bend myself around…but I managed it after not-too-long and went back to the entrance to dump the kayaks and return.
Well, there were Starvin, Eggy and Darnsarf, along with Mrs Eggy and two little yolks – marvellously behaved all weekend they were too, a real credit and not at all like children are supposed to be - GIVE THEM GALLONS OF COCA COLA AND SWEETS!!! No, seriously, they’re a credit to your good lady and yourself. It was good to catch up and chill out, and as Darnsarf scurried off to avoid helping me pitch my tent (the first time I’ve pitched it in well over ten years) I pulled it out, crossed my fingers and was erect in under a minute. Quality. Then out with the birthday present Coleman Multifuel stove and coffee was on the go. A rapid boil left me with half the water I needed so I got some more. This boiled in no time and then I noticed the cup had fallen over…I need more camping practice. I got there in the end and then it was time for dinner and off we went…with me leaving the coffee to go cold…
Hmm. We parked on Cobo Bay in a scrapyard. Darnsarf was reminded of Belfast. Still, it looked like they were meant to be there and we wandered into the shop to get provisions. Most things were a normal price but my God bread is expensive on Guernsey! Clearly having a bakery is the best way to make serious dough on the island. (Groan now). Breakfasts sorted it was time to head into the Rock Mount for beer and food. And what a d**ned fine meal it was – nice food, cooked well and in good portions, ideal fare after a long day on the road. The beer was good too. I was just surprised that one rather attractive girl spent an hour next to the bar nursing a drink and failed to get approached by a single man. Had I been single I’m sure I’d have been the next one dragged out unconscious.
Back to the campsite and my first night under canvas in over a decade.
5am… “******** peacock.”
6:30am…I could stand it no longer and got up. I’d forgotten how light and how noisy it can get in a tent. The noise, however, was pleasant noise but a plan was hatched to string breaded pennels around the site that night… Like all good men in green know, if you’re up it’s time for a brew and so the water was on the boil for a coffee…followed by the most annoying thing to wake a neighbour with…bacon and sausages merrily frying away…and Eggy stumbled out of his tent as I began tucking into protein butties ;D His was half an hour away.
But I digress. I was actually on this fair isle to do some work and so headed for Grande Roques, up past the previous night’s venue. Arriving on time the trailer was unhitched and we started carrying the boats down to the beach, my warehouse practice standing me in good stead. It was perfect – everything was set up not a moment too soon and not a second too late – the organisation, planning and work by Shaun and his staff from Quayside and Rob and his staff from Outdoor Guernsey went smoothly. Almost the entire Ocean Kayak range along with a few Necky’s were o the sand and people were starting to get kitted up to take them on the water. There was a good amount of instructors/safety staff and people on the beach to launch and recover and although the wind was strong there was no doubt at all that things would stay under control – and that is not the easiest thing to do. Now normally I like to put text, image, text, image etc but for once I’ll break from tradition and just put a bunch of beach shots up from the day.
Starvinmarvin had his sail rigged on the beach:
And here’s the organiser, Shaun, in the thick of things:
It went really well. Being bit dry and watching some of the waves giving good surf now and again (good but small) I decided to bring my Yak Board down to the beach and ride some of them. Sadly I’d left it a bit late and only managed two reasonable bites at the cherry but they were good ones, and fun. I tried a SINK as well and was doing okay - but not finding it to my taste – until I came into the beach and extracted myself sideways ;D I had another paddle later, taking the Scupper Pro out with Eggy trying a Mysto…we went a few hundred yards and I paddled over a reef with good swells while Eggy cursed me, having found a kayak not to his taste ;)
By mid afternoon things had started to quieten down with the wind making it difficult to let people on the water solo and so eventually we packed up at the planned time and got the kayaks off the beach and trailered up – the demo having gone very well and the wind not detracting too much from a beautiful sunny day on the beach.
A trip to Tackle Direct followed and I bought some gear not available locally but as enough bait had been bought for us all neglected to buy some ragworm…a big mistake as the worms in the fridge turned out to be past it the following day…ah well, you live and learn.
That night I met up with Shaun and following a pleasant meal – which seems remarkably easy in Guernsey, and the crab is very good, Shaun took me on a tour around the coast which is beautiful. Thank you for that, it was a great way to spend an evening! Then back to canvas with a fervent wish that the peacock would behave itself!
Sunday morning, not quite as early to be woken by the birds and following breakfast we headed down to the registration point. Most people already there were rigging up to launch at Cobo bay but we were off to Petit Bot, a short drive away. Passing a sign reading ‘No Parking in this Car Park’ we got to the beach entrance, parked up and rigged up ready to go. I was in a Scupper Pro for the first time this year and soon paddled out, trolling a Sidewinder and two feathers with a Dexter Wedge. Nothing. I chose a spot sheltered by the wind with some rocky outcrops and sandy patches and dropped my anchor, baiting up with ragworm and sandeel and sat around, failing to get a bite.
Nothing doing after an hour I decided to move over towards the others who were catching, though not in any numbers. I stopped at one point and decided to re-attach the feathers and wedge before continuing towards them and cast them inshore, placing the rod in the holder. Seconds, that’s all it took, and then I felt the rod bucking away in the holder as I brought in my first fish of the day, a beautifully marked Mackerel, the biggest I’ve had to date. A funny fight, it’d gone for the feathers or wedge and got hooked in the tail. Measuring up with the supplied tape measure it reached 36cm and, being unable to survive handling it was retained for bait and the freshest sushi about!
Reaching the others without further success I anchored up and started bottom fishing. All I succeeded in catching as the kayak swung around in the wind was the bottom, time and again, and a lot of rigs stayed attached to the various rocks below.
Eggy was getting Wrasse and Paul Gar but I didn’t have so much as a nibble. Couple of hours passed before I decided to try elsewhere and, having to cut off my anchor (and losing the reel in the process) I went on the drift.
I ended up near Eggy and fished for a while, casting the Sidewinder and Wedge to no avail…drifting ultimately into a lovely secluded bay where I decided to mark my territory in the way that dogs do.
A quick break and I was on my way again.
Another half an hour passed and then the feather rig started to shake on the drift…up came my first ever Pollack, a beautiful fish only 6 inches or so long. Not large enough for the comp I was very happy and after taking a pic released it…it was ideally sized to freeline for a Bass…too late, but no regrets.
Nothing else happened and I drifted over towards a likely spot and was soon rewarded with the sight of big fish cruising on the surface -I couldn’t tell if they were bass or mullet but called the others in just in case…
Of course this was all far too strenuous for Darnsarf…who was casually and calmly beating the three of us hands down!
I headed in. I had a headache by now and had been in the saddle for long enough. There was an hour and a half left until weigh-in and I figured we’d need most of it.
The beach was crowded with people enjoying the sunshine. Hardly surprising as it was a lovely spot.
Starvin soon followed and treated us all to a San Miguel and a ham and cheese butty – thanks mate, went down a treat!
With time closing in two of the guys from this morning appeared for a last attempt a fish and launched as we were packing up! Local knowledge paid off as they had their bass and arrived back at the weigh in not long after us.
Darnsarf saved face for us, doing the honours and picking up a prize and trophy – well done mate!
Back to the campsite via the shop and we proceeded to cook up a good old barbecue. My head was thumping by now and soon after eating I retired to my tent for the last time.
Monday was a bit of an anti-climax after the previous three days of frantic activity and after visiting the shop at quayside to drop off some kayaks, browse and resists parting with my money we headed off to catch the boat home. All in all a splendid weekend’s work, thoroughly enjoyable and a great chance to catch up with friends. So, to round things off I’d like to thank the man who showed me the way to the campsite, Shaun and Jamie at Quayside (and the others whose names I didn’t get), Rob and his crew from Outdoor Guernsey, all the local yak anglers I chatted to and who took part in the competition (see you all next year I hope!), the guys in Tackle Direct who were interesting to listen to and of course Starvin, Darnsarf, Eggy and his family for the company and banter. Oh, and the boss, for forcing me to work a weekend once in a while!
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