Justine’s Blog

I hadn’t been to the Skerries for about a year, but now I’ve been two weekends in a row. Barry and I left left from Cemlyn, just like Clare, Axel and I did, except that we decided to ferry glide out there against the tide! There was a reasonably strong westerly wind and quite a lot of rebounding waves off the north coast of Angelsey so our eddy hop up to Cemlyn was quite bouncy with many waves splashing in our faces. Great! We started the ferry glide from Cemlyn and surprised ourselves that we managed to make it to the Skerries against the tide in quite choppy conditions. I think I was just hungry and wanted to be able to land for lunch! I’m not surprised I was hungry as the journey out there took us over 2 and a half hours! We were both pretty tired by the time we arrived. Going back to Cemlyn with the tide and the waves took a mere 45 minutes but still required energy as the waves were quite hard to surf, but we couldn’t resist. I didn’t take my camera so here’s a photo of Barry at South Stack a few weeks ago, when we went round the Stacks with Alun and Greer.

Thanks to my friends for giving me a fun birthday weekend. It’s been easier to enjoy playing out because it’s been lovely weather in Wales for about a week – calm, sunny, and mild. On Saturday Claire Jones, Axel and I headed to the Skerries in a lumpy swell. Axel has written it up on his blog.

On Sunday, Gemma, Axel and I headed to the Menai Straits to play on the fast moving water between the 2 bridges. We munched on some delicious chocolate presents and supped whiskey from a hip flask to warm us on the waves! It’s the first time I’ve seen people on the white house on the island in the Menai Straits. I told them I’d like to buy their island, but I somehow don’t think I could afford it! Thanks to Axel for the photo. I keep saying I must learn how to twirl my paddle properly!!

Two of my favourite people in the world have just been visiting the UK, and I’ve managed to catch up with them inbetween them doing their Level 5 coach training. Shawna Franklin and Leon Sommes are such fun, enthusiastic, happy people that I find myself smiling just to be with them. Apart from the fun evenings catching up in bars, Indian restaurants and houses, we managed to get on the water twice, with the lovely Axel Schoevers from the Netherlands. On Saturday we went to Puffin Island to see the seals and have a bit of a surf in the tidal race. A seal tried to eat my toggle on my tigerskin boat, before putting it’s head onto my paddle!

Yesterday Tara joined us and we intended to go to Penrhyn Mawr tidal race. We got distracted surfing the 3-5foot waves on Portdafarch Beach for 45minutes, and were already uncertain about tackling the infamous tidal race in the large swell and the force 4/5 wind. As we approached the headland where we can see Penrhyn Mawr, the waves reached several metres high and although they mosly didn’t break, it was exhilerating, and occasionally unnerving, to be pointing nearly vertically uphill then nearly vertically downhill! When we were on the top of a crest we occassionally got a glimpse of Penrhyn Mawr. It was impossible to judge the conditions perfectly but there was alot of white water and we decided to take the safer option and surf the swell in the opposite direction to Trearrdur Bay. It was a beautiful day with moody clouds and plenty of salt spray and just fun to be on the water with friends. I love big swells for making you feel so alive. We had some lunch at Trearrdur Bay and another surf in the beach break, before heading back to Porthdafarch against the wind. What a lovely day on the water! Leon was wearing my leopard skin explorer and it was great to see him in it (although Igot a bit confused at times since I am usually in it!). Thanks to Axel for the photos!

My sister and I are in Jersey for my mothers 60th birthday celebrations. All I’ve done for 3 days is eat and talk (OK, and drink) – I can’t complain really; as my wise friend Tom once said ‘Eating is a pleasure you can have 3 times a day every day – why deny yourself’! However, I better not do that every weekend!

Just to prove that I’m not always in gortex, here are 2 photos of our 2 evenings out – showing me with my parents and my sister Holly. I did manage to meet up with seapaddlers Kevin and Nicky Mansell for breakfast at Plemont beach this morning and enviously watched clean lines of 5foot surf crashing down onto the beach – not a surfer in sight. I do have a surfboard and a shorty wetsuit in Jersey, but I have more food to eat at my parent’s house and a 3pm flight home, so the surf will have to keep crashing onto the sand, without breaking over my head on the way! Maybe Wales tomorrow…..???