David Horkan | Kayaking Ireland | davidhorkankayaking.com

Sea Kayaking -Irish Sea Crossing - North Channel

9/1/2015

 

Northern Ireland to Scotland by Kayak

Picture
I did  my first crossing of the North Channel in 2013 when I piggy-backed on a group trip over on a sunny day in June. I don't know how long it took - probably about 6 hours or more. Ever since I have been wanting to go back and have a proper attempt - solo and as fast as possible. 
Dave Horkan Sea kayaking the Irish Sea
I wasn't expecting the Liverpool ferry to cross my path.
The straight line distance from Donaghadee, N.Ireland to Portpatrick in Scotland is 35km but half the Irish sea empties and fills through this gap every 6 hours which causes very strong tidal movements and confused water. Paddling the distance is probably the easy part of this trip, getting your planning right is slightly more difficult!

The poor summer this year has meant that opportunities to do any crossing, and have time off, have been rare so when I saw a brief window in the forecast for the 30th of August I was keen on getting it ticked off. I had also just taken delivery of my new boat - a Zegul Sea Rocket and Iwas excited to give it a good run out. Unfortunately I had a cold all week and I wasn't that confident I would be in shape in time.  I went out for an easy 10km on Saturday to see how I was feeling and made the decision to go for it.  

On Friday I had gotten an unexpected message from Catriona Woods who has done the crossing a few times now. She'd seen the weather window as well and was also planning her own mission. Catriona had to be back for work on Monday so planned on returning by ferry Sunday evening, so this gave me a back up plan if I didn't feel up to paddling back from Scotland. This would be my first proper crossing and solo mission so I was not sure what to expect.
Irish Sea crossing time - David Horkan
Landed just north of Portpatrick.
Picture
Sea Rocket ready to go.
My aim for the crossing was to break the 4 hour mark, test the new boat and my tidal planning. Working out the various factors that will effect your progress can get a bit much after a while, so I decided to keep it simple and aim to be half way across for slack water. Unfortunately my planning didn't work out perfectly and I over shot my intended landing spot by about 2km. Getting on the water 40 minutes late and not adjusting my route enough to compensate was the error that got me into a frustrating battle with the tide within spitting distance of the finish. Lesson learned for next time!

I was tired when I reached Scotland and I felt achy during the paddle. Looking at my BPM readings I don't think I was over the cold I'd  had. I had decided before landing I wasn't going to have the energy to make the return paddle and my arse was sore from the new seat in the boat.
After landing and getting out for a stretch I paddled down to Portpatrick harbour, got changed and went for lunch. I had barely finished lunch and walk around a bit when Catriona Woods landed in to the harbour after a very impressive 4;45 solo crossing and a new PB.

We went for coffee and cake in the Harbour House pub and met up with Willie our lift to the ferry. A gentleman who has been kind enough to drop many a paddler off in Cairnryan for the big boat home.

All in all a good day out and some useful lessons learned for future crossings.

Garmin data and map HERE

Time 3:51
Distance 38km
Picture
Catrina Woods _Portpatrick
1 Comment
Mark Jamison
11/16/2018 03:20:59 pm

Hi David, just been reading your post as myself and a friend are planning a trip from Port Patrick to Carrickfergus this summer. Any advice you could give me would be gratefully received.
Regards
Mark

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Follow @dhkayaking

    Author

    Kayak instructor, athlete, business owner and outdoor enthusiast from the west coast of Ireland.

    Instagram
     Sponsors
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Paddle & Pedal Blog HERE

    Categories

    All
    Circumnavigation
    Cycling
    Guide
    How To
    Irish Open
    Italy
    Kayaks
    Kayaksurf
    Kokatat
    Paddles
    Racing
    Records
    Remix
    Review
    Safety
    Seakayaking
    Surfski
    Training
    Trip Reports
    Trips
    Vancouver
    Whitewater

    Archives

    March 2020
    July 2019
    May 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    February 2018
    October 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • About
    • Blog
  • Home
  • Q & A
  • Expeditions
    • Éire 360° >
      • DONATE
    • Vannav 2016
    • South America
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Reviews
  • About
    • Blog
  • Home
  • Q & A
  • Expeditions
    • Éire 360° >
      • DONATE
    • Vannav 2016
    • South America
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Reviews