WE TRIED THAT
The Ultimate Way to enjoy the coast!
BOATInG IS A nOTORIOUSLY EXPEnSIVE PASTIME BUT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS OF EnJOYInG THE DART WHICH DOn’T BURn SUCH A LARGE WHOLE In THE POCKET. by Emma Jones
“F
ancy a go at sea kayaking?” asked Mark, our Publisher. “Sure,” I replied – without really taking in what I’d
agreed to do. In reality I was a little nervous. I’m not overly fit, I’m the wrong side of 40 and any kind of activity on the water with my husband normally results in threats of divorce! However, these past couple of weeks the sea has sparkled and the sun has succeeded in buoying up my confidence levels and enticing me out onto the water. The morning arrived and we crossed
the river to meet up with our instructor, Ben and our fellow kayakers – a group of 3 from the distant climes of Exeter! Ben kitted us up quickly in the
necessary gear to keep us and our belongings safe and dry – thankfully no sign or indeed need for wetsuits. After a concise and clear briefing we set off down the slipway. I was anticipating an ungamely manoeuvre into the kayak but it was both surprisingly easy to balance and push off and with modern additions of foot and back rests - comfortable as well. We paddled off in a line towards the castle whist hugging
the Dartmouth embankment heading out to the sea (cue Hawaii Five-0 music).
It is seemingly the ultimate way to
sightsee in Dartmouth with unrivalled views of BRnC and in the space of 3 hours we paddled past the paddle steamer,
the Cardiff Castle and passed by the steam train just before reaching shore. You quickly understand why sea kayaking is so popular and unlike rowing you can see where you are going and it’s surprisingly relaxing. It’s a chance to see the bits everyone else doesn’t – other boats can’t venture as close or manoeuvre as quickly and it doesn’t take long to get away from the crowds and pleasure boats. As you head out to sea there are hidden caves and coves to explore and close to Kingswear Castle even a WW2 torpedo store. It’s also a perfect time to be at one with nature without the noise of engines. We spotted shags,
were joined by a trio of ducks and hoped for a sighting of the elusive local peregrine falcon. The kayaks are pretty stable and even as
we ventured further out to sea, the waves and
wind did increase but that gave us enough of a challenge without scaring us silly. We all remained pretty dry too - except poor Ness who inadvertently demonstrated a perfect capsize. Calmly and deftly Ben
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