Danny's Sea Kayaking Trips

Friends and family on the water !

2011-06-10T20:16:00.010+01:00

Lauren and Lee's newly out- fitted wooden Sea kayak . It's a "handmade" 14 foot Sea Dart which was lovingly built by James - my brothers wife's dad , I added a few modifications

for safety and kid proof reasons - ie grab lines and bungees .

The youngsters love it to bits and it tracks brilliantly a great boat for them to learn in.

CLICK ON ANY PHOTO'S TO ENLARGE .

This is a special woman called Elaine or SHOOTER as she prefers who Left Whitehead my village on an amazing journey solo around Ireland via Sea kayak all in the need of charity

her journey can be tracked here - http://www.canoearoundireland.com/content/shooters-blog my best wishes are with her and we all hope to see her back here in a few week's time .

Co Antrim yacht club's newly renovated boat house with the storage facility's for many kayaks which was opened by Elaine shooter and local Councillor's.

The new boat house.

Shooters support unit if required.

Shooter herself and Sammy Wilson MLA I think ?

Her new Valley Etain waiting on the start line on a lumpy sea day.

A poor German film crew braving the cold wind and sea-spray

at Whitehead slipway .

Whitehead on a calmer day,

Lee and I having fun paddling from one side of the bay to the other.

The kids Sea dart under trials !

The two of us posing for photo's .

Roy and Dawn enjoying a cold but great day at Brown's Bay

This was their first voyage in the new boat they just bought,

last reports were they were spotted around Cape Horn, they have never been seen again !

Happy chappies

My friend Philip surfing up at Ballygalley and me in the ocean taking the photo's.

Sun fish in Northern Ireland waters ! 1st Sept 10.

2010-09-01T18:44:00.006+01:00

No its not plastic bag I swear ! its a very rare Sun fish or (Mola mola) to be correct.
I spotted it just of the coast between Blackhead and the first headland near the the Gobbins cliffs. Its a strange looking fish which can grow to 10 feet across or more usually found in the tropics and at extreme depths 3-4 hundred feet , they eat jelly fish and this one was on its holidays to Northern Ireland for some strange reason .
It was the strange fin slapping the water which caught my eye and when i paddled over - it was unmistakable as the Sun fish.

The fin slapping on the surface.
click on photo's to enlarge

The wife and JC on a flat calm morning.
Looking for a lunch spot .
Heading back to Whitehead.
JC and Michelle , thank-you for another great wee day out !

Video of "low impact rolls" , I will be trying these !

2010-08-03T22:40:00.003+01:00

Courtesy of www.kayakquixotica.com click above text to see video .
thank you Derrick.

Jamesy's first sea paddle June 22nd 2010.

2010-06-22T22:27:00.002+01:00

A great mornings paddle and rescue practise at Carrick and the marina thanks to JC .

Love the puffed out cheeks while doing a bow rescue Jamesy !

Island Magee coast Northern Ireland 15th June .

2010-06-18T19:50:00.003+01:00

How about this lay by for a lunch break

Alan dwarfed by the cliffs .

Young Razor bills i think ? sunning themselves.

Heat haze closing in on Blackhead but it cleared by the time we got to it .

My sea boat above ,
Many thanks to Peter B , Alan and JC for their company ! great wee paddle and

hope to do the whole trip over again very soon .

Cloughey kayaking capers ! 21st May .

2010-06-03T22:22:00.004+01:00

A fine specimen of a Northern Irish kayaker with a Co Down seaweed wig ! (click on photo) it even looks like it's platted for goodness sake - thanks Julie lovely picture of me , I really enjoyed the day and thank-you for the hospitality and BBQ , hope to see you all on the water very soon .

Eileen doing the old (James bond girl ocean scene) Irish sea style !

Robert and I about to hit shore at Cloughey bay , his first time in a Sea kayak.

Eileen and I having a chat about the deadly sharks in our waters .

Michelle husky getting to grips with a P&H Capella sea kayak but i think she prefered my Valley Avocet .

Some of my travels in April and Michelle's first paddle MAY 2010 - 12 miles .

2010-06-01T12:25:00.006+01:00

Very expensive flotsam and jet sum ! One - P&H Quest and three P&H Capella's of course my red Valley Avocet , being used as anchor on the steep shingle at the White harbour near Whitehead co, Antrim.

In April whilst on an over night'er on Salt island I met up with my good friends Marlyn and Bob who own the Manx Sea Quest , they came all the way from Peel - Isle of Man to visit friends in Portaferry. We arranged an eyeball at Strangford lough narrows and via VHF radio , and we met up on a perfectly calm and sunny Sunday morning Marlyn is the one in blue waving lol !

My kids and Myst the husky enjoying playing the kayak in the back garden i just had to post this.

Lunch break at the White harbour and Michelle ready for a breather !

Kilroot jetty and Michelle going under it ! the reason for the length of this pier is to allow large oil tankers to dock which feed fuel to the nearby power station .

The wife racing on !

Chilling out on the way back after a little wave surfing due to a little swell from the N.E wind a few day's earlier.

Fishermans Quay to Whitehead March 2010.

2010-03-23T15:21:00.003Z

Heading out from Carrickfergus - Fishermans Quay

Storm looking happy , and our 800 year old Norman Castle in the background!

The group passing Kilroot power station and looking at the salt jetties.Storm thinking about jumping .

This ship was being loaded with rock salt from the huge mines under Carrickfergus , even as i write someone may be a few 100mtrs below my house working away !

The Husky getting a little bit nervous as a fishing boat comes close !

Paul and Warren working hard lifting pots .

Heading back to base and looking forward to dinner ,

many thanks again to everyone for a great day out .

A little chilly out younder !

2009-12-31T14:28:00.003Z

My two Siberian Huskies - Myst & Skye had only limited success at digging through the frozen beach at Castlerock but it was nice to look at , sadly the poor old sea kayak was left back home under its warm cover and it was much missed !

The two girls chilling out with a snowy Co, Donegal in the background .

Happy 2010 to all and may the new year bring some great kayaking paddle safe .

Danny and family .

Poor Sammy the Seal !

2009-12-06T17:24:00.003Z

My Siberian Husky sniffed out and found this young Seal inside Carrick marina resting on rocks , i think it has injured its flipper and it took refuge here to shelter from the storms we had over this weekend. Animal welfare guys and local Police will be taking care of Sammy, fingers crossed all goes well for him ! UPDATE !! he is doing well and has been named Paddington, he's about 5-6 weeks old and has got a chest infection and the on going treatment will sort that out for him ! my kids and i are going to visit him at Portaferry Exploris Aquarium very soon , I will take a photo or two while there , a happy ending thanks to all the Exploris staff Tania and Leslie

The Maidens - West / East Lighthouses

2009-10-11T21:42:00.006+01:00

The Maidens are lighthouses in the North channel Between N.Ireland and Scotland . 13 miles from Larne port on the Northern irish side .
From the land they can look like two (world war two Destroyers ) and there is an old story kicking about here saying the German uboat/navy mistaking them for such !
For over the last 20 years I have wanted to visit them and it came true thanks to Pete E .
Weather and tide need to be perfect , if you get caught out here you are in big trouble.

Sammy seal !

High and dry , but my boats plastic thank goodness.

Baldy himself, on top of the old tower with the new one behind me .

1903 was the last time this Light was working and the place has fell to ruin .

Spud picking , they still grow here after all this time and Rick plans to try and grow this potato back home , many have tried but failed they thrive here due to a plenty full supply of bird ----!

and are supposed to taste good , but I will stick to Tesco's best !

Bit of a drop 60 feet to be correct but a cracking view on a brill day, thank you lads until next time .

Maiden west 1 km from the active east light.

"Manx tails" - Isle of Man July 2009

2009-07-28T18:44:00.002+01:00

Jellies everywhere in long lines as far as the eye could see , just off the Peel coast .

Marlyn and her fantastic boat the Manx sea Quest . This is my family just after docking in Peels new marina after a evening full of Basking Sharks , Minke Whales and Puffins !

Shark ! one of only between 10 -20 we saw that evening , The Basking shark is an animal i have been studying for a number of years now and IOM is a hot spot during June -August for them,

Although harmless to people they are huge - 30 feet or more and maybe five tons in weight,

and are the second largest shark in the world but for their size they eat the smallest thing in the sea - Plankton tiny shrimp like animals which is abundant around the Irish sea this time of year and especially so in Manx waters.

A spot of canoeing at Ramsey boating lake .

Ramsey lifeboat station , the kids getting a close look courtesy of Ally the crew member

hiding out of shot .

CLICK HERE ! VIDEO of Isle of Man July 2009 Basking Sharks YOU.TUBE VIDEO.* click here *

2009-07-18T23:40:00.007+01:00

Basking Shark heading right for me and Ian !
A small Shark along side me only 30 foot or so !

Lauren getting a tow on her board , a new sport in the making ?

New sea kayakers being born , a male and i think a female heading for the safety of the sea kayak in the distance .

The Place of my dreams - Peel on the beautiful Isle of Man ,
ten days flew past but my memories will last forever.
Many thanks to Jess , Ian and Geoff for a great paddle see you soon.

Northern Irish coast .

2009-07-04T22:43:00.007+01:00

Rathlin Island stuck in between a weather sandwich and looking very mystical six miles away.

Carrick a ree rope bridge in the far distance joining the little island.

Sheep Island - with a Gannet colony easy heard from some distance away.

View from Balintoy harbour south.

Balintoy harbour

Sunrise Northern Ireland style above :

4:42 am 1st July I took the wife and kids on an all nighter fishing trip to Balintoy, a lovely old natural Irish harbour right on the tip of N.Ireland.

11:00 pm the night before just for the hell of it we headed up north ! and what fun we had

from eye-balling sea otters ,catching Pollock and Wrasse ,to listening to Grey Seals snoring and sleeping it rough in the motor,

I also earmarked this spot for a carefully planned sea paddle as the waters up here are deadly fast and are prone to huge Atlantic swells,

but the whole coast is outstandingly beautiful and i cant wait to kayak it.

Me on sea Otter watch five o clock in the morning , soon as i turned my back the wife clocked one and it even came up the beach to show off its belly and play !

Mourne Mountain Challenge aid of Northern Ireland Hospice .

2009-04-14T23:01:00.006+01:00

Not much to do with Kayaking I know - but for a very good cause ! we swapped latex water proofs for Gortex water proofs and my wife Michelle and I took part in the first ever Mourne Mountain Challenge 17.5 km ( 10 miles ) this place inspired C .S. Lewis to write the books about Narnia and the same for me to write this !

in aid of the Northern Ireland Hospice which was the place my Mum spent her last few days battling cancer.

She was under the great care of the Volunteers and staff at Somerton road building Belfast which relies much on the public for donations to remain open .

A good few quid was raised and we met some really good people and the weather was clear but bitter and the crac was 90 ! we managed no blisters and looking forward to next year.

Thank you to all who helped and gave money to keep this much needed place afloat.

In Memory of Mum who died a few weeks ago , you never did get the chance to see the Mournes after all ,

maybe your looking down at them now at peace and not in pain , xo your loving son Danny.

SNOW !

2009-02-06T16:49:00.005Z

Michelle ( wife ) and kid's at the Dam near my home,
and the best place for sledging

Sunset at Woodburn dams, there is talk of one of the dams

being used for watersport's .

Michelle and my wee lad Lee having fun ,

just what life is all about !

Canadian Wild Geese !

2008-12-14T21:29:00.006Z

Woodburn river leading into Belfast lough

Kilroot power station and Carrickfergus a few miles away .

Yes frost on the ground ! -4 degrees c at the slipway 9:50 am .

Ireland's smallest Castle ? Greenisland .

Light bellied Brent Geese on Belfast lough all the way from Canada !

Royal Navy at anchor - Belfast lough .

2008-09-23T14:48:00.003+01:00

William and I paddled out from Carrickfergus to get a closer look at HMS Enterprise .
Me and H88 flying their insignia
HMS Enterprise is a State of the art mapping ship and dual role warship ,
and was in supporting the Sea Cadets UK regatta which was held at Carrick Castle .

William and I got permission to get very close to ship , and we had a little chat with an Officer, who gave us a little bit of history and general talk about the Enterprise who are not long back from Iraq . Thankyou to the crew and the Captain on the bridge who gave us a wave.

Heading back to Fisherman's Quay.

Back on terraferma.
William
One of the attractions was the Royal Marine Commando's abseil tower and their marching band.
The sail ability weekend , for those with special needs , being well supported. An old sea dog "Vambo" my mate on his trawler the Audacious which I fished off a few years ago . Is that a beer belly I see developing ?

Can you check my Skeg mate !

2008-08-01T18:39:00.005+01:00

In the last few days loads of people have came to me for advice in relation to sea kayaking , being a relative newcomer myself of only a few years I point most people to my paddling club or the Internet . It just amazes me the amount of interest and older people than me out there ( said quietly ) who are looking some sort of escape from normal hum drum sports like the garden and speed knitting !

Well hats of to them all for getting out there and kayaking - it's a bug that only gets worse !

Above picture , Tojo - his first time in a sea kayak and me under the Irish sea looking for treasure ! GREAT CRACK .

Paddle buddy Isle of Man - Sunday 13th July 08.

2008-07-19T00:55:00.005+01:00

Eleven paddlers took to the water at Port Erin and headed for the
Calf of Man with a short stop to look at the basking shark sighted in the sound.

The weather was superb and the welcome was even better !
Carole in the middle "my new French teacher "
The stunning coastline just south from Port Erin
My new "grass fibre" sea kayak , isnt she a beauty !! my campsite scars in the Isle of Man,
which is located bang in the middle of the Irish sea between N. Ireland and England .
I was told it takes only 10 minutes to climb to the top of the Island - aye by Helicopter !
maybe , my feet are still sore ! but the view was worth every stride .
Looking back to Peel south to north from the Calf of Man the little island just off
Isle of Man .

Some nice tide races are to be found here , Chicken rock in the distance.
The harbour for a little break . A big thank you to everyone and I can't wait to go back . ps I will not go mountain climbing again Jessica I swear .

Copeland Island's to Donaghadee Safety cover . 15.06.08

2008-06-16T19:00:00.007+01:00

The winner on my right and runner up left and a happy man centre ! me.
Had to slip this one in , a " Trent class " all weather lifeboat , this time it's Donaghadee's turn !

Taking the plunge , into a fast tide and water temp around 11 c .
Tarron behind me 15 minutes into the race and the conditions getting worse. Touch down ! at the harbour around the 49 min mark . Mervin in the red boat glad to see his brave wife on hard ground after a hard slog through an ever increasing sea .
I had great fun and met some new faces , cant wait till I put on a spray deck again , thanks to everyone there .

On Sunday five brave soul's endured the cold Irish sea !

Four women and one man swam the treacherous gap from the Copeland island's to Donaghadee on the County Down coast of N.Ireland for charity and triathlon point's ,

Six paddler's Pete Mervin Ernie Tom Neil and me Danny ! all paddled to the island to await the competitors also covering the race were the R.N.L.I. in a rib and a support vessel with a camera crew on board.

We each had a swimmer to guide across the fast flowing sea . My swimmer Tarron was a so called ( iron man ) was a very nice fit lady triathlete who would make someone in the SAS regiment look like a boy scout , only joking !

49 minutes was the finish time by my swimmer who came in first ! at one stage there was nearly an extra swimmer in the water as the sea got quite choppy near the end and I had to brace a few times in quick succession ! due to rouge waves from behind ! but somehow I managed to stay sunny side up and I was pleased to paddle in with the winner following me , well done to this remarkable lady and a big congratulations to her . ps who made that soup in the pub afterwards ? Tomato , lentil and Tabasco !! nice - but some mixture HOT , I am still suffering .

Portmuck fun May 08"

2008-05-11T21:53:00.005+01:00

Above : are my Chariot & my Valley Avocet , also Muck island nature reserve just visible near my cockpit. Below - the view of Portmuck from half way up the hill , on a clear day Scotland is easly seen , but the heat haze today obscured it .

My children love the sea , and at every chance , they board my sea kayak for a little go ! This week the weather has been very good and the sun tan oil has well slapped on !

I am trying out the video on my blog , sorry about the quality .

Portrush Lifeboat on the North Antrim coast - N.Ireland

2008-05-11T11:48:00.003+01:00

The crew at Portrush R.N.L.I. station warmly gave my family and I a little guided tour and taught us more about boats and the history of the volunteers who risk there lives to save others.
This is a Severn class all weather boat , cost -two million pounds ! the boat is part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institutions' reserve fleet , the reason - the original boat was severely damaged during a stormy rescue of the coast of Rathlin island recently and the damage may result in the (Katie Hannan 17-23) being retired for training only. A big thank you to all at the station and cheers for the little gifts the kids got , we all had a great time .

My first sun-burn of 2008 ! Island-Magee coast Co.Antrim.

2008-04-29T21:46:00.010+01:00

The Scottish coast under a cloak of thunder storms , about 15 miles away over the other side of the Irish sea. Whitehead and the oil jetty at Cloghan point .

My friends summer home near the shore. ( Lucky devil ).
Tea-time ! and every few minutes you could hear the calls of Pheasants echoing from the countryside , spring is underway! The gobbins cliff's in the distance .
Rounding the headland.
Razorbills and Cormorants nesting on the cliff face.

Blackhead lighthouse.
The squad rounding Blackhead !
Ernie , Peter and Kevin and me about to have a lunch break. Peter's new Capella and my red Avocet.
In the distance if you enlarge the photo you can just make out the Copeland Islands Co Down .

This is a photo of a little hand cleared slipway at IslandMagee which I used many times in the 90's when my friend had a small boat tied up here .

Steven and I used to set the odd lobster pot and fishing net just off the shore here which was very successful .

Short sleeves today as the weather was fantastic ,as I write with beetroot arms !

The Lagan descent kayak race - Northern Ireland. 20.4.08.

2008-04-27T20:36:00.012+01:00

Michelle and I
The race about to start .
Half way mark and thumbs up from the boss !

Michelle and I both entered the race just for the sheer fun , and to meet up with some old friends we missed from the pool sessions and other paddles we did last year .

The race is 10 miles long and snakes its way through Belfast's valleys and parks and has in times of flood has some very interesting rapids and weirs which I've run a few times with my heart in my mouth ! but as always it was great fun .

This was my other half's first time on a river " hangover and all " and she was over the moon when she shot her first weir at Edenderry like a pro ! but the next one - lets just say backwards and wrong side of weir and no more !

For a great day and some nice scenery have a go , you don't know what your missing .

A big thank you to all at Belfast Canoe Club and thank you Mark for the race T shirt that Michelle has adopted as a second skin , can't wait till November for another go !

Roll on summer ! 15.4.08.

2008-04-15T21:53:00.004+01:00

Lauren and Lee fossil hunting at the shore line at Carrickfergus , which I did with my dad 30 years ago ! boy time flies.....

My local harbour tonight at 8pm , I had the kids out for a walk burning off some of their energy and I caught the sun lighting up our 800 year old castle , further on down the jetty I saw two paddlers hugging the coast and their blades glinting in the sun every few seconds , so I'm itching to get on the water, fingers crossed for this weekend !

Killyleagh to Castleward 25th March 08 " Click here for Video of the trip - courtesy of Desi B.K.C "

2008-03-30T14:48:00.008+01:00

Ernie in his pride and joy - a new Valley Aquanaut
With the wind on our tails it was a quick trip down to Castleward , south of Killyleagh.

The large and impressive grounds around Castleward stately home looking a little gloomy at this time of year but in a few weeks spring will change that ! The house can be seen on the hill looking out towards Strangford lough , I was inside the house years ago and it was like a time warp to Queen Victoria's time !
Some of the group .
Peter enjoying the new found freedom of sea kayaking .
Desi and Ernie with Portaferry in the distance , with the ever present common Seal not far away.

Our put in spot at Killyleagh.
Calm waters
The fleet - my red Valley Avocet , A lovely old Valley nordkapp belonging to Desi , Deirdre's P&H Capella , Kevin's home built sea kayak , and two Valley Aquanaut's glass and rm owned by Ernie. The tide came in at a ferocious rate , minutes later our boats were almost afloat! The walled back garden owned by the National Trust (Castleward)
Desi using the original paddle for sea kayaking , it's a hand made wooden Greenland paddle lovingly crafted by him ! and they are a dream to use as I have borrowed it for rolling practise in the pool on a few occasions

You learn something new every day !

2008-03-09T20:25:00.015Z

The Strangford ferry - gliding over to Portaferry, the speed of the tide here is amazingly very fast , a narrow opening to a vast body of water running in and out of the lough which is many miles in length has claimed many victims over years and is littered with shipwrecks spanning 100's of year's , at low tide you can see some of them even today!
But to the hardy kayaker this is heaven , not me - but I do know those who dance it's whirlpools and eddys no names .
This is Alabama an 8 month old grey seal who was rescued and brought to the aquarium/sanctuary here in Portaferry Northern Ireland after being caught up in a fishing net, which left a wound on the seal's neck , but its well on the way to recovery and will be released back to the wild at the start of April, a happy ending this time !

This is a replica of the Megladon's kisser and trust me if he was still about today, I think kayaking would not ! be on my list of hobbies!

Lauren pointing out her greatest love Sharks ! A Great White's nashers which I hope never to get to close to.

This set was from South Africa and was caught in the nets protecting a beach ! Remove the nets and take your chances I say ! Swim here if your mad would be the signs I would put up .

Lee taking it all in . This Thorn-back ray is smiling for the camera !

Michelle and the kids and I at Portaferry aquarium Co.Down ,

If your ever here check it out !

The weather was poor for paddling today, and was a good excuse to go to one of our favorite places instead!

Take a look at this video ! ( click here )

2008-02-24T13:05:00.003Z

Whiterock Part deux !

2008-01-27T23:02:00.000Z

My little girl Lauren , and I enjoying the sand dunes !

Also my 2 year old Lee hitching a ride .

Guess what ! " the old " paddle in wrong side - wrong time trick then washed up a beach eating sand maneuver !
My son Lee giving me some good advice , why are you all wet Daddy !
This is how to do it !
Lesson over back to the car park for tea .
Mush Mush !!

Surf was big today and was "dumping hard" ( my new term I heard today)
Surfing a bit .
Waiting for a wave .
Matt from CCKC doing it in style . He was very good to watch and we all talked after in the car park and we all arranged to meet up for a paddle sometime . Belter of a day again ! cant wait untill next time .

Desi B.K.C. Made this nice surf Video of us at Whiterock ( click on here )

2008-01-22T22:52:00.000Z

Whiterock Bay , surfing on the north coast Co, Antrim N.Ireland with Belfast Kayak Club 20.1.08

2008-01-21T22:23:00.000Z

Desi B.K.C. first at the car park ! don't forget - " click" photo's to enlarge !
Me and my first view of the surf (with a nervous smile on my kisser) Some folk enjoying the waves already.
The Skerries in the background , noted for sea paddle in the future. Below me!

Getting on the water .

Decky and I , big thanks to your other half Aine for taking the photo's cheers.

Desi and Pete tooling up also.

3 hour's later the car park was nearly full of paddler's and surfers.

My first wave was 30 feet high ! ( it felt like it !)
struggling but still dry !
But not for long , a pincer movement soon sorted me out and I crashed .
I tried again and managed to ride in a wave .
Here we go again ,Decky and me waiting for water .

A great time was had by all . ps - Desi did you like my roll ! caught on your video ! ha ha .

The squad - Philip

Pete, Desi ,Decky, and me Danny

Cant wait till next time lads.

Cheers.

Click here. Michelle paddling into Carrick harbour VIDEO.

2008-01-12T22:25:00.000Z

Me having a rip in Michelle's P&H Capella 166 feel's good !
Capella and my Avocet near wall.

If you look very carefully, you just make out our mate Sammy the Seal.
Michelle leaving me in her wake !
The old sea front of our town.
Michelle going past the Marine garden's and war memorial above (back hatch) in her new Christmas present

Today we had a lull in the weather , so Michelle and I took the opportunity while the two kid's were being minded , to get on the water and enjoy the day and get some exercise and mental cleansing.
Our put in spot was the usual slipway at the local harbour , which attracted quite a crowd of people , who's normal question was - (are you not freezing in those canoe's) if I heard it once I heard it a million time's it's still ringing in my ear's. So we became good ambassador's to the sport and today educated everyone all about sea kayak's ,
(to the best of our knowledge) and our gear and how we were quite cosy in our clothing ,we might have to fight our way through all the new paddler's next time !

Look at what Santa Got me !

2008-01-06T19:11:00.000Z

Michelle with her new Capella at fisherman's quay , No stopping her now !
Snow was still on the hill's in the distance and added a bite to the crisp air as we paddled towards the Castle and back to the quay where we enjoyed our tea and planned our next outing . Bangor is barely visible in the back ground , it will be a target for future paddle's .

Michelle - my other half , Marine highway C/fergus Sunday 13:20 6th Jan 08 in her new,

P&H Capella rm 166 for the first time.

Home port Carrickfergus - Belfast lough last paddle of the year 30.12.07.

2007-12-30T23:28:00.000Z

Me at Whiteabbey shore and Carrickfergus in the far top right . Roy and I are getting some distance training in , as we are going to be paddling for charity very soon and need to keep up the mileage ! The Sea Kayak's we use are made to carry a few day's kit in three water tight bulkhead's ie : food, tent, spare clothes sleeping bag , fishing rod , and any other equipment you need to stay safe on long trip's, and the shape is to help track and glide through sea's you encounter in your journeys . As alway's click all photo's to enlarge . ps happy new year to everyone and keep visiting my blog thankyou. Carrickfergus harbour. 15:20 air temp dropping like a stone.

Belfast lough is a narrow inlet a u shape maybe 4 mile's wide and 20 - 30 mile's from headland to headland and is sea ! very cold Irish sea , trust me I've been in it a lot ! (zoom in on it use the map at the bottom of my blog. )Titanic built in Belfast once steamed out of here many year's ago. Roy and Belfast dock's in the background. Me again.

Me at the seaplanes mooring point used by RAF and U.S. during w.w.2 1939-1945 , they hunted U boat's and supply vessel's belonging to German Navy, the North Atlantic and our coast's were patrolled daily . No bad pic's this time mate !!

Leaving Carrickfergus marina with a winter's sky looming before us .
Marina.
A Grey Heron I startled . Grub ! and coffee stop ! 5 min's later I heard my ar-- is freezing ! I sat on my boat , been there read the book and ate the stew !

Marina again.
Some nice boat's, but no patch on our sea kayak's .
Paddling up the pontoon's
Roy near his Orkney ( blue hull - white top) .

My ugly mug , note my Isle of Man hat is dry ! no roll's today, I am trying out a new sailing long john wetsuit from (Rooster Sailing) under my cag ( paddling jacket ) seem's the bee's knee's so far ! nice and comfy - next time out I will bail out and go for a swim and see how it hold's out or the other way around ! video will be rolling so don't laugh !

More Belfast lough photo's 30.12.07.

2007-12-30T17:59:00.000Z

Sunday morning saw two brave soul's out in temp's around +5c reason ! to get our battery's recharged after a great christmas . My paddling mate Roy and I left Carrickfergus harbour at 11:30 am first port of call was the marina next to harbour to check Roy's boat and to take a few photo's.

Belfast lough and two of the largest cranes in the world named Samson and Goliath in the distance , they belong to Harland and Wolf shipyard and are used (the odd time) to lift whole sections of ships and rig's for the welder's and rigger's to work on . A lot of Famous ship's including - the Canberra a Cruise ship were built here , in the 80's she was involved in the Falkland's war nicknamed the (white whale ) it was turned into a hospital ship and transport vessel for the British force's in the south Atlantic task force . Nearing break-time and a right turn on the way!
The shore at Greenisland and the first pit stop . Belfast is in the distance , also the same direction we are heading , note the sun's setting already in the winter sky ! time 13:40

While I'm on a war theme I was told this was a mooring point for boat plane's during the second world war. The Sunderland made in Short Brother's Belfast and the Catalina flying boats used it.

Evening at Carrickfergus Harbour nearly home after 10 + nautical mile's of good paddling
A Royal Navy Launch , over visiting the Sea Cadet's I think !
The old Castle at the harbour and Roy glad to be near the slip as his foot peg's had slipped during the last few mile's home !
Roy racing a red cargo boat !

At Whiteabbey and Carrickfergus the little white line in the distance 8 land mile's away .

Glenarm , paddling up the mouth of the river ( video ) 25.11.07.

2007-11-25T19:52:00.000Z

Glenarm marina . Roy powering up!

Getting back on the water after little break for a week or so was great. This Sunday the weather 9 deg c and wind's decreasing and swinging from the west, so up the Antrim coast we headed. Glenarm is a little sleepy village which used to quarry lime to be used here and in Scotland in the building trade . Now it's only busy in the summer with tourist's and fishermen , when I was a kid I would fish here for cod and flatfish , now it's the turn of my little one's Lauren and Lee who love fishing. ps click picture's to enlarge.Roy launching at the slip at the marina .
Roy taking it all in !

Here are the Salmon cages,were all of the fish were wiped out by jelly fish last week, I was talking to a local person and they told me that boat's even had difficulty going through the water because of the density of the jelly fish ! apparently the salmon that were not stung to death died from lack of oxygen in the water. Today not one little blob was to be seen anywhere! We named this island - poo island for obvious reason's, Me taking five.
Roy getting a good sniff of poo island!
Cormorant's rock.

The new bridge at Glenarm linking the Marina to the bay.
A great picture of me thank's (Roy)Ha Ha.
Church on the river's edge
Note the defence's on the right , to fend of kayaker's who approach from the sea !

beautiful picture ! I got my own back mate ha ha .

I want Summer back again !

2007-11-22T21:42:00.000Z

On these cold and dark evening's I miss this above -T.E.P. our club's (Tuesday Evening Paddle's ) out and around Northern Ireland's coast. On the radio's new's today was something very strange , £1million pound's worth of salmon which were being raised at fish farm's on the coast near me , at Glenarm and Red bay have all been wiped out by, wait for it - JELLY FISH ! a huge swarm ( if that's the right term) , three mile's wide by 35 feet deep attacked ! I found it a bit funny at first , but then I thought of Bob, a fellow Kayaker who worked there! so I hope his livelyhood's ok and thing's get back to normal a.s.a.p . very strange this global warming thing!

River Lagan Sunday 22nd October 07.

2007-11-11T21:20:00.000Z

Not the sea ! I know, but today we - as in Sammy , Roy, and myself embraced the lovely water's at Shaw's bridge Belfast . We arrived early morning around 9:30 and found the water quite busy with kayaker's already , some of which were from our - Belfast Kayak Club. So we geared up and took a little walk and inspection of our capsizing area's and eddyline's . After a little warm up ,two Dagger's and my Piranha went on the water.
The water was flowing ok and some good playing was had at the 3 weir's , which first caught out Roy then me ! Sammy was the only dry cag and he got some ripping from us ! but sure enough a bow rudder move and flow flipped him over , but Sammy's skill's from a few year's ago were embedded in his arm's and straight up he came like a lifeboat ! after a few more run's we retired to our mobile cafe - Roy's van ! Chicken noodle soup from the stove on board and we were fully charged for more. Sorry no photo's as the camera was forgotten , but next time it will be in the kit bag.

East coast of N.Ireland

2007-10-28T20:35:00.000Z

Roy having a wee coffee break at Brown's bay before heading south again. Me stretching my leg's and warming up my soul , Winter is nearly here so out with the old "Chicken noodle soup "! the best thing since sliced bread.
Larne harbour is just around the headland on the left , one of deepest port's in Europe! over 100 ft L/water.

I caught this little seal playing in the surf on an island near Larne.
A wild view of the Gobbin's cliff's from an of shore island , quiet now but in the Spring they are packed full of bird's from Puffin's to Falcon's and other rare types.
Relief , a bit of a struggle to reach top of the hill on the island !The ground was like sponge and drained the energy out of you..
Me.
Brown's bay . In the summertime this place is very busy due to a campsite near buy .

The Glen's of Antrim in the far distance.
Next stop Scotland 15 mile's away in the distance Roy!
A little choppy back side of Muck Is.
Bit of a drop .
A steel clad yacht passing by, i think from my home town of Carrickfergus..

Me and Roy rolling ( video ) Portmuck harbour 14.10.07.

2007-10-16T22:37:00.000+01:00

(Click above)

Our weekly practise @ Portmuck N.ireland.

2007-10-15T22:04:00.001+01:00

Our two year old's learning young .

Roy and me heading for Brown's bay for a paddle.
Before we go anywhere , safety first - rescue's and roll's .
Me setting up a T rescue.
My turn for brain freeze !
Roy's little lad Jordan and my wee boy Lee both 2 year's old learning the rope's on shore .

Sunday 14th Oct 07 us getting geared up.
Roy and I enjoying the beautiful warm sea ! before paddling..
Roy amazed me , I did'nt know he could speak chinese !!
Back ashore we got in our Valley sea boat's.
Roy's Aquanaut on it's maiden voyage . Thankyou Marie and Des c/o
Deep Blue seakayaking Co. Wicklow for your hospitality and help.

Sea rescue practise. Portmuck , Islandmagee .

2007-10-07T21:55:00.000+01:00

How do you get into this boat !

Hold on to the bow ! it's all coming back to me now.

Roy and I after 1 hour of Irish sea immersion .

T rescue's and roll's were on the menu .

Roy looking for two thing's seen floating , Private joke !

Roy hold's the world record for ( speed wet exiting ) 0.5 sec water temp 8 deg.

How not to stand up in your cockpit ! Maybe next time ..

night paddling.

2007-09-30T15:00:00.000+01:00

The end of a great paddle with my friend's -Belfast Kayak Club. I love the feeling and excitement of paddling in the dark. You get a different view only kayaker's I think ever get to see ! photo by P.Dew B.K.C. Portmuck harbour one of my favourite place's .

The Lagan decent..

2007-09-27T23:49:00.000+01:00

Lagan decent... 2006 -my first race , Run by Belfast Canoe Club..
good fun but it was hard work , me in blue boat red bib.

Manx ice cream !

2007-09-23T20:40:00.000+01:00

Lauren & Lee enjoying the speed of the seacat fast ferry from Belfast to the Isle of Man .

The love of my life -Michelle , also a keen paddler . a gull with my finger, really part of my ice cream!
Manx ice cream going down a treat..

The kid's Lauren & Lee and I at Peel sea front , and Lee with a manx ice cream beard !

Isle of Man R.N.L.I.

2007-09-22T20:37:00.000+01:00

Recovery of the I.O.M. life boat at Peel slipway , under the watchfull eye of my friend Phill (Launch officer) this was only a practise night.Phill's crew washing down the Mersey class lifeboat
One of the crew took this photo of me strutting my stuff!!
Kayak on the slipway no need to use the tractor lads I'll just throw her on my back!
How could you ever beat this type of boating ? ps click photos to enlarge......

Isle of Man basking sharks

2007-09-22T20:16:00.000+01:00

Peel castle and my first shark experience !!! ps. to enlarge click on all picture's
a little bit choppy ,but well worth the soak.
the wind was behind me -hard to not to get too
close at one stage a 6 to 8 mtr shark touched my bow. me in reverse
Dad arrived 8 mtr basking shark feeding ,

mouth open going under my seat unbelievable.

Isle of Man south coast

2007-09-22T19:53:00.000+01:00

Looking back at Port Erin.
Bradda Head Tower
My kid's on the beach P.Erin..
Peel harbour and Fenella beach , the perfect launch site.
Fenella seaward were i spotted my first basking shark's.

The beautiful Isle of Man..

2007-09-22T19:15:00.000+01:00

Tower of refuge in Douglas Bay I.O.M.
Viking week at Peel . burning a long ship
My kayak caught sleeping after a long day!!
Port Erin , on a warm sunny July day.
The Calf of Man in the background, were i met a group of paddlers led by ( Adventurous Experiences )

Sea fishing with John and Roy..

2007-09-22T10:33:00.000+01:00

Motoring on ! near Muck island..

Catching cod at last , Roy's a happy chappy.
Some of our catch .
Captain Roy.

I just converted Roy to sea kayaking he is hooked!!, so he's kitted out and just waiting on his new P&H capella coming over from England in the next week or so ! Here we are catching cod whiting and mackeral aboard Roy's fishing boat..

Rescues at Portmuck

2007-09-22T00:54:00.000+01:00

Great fun wet exit's water temp about 10 degrees c. Davy holding on to my boat while i pump out the little drop still in my cockpit, it was good to practice picture by B.K.C.

My first sea trip in my hand made wooden kayak

2007-09-22T00:42:00.000+01:00

Belfast kayak club . Copeland island's Co.Down,
My little 14ft boat did me proud this day because the rest of the group had sea kayaks and it was not very easy to keep up , though big Pete was watching me and i was in safe hand's at all times..

My Home Town Carrickfergus

2007-09-22T00:15:00.000+01:00

Carrickfergus Castle , 800 year's old and still being lived in by a warden ! , now that's building at it's best ! Im holding on to my friends fishing boat in this picture because the wind was quite squally.

The Castle guards Belfast lough and was last used in anger during the second world war, the keep was used as an air raid shelter when Belfast was blitzed by the German Luffwafa and 50 meters right of the castle still to be seen on the ground today are artillary mounts to repell U boat's who tried to fire at Harland and Wolf ship yard , which was the place the most famous ship in the world the TITANIC was built some year's before.

Gobbin's Cliff's Co.Antrim.

2007-09-21T23:58:00.000+01:00

This used to be an old Victorian walkway with bridges and tunnels linking each headland together .Today there is only rusting railings and steps hand carved into the cliff's.The Irish sea storms have washed it away.

me

2007-09-21T23:46:00.000+01:00

This is me in my Valley Avocet.

1 hour 50 mins

2007-09-21T23:37:00.000+01:00

Pete and i out with Belfast Kayak Club on one of our evening paddles around our beauitful coastline, we were a part of a group of eight sea kayakers , and departed Whitehead bay and headed for Portmuck harbour, about 8km.

Co.Antrim coast.

2007-09-21T22:54:00.000+01:00

Blackhead on a calm evening.