Treasa na dTonnta 67 Winter 2023 by Treasna na dTonnta

Treasna na dTonnta

Cover photo: Brenda O’Shea and Niall Leahy An Tiaracht and Inis Tuaisceart by Martin O’Treasaigh

Inside cover photo: Iceland by Alan Horner

Welcome to Treasna na dTonnta 67

Thank you to everyone who kindly offered articles and photos for this issue. TnadT would not happen without paddlers taking the time and effort to share their experiences and knowledge with us.

Please keep them coming: helpful guidelines for contributors are at the back of the magazine and on www.iska.ie. Special thanks to East Coast Sea Kayak Club member Adam May who designed and printed this magazine to such a high standard.

I listened to ‘The Wager’ on the recommendation of our by now nearly resident, reviewer Rob Scanlon. An awe inspiring tale that does not sugar coat the age of exploration. Read Rob’s Review on page 10.

In our Location section North Mayo paddler Chris McDaid describes a trip around the Isle of Arran in his native Scotland while John Brophy and Alan Horner give an account of a trip to Iceland by a group of East Coast Sea Kayak Club members.

Navigation is a fundamental skill all sea kayakers need to grasp. East Coast Sea Kayak Club paddler John Dempsey provides a lovely, clear description of how to travel from A to B and the skills required in our Technique section.

Location Iceland: campsite in the lee of some basalt cliffs . Photo by Eddie O’Shea

The sustainability of our sport and the need to leave no trace of our presence on the water or land is ever important if we are to preserve our environment and model best practise for others. West Cork Kayak Club have developed their own sustainability code which I am sure will act as a model for other clubs. In our Environment section Amy Walsh and Debbie Heaphy describe what they did, beautifully illustrated by Tess Glanville.

I have just bought my first sea kayak sail and look forward to my maiden voyage with it at the ISKA symposium in Kenmare, so the article about their use by Donal Dowd in our Kit & Kaboodle section is timely.

In Troubled Waters, West Cork Kayaker Martin O’Treasaigh gives an overview of Search and Rescue, should we ever need to call the emergency services.

This edition was co-edited. I am happy to welcome Charlie Daly as the next editor of Treasna na dTonnta and wish him well for future issues.

Paddle safe and enjoy the sea.

Sue Honan

Elder duck in Iceland . Photo by Alan Horner

We have the expert guides who will help you choose the correct equipment!

Jon Hynes, one of our experts, pictured here at Mizen Head.

Joe Rogan of our expert panel.

Welcome to the Irish Sea Kayaking Association

2023 Symposium in Kenmare Co. Kerry. This is the first time that the ISKA symposium has been held in Kerry and the organisers hope that you enjoy paddling here and, of course, the social aspect of the event.

ISKA on behalf of all the participants thank the Symposium Organisers: Donal Dowd and his team, the ISKA Treasurer Fiona Trahe and all who have contributed to making it happen.

ISKA is committed to enabling its membership to improve their skills and to make our meets safer and enjoyable for everyone. As part of this commitment ISKA subsidised three Level 3 Explorer Award training courses and one Level 4 Adventure Award training courses which were soon fully booked. Thanks to ISKA Training Officer Sue Honan for organising the courses and of course the providers Shane McElligott, Craig Keyworth of Copper Coast Sea Kayaking, Martin Duffy of West Coast Kayaking and Jon Hynes of Fastnet Marine OEC. More courses will run in 2024. ISKA also intends to run a subsidised VHF radio course over the winter.

ISKA thanks CH Marine for participating in our safety equipment discount scheme, this was a well subscribed initiative with CH Marine providing a discount and ISKA providing an extra subsidy.

2023 has been a mixed year for ISKA, with a reasonable number of new members and all the usual suspects attending and organising meets.

As usual, our inaugural meet was Streamstown which was very well attended and some great trips took place. ISKA thanks Peter Hennessen and Dave Glasgow for all the work they did to make it such a success. Weather cancelled the Clare Meet, however the Schull meet hosted by FMOEC and organised by Pa Conway, Martin O’Treasaigh and Jon Hynes had great weather and was also attended by Katie Carr who you may know is completing the journey, to paddle the 31 areas of the Shipping Forecast, started by her late brother Toby. The Donegal meet organised by Valli Schafer and Gerry Branigan was a great success after being postponed by the weather gods. The Wexford meet had foggy weather for exploring the Hook Peninsula and the Saltee Islands. Thanks to Dave Conroy for organising. The Northern Meet on the Causeway Coast organised by Joe Rogan was well attended.

After many years of dedicated voluntary commitment to ISKA, Meets Officer Brian McMahon and East Coast Rep Dave Conroy are stepping down. On behalf of all ISKA members we thank them for all they have done. We welcome Rob Scanlon as new East Coast Rep and wish him well. Overall, ISKA is in good health, however, it needs new people on the committee to continue as an association. Don’t be shy, you do not need years of experience, just enthusiasm for sea kayaking and a willingness to get involved. If anyone is interested in these positions please make yourself known to any Committee member or email iskacommittee@gmail.com

Finally, a huge thank you to Susan Honan & Adam May who are responsible for the high standard of publication which you are currently reading. Happy & safe paddling, see you in 2024 (venue TBA).

ISKA Committee

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

East Coast Paddler Rob Scanlon reviews this epic true story.

I normally don’t read stories about shipwrecks and tend to pass over them, but after reading a review of this non-fiction book in a magazine, I decided to download the audiobook for a drive to Scotland. I set off from Dublin in the middle of the night and, many hours later, as I approached my destination, I found myself driving slowly so I could complete it. It’s that good!

Anyone who likes reading about the sea will love this book, but is so much more than a shipwreck story. Initially a trading vessel, the ship “The Wager” was bought by the Royal Navy and formed part of a flotilla that was heading from the UK, round Cape Horn, to the Pacific Ocean as part of a circumnavigation of the globe. The British were fighting the Spanish in the “War of Jenkin’s ear”. It was 1740, and the British were on the lookout for a Spanish ship full of treasure off Chile.

The crew were the typical combination of navy professionals, adventurers and put-upon press-ganged unfortunates. There is no initial romance of the sea or spirit of adventure in this book. The

misery facing them while sailing, the dampness, darkness down below, weevils, lice, scurvy, typhus and discipline is there from the start.

“Below forty degrees latitude, there is no law,” went a sailors’ adage. “Below fifty degrees, there is no God.”

By the time they get to Patagonia, you have been introduced to many of the crew, but this is where the story gets going in earnest. They get shipwrecked, but amazingly, many survive the initial wreck to find themselves on a pretty barren (to European eyes) island. Discipline breaks down and the group falls into factions.

The horror they face evolves slowly as supplies they could salvage start to dwindle and navy discipline breaks down. There is theft, power struggles, murder, banishment, utilitarian abandonment and

even more grisly occurrences when people starve and have lost all hope. Once your navy ship is shipwrecked, are you still bound by the navy rules? If you survive, will you have had a salary build up all the time you were away, or only up to the date of the wrecking? There is some humanity though in the hardiness of some personalities and the assistance from some native tribes who know how to harness the bounty of the seas in that area.

This book is a true story of survival and myriad accounts that would seem far-fetched if it was not actually true. The piece that rings truest to my jaundiced eye, however, is the institutional cover up in the Royal Navy and the priority of saving its own reputation when the (many) truths come out.

The rights to this book have been purchased for a screen play. It will be a challenge to do this story the justice it deserves.

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder David Grann . Simon and Shuster 2023

ISBN:9781471183683

Arran –Scotland in miniature

Chris McDaid circumnavigates an island in his Scottish homeland each year. Here he recounts his trip around the Isle of Arran.

The Isle of Arran sits in the Firth of Clyde, sandwiched between the Kintyre peninsula & Ayrshire on the mainland. It is split by the Highland boundary fault, resulting in the southern half of the island being relatively low lying and the northern half being mountainous with some of the best ridge walking and rock climbing on the western Scottish seaboard, the highest peak being Goat Fell at 874m. The population is around 4,500–5,000 and most of the towns & villages lie on the eastern shores.

John and Beth approaching Blackwaterfoot . Photo by Chris McDaid .

During the second week of Easter myself, John Dempsey and Beth Reed-Colohan embarked on the 95km circumnavigation. I had made a promise to myself to circumnavigate an island of my homeland every year. In 2022 I circumnavigated the Isle of Bute. We took the ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan and after around an hour’s drive traveled on the ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick, Arran’s main town. A short journey south took us to the campsite at Kildonan, from where we would set off the following morning, going clockwise to take advantage of the prevailing weather conditions. We had allowed 5 days for the journey, we wanted to enjoy it and were in no rush.

Day 1 – Departing Kildonan around 9.30am, directly opposite the small island of Pladda, complete with lighthouse. The southern part of Arran is mostly low lying cliffs and we made steady progress. Approaching the small village of Blackwaterfoot the wind had picked up considerably, giving us a hefty following sea and a few nervous moments before stopping behind the small headland of Drumadoon

Isle of Arran

Point for our lunchbreak. Back on the water we continued northwards aiming for Machrie Bay where we intended to camp for the night. About halfway along this stretch Beth inadvertently got too close to the shore and was caught by a large wave which hurtled her towards the rocky shore – no laughing matter in a fully laden sea kayak! She almost extricated herself before a second wave resulted in a capsize in shallow water full of large rocks. While she hung on to her kayak to try and keep it away from the worst of the rocks, myself and John forced a landing and hurried to her aid. She was fine but her shiny new North Shore Atlantic had sustained some damage, with the hull holed just below the right hand side of the cockpit. Nothing too bad considering the spill she had. Duly repaired with duct tape we carried on towards Machrie. Little did we know that the day’s drama wasn’t over yet. On arriving at Machrie we quickly set up camp just above the high water mark amongst some dunes and had our dinner. Around an hour later we were disturbed by a well heeled tweed wearing gentleman, 2 women and four dogs. Apparently we were on private land and were not permitted to camp there. It was almost a case of “get orf my land”. It was clear to me that he had no idea about the far reaching access legislation enshrined in the Scottish Land Reform Bill which meant he had no right to adopt such an attitude. Thankfully I left the negotiating to John and Beth, as anyone who knows me will know diplomacy isn’t one of my strong points and I doubt me telling him to “f&*k off” would have been in any way beneficial. He relented and we remained on our camping spot, provided we didn’t advertise that it was a good spot to camp.

Day 2 – After a leisurely breakfast we set off northwards again towards Lochranza. Beth was having trouble holding her line in the following wind so we put ashore to find out that her skeg had snapped off in the previous days incident. Nothing we could do about that

Holy Island from Lamlash . Photo by Chris McDaid .

so we continued regardless and reached Lochranza where we had an excellent lunch courtesy of the superb sandwich/coffee shop – The Sandwich Station. Lochranza is a stunning place with the peaks of Arran towering above and a picture postcard view of the medieval castle. Back on the water we continued round the northern tip of the island and turned south, aiming for our next overnight camp at Sannox. You’d be hard pushed to find a more scenic place to camp, with the peaks of Cir Mhor, Caisteal Abhail & Beinn Tarsuinn as a backdrop, complete with a dusting of snow. As we were unloading our kayaks and setting up camp, two young kids rushed over to have a good look at the kayaks then subsequently provided us with cups of tea courtesy of their parents, very welcome indeed.

Day 3 – Back on the water we continued south past the village of Corrie and landed at the long sandy beach of Brodick, Arran’s main town, for lunch. A quick check on the weather forecast gave us cause for concern and we decided to stop for the day. After setting up camp we wandered into Brodick for a proper dinner and a look around the town. Arriving back at the tents the weather forecast had proved very accurate and torrential rain greeted us. Overnight the wind picked up to Force 9 and it was a restless night for us all. Thankfully our tents withstood the gale-force winds due to us tying the guy-lines to small trees and our kayaks. The storm had passed when we awoke the following morning.

Day 4 – We decided that we would complete our circumnavigation that day as we only had around 25km to go. Back on the water again, we passed the ferry terminal and continued south past Clauchlands Point heading for Holy Isle. This island is home to the Samye Ling Buddhist Community and also has a cave with runic writing and connections to St Molaise of Inishmurray fame. While making the

crossing I started suffering searing pain in my left elbow, so we landed on Holy Island for a break and lunch and I hoped a short rest and some Brufen would provide some relief. When we got back on the water it was clear that I couldn’t continue so the decision was made that I’d head for the small town of Lamlash and make my way back to the campsite at Kildonan by bus and then drive and pick up my kayak and return to our starting point. Only around 15km to go and I had to drop out!! It was the correct decision though and John towed me the short distance to Lamlash where I left him and Beth to continue. Thankfully they completed the circumnavigation without further mishap and we headed back to Lamlash for a decent dinner and a pint. Circumnavigation complete. Well, at least for 2 out of 3.

The following morning we packed our gear and drove to Lochranza where we caught the ferry over to Claonaig on the Kintyre peninsula. We had a full day to spare, what should we do? We headed to Loch Lomond and camped for the night and the following morning we climbed Ben Lomond in a full-on Scottish blizzard! Heading south again back to Cairnryan we camped just south of Lendalfoot on the Ayrshire coast at the Varyag Memorial, a tribute to a Russian battlecruiser whose crew refused to set sail after the 1917 October Russian Revolution. She ran aground at this spot in 1920 while she was being towed to Germany. Next day we were on board the Stena Ferry back to Ireland. A fantastic trip with superb paddling, awesome scenery and great company. It is highly recommended.

For anyone thinking of doing this trip, it’s pretty straightforward logistically however the Scottish ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne have some of their fleet in for refurbishment for a few years so be flexible.

Treasna na

Location:

The Land of Ice and Fire (and birds)–Iceland 2023

John Brophy

East Coast Sea Kayak club paddler John Brophy describes a group trip to the Icelandic Westfiords region.

It started, as it often does, on a slipway. I was approached by some shady-looking characters offering an all-expenses paid (by me) kayaking trip to Iceland. At that stage there was the idea, a couple of likely candidates, some approximate dates and a local kayak provider (Maggi – Arctic Sea Kayaking) willing to rent out some nice boats (which, in the end, turned out include some factory-fresh NDK explorers and a Tarantella!) at a reasonable price (though this took a bit of negotiating, as it wasn’t something he had previously done and was highly dependent on our collective demonstrable experience). Having already had a significant holiday in January, I wasn’t able to commit immediately, but it sounded like a trip too good to miss, so a quick check with the boss and some shuffling of work-commitments and I was on-board.

As the group grew to the final seven (myself, Alan Horner, Gavan Sheridan, Eddie O’Shea, Willie Collins, Ciaran Clissmann and Tom Maguire), we had a few zoom meetings amongst ourselves and our Icelandic provider. The general consensus was the Westfjords region, which is famous for its, well, fjords. The north coast of the Westfjords included a large stretch of coastline within a national park and with no road-access. Given weather was likely to be a major player in our final decision, we also selected a route in the southwest, where road access and settlements were more common. Ultimately, in the hostel on the first day of the trip, based on the weather and the recommendation of Maggi, we went for Breiðafjörður, a large bay immediately south of the Westfjords peninsula.

Öffursey campsite Photo by Eddie O’Shea

Approximate route taken, starting and ending in Stykkishólmur

It was an unusual situation for everyone in the group to be heading out on the two week trip with so little route planning done in advance. Not only that, but detailed maps or charts of the area were hard to come by, and official tidal information apparently non-existent despite there being serious tidal flows. A quick look at www.map.is showed us that some of these flows are clearly visible from space!

Maggi took us from Reykjavik to Stykkishólmur (about 2.5 hrs direct), with a pit-stop at a petrol station for camping gas and the Bonus supermarket at Borgarnes to pick up supplies. With the route now taking us past a slightly more civilised landscape, it was decided a week’s worth of rations was sufficient, as resupply would be possible in a couple of places. We got ourselves packed on a slip on the west side of Stykkishólmur and set out in the early evening for an island a short distance to the east of the peninsula where Maggi had an arrangement with the owner to allow clients to camp.

It was immediately clear that the birdlife in this part of Iceland is something special. During the short spin around to our first campsite on Öffursey in F4 southwesterlies, we saw Ravens, Puffins, Eider Ducks, Cormorants, Fulmars, Oystercatchers and more than one White-tailed Sea Eagle. A drumming Snipe was an almost everypresent sound during the trip. A birder’s paradise, for sure.

With so little pre-planning, our route and camping choices were partly guided by advice from Maggi, with the gaps filled in on-the-fly. This took us east past Gvendareyjar (where the aforementioned ‘tidal flows visible from space’ were flooding reasonably hard between islands to the east. An area to which we would come back), Öxney and Brokey. With the recommended camping spot on Öxney less than ideal due to wind exposure, we went hunting for an alternative, finding shelter beneath a cliff with permanent waterfrontage beside a lagoon.

Freshwater is practically non-existent on the islands of Breiðafjörður, so our next stop would be on the mainland to the south. Here we found a stream from which to replenish our water bags, before pressing on to scout out some more potential camping. Again, some flat ground beneath basalt cliffs provided sufficient space for seven tents and Ciaran’s legendary tarp. With a nice, clean beach landing, I took this opportunity to take my first swim in Iceland (first not in a heated pool, that is). Refreshing at around 8-9°C, but not too bad.

The fourth day of paddling opened with a morning of mixed fortune. Willie spotted a Ptarmigan on the headland above us, which was new to most, if not all of us, and we heard its grunting call of disapproval of our presence. A personal tragedy befell me as I packed my day-hatch, leading to several minutes of spooning out pre-grated parmesan-substitute as a result of a less-than-secure container. Ziploc bags on all opened containers from now on!

Tom and Gavan cut through the stillness of Breiðafjörður

Photo by Ciaran Clissmann

Once on the water, we continued along the south coast of Hvammsfjörður, before turning north for the town and supermarket of Búðarðalur. After securing the boats at the harbour, we lugged our kit up to the local campground, where the showers were hot and, indeed, sauna-like.

The following day we woke to a mirror-calm sea, which remained for much of the morning. A quick paddle across the fjord to gather water was followed by a route out west along the north coast of Hvammsfjörður. At this stage, the aim was to find a camp location that would leave us well-placed to navigate the remaining islands and break out through Krossund into Breiðafjörður proper. The islands here had limited landings and/or areas for pitching tents, but after splitting up to investigate a few options, a suitable candidate was found. A beautiful calm evening gave way to a rainy night, the first of the trip so far, which did us the favour of clearing up by morning.

The morning’s paddle was complicated by the lack of detailed maps or charts, which left us trying to plot a course through islands where the gaps regularly dried out at low tide. In the distance, we could hear the thunderous rumble of the tide ebbing through Breiðasund to the south, with its rumoured 13 knot flow! We eventually found our route through to the north of Hrappsey and past the towering peak on Bæjarey before stopping for lunch on a beach in glorious sunshine, with views southwest to snow-capped peaks. There were many covetous thoughts directed towards the solitary wooden cabin on the island as a future holiday home.

The afternoon found us making our way through the narrow gap of Krossund, and turning east to make our way deeper into Breiðafjörður, in search of freshwater and camping. Fortunately, we found both in abundance in the shadow of Ballarfjall, after a few hours of flat calm

paddling in the company of countless Puffins, a solitary Razorbill and a not insignificant number of Great Northern Divers.

The following morning revealed that the previous evenings concerns about extensive areas of foreshore drying out were only partly grounded in reality. The inflowing river, combined with a few natural weirs between us and open water meant that, while we couldn’t paddle all the way out, the 1 km exit was achieved through a mix of paddling and walking through the shallows with boats in tow. The rest of the morning and early afternoon saw us work our way east along the coast before turning north to the Akureyjar archipelago. Here we were greeted by a local Eider farmer, who talked us through her work in her little piece of paradise (at least during the summer; she retreated to the mainland during the winter). Eiderdown is collected from the nests after the chicks have made their way to the water under the watchful eyes of their mothers and aunts. Following collection, the down is dried and manually picked clean of debris, a laborious task that goes some way to explain why true Eider down-filled items costs so much, before it’s shipped off to the factory for final processing.

From here we paddled north to the harbour at Reykhólar (or, more precisely 3 km south of Reykhólar and its tiny convenience store). We settled into the village’s hostel/guesthouse, complete with outdoor hot-tub, and were assisted with our gear bags by a local in his jeep. The hot-tub and showers were gratefully exploited, as was the fully-equipped kitchen. These home-comforts were sufficient to make us book another night and spend our vaguely planned rest day hiking in Reykhólar and its surrounds.

The next morning, we headed out west from the harbour, again finding low water uncovering reefs between the extensive lines of skerries, adding complexity and distance to the day. After lunch, our group split into those hunting fish and those hunting for water and camping. Both were successful, and the evening meal included half-a-

dozen line-fresh cod in the starring role. As I recall, this was the first spot where there was even a hint of midge activity. Midges were first recorded in Iceland in 2015, so they may not be too widespread and the short growing season may keep them under control. We didn’t have any other flying creatures to bother us for the trip.

Our trip planning was still being carried out on-the-fly, consulting weather and online mapping to best consider our options as the final days on the trip loomed. We found the local weather website to be the best for trip planning, giving fairly accurate hourly breakdowns at least 24 hrs in advance. It should be noted that weather conditions can be very localised due to the topography and weather systems moving through the areas. As we approached the last few days of the trip, we had to run a few scenarios to give us options for various weather conditions.

After breaking camp the following morning, we headed out across the mouth of the trifurcate fjords to the north and hopped across a few headlands. In contrast to the group’s experience elsewhere, such as Alaska, where fjords are often steep-sided and deep, many of the fjords here are quite shallow, with islands, skerries and reefs galore. This made for some interesting tidal flows and called for an occasional bit of hard work, depending on the path chosen.

The evening saw us arrive at what would turn out to be our final wildcamping spot of the trip, at the tip of Svínanesfjall, landing in a seaweedclogged natural harbour. A long-abandoned house gave the place a slightly eerie air, but we had to get comfortable, as we found ourselves stormbound the following day. We had our first sighting of an Arctic fox skulking along the shore to the south, who was no doubt unhappy with our arrival given their on-going persecution by humans in the Iceland (earning hunters more than €6m in bounties over the last decade).

Continues page 36 after Escape from Svínanesfjall...

Group member Alan Horner writes:

Escape from Svínanesfjall

The alarm goes off, it must be early it’s still dark. The brain engages and remembers that the eye mask is on and it’s never dark here in summer. It’s 5am, the tent is rattling in the wind, my nose is cold, it’s almost mid-summer after all. We have been stuck on the tip of this peninsula for the last one and a half days. The wind is howling around F7-8 from the North, all the way from Greenland.

We need to escape, the high winds are set to continue to blow for 2 days more, funnelled down the mountain valleys into the fjords, we don’t have time to sit this out.

Roll over loosen the air valve on the mattress, slowly sink to the cold ground and contemplate getting up. Hold the breath and pull the thermal top on, at least it is dryish, the cords installed in the tent to dry the kit overnight have done their job well again.

Straight into booties and drysuit, winter jacket and over-cag on top, hat and this morning also gloves.

All the kit into dry bags before exiting the tent into the teeth of the freezing wind.

Unpeg the tent carefully to ensure that a few pegs hold the flysheet in place while it’s stuffed it into the dry bag. Fingers aching with the cold as the gloves are removed briefly for more dextrous work.

Two carries down to the kayaks stumbling over rough ground, up hill then down and the last into the stinking mud of rotting seaweed, smells like I feel at this stage.

Breakfast in the tarp, it’s so welcome - a mug of warm tea or coffee, a Lamb stew ready meal is wolfed down, I kid you not. Pack the pots, cooker, stow the tarp and we are done.

I’m last on the water today, the pack hasn’t gone well, cold hands, tired head, getting it back from whence it came was not easy this morning. The tide is racing in floating the kayak before I’m ready. Thigh deep in water I climb on board, it’s just gone 7am, the kayak comes alive on the water, wind behind, pushing gently at first but as we leave the shadow of the land it builds to full force. Waves increasing, crests breaking, First strokes it feels good. Pushing hard, catching the wave, Flying now, wave to trough, to crest to wave.

Wow it’s good to be alive!

Ciaran and Alan, stormbound but smiling Photo by John Brophy

After the days windy action, we arrived at Flatey, where we strolled along its one main road past the colourfully painted wooden houses. After lunching at a local hostelry, we continued out to the end of the road, where we were greeted by a couple of Snow Buntings, and then chased off by some bolshie Arctic Terns. From there we made our way back to the port and made final preparations for jumping on the local ferry to transport us, boats and all, the remaining 35 km back to Stykkishólmur.

We took advantage of the sparsely kitted-out campground in Stykkishólmur for our last two nights. Our last day of paddling saw us head out the general direction taken on days 1 and 2, hunting for fast-ebbing water squeezing through gaps between the numerous islands. We found what we were looking for at the eastern end of Gvendareyjar, where the aforementioned ‘tidal flows visible from space’, were in full flow. We took our time playing in these fast flows, with Eddie most impressively re-discovering his white water days, breaking in and out of the tumultuous flows, with just one blink-andyou’ll-miss-it roll required.

Once playtime was over, we took advantage of the last of the ebb to navigate a leisurely trip back to Stykkishólmur, where we prepared for collection and return to Reykjavik the following day.

All-in-all, Iceland provided a great trip with interesting paddling against a wonderfully scenic back-drop with plenty of wildlife. There is no doubt that we were very lucky with the weather, with strong winds, predominantly westerly/south-westerly, only blowing for the first few days and again at the end, while rain largely stayed away for the duration. As we understood it, wild camping is somewhat frowned upon in Iceland, so we did take advantage of established campgrounds where they were available. The land and islands of Breiðafjörður are all privatelyowned, often by Eider farmers, but we were only once approached by a

landowner. He was initially a little confrontational as he thought we were Eider poachers, but as it became clear we weren’t, he warmed up a bit, perhaps falling for the Irish charm that was present in abundance.

In terms of on-land practicalities, Iceland does still live up to its reputation of being expensive. This pain is tempered somewhat by the fact that they use the Icelandic króna, so if you don’t do the maths before tapping, you can just ignore it (at least until you get home!). That said, budget supermarkets like Bonus aren’t too much dearer than those at home. Credit/debit card facilities are pretty much everywhere, even in the more remote areas that we visited, and English-speakers are equally ubiquitous.

Good company, good food, good paddling and the occasional bout of questionable singing, high-stakes dice games (introduced to the group by Gavan) and a not-insignificant volume of duty-free whiskey. Sure what else could you ask for?

Alan makes a new friend

Photo by Gavan Sheridan

ICELAND 2023

The Logistics & other boring stuff.

Outfitter: ARCTIC SEA KAYAKS

Website: https://arcticseakayaks .is/

Contact: arcticseakayaks@gmail .com

Trip Length: 16 days, 14 days kayaking

Accommodation: Camping 12 nights, Hostel 2 nights (Reykjholar) on trip and 2 nights

Hostel https://www .hostel is/en/hostels/hireykjavik-dalur

Average price of beer: €10/pint

Number of beers drunk: Classified

Best Icelandic Food: Fish n’ Chips or maybe Pizza!

Worst Icelandic Food: Dried Cod!

Best priced Cocktail: 2000k

Karaoke: Just one night in Reykjavik we promise .

Number of strange Icelanders snogged: 2 (I swear I was only talking, the music was too loud!)

Number of new Kayaks aged severely in 14 days: 6… (hit every effing rock! “slógu á hvern effing stein”) Only the tarantella was handed back in the same state as received

Best Map site: https://map is/base/ Great detail but only digital

Most original Icelandic greeting: “The currents are dangerous you IDIOTS !” Apparently not a reference to the copious amount of dried fruits we were carrying

Worst restaurant service: The body builder / dishwasher clears the table 2 seconds after we finished eating with his wash bucket, throwing all the plates in directly !

Friendliest Icelander: Lillian & Family, The Eider Duck Farmers So happy to receive some strangers and give us an impromptu talk on their life on the island and how they collect eider down for the Summer 2nd Friendliest: The lady who ran the café & shop in Reykjholar, 7 hungry Irishmen, for cake, coffee, beer, dinner and 5 days groceries,

Biggest regret: that we did not have more time to explore the rest of this amazing country!

Alan and Eddie playing in the fast flows . Photo by John Brophy

Live the Adventure

Paddling from here to there

John Dempsey discusses the skills you need to journey safely at sea.

Navigation is about being able to get from where you are to where you want to be. It usually involves a map and a compass. This article explores sea kayak navigation without the use of digital technology.

Sea kayak navigation can involve coastal journeys and/or open crossings. Coastal journeys stay relatively close to the shore where open crossings involve crossing an open stretch of sea. This article will look an example of each type of journey and discuss the navigation skills required to carry out such a journey. If you need to learn these skills, it is recommended that you complete a certified sea kayak navigation course.

Coastal journeys

Let’s examine the navigation required for a sea kayaking trip from Rinroe Beach around Benwee Head to Portacloy (see Figure 1). On a day with calm seas, good visibility and light winds, you could launch from Rinroe Beach, keep the land on your right and just keep going

until you reach Portacloy. Assuming you know the coastline, you may not need a map or compass.

So why would you bring a map and compass? Having a map helps you to tell another person, perhaps a fellow kayaker or the coastguard, where you are. Assuming you are tracking your position on a map, you will be able to say that you are at Kid Island or between Parson Rock and Benwee Head. Maps give landmarks names and these can help remove confusion when telling somebody else where you are. Having a compass allows you to say if you are north, south, east or west of a landmark like Kid Island or Benwee Head.

Sea kayakers will debate whether OS maps are better than marine charts. There are pros and cons for each that are beyond the scope of

Figure 1 Rinroe Beach to Portacloy

this article. If in doubt, bring both. For the sake of this article, it is assumed you are using a marine chart.

You may want to do some prior trip planning before you launch. This allows you to gather useful information that you can use during the trip to determine how you are progressing (see Figure 2).

2 Sample trip plan (facing page)

A trip plan should include information about the tide times, tide ranges and tidal flows. For this trip, the tidal flows are not significant. By measuring the distance between points along the route plan, you can estimate the time it will take to travel along each section. For this trip plan, a paddling speed of 2 knots was used to allow for some exploring.

When you are on the water, you can compare your actual progress to your expected progress. This can be useful in making decisions. By recording the general direction of travel for each leg, you have valuable information in case visibility deteriorates; you won’t have to work this out on the water.

Finally, you can record some notes about each leg of the journey, expected crux points and possible escape routes. On a good day you do not need all this information. However, it is better to have it than to be looking for it on the water.

Before you get on the water, you should be able to identify where you are on your chart. Once you get on the water, you can keep track of your progress on the chart. You can do this by keeping an eye on your direction of travel, your estimate of your actual average speed and the time taken. You can also use coastal features like islands, headlands, transits and the ‘shape’ of the coast to locate yourself on the map.

Figure

Sea kayakers use different types of compass. Handheld compasses are useful if you only need to take a bearing occasionally. They are also useful when doing chart work on the water. Deck mounted compasses are useful when following a bearing over a long distance.

When using your compass, you need to understand the difference between magnetic north and true north, and the need to adjust from between compass bearings and chart bearings. The magnetic north pole

is not actually at the true north pole (see Figure 3). In addition, the magnetic north pole is constantly moving. The magnetic variation is a number that is used to convert magnetic bearings and true bearings.

Figure 3 Magnetic variation

For Ireland in August 2023, the magnetic variation is approximately 2.5O West. This means that the magnetic north pole is 2.5O West of the true north pole. As a result, if you take a bearing off a chart, you should add the magnetic variation for use with your compass; and if you take a bearing off your compass, you should subtract the magnetic variation for use on your chart.

If you have good visibility, you can use your compass to estimate where you are on your chart. For example, if you are between Kid Island and Benwee Head, you could take a bearing on each. Adjusting

the compass bearings for magnetic variation, you could draw a line to each on your chart. Your position will be approximately at the point where the two lines intersect (see Figure 4).

Figure 4 Fixing your position using two bearings

You can also estimate your distance from a given point by the amount of detail that you can see. For example, you can count individual houses from 1nm while you can count individual windows on houses from 0.5nm.

For coastal journeys, a map, compass and a trip plan provide you with the basic tools needed for navigate along the coast. For open crossings, there are a number of other issues to consider.

Open crossings

Let’s consider the navigation required for a sea kayaking trip from Rosslare Harbour to Tuskar Rock and back (see Figure 5). This trip involves an open crossing of approximately 4.5nm across an area where the tide can run at 3 knots. Careful planning is required to avoid being swept past Tuskar Rock on the outward leg and to make it back to Rosslare Harbour.

The first part of the outward leg to Carrick Rock off Greenore Point is essentially a coastal journey of 1.1nm; the second part of the outward leg is an open crossing of 4.3nm. Assuming a paddling speed of 3 knots, it will take approximately 20 minutes to get from the beach south of Rosslare Harbour to Carrick Rock, and another 85 minutes to get out to Tuskar Rock. In total, it will take 105 minutes to get from Rosslare Harbour to Tuskar Rock.

According to Oileáin, the tidal flow between Tuskar Rock and the mainland runs as follows:

Direction Time Speed

North 04:30 after Dublin HW 2 5 kn

South 02:30 before Dublin HW 3 0 kn

To make use of the tidal flow, it is best to go out on the last of the south-flowing ebb and to come back at the beginning of the northflowing flood. The south-flowing ebb finishes at Dublin HW +04:30.

Figure 5 Rosslare Harbour to Tuskar Rock

Therefore, you need to leave Rosslare Harbour 105 minutes before this, at Dublin HW +02:45.

The bearing from Carrick Rock to Tuskar Rock is 124O. However, if you follow this bearing, the south-flowing ebb tide will sweep you south of Tuskar Rock. So, what bearing should you follow from Carrick Rock? The simplest way to calculate this is to estimate how far south the tide will sweep you over the 80 minutes of the open crossing from Carrick Rock to Tuskar Rock.

The 50/90 rule gives you the speed of the tidal flow at the end of each hour of the tide. The Rule of Thirds estimates how far the current will travel during each of the hours of the tidal period. The Rule of Twelfths tells you how the water level will raise or fall between high water and low water.

So, using the Rule of Thirds, you can estimate how far the current will travel in the 80 minutes it takes to cross to Tuskar Rock. The Rule of Thirds states that:

• over the period of the first and sixth hours of the tidal period, the drift will be 33% of its maximum speed;

• over the period of the second and fifth hours of the tidal period, the drift will be 67% of its maximum speed;

• over the period of the third and fourth hours of the tidal period, the drift will be 100% of its maximum speed.

The speed given in Oileáin is the average speed for a Spring tide. If there is a neap tide, then the maximum speed will be approximately half of the Spring tide speed.

Let’s assume that you want to complete the trip on Friday 1st September 2023. There is a spring tide for this day with Dublin HW at 13:32. Therefore, the south-going ebb tide will finish at 18:02 and the

north-going flood tide will begin. To make the most of the tide, you will want to leave Rosslare Harbour at 16:17. The maximum flow will be 3 knots.

To work out the bearing to follow between Carrick Rock and Tuskar Rock, you need to work out how far you will drift on the tide in the 80 minutes of the crossing. Applying the Rule of Thirds, you will drift 1nm south in the sixth hour of the ebb and 2nm south in the fifth hour. However, you will only be in the tidal flow for the last 20 minutes of the fifth hour. Therefore, you can estimate for those 20 minutes you will drift 0.7nm south. In total, you will drift 1.7nm south during the open crossing.

Figure 6 Plotting a bearing for the outward leg

Therefore, the bearing you want to follow from Carrick Rock is the bearing to a point 1.7nm north of Tuskar Rock (see Figure 6). Using a compass, you can plot this point and then determine the bearing to that point. In this case, the bearing to follow works out as 101O. Remember, the straight line bearing from Carrick Rock to Tuskar Rock was 124O.

This bearing is an estimate. When you are on the water, you will need to observe what is actually happening. In good visibility, if you find yourself due north of Tuskar Rock too early, you can simply turn south and drop down onto Tuskar Rock. If you find that you are being swept south faster than expected, then you will need to turn more towards the north. If the visibility is poor, you may easily miss Tuskar Rock altogether. In this case, you should either not launch, consider turning back if you have launched, or use a GPS device.

You also need to calculate a bearing for the return trip. Let’s assume that you arrived at Tuskar Rock at Dublin HW +04:30 and that you launch to leave an hour later, at Dublin HW +05:30. This is one hour into the north-flowing flood tide. Assuming it will take you 80 minutes to cross to Carrick Rock, you need to calculate how far north you will drift during the crossing. For the first 60 minutes, that is the second hour of the flood, you will drift 67% of the maximum speed, or 2nm. For the third hour of the flood, you will drift 3nm. However, you will only be crossing for 20 minutes of the third hour, so you will only drift 1nm. Therefore, over the 80 minutes of the return crossing, you will drift 3nm north.

Figure 7 Plotting a bearing for the return leg

Therefore, the bearing you want to follow from Tuskar Rock is the bearing to a point 3.0nm south of Carrick Rock (see Figure 7). Again, using a compass, you can plot this point and then determine the bearing to that point. In this case, the bearing to follow works out as 260O. Note, the straight line bearing from Tuskar Rock to Carrick Rock is 304O.

In general, you will want to avoid the area marked as the Bailies on the chart. Although, the bearing you plot appears to bring you straight through this area, you need to remember that as you paddle you will be swept north. Your actual course of travel will be close to the dotted line. Again, once you are on the water, you should use transits and/or your compass to monitor your progress and to determine if you are drifting

faster or slower than you expect. If you are drifting faster or slower than expected, you will need to adjust the bearing you are following to avoid the Bailies.

Summary

Navigation is an essential skill for an independent and competent sea kayaker. It requires a combination of skills including trip planning, chart and compass work, the ability to track your position on a chart and the ability to make good decisions when your plans do not work out as intended. This article has attempted to provide an overview of these skills.

If you want to become an independent and competent sea kayaker, you should consider doing one or more training courses where you will learn and develop your navigation skills. You should also practice those skills while on the water.

Treasna na dTonnta #67

Blown Away by Sea Kayak Sailing

Donal Dowd discovers the thrills and spills of sea kayak sailing.

For some time now I’d been considering merging two of my outdoor sporting passions, those being sea kayaking and coastal cruising. The sailing brings me miles of effortless ocean travel, while kayaking gives an intimacy with the water and coastline, the waves and the ever changing tides. It was after receiving a digital track from the legendary sea kayaker Jon Hynes that gave me the final nudge to commit. The track showed a top speed of 8 knots in his sail assisted kayak crossing of Roaring Water Bay. The decision was made, I finally bit the bullet and invested in a kayak sail for my Valley Etain 17-7 RM.

This is an account of the journey of me coming to terms with the proficient use of the kayak sail and reflecting on my maiden voyage under sail. From the outset the only exposure I had to kayak sailing was on the internet. Surprisingly despite the amount of paddling I have done, I had never been out paddling with someone using a kayak sail or sat in a kayak with a sail fitted. While it was all new territory for me, others had successfully gone down this path ahead of me. My strategy was straight forward, piggybacking on others by talking to those that knew and gain an understanding and insight from their learning and know-how.

On good advice I opted for the Falcon Kayak Sail and purchased one rig and a couple of sail sizes. I wanted to start small, low volume so to speak and gradually power up with a bigger sail as my confidence hopefully grew with time and practice. What was good, was that Patrick Forrester, the founding Director of Falcon Sails in the USA, had the exact same kayak as myself and was most generous in sharing his knowledge and experience by phone.

The ordering process was straightforward on the Falcon Sails website. I loved the way that I could personally tailor my own sails to whatever colours I chose, with a near infinite range of colour combinations. I went for ocean colours, blending into my paddling environment. Down the road, I’m hoping that I won’t regret not opting for more brightly gaudy colours, easily spotted by rescue services should the need ever arise.

I was like a child waiting for Christmas, tracking the parcel from the workshop in Toledo USA onwards to Kerry. By the time the notice of delivery landed, my kayak was already up on the working trestles, dried out and the workbench cleared for tools and the eagerly awaited components. I had watched the informative installation video tutorial a few times over in preparation. When the package landed it was sizable, containing absolutely everything required - from the detailed step by step instructions right down to the spare lock nuts and washers. The crisp sails looked brilliant, but nervously big with the full knowledge that they could easily contribute to an unwanted capsize or worse.

Drilling the deck of your kayak is not for the faint hearted. Nowhere is the adage “ measure twice - drill once” more appropriate. A misplaced fitting or an incorrect tension on the working load could spell disaster down the line. A leaky vessel, a collapsing rig or a jammed halyard are not things to be dealt with while at sea. In saying

that, a basic capacity for DIY projects and a capability to read / follow instructions meticulously is all that is required. No fancy tools beyond a simple drill; a few spanners; hacksaw and an accurate measuring tape are needed. Above all my recommendation is to allow time and be free from other distracting pressures.

The installation was comfortably done within a short working day and thankfully no hitches to report. In saying that there was a lot of in and out of the kayak establishing what is reachable from the cockpit, where are the most comfortable placements for fittings, free from obstructions and from other deck mounted kit. Following a previous learning incident, I had moved my spare paddles from the back deck to the front deck where they were certainly more accessible under pressure. This now created the minor dilemma of over-kitting the front deck, so I decided that I should return the paddles to the back deck and keep my foredeck free of unnecessary clutter and work on my rotational flexibility as a compromise.

By the time I got to the water I had spent time practising in the garden with the hoisting, lowering and stowing of the sail and rigging.

The mechanics and operations were a direct transfer from my sailing experience and it was great having this knowledge to draw upon. It should have been the calmest of days that I decided to venture out on the water for the first time. I’d opted for the more settled inland waters of Caragh Lake, leaving the Atlantic swell for the next step up. Being prudent I phoned ahead for a weather check from a local resident who reported that there was no more than leaves rustling around the lake. Not the case, on arrival the wind was tanking and the small craft warning was indeed accurate.

The instructions and every bit of advice rightly encourages all newbies to start your kayak sailing on a calm day, get the basics right before

pushing ahead in slight, then moderate conditions. My instinct and common sense told me to turn around and wait for another day. However this was overruled by my enthusiasm to give it a try. I launched into a Force 5, white caps onshore wind. Wavelets breaking over the bow and spray being distorted every which way by the rigging. I contented myself knowing that paddling with the sail stowed along the front deck was a skill to be practised even if I never raised the sail.

I paddled out a couple of hundred metres and took the plunge and turned into a broad reach. Now being side onto the wind and waves I decided to raise the sail. In my first attempt the sail was whipped sideways and strained downwind alongside me. Not to falter at the first hurdle, I recomposed and when stable I tried again. This time I moved with greater commitment, a swift pull on the forestay and up the sail went, buffeting in the wind as it rattled past either side of it. Despite having a square metre of canvas positioned vertical from the bow of my kayak I was remarkably stable in the conditions. I eased in the sheet, powering up the sail and I was immediately off and then shockingly close to capsizing. A quick bracing stroke miraculously kept me upright as I continued to surge across the lake.

From the off I was absolutely hooked, the power, the speed, the kayak, the paddler and the nerves were all on edge. I struggled to counter the wind generated forces. When almost across the lake I waited for a perceived lull then paddled through ‘head to wind’ to go about. The wind quickly bit again as the opposite side of the sail powered up and off under full speed towards the landing shore. Positioned with the wind now slightly behind me, I wobbled a few times as I surfed down wavelets each time thankful that I remained upright. While I had studied the rolling tutorial video, I’d no ambition of practising a roll with the sail and rigging dangling out the side of

my kayak on this occasion. I’d hopefully leave that for a calmer day. Those few first thrills over and back across Caragh Lake during a small craft warning were exhilarating. I’d already done enough to finish the short maiden paddle on a complete high.

Funny how things pan out. My second excursion was on a slightly calmer day, although definitely it could still be categorised as blustery conditions. I ventured further out into Caragh Lake, with added confidence tacking back and forth, slowly making my way gradually upwind. Then turning downwind jibing from side to side before repeating the whole exercise over and over again. During these forays, I noticed the outhaul slipping and the back of the sail (known as the clew) slowly stretching further from the boom. I didn’t pay too much attention only to say to myself next time out maybe I should knot it securely in place.

The more pressing consideration was managing the main sheet, which controlled the amount of power filling the Falcon 1m sail. This was a skill to be refined while staying upright in the windy gusts and holding onto the paddle throughout. A few close calls got me thinking of the “what if” scenarios. What if - I capsized with the full rigging in place? What if - I missed my roll and had to bail out? It was then that I realised in my enthusiasm to get going I had failed to stow my bailing pump on deck. This was something you wouldn’t miss until you needed to use it. A swim mid lake was certainly an occasion when it would surely be required on re-entry and in the freshening conditions this was a more than likely possibility. Without further consideration I sailed downwind back towards shore. By this point I had stopped paddling and all efforts were focused on bracing for support, leaning out, countering the wind as the kayak keeled over and the white horses once again appeared on the lake. Having the dexterity to

stay upright; to control the speeding kayak and to release the power simultaneously was still beyond me. I strained hard until the power of the wind got the better of me. Just as I said to myself “I’M GONE!” and resigned myself to a cold ducking, “Bang!” the outhaul pulled through its biting cleat and instantly the power was released from the sail. I was back in my comfort zone. Stowing the rollup sail on deck I paddled for shore, knowing somehow I had escaped a capsize for a second day in a row. I was determined that on my next outing I was going to concentrate on rolling each side fully rigged and prudently I’d hold off on tying the outhaul securely in place, for a while yet. I was just hoping for calmer days to come.

My first venture out onto the ocean with my sail was on an expedition to the Outer Hebrides with my two paddling buddies Sean Cahill and Jon Hynes. Initially the seas were too sketchy to hoist the sail. However weather did allow for the sail to be used on our circumnavigation of Vatersay. For once I could comfortably keep a pace with the lads who had an abundance of paddling power and patience in equal measures. In favourable conditions the sail alone was generating 5 knots and my paddling added to the performance. At one point on a beam reach, all three of us rafted up and progressed averaging at about four knots. Together we travelled over three nautical miles without a single stroke being pulled, driven purely by the wind and steered by the Taran rudder. Up wind sailing wasn’t great with little forward progress being achieved with each tack, albeit the tide was also working against me. Ultimately I coiled up the sail and once again paddled into the wind and over the tide, but well worth trying and getting to know its capabilities.

One of the magical sea kayaking sailing adventures was rounding Loop Head from Kilbaha to the Bridges of Ross. A spectacular

cliff line in its own right, but the joy of paddling / sailing through the narrow 200m passage between Loop Head and Diarmuid & Grainne’s Island was something special. Probably only 20m wide with undulating confused seas, fluky winds and the occasional breaker added to the occasion. I suspect few, if any, had sailed through that passage below Loop Head lighthouse and I thank Sean for the photographic memories of the trip.

Every sea kayaker knows that it is next near impossible to roll with a monkey on your back. The capsizing and rolling with a fully rigged and cleated sail was for me the monkey and I knew unless I overcame this burden I would never progress. My first capsize while fully rigged occurred on an ISKA outing in fresh conditions on a trip from Crookhaven to Schull in winds of 25 km/h. It arose from the most fundamental of errors, which I would never have done in my sailing boat. I attempted to re-hoist the sail whilst heading directly downwind. I had already successfully sailed down the more sheltered waters of Crookhaven, we had regrouped under the coastguard station and were back on our merry way. As I pulled on the forestay to hoist the sail/mast it immediately powered up, long before I could grasp my paddle for support. Instantly I was over and hadn’t the presence of mind to release both the main sheet which spills the wind (in this case water) and the forestay which kept the mast upright. While upside down the sail acted as a sea anchor and presented too much resistance against my usual bombproof roll. After the third attempt to roll up I abandoned ship and suffered the indignation of the multitude of expert rescuers all coming to my aid. Undeterred, I did relaunch the sail and had a complete buzz speeding east towards Schull, supported on a low brace with spray bellowing up from the bow as I temporarily left the fleet in my wake.

I have grown more familiar with both my own capabilities and that of the sail on my kayak. Those with whom I paddle, increasingly see the opportunities which kayak sailing opens up. It’s good to be towards the forefront of one of the innovations in the sport. I’d encourage others to take the opportunity to try out kayak sailing and bring on new horizons for themselves.

For more information check out : https://www .falconsails .com/

Learning to listen to the Earth’s song, our paddling Journey and Code.

This article provides a brief overview of a project undertaken by West Cork Kayak Club to try and play its part in addressing environmental issues.

The code has been created by members of West Cork Kayak Club. Compiled and edited by Amy Walsh and Debbie Heaphy. Illustrations by Tess Glanville. IT by Pa Conway.

We keep hearing the word Sustainable, but do we ever stop to ask what it means?

In its most literal term, it means “the capacity to endure”. For humans, it’s about our long-term wellness which depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources. Systems around us need to remain productive, diverse, and adaptable. Water, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon are distributed through our ecosystems and have sustained life for billions of years. As the earth’s population has increased, natural ecosystems have declined and others degraded. Nature’s natural balance and cycles are altering and changing more rapidly because of our actions.

The global conversation on environment, climate change and sustainability is daunting, negative and overwhelming. We increasingly hear about national and international policies such as the Sustainable Development Goals, The Sport for Nature Framework, and the Citizens Assembly for Biodiversity loss. Often the importance, meaning and interpretation of these policies is not explained or supported. Let us explain some of these simply.

Sustainable Development Goals:

The Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) were developed in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly. The goals are “A Shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for the people and the planet, now and into the future”.

The goals provide us with a platform and a framework to direct our actions and frame our sustainable future. You will increasingly see the coloured SDG logos in the future associated with activities, the following are related to our kayaking activity.

SDGS 3, 11, 13, 14 and 15 relate to good health, community, climate action, protecting life on land and life below water. In relation to SDG 3 which is good health, the neuropsychological benefits of kayaking are well known in relation to our mental health and depression. An important aspect of building sustainable communities is good health and wellbeing.

The Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity loss

Published its report early this year (March 2023) and noted that our water quality is declining with 50% of freshwater systems in poor and deteriorating condition. More recently (June 2023) the EPA’s water quality monitoring of Irish waters supported this assessmnet (EPA, 2023). The assembly recommends a “call to action”. Recommendations include support for community groups to maintain standards and work on projects to improve water systems. As a community group, our members need to connect with the river and sea, understand the extent of the problem and become enagaged citizens.

The Sport for Nature Framework

This brings together sports federations, clubs and events to champion nature and contribute to its protection and restoration (Nature, 2022).

“The Sport for Nature” key principles focus on sport being dependant on nature as without a healthy planet, there is no playground for sport. We are asked to:

• Understand our interactions with nature.

• Take actions to reduce negative impacts.

• Avoid damage to species and habitats, restore ecosystems.

• Create sustainable supply chains.

• Educate and inspire wider sporting communities to take action for nature.

The main objectives of our code have been to bring these policy threads into practice at the planning stage of all trips and events and in our own individual paddling behaviour.

As a community, by developing our code we are putting global and national policies and initiatives into practice. It appears likely that funding and grants will be based on evidence of the development of innovations to put policy into practice.

As kayakers we are immersed in the issues surrounding sustainability. Instinctively because we are on the water, we have a connection to nature. Our connection with nature is important, over and above nature contact, for promoting wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour (Liu, 2022). Nature connection means that when we are connected to a place we innately want to protect it. If we as water users, don’t appreciate the resource or know it from a deep place, how can we affect change in others?

“We must take care of the water and ensure we have a good relationship with it, this relationship is based on mutual respect... we are responsible for taking care of it, in exchange we get to use it” Maracle, 2017

Our Paddling Journey and Our Code.

With the members of West Cork Kayak Club, we embarked on a project to understand what sustainability meant to us. We aimed to increase the connection to where we live with the hope of promoting wellbeing and start a discussion around sustainable paddling and conscious decision making.

We wanted to simplify the subject, incorporate it into daily practice by giving members something tangible that they could do. Something

small, achievable, and easily noticeable. A bottom-up approach, community focused and community led.

Over a period of three months, we devised a 10-point code based upon our club and community values. Our paddler Sustainability Code is as much about ownership looking inwards as about our actions and our impact looking outward on our local environment.

The code is based on what we identified as our community values. Values are personal factors based on instincts, drives and traits and determine your priorities. Our values translated and dictated our actions. What are your values? As an individual what is your guiding value?

Our values and what guides our club

Code 1 Community

As a community we are stronger. We act as one. We can make change. Volunteer, smile, say Hello. Ask yourself What can I do for my community?

Code 2 Carbon Footprint

Think before you trip plan!

Is there a closer trip?

Can you carpool?

Can you do an out and back paddle?

Can you do your weekly shop en route?

Are you carrying surplus stuff in your car?

Code 3 Be Mindful of Nature

Kayaking allows us a duck’s view of the world. When we kayak, we journey through many habitats that are inaccessible to others.We are encroaching on a habitat that isnt our own.

Be sure to behave in a way that is respectful of our place in another animals environment eg follow IWDG guidelines for interactions with whales and dolphins

Code 4 Protect Property

Your smile, your footprint, your care, your consideration, your parking, your trace – will all determine whether you and other users get to continue to gain access to waterways. Lead by example.

Code 5 Park Carefully

Our trip begins in the car park! Ask the following questions: Are you blocking a property? Are you blocking emergency vehicle access?

Can you park in a better spot further away and walk?

Code 6 Biosecurity

Lets protect our native species It’s everybodys problem! It’s not just for river or lake paddlers. Inform yourself, know the potential biosecurity risks of the area you are paddling. Clean and dry you gear. Empty all the water out of your boat before you leave the river, slip or beach. It’s a habit we need to adopt.

Code 7 Look before you launch

Use the moments before you. Launch or when just on the water to appreciate where you are!

Look around you at the trees, stones, sky, water, and wildlife, Listen to the noises around you. Allow yourself to connect to where you are. How lucky are we that we get to kayak? Pause and appreciate where you are.

Code 8 Our environment is alive underneath us!

Why don’t you make “ floaty boaty” your entry method of choice? When you drag your boat you leave microplastics behind. Time your rockhopping better. Be aware of gravel beds, what chemicals do you use to clean? Reduce waste as waste we produce ends up in oceans.

Code 9 Reduce and recycle.

Do you need to upgrade your gear? Can you sell on your old gear? Be conscious of your purchasing Look at labels in products you wash your gear in. Pass on equipment you have not used in a long time

Code 10 Leave only ripples

Leave an environment as you find it or better.

Pick up rubbish- 3 for the Sea Report water issues you may see that concern you. Fill in surveys on Jellyfish, whale and dolphin sightings and invasive species. Let your joy and love for our water and the environment ripple from you and inspire others to act. Be nature’s voice.

What can you do?

By developing your own connectedness to nature as part of your paddling you will become more aware of the environment around you. The most important thing you can do is really connect with nature when you are out. The time you spend isn’t what’s important, it’s the connection you make in that time.

Stop and immerse yourself.

Look at developing your own values about where and how you paddle. Perhaps develop your own paddling sustainability code. This will allow you and your community to decide as a collective how to respond to local issues. Firstly, identify the issues that you think are at stake locally, i.e. biosecurity, no carpooling, unconscious purchasing then secondly identify how behaviour can be modified for the benefit of the whole ecosystem and our future generations of paddlers. We copy what we see people do!

Be the change!

Try the following tasks:

• Find a “Sit Spot”. This involves sitting in the same spot every day for 5 minutes. Over time you will be surprised at daily changes. This helps you get to know local wildlife, shows you what is on your doorstep and helps relax and calm the mind.

• Look at the horizon and then at a tiny piece of nature- a leaf or a small flower, look to the horizon again. Notice nature at a micro and macro level.

• 5,4,3,2,1. This helps you connect to nature around you. It draws all your senses to the abundance of activity around us that we may not notice during our busy days.

• Look for five things. Have a focus: white, blue or pink.

• Feel four things. Observe the difference in textures.

• Listen for three sounds. Are the noises close or far away? High pitch or deep and low.

• Smell two scents. Take a deep breath through your nose.

• Taste one thing. Stick out your tongue. Taste the wind, is there salt or river taste on your lips?

• Embrace the new dawn—have adventures—connect with nature—celebrate sunsets—a new horizon awaits.

Conclusion:

Think of the analogy of a river forming from drops coming together to “join one another, strength in unity”, mirroring the formation of us as ISKA paddlers. Our use of waterways, for our pastime and pleasure means that our local river or sea can be taken for granted, “we do not have an absolute right to use and abuse the water… the water belongs to itself” (Maracle, 2017).

SAR Sense

West Cork Kayak Club Member Martin O’ Treasaigh (Tash) gives helpful guidance on Search & Rescue

We’ve all heard the stories - a group of kayakers in blissful isolation camping on an island in Roaring water Bay, Clew Bay or a similar location, have their peace disturbed when lifeboats and helicopters descend to ‘rescue’ them from their predicament. Or the group of kayakers having fun in a tidal race or practicing rescues in rough conditions that are surprised when the lifeboat charges to their location, ready to pluck them from the danger. This is not how any of us want our trips or activities to go.

It happens many times every year, that members of the public observe kayakers, surfers, paddleboarders and other recreational water users away from shore, and become concerned about their safety. Very often these concerns are justified, and many lives have been saved at sea by members of the public raising the alarm, but also in many instances the emergency services have been called out unnecessarily. While some level of false alarms is inevitable, it is in all our interests that they are kept to a minimum, so what can we as sea kayakers do to reduce false alarms, and more importantly, what should we do if there is an emergency and we do need help?

The National SAR Framework

To answer those questions, it probably helps to have a basic understanding of the Search & Rescue (SAR) infrastructure in Ireland.

The Irish Coast Guard is responsible for all search and rescue operations at sea within the Irish SAR Region, and also for ‘Inland SAR’ on rivers and lakes and in the mountains supporting Mountain Rescue Teams. The UK Coastguard has responsibility for SAR in Northern Ireland. In reality, there is an almost seamless coordination between the two jurisdictions, with SAR units regularly crossing the border in both directions as and when required.

This island and its surrounding waters are divided into four sections:

• From Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough is under the coordination of Belfast Coastguard, although much of the UK SAR operations are managed from Fareham in England. They can be emailed at ukmrcc@hmcg.gov.uk or phoned on +442891463933.

• From Carlingford Lough around the coast to Youghal is under the coordination of MRCC Dublin, based at the National Maritime Operations Centre on Leeson Lane. They can be emailed at coastguardnmoc@transport.gov.ie or phoned on +35316620922.

• From Youghal around to Slyne Head is coordinated by MRSC Valentia. They can be emailed at mrsc.valentia@transport.gov.ie and phoned on +353669476109.

• From Slyne Head around to Lough Foyle is coordinated by MRSC Malin. They can be emailed at mrsc.malin@transport.gov. ie and phoned on +353749370103.

• Inland, the SAR sections converge in Athlone.

Each of these coordination centres is staffed 24/7 and are responsible for tasking the Coast Guard helicopters, Coast Guard boat, cliff and drone units, RNLI units and Community Rescue Boats within their sectors. With the exception of the helicopter crews, all of the above SAR resources are crewed by volunteers from their local communities.

For anyone interested in more detail on this, the National SAR Plan can be downloaded from the Irish government website, and the Strategic Overview of SAR in the UK can be downloaded from the UK government website.

Traffic Reports

The Coast Guard encourage all vessels (large or small) around the coast to lodge Traffic Reports (TRs) with them. It is a good idea for kayakers to make TRs too. These are simple messages to the relevant coordination centre detailing the start and finish points of a planned trip, the number of paddlers, the number and description of boats, ETA at the destination and contact details for at least one person in

the group. If you lodge a TR, it is courteous to check in at the end of the day to report that everyone is off the water. The Coast Guard won’t initiate an alert if you don’t call in to close-out the TR, but it’s the sensible thing to do. Kayakers can lodge a TR by phoning the relevant coordination centre, or by calling the closest Coast Guard Radio station on their VHF working channel. The Coast Guard officers are more than happy to receive your report, however I’m always mindful that it is possible there is an emergency ongoing and they may be busy, so I usually backup my TR with an email, so they can process it when time allows. In an emergency, never phone the Coast Guard directly, always dial 112 or 999.

Raising the alarm

When a member of the public becomes concerned about someone at sea, the alert is usually raised by dialling 999 or 112 on a mobile phone. There are a lot of myths circulating about whether it is better to dial 999 or 112, but in reality it makes no difference once the call is initiated. The only possible difference is at a handset level – mobile phones are programmed to recognise various emergency signals from around the world e.g. 112, 999, 911 etc. Once the handset recognises one of those numbers, it sends an alert through the mobile network that is the same regardless of what the dialled number was.

All emergency calls in the Republic are answered by the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) either in Navan, Ballyshannon or by an ECAS operator working from home. ECAS is a private operation run by O2. The equivalent service in the UK is run by BT.The ECAS operator will ask the caller if they want Gardaí/Police, Fire Service, Ambulance or Coast Guard. For this reason the Coast Guard is often called “The 4th Emergency Service”.

For any water related emergency, or if requested by the caller, the ECAS operator will patch the call through to the relevant marine

coordination centre. A Coast Guard ‘Search & Rescue Mission Coordinator’ (SMC) will deal with the situation from that point on.

SMCs are trained to respond to alerts using the OARS principle:

• Overreact

• Assess

• Reduce

• Stand-down

This means that unless they can prove very quickly that the alert isn’t a real emergency, they will start scrambling helicopters and tasking lifeboat crew immediately. If a kayak is mentioned in the alert, one of the methods they will use to determine if it is a real emergency will be to check if the alert location corresponds to a TR that has been lodged, or if the description of the kayak matches one in a TR. Another method is to call all vessels in the alert area on VHF channel 16 to see if anyone responds. This is why at least one member of the group should be listening on VHF 16 at all times on the water. If a misunderstanding can be cleared up quickly over radio, it’s the best possible outcome from an alert.

Mayday

But what if it’s not a false alert? What if it is you trying to raise the alarm at sea?

These days there at numerous ways to indicate a distress at sea from a kayak. They each have their advantages and disadvantages, and no one method is foolproof.

VHF

The Irish Government’s Code of Practice for The Safe Operation of Recreational Craft advises that sea kayakers should carry a VHF radio

as part of their kit. It is also advisable to take a course to learn how to use it properly and to obtain an operator’s license. Channel 16 is the international distress channel, so any emergency calls to the Coast Guard should be made on this channel, prefixed by the words MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY. As well as alerting the Coast Guard, it will also alert other vessels in the vicinity, that may be able to help before the Coast Guard can respond.

Apart from emergencies, as little communication as possible should be conducted on channel 16. Many modern handheld VHF radios are fitted with GPS receivers and are capable of Digital Selective Calling (DSC). A DSC call can alert the Coast Guard (and vessels within range) and simultaneously give them your location, this is obviously a great advantage, but requires more training and could be difficult to do with numb fingers while holding onto a capsized kayak.

The Coast Guard VHF transceivers are located on “high-sites” to achieve the greatest possible range out to sea, but some kayakers have reported blind spots in VHF coverage close in under cliffy coastlines. Bear in mind that in that situation it may still be possible to contact other vessels that can relay a message, even if the Coast Guard cannot be contacted directly.

Nevertheless, this is a good reminder that no one system is perfect, and any group should carry more than one means of raising the alert.

Mobiles are fairly ubiquitous these days, and many kayakers take them out paddling in a waterproof case of some kind.

When you dial 112 or 999 on any smartphone, it will send your location automatically to the emergency services using a system called Advanced Mobile Location (AML), however there are important exceptions to this.

If you are using a UK phone, say in a border area and the nearest cellular mast happens to be in the Republic, that call will routed to the emergency services in the Republic, and the AML data will not be shared between the jurisdictions. Similarly, an Irish phone in the UK (or any other country) connecting to that country’s mobile network, the AML data will not be shared with their emergency services. Likewise, a phone without a SIM card will not share AML data. In the past I used to have my phone on Airplane Mode when I was paddling. I don’t like to be disturbed with calls and notifications when I’m on the water, and it’s a great way to extend the battery life for recording GPX tracks etc. It is actually possible to dial 112 on a phone in Airplane Mode, so I was happy with that. Little did I realise that a phone in Airplane Mode cannot share AML data with the emergency services. I don’t use Airplane Mode on the water anymore, so sadly I now have to hear to those beeps and rings from time to time.

It is also possible to deactivate AML on some mobile phones, even though it should be enabled as standard from new. It is worth checking your Location Settings to make sure you didn’t accidentally deactivate AML while exploring the sub-menus.

If the emergency services don’t receive AML data, the closest automatic location they will have for you is the position of the cell tower your call is coming in on. This can sometimes be very misleading. Believe it or not, people dialling 112 in Sutton or

Bellingham on the north side of Dublin Bay are often connecting to a mobile mast in Dalkey or Dún Laoghaire, and vice versa.

Personal Locator Beacons

PLBs are a fantastic development of the Cospas-Sarsat technology used for decades by ships and planes anywhere in the world to raise a distress alert and give a location to the emergency services. When you activate a PLB, its signal is detected by the network of Cospas-Sarsat satellites in orbit, and they alert the closest Mission Control Centre (MCC) on Earth. The nearest MCC to Ireland is in the UK. When the UK MCC receive an alert they notify the authorities of the SAR region where the alert was detected. For a beacon activated in the Irish SAR region, they alert the National Maritime Operations Centre on Leeson Lane. For a beacon in Northern Ireland they would contact the MCA in Fareham.

An Irish beacon must be registered with ComReg so that the Coast Guard can match your details with the HEX code and try to make contact with you.

The initial alert detected by the satellite may only be accurate to about 10 miles, but PLBs are also fitted with GPS receivers, so after a few minutes hopefully it will get an accurate position fix and encode that

data in its transmission. Unfortunately, tucked in under cliffs as we kayakers often are, it may take some time for the PLB to contact a Cospas-Sarsat satellite, and even longer to get a GPS fix.

If you activate a PLB in an emergency, leave it on until the incident is finally over. It will get more and more accurate as time goes by, and can indicate the direction and rate you are drifting. If you ever activate it accidentally, contact your nearest Coast Guard coordination centre on one of the numbers listed above and let them know asap. You should also wash your PLB regularly in fresh water to remove salt, and test it regularly (see manufacturer’s instructions).

Other ways to indicate distress

Obviously there are many other ways to indicate distress at sea, from hand signals and paddle signals to flags and flares and an array of modern devices called Electronic Visual Distress Signals (EVDS). There is a lot of debate about the pros and cons of many of these systems for kayakers, and research ongoing into their effectiveness too.

Sea Sense

Some kayakers have told me that you should never call the Coast Guard! I’m sure that was at least partially in jest, but maybe some people do think that way. It is true that Coast Guard time and resources can be wasted by frivolous and prank calls, but many Coast Guard and RNLI volunteers have told me that they would rather be called out 99 times on false alerts than not be called out the one time they were really needed.

It would be great though if we could reduce that 99 figure down a bit by making the Coast Guard aware of where we are and what we are doing by getting into the habit of making Traffic Reports. If nothing else, it lets them know that we aren’t all clueless drifting haplessly out to sea on inflatable toys, and hopefully it will mean fewer unexpected visits by lifeboats when we are out enjoying our sport.

Contributors and Guidelines

Treasna na dTonnta is the e-zine of the Irish Sea Kayaking Association. This issue was edited by Sue Honan and Charlie Daly and designed by Adam May.

We are grateful to the following paddlers who kindly contributed to this issue and provided photos.

• Sean Cahill

• John Brophy

• John Dempsey

• Donal Dowd

• Tess Glanville

• Debbie Heaphy

• Alan Horner

• Chris McDaid

• Martin O’ Treasaigh

• Rob Scanlon

• Amy Walsh

• David Walsh

Notes for contributors

• Treasna na dTonnta welcomes articles and photos

• Send as word document. There is no need to format the document.

• Please send photos in high resolution

• Credit the photographer and name those visible in the photo with their permission

• Have fun writing!

Thank you.

Treasna na dTonnta #67

2023