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Thursday evening
The planning is complete and I had a phone conversation with the Coastguard this afternoon so they know my plans. Tomorrow I plan to set off from Lepe Country Park at about 14:30. With luck I'll have shown Janella how to update this blog before then.
Friday morning
Weather forecast updated, now its time to pack and go. Janella has been shown how to update this site.
Monday evening
Well the Blackberry technology failed to provide acces for Janella to update the blog, but the more traditional art of paddling did not fail. I completed the circuit in 23hours, including a 4 hour sleep in the middle of the night. What were the highlights:
- Speeding down the western arm of the Solent assisted by a gentle tail wind and a superb push from the spring tide;
- Watching a raven at Alum Bay;
- Flat calm through the Needles;
- Scary stuff in the night around St Catherine's Point - not much swell but I could hear waves breaking on the shore, waves breaking on partly submerged rosks further out to sea and able to see nothing;
- A surf landing at Shanklin in the dark;
- A beautiful sunrise;
- Sighting the Spinacker Tower as I rounded the eastern tip of the Island at Bembridge;
- Finally seeing Lepe in the distance and eventually making landfall.
And impossible without:
- Shore support from Janella and Hilary - moral only, no physical assistance
- Encouragement from the Coastguard each time I spoke to them
- A kayak trolley for the haul up and down Shanklin beach!
Peter
