The plan was clear – circumnavigation of Holy Island (Lindisfarne) with Ollie Jay from active4seasons in Northumberland and a group of his experienced kayakers. What was an initial good thought to muscle into the group turned into reality as I drove over the tidal causeway and stood on the harbour of Holy Island on the Saturday morning looking at a calm water with my packed lunch in a dry bag.

An attractive swedish blonde and a London homeopath with my dream kayak, the feathercraft K1, arrived followed shortly by a couple of doctors, a vet on the phone dealing with an injured animal and Ollie with my kayak and wet suit. We assembled all the gear and got the kayaks ready and parked the vehicles in the overpriced car park and made ourselves familiar with the gospel of ByLaws – no tripods on cameras and no launching and landing of watersport equipment other than the harbour (I guessed that included sea kayaks). I did bring my action figure Jesus to travel with me to stop me capsizing with his walks on water action.

Ollie started off his team discussion of the ‘challenge’ – ok this was no longer a monthly sea kaykaing get together but was now a challenge to paddle hard against the tide and increasing wind to make a fast disappearing time window. Great first paddle for me. We all got into the sea and my Valley Aquanaut boat was tippier than the Cetis I had at Skyak but Ollie had filled a large tank with sea water behind me so it was more stable.

We paddled out at 10:45 past the castle and out into the blue yonder of the North Sea. I started to tire fairly quickly – possily through having to balance more possibly because I was coming down with something or possibly cos I hadn’t had enough brose at breakfast.
We hit the North Sea or more accurately the North Sea hit us as we headed north on the east side of the island towards the white pyramid. Time and tide and wind was against us and seals kept popping up in front or behind (could only tell by the plop behind my kayak as he submerged. The waaves were starting to get much more challenging. I was slowing down and the time window was closing so we decided that Ollie would enter into towing practice with me as the others headed off to the entrance for the complete circumnavigation. Towing was actually more difficult than paddling as you needed to keep in track using your paddles and also slow down to stop hitting the tower. As we headed into the beach the surf was impressive and looked scary. Ollie disconnected the tow rope and we went in together – wave by wave by wave until the last wave turned me around and with Ollie screaming ‘back paddle on the left’ I capsized in the surf (known as the worst possible place to capsize).

I was under, glasses off and wondering whether Ollie was going to come up to so I could do an eskimo rescue when I realised that was unlikely in the surf. I had also not just fallen out as usual (Ollie must use good spray decks with tight bungies) – so I pulled the tab and dropped out and came up in the surf. Grabbing the boat and paddle I could walk in to te beach helped by waves crashing down on me. Ollie assembled a pair of wheels and said see you at the other side I am going to get the others through and disappeared into the surf. So much for action figure Jesus maybe I should have stuck him on the front instead of inside the kayak.

I dragged the kayak on wheels over the sand and then wet sand and then sand dunes. In an ‘Ice Cold in Alex’ moment I was dragging this kayak up a dune and it was refusing to go any further and was slipping back and I knew if it slipped back then it would slip off of Ollie’s wheels. It fellover a few times and I dragged it up sideways once but made it to the car park where tourists were amused by the sight of me careering down the sand dune pursued by a kayak.

Lunch was by the bylaws sign where I learned that I could only launch from the harbour. So ignoring that bylaw as I wasn’t a Christian (hey Jesus broke rules too) and launched into the bay. I floated it out whilst walking until the water was dep enough and crouched down and entered the kayak which promptly grounded it on the sand with my additional weight. Realising that the tide was going out and things were not going to improve I fell out of the kayak to drag it over teh sands until it was deeper. This time floating I paddled out waiting for the others to come round the causeway except now I could see cars driving over it! So assuming they had turned back I paddled around the sticks marking the pilgrims way up to the edge of the road, beached the kayak at high water mark and with paddle marched up to my car in the car park.

The paddle I was given was one that does not break into parts and I had the TT – this meant that my drive to the harbour was with a paddle diagonally in the passenger rubbish and over my chest and out the window. I had to make sure that I didn’t hit anything otherwise I was going to end up with a broken shoulder and christians with a sore head.
Made it in one piece to find the other kayakers coming in without Ollie who had set off to find me – so I had to find Ollie. I dropped the paddle off and gave the wet homeopath (I was not the only one who capsized in surf) a lift to the car park. Driving down to where the kayak was left it was gone and no sight of Ollie anywhere. So rationally either christians had confiscated it, holidaying geordies had nicked it or Ollie was paddling back towing the empty kayak on his tow lapstrap. We eventually caught up (he had paddled back to the harbour towing my kayak).

We all packed up and headed off the island on the wet causeway the others had carried their kayaks over the mud flats earlier, and retired in swimming trunks to the wicker chair seats of the Lindisfarne Inn (a much remodelled put at Beale with an overgrown runway field across the A1).

Exhaused with most body parts hurting it was still a great day. The east coast doesn’t have the get out of jail free places that the west coast does but it still has some great beauty and wildlife and challenging waters for kayaking.

It has to be pointed out that whilst I spent 6 hours in a day of exercise and healthy pursuits Kim spent 7 hours (count them and shudder) clothes shopping in Marks and Spencers.

We have now taken delivery of our waterrower for stamina and paddling training so hopefully I’ll make it round Lindisfarne next year much faster!