Just after 830 I arrive with the others already there. Unload, kit up, carry yak down. We’re launching at Dogger (Gunton) and heading north to Corton to get shelter from the cliffs; if it’s not good we’ll go on towards Hopton. We can’t come back, not until the tide changes anyway, so we’re kind of trapped into the plan. After Si realises the source of his anchoring woes (upside down fitted anchor) and we take the piss an easy launch follows and off we trek, it’s only a mile.
I switch the GPS on and bring us into the mark, the foul ground on the Navionics chart. Sonar confirms it and I go to give Don a hand anchoring (only his second time). It took more than a talk through and after a quick modification (tying the anchor reel to the stern carry handle) saw a perfectly aligned and centred kayak. Bang on the mark it was too. I then went off once Don was comfy and dropped down myself and started fishing. It was certainly promising, my first bite coming in seconds. I missed it though; I was calling in with the coastguard.
It was somewhat turbulent with the strong wind that wasn’t overly blocked by the land and the current was pretty strong too at this time. It wasn’t that warm either and within a short space of time I was wishing that HMS Starbucks might turn up. She didn’t, but Don brought up a codling. Two trips, two codling. Me? I said it was a promising start but it didn’t carry on and I hardly got a nibble.
It was cold. I had my feet in the water as it was warmer. I had my hat AND my polar hood. I thought the drysuit hood might need to go up too but I resisted. My hands were bearable until rebaiting at which point they seemed to chill even more. We sat there. I started to think of Si’s pot of chilli awaiting our return. Then I brought in a whiting.
Now I started to think about what I could do with it in the kitchen; my tea was sorted, the girls would hopefully follow. I piled on some pounds this weekend somehow so I’d have to be thoughtful on this. I’d also drained the fryer so couldn’t do anything there. Hmm. I reeled in a second; my wife’s tea sorted.
It was so slow! Finally though I brought up a nice, plump dab; tomorrow’s tea. I wonder how I should cook that…then it became a bit cold to be thinking about such things and I instead turned my attention to thinking how bloody cold it was, how cold my hands were, how cold my feet were, how windy it was…it seemed to be increasing.
Paul turned up; Mark had a couple of codling aboard and Don had one. This was good. I started to think about steaming hot cooked cod.
I listened to the Maritime and Safety Information Broadcast on Channel 23. It didn’t really cheer me up all that much (and didn’t tell me anything I hadn’t already been aware of) but at least it was company ;D I still felt cold though. My lower back was starting to cool now (though nothing on my feet and hands). But hey, that’s fishing ;D
I caught a whelk next. It took whole squid. I used it as bait. I should have stuck with whole squid.
Soon after an inshore boat came to fetch up his longline; he’d done alright it seemed, codling, bass etc.
I sat there all day with a song going through my head too. Well, a couple of lines of it. The Darling Buds (anyone else remember them?) singing Burst. Then the tide started to slow, the ebb started to turn into slack and I decided it was time to go; we’d be in for 3pm like this. I up-anchored and went to see Mike and then Don, paddling in with Don and Mark.
As we got near to the landing spot I got that little twinge of excitement; it was going to be a wet ride in! There was spray shooting up in the air from where the waves were crashing in. Si was in and then Paul. I could see Mike waiting back and assessing. I went past him and headed in, waiting for a reasonable wave to come in for the hell of it – I don’t do flat unless it’s really bad ;D I paddled hard for one, came in on its back but couldn’t catch it; this left me with little choice and I let one roll under and had to take the second. It was all going so well…I was coming in sideways and holding her when I noticed the second peak behind it…I got caught as it broke and I (think I) hit the beach with one leg over the offshore side and completely off-balance, the backwash pulling me straight into the other bastard that rolled me. Paul was on me like a flash grabbing gear, all leashed down and we dragged everything up awaiting the others. Other than Paul and Mike we all got a soaking and a potential Moet-winner was washed away.
I unclipped everything and had a quick blast in the waves, getting dumped again on my final run in and then it was up to the vehicles to get sorted, eat Si’s chilli, watch him get given a bottle of Moet for the largest cod of the day (courtesy of Don) and talk about how bloody cold we were ;D
Back home, marinated in lemongrass, turmeric etc, fried in a turmeric and flour dusting with shallots and basil, served with a parsley, coconut pepper salad…lovely stuff. It was a good session.
Si also got some video as we made fools of ourselves landing badly!
Apart from Paul...
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