Grannagh to Dunmore East

The tides were favourable to do this paddle on Sunday morning. High tide was at 0940 and this meant high tide Waterford Bridge at 1040. We planned to be on the water in Grannagh about 1015 to arrive Waterford Bridge at slack water. I checked the eddies under the bridge the previous day and they do need to be treated with respect when the river is on full flow. We did the obligatory car shuttle to Dunmore East and the place was chock a block with cars as there was a sailing regatta so we ended up parking a distance from the slip - this meant when coming ashore later we would have to carry boats if the large crowd was still around.
When we got back to Grannagh we put in at about 1045 and went under the centre span of Rice Bridge at slack water around 1110. It was a great feeling to finally paddle down through our home town! We had never seen Waterford from this perpective and I was amazed at the size and number of boats moored in various locations along the river. Later in the trip as the current picked up we clocked 11km/h at one stage without even trying. We had two stops along the way - Cheekpoint and Fornaght Strand near Creadan.
As we rounded Creadan the wind had picked up a bit and we kept our heads down paddling to make Dunmore East around 1545. The regatta had finished and we did have to carry our boats some distance to the cars. The trip in total was 31km (as per GPS) which makes this our longest paddle to date.
One of our more memorable trips and the conditions were perfect!

Visit to Rockpool Kayaks

Myself and Paul always admired the design of these kayaks and it was on the shortlist when I bought my Aquanaut. I've since regretted not having bought an Alaw instead and so decided to ring Rockpool to try them out. Mike Webb (owner of Rockpool) said he could accommodate us at any stage if we came over for some paddling.
And so it began...Steve and Paul's Big Adventure! We had an early rise (4AM) to catch the Irish Ferries High Speed departing Dublin at 0845. We arrived in Holyhead around 1045 and Mike collected us from the terminal and brought us to the workshop where the kayaks are made. We got the guided tour and met the lads who actually craft everything. Mike also went into detail of the fittings and design of the Alaw. He has some really innovative features - an example being the skeg which doesn't kink the cable if you forget to retract it coming ashore. I was amazed at how light and well balanced the kayaks are to carry. We got changed and Mike dropped us off at Trearddur Bay for some paddling. Conditions were windy with on onshore F5 and this gave us a chance to see how the boats handled in the wind. Performance was very good and the edging was impressive. I also liked the hanging thigh braces and this gave a good secure feeling when edging and bracing. We tried all 3 boats - the Alaw Bach, Alaw and the Menai. The Alaw Bach is the low volume version of the Alaw and this boat fitted me the best. Paul preferred the Alaw. The Menai is a longer boat mainly for expeditions and was very stable. The picture shows the Alaw Bach (blue), Alaw (white) and the Menai (yellow). The only difference between the Alaw and Alaw Bach is the raised deck in front of the cockpit to give extra leg room.
Mike collected us after the paddle and showed us some of the very scenic Welsh coastline. We then had a cuppa with the lads back in the workshop and talked more about the boats.
I've ordered an Alaw Bach and over the next few days will decide on color and deck graphics. Theres various choice of patterns including the hallmark starfish, seaweed etc. Its harder doing this part than picking the boat.
We got dropped back to the ferry and were home in Waterford at around 10PM.
My boat will be ready the first week in April and I'm really looking forward to its sea trials! Many thanks to Mike Webb in Rockpool kayaks for being so welcoming.