A Weekend at the Bitches

Last weekend I headed down to St Davids to join Deb Pinniger and the Zanskar Youth Trip people, of which my brother is one, for a weekend on the Bitches.
The bitches are a tidal rapid which form once a month off Ramsey island near St Davids on which a perfect glassy wave forms as well as a hole.
The bitches are not your average park and play, getting there requires paddling up to St Justinians head and ferry glide across the strait. To paddle across as the sun rises over such an immense volume of water is breathtaking.
The wave was working this weekend, though very difficult to catch in short playboats, once I got on the wave I could stay on and carve across the face, with the water being clear enough to watch the seaweed on the rock below.

Back to Wales

I've had a good 5 and a bit weeks now since I've been back and I haven't been totally idle.
Its been great to catch up with friends and compare stories, of other people's travels and university life.
I've also managed to get a little bit of kayaking done, including a trip to the Bitches and the Teifi on a family trip to West Wales. The Bitches, a tidal rapid off Ramsay Island in Pembroke were a highlight. It was a unique experience for me paddling through a moving current with huge waves for half a mile, before surfing standing waves in the sea.
I also got myself on an instructors course at Llandysul paddlers in West Wales. I learned a lot about teaching kayaking, as well as gaining a few tips for my own boating. We were taught a lot about how to structure a kayaking session for beginners and coach towards intermediate level. All I need to do now is get my canoeing up to speed and I'll be a qualified UKCC Level 1 Coach, and so could be paid to teach kayaking.
I've also been kept very busy planning my trip to Uganda...