Author Topic: Fog!  (Read 2650 times)

UKRiverSurfers

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Fog!
« on: September 10, 2014, 03:25:01 AM »
~ SUP Isle Of Wight 2014 ~[/size]


After a last minute decision and a quick look at the charts, Stuttieboy and myself decided that a paddle to the IOW was the order of the weekend.. :)

We arrived at our chosen put in on Saturday night for an early start to catch the tide at 7:30am the following Sunday morning.

Our route was a simple one! Just put in on the seaward side of the spit next to Saltgrass Lane, Keyhaven, follow the spit to the end and then at Hurst Castle, head directly eastwards to Yarmouth.





We awoke to a misty morning...Although the wind was light, the mist slowly turned into  fog!



The XCweather forecast didn't look too good either! :(



And so the fog thickened.. We really were not sure, as you couldn't see more than a 100 meters or so ahead, no landmarks to aim for, nothing.

We only had a couple of hours tide window too, as the tide would be against us by 9-9:30 am...

So stuttieboy started pumping! :)





With a bit of doubt in the back of our minds, and a now or never attitude, we headed off along the spit with an awesome tidal flow! We decided that we'd get to the end of the spit and decide what to do before committing to the foggy sea!













We reached the end of Hurst Spit and then had to make a decision.... Go for it or not??

Go for it was the choice! :)

We had to follow a rough bearing using the iPhone compass!



As long as we kept following our bearing, sooner or later the IOW would just, appear.....So we headed off into the unknown.....





The next leg was just a matter of heads down and keep paddling, following our bearing!

We saw one yacht who just motored by and disappeared into the fog and then a RIB buzzed along, looked at us and the idiot at the helm shouted aggressively at us saying

"You must be crazy paddling here on a day like this"

He really did seem put out by our presence! He was just another joy rider in a motor with more money than sense, and angry too! :roll:  :?

As soon as he buzzed off, there it appeared - The Isle Of Wight :D

Fog?? Easy stuff! :)















We landed on the first beach we came to, just to check exactly where we were and have a quick breather, before we decided to paddle another 2k to Yarmouth Harbour..

By now the tide was just starting to turn, and ebb westwards. Nothing serious, maybe 0.3 -0.5 mph, so it wasn't too hard to paddle against.











After a bit of a slog, we reached our foggy destination. :D  A small beach just west of the harbour breakwater!

Brew time and early lunch!

















After a long break at Yarmouth, waiting for the fog to lift, we were ready for our paddle back. The tide had swung round and was now gonna give us a lift back to the mainland.











We were aiming for Cirdinal Buoy Sconce 22....



Seen here, Sconce 22 really showing the extreme tidal flow!



Once we transited Sconce 22, we could now clearly see Hurst in the distance..... :)



This stretch, about 2 kilometres, took an amazing 9 minutes!! Fastest i've ever paddled on the sea! :)














All we had to do now was paddle about another 2k along the spit... The tide was still in our favour but weakening as we got further away from the castle....



You can see our start point right in the distance....















Job done! :D

We just chilled out for the next couple of hours in the van taking in the stunning setting... This was the first time we'd really seen our camping spot and put in, as it was shrouded in fog a few hours ago.













Its a stunning trip and a perfect 'stealth campervan' spot... One we will certainly do again.
SIC Bullet 17v2 Custom
Richmond Custom Carbon 16'
Starboard Point 14'8
Starboard K15
Starboard Astro Touring 14
Starboad Big Easy
Redpaddle Ride 10'6
Badfish Rivershred
Jackson SUPercharger
Badfish MVP 9'o
Badfish IRS 7'2
Pack OC1 12'

hbsteve

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Re: Fog!
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2014, 05:10:10 AM »
Thanks for sharing such a great adventure.  The guy in the RIB was the crazy one.

Off-Shore

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Re: Fog!
« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2014, 06:41:42 AM »
Great to see this pioneering SUP trip!  Looks like the sun almost came out at the end for you too! The Richmond looks awesome, and good to see that kayak paddle stowed on the back. Having paddled the RedAir Explorer iSUP myself a few times, it may be rib-like, but it is a great stable touring board with a lot of storage capacity.
SB 9' x 33' x 4.1" - RPC 9'8" iSUP - SB All-Star 12'6" - Blue Planet Bump Rider 14 - SB Ace 14 x 27 - RedAir 14' Elite Race - SIC Bullet 14v1 TWC - SICMaui F16v3 Custom

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HksupaHk_SUP_and_Downwinding

pdxmike

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Re: Fog!
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2014, 10:33:23 AM »
UK--I always love seeing your reports of your adventures.  They make me feel like I've been there myself.


That weather report is so boring it would make a great SUP magazine cover if only it were blurred a bit. 

Gramps

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Re: Fog!
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2014, 11:20:08 AM »
Thanks, for taking us along. 

spookini

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Re: Fog!
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2014, 11:54:46 AM »
UK:

Not sure which was more stylish -- the Guinness in pic1, or the mid-80s Oakleys you're stylin' later on in your trip!!   8) 8)
-- My doctor says I suffer from low kook --
Do sharks attack?  Hope not
Do flying fish hate us?  Hells yes

 


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