The first swell

Orkney from a different viewpoint...

The First Swell - The Shorties entry from Tim Boydell on Vimeo.

Storm roll

This footage is from a couple of weeks ago and is at about the stage where I am starting to feel its solid enough on one side to start building up the other side. If I fail on the other side I can always go back to the side I started on and analyse what works. I find if I start a new set of rolls on both sides its more problematic to build up a muscle memory.

Since then I have taken these rolls out into F4 and a following sea and I am quite happy with how they work (apart from a couple of unexpected mouthfuls of briny water). 

I am nearly at the stage of making a list of the rolls and tackling them in an organised fashion. I really enjoy getting a new roll, but its a bit of a solitary business up here, so any feedback is most welcome.

Unfortunately I seem to be unable to comment in reply to those left on posts here on blogger so I am posting in FB too, it has been great to get involved in conversations about GP rolling and watching everyone develop or finesse their rolls.

Copinsay and The Horse

A trip to Copinsay with Kate and Mary.

After checking my tidal planning and estimating how long it might take to make the crossing we set off, only to be greeted by the man who caught the lobster we had enjoyed for tea the night before.

'He was delicious! Thank you!'

 About 45 minutes of paddling later we approached the pier.

Nearly there.

 After being warned that we were making a dangerous landing we decided to proceed to The Horse.

Kate decided it would be rude not to.

Mary, mid- channel.

Leaving The Horse.

Back over to Copinsay.

Approaching the light.

 Great slabs lie at the bottom of the cliffs at the side of Copinsay exposed to the open ocean swell.

As we paddled along the swell washed gently up over the slabs before powerfully rolling back down.

Kate and Mary paddled the margin. I watched from a little further out...

Rockfalls and caves.

 Further along past the light the cliffs receded and the caves were high above the slabs.

From the lighthouse looking back towards Deerness and Mainland Orkney.

 We climbed the hill to the light, after a bit of lunch with another solo paddler we met on the shore.

The cliffs from above.

Looking back towards The Horse.

 After a quick explore we signed the visitors book and headed off again.

'Look who has been here!'

Before leaving we encountered hundreds of seals, Mary sat on some rocks and paddled the tiderace.

Aground.

The wind blew us back to Newark on a pleasant following sea.

A great day of paddling and exploring!

Paddle Orkney '11

50 paddlers, 24 coached sessions, 3 trailers, 1 helicopter 7 coaches later... phew!

Oscar Charlie.

Mary, Gordon and Todd.

Getting a look inside.

A raft of paddlers experiece the downwash.

 (My camera decided B&W would be better for these shots without telling me).

Dinner at the Rugby Club.

Broken Strings play on Saturday night.

As folk upload photos and video  hopefully we'll be able to share some of the best paddling shots and video highlights through our website as well as via this blog and our FB page.

Thanks to all our participants and sponsors and organisers.

We are extremely grateful to our excellent coaches - Jas, Gordon, Paul, Kate, Todd, Bruce and Dave. Thanks for coming to Orkney!

Read about Kate's Orkney trip round Graemsay here, her circumnavigation of Hoy here and rounding South Ronaldsay which at one stage was like 'Penrhyn Mawr on steroids' here.