Sticking My Necky Out…02/12/11
I spend all week waiting for the weekend. I didn’t want to wait anymore so with half a day owed I decided to run away from the warehouse and take the Chatham out for the first time since the spring. I picked it up from my parents a couple of weeks ago where it’s been undercover and out of the sun while I’ve been concentrating on fishing as the paddling months are approaching rapidly now; no fishing and no surfing equals distance time in my book. I know, it’s heresy to consign a beautiful, sleek bit of glass to a barn in favour of a manky, scuffed bit of poly covered in squid but let’s face it, I stand accused by someone who’s known me a long time of being ‘Sit On Top Boy’ and I can’t deny the charge ;D

So, I race home, grab my drysuit, boots and camera and race back out again. It’s clear and bright, windy but manageable and at least the sea is going to be pretty flat most of the time (it’s westerly).

I drive down to Dogger, abandon the car and get her off the roof. Normally I just leave my straps in-situ but those Kanulock straps cost me fifty quid and I can’t bear the expense or the irony of somebody nicking them ;D I drop the kayak down near the water’s edge and go back to the van. Paddle slotted together, deck pulled around my waist, camera clipped on, keys in pocket, PFD zipped up, PFD unzipped, keys taken out of pocket, van unlocked again and stuff taken out, stuff put in, locked, keys in pocket, PFD zipped up and down towards the kayak. Run now, a wave has picked her up and she’s heading out to sea on her own…Bugger. Waist deep and I grab hold, bring her into the beach once more.



Right, now I’m ready, after I’ve watched what’s happening with the waves. Small, but there is a dump. I’m not able to wade out, hop on and go like normal so I sit down barely afloat and as I manage to slide my legs in I see myself floating out towards a bigger dumping wave…typical. I get a gallon or two in the cockpit and then move out past the bumpy bits. Ha! An excuse to use my pump ;D I squirt water out to the sides and note my drift, quite quick. I pull my deck on and head north against the tide, mid-flow and around 2 knots or so.



It’s not the easiest paddle, I’m not in the mood for putting my back into it so going at a lazy but constant speed doesn’t get me anywhere fast, in fact I’m crawling along. No matter, I have about 4 hours until darkness and it won’t take more than three if I dawdle (would take one if I had no tide to worry about). I’m not that far out, maybe 500 yards or so but I increase that distance as I pass Tramp’s Alley and head past the sea defences that run along Corton to Hopton. The swell, when it comes that way, hits these defences and bounces back out giving waves from both sides that can be disconcerting. I’d avoid it by going further out every time if I could be bothered but I’m lazy and I can’t be. It seems alright today though. There’s the church. There’s a mark hereabouts. It holds cod. It’s a very well-known secret. We’re hitting it tomorrow, all being well.



I’ve seen a charter up-anchor and head elsewhere and up at Hopton there appears to be another boat anchored. I’m not turning before Hopton but as I pass the church the rebounds start and I’m having to concentrate more, brace occasionally, swear regularly. The wind has picked up too, the cliffs have dropped in height and I’m more exposed; I’m half a mile out which doesn’t help matters, have moved offshore because of the rebounds. I head on towards the guys fishing. One appears to have a Scarborough fitted to a rod, I’m impressed! I round them and head back.



The wind is now in my face and strong. Not massively strong, not like when Si and I got hit on the way back from the buoys in something two forces above predicted, but strong enough to slow things and to chop the sea up a little too. It wasn’t so noticeable running uptide. Skeg down? Skeg up? WTF is a skeg? I don’t need a skeg, I can keep my other yaks on course and this is way more responsiveness. I carry on, back down past Corton and onto Gunton.



I get close, once again, to Dogger. Now, it’s reasonably flat now for landing but there’s still a dump, albeit a minor one today, on account of the shape of the beach. There are pebbles everywhere too. I’m paranoid about trashing my boat and can’t bear to run it up the beach like my Scupper so come in slowly and watch what’s going on. I whip the deck off 50 yards out and get ready to hop out. I get close, lift a leg out, lift another rout and without even touching bottom the kayak is picked up onto my shoulder and carried onto a patch of sand. A sense of achievement, sure, but I do enjoy being picked up slammed down by waves!



A very pleasant couple of hours and six miles spent getting reacquainted but hopefully the cod will come out to play tomorrow as, lovely as she is, I get bored paddling for no reason.