Pootling Arround at Villaricos

A very nice sight greeted me when I arrived at Villaricos seafront just before 8.00am this morning ....... a glassy-calm sea with just the gentlest of breezes.  A perfect morning for a bit of a paddle.

At around 8.30am I launched The Twist from this little bit of beach in front of a cafe/bar, near the entrance to the northernmost of the two marinas.  There is one at each end of the seafront.  With a sea as calm as this I thought I could visit both of the marinas.

Heading towards the southernmost of the marinas.

It was very quiet on the seafront at this time of the morning.

Approaching the entrance to the southernmost marina.

Inside the marina.

Also very peaceful here.  Just one elderly chap, wearing a big straw hat, was quietly preparing a modest small boat to go fishing.  Later I saw him chugging out to sea trailing a fishing line.  We waved to each other - as one should on such a nice morning.

Heading towards the northernmost of  the marinas.

The gentlest of winds had now died away to nothing.  Although I went into this marina, to mooch around, I wasn't there long.  A harbour official came to the end of one of the jetties and called to me ...... it transpired that I shouldn't be in there.  The marina, or harbour, is for permit holders only.  So I apologized and paddled out again.  No more marina mooching at Villaricos for me!

A bit of rock-dodging to round off  the trip.

Before surrendering to the heat of the morning I paddled a bit further up the coast, away from the main seafront.  It's a rocky bit of coastline but I saw a couple of nice little bays where it night be possible to launch a kayak from on a future visit.

Oops!  I think the camera lens might need a clean - or the low sun might be the cause of that 'flare' on the rock.

Long time since I saw a sea as calm as this.  Time on the water was about 1½ hours and distance paddled was just short of 4 kilometres.

It might be nearly the end of September, and autumn may have just started, but it was still pretty hot in the sun by 10.00am. 

Back to Embalse de Negratin

  In spite of a severe storm, which tracked down the east coast of Spain last week, leaving flooding and destruction (even a few fatalities) in its wake, Monday of this week looked a good day to take a kayak to Embalse de Negratín. 

   Here are a few photos from that trip.  It was a repeat of the area of the reservoir that I covered on June 11th. [Blog post 12/06/19]  .......  Playa de Freila to the Torre de Maruq (Moorish watchtower), nipping into all the inlets on the way, and a direct paddle back again.  However, it did all look very different this time, as the water level was even lower; the lowest I've ever seen it.  Shame that the storm didn't get far enough inland to help top up the reservoir.  As usual I was on the water early in the morning.

Many more tree stumps and roots had now been exposed along the edge of the reservoir.  Here are some  examples of the more sculptural looking ones:

This was a coffee break stop at the limit of my trip - on the same headland as the Torre de Maruq.  So far it had been perfect kayaking weather but strong winds were forecast for the afternoon.  So time to turn back.

This inlet is where the Barranco de los Hornos runs into the reservoir. A Barranco being gully or ravine, generally with a watercourse in the bottom.  The watercourse will be dry most of the year, but wet weather can change that.

Just after I got back on the water I heard the mellow sound of bells and a herd of goats appeared.  Goats are inquisitive animals and large numbers lined up on a ridge to look down on me.  Some came down to the water for a drink. They didn't all wear bells, so I guess it is only the 'lead goats' who have that privilege.  I didn't see the goat-man or goat-women, but I've no doubt that he or she saw me.  Even in the most remote of places you never know who may be watching you!

As I headed back to Playa de Freila I I saw this part submerged tree.  Over the last couple of years I have passed this way several times without seeing it.  It just shows how much the water level has dropped - and is a reminder of what can be lurking just below the water.  I couldn't resist moving in for a close look,  That is Jabalcón mountain in the distance.






I got back to the Playa at about 1:15pm.  Time on the water was nearly 4 hours and the total distance paddled, at a leisurely pace, and with a couple of coffee breaks ashore, was 6 kilometres.  If the wind that was forecast for the afternoon did come, it was much later in the afternoon, after I had packed up and gone.

Catching Up.

   A run of days of light onshore winds made it possible to get down to the coast twice this week - to catch up with some kayaking that I'd been deprived of by weeks of fickle weather in the winter and spring.  Both trips were early morning starts, to beat the heat, with The Twist (my inflatable kayak) which was bought solely for short paddles on the sea in the summer.

   On both occasions I was afloat by about 0730h., back on the shore about 0930h. and home again before the hottest part of the day.

   On Monday I went to Garrucha, paddled the full length of the seafront, entered the harbour and mooched around in there for a while before retracing my route back again.  A bit of an easterly swell hitting the beach made getting afloat a bit tricky - but was achieved without mishap.  I was not so lucky landing on my return!  Fortunately, at that time of the morning, there weren't too many people around to witness some floundering around at the waters edge.  According to my GPS thingy I had paddled about 5 kilometres.

   Only one big ship was in the harbour - the Oslo Wave 2 (registered in Singapore) was loading gypsum.  This vessel, a general cargo ship of 12993 gross tonnage, had docked in the early hours of that morning - amazing what one can find out by just Googling the name of a ship.

   While I was mooching around, a Danish yacht (a large, sleek, fancy looking, plastic thing) left the visitor's berth and headed out to sea, passing near me.  The youngish, fit-looking crew of bronzed Nordic yachtsmen showed little interest in an old guy in a tiny inflatable kayak - so I didn't wish them 'bon voyage', as I would have done if they hadn't ignored me.

   On Wednesday I went to Mojácar.  There was still that easterly swell, so I went to a spot on the seafront where I was certain I could get afloat, and ashore again, without mishap.  In a little bay, created behind a stone and concrete mole, there  is almost always calm water, whatever the sea is like on the seaward side of the mole.  A pleasant couple of hours was spent paddling both ways along the shoreline.  There was very little wind when I set off but that freshened later, giving me an opportunity to practice using the drogue I always take with me.  It was very restful drifting slowly, held head to wind, along the coast with the drogue deployed.  The only mishap on this trip was the loss of a sun hat when I gust of wind whipped it off my head.  Despite frantic attempts to fish it out of the water I eventually had to watch it spiralling down into the depths.  Should have worn the one with the chinstrap!  Another 5 kilometres was covered in this occasion.

   Yesterday, when in a newsagents in Albox, I spotted a postcard, an aerial view, of the exact place where I had paddled on Wednesday :-

 
   The seaward corner of that little bay, just behind the mole, is a perfect spot for getting afloat when it is difficult to do so on an open beach.

   The last time I took my kayak to this spot was Thursday September 7th. 2017.  Several more photos of this place are on the blog of that date.

At Last

At last, for the first time this year, I have managed to get out on the water with my folding kayak for a 'proper' paddle.

I did get out with my small inflatable kayak (The Twist) one fine Saturday morning back in February (Feb. 9th.), but that was just for an hour or so pootling around in Garrucha harbour.  Ever since then fickle weather, on the coast and at Embalse de Negratin, has kept me off the water.  Whenever I looked ahead at a day which appeared good for kayaking, the weather forecast changed at the last minute and strong winds, from the worst possible directions, put paid to any plans.

However, yesterday, everything looked promising for an early morning start at Embalse de Negratin.  There was a last minute change in the forecast, but very high winds weren't predicted until late in the day.  I planned to be off the water long before then.  So I arrived at Playa de Freila at 7.00am and was all set up and on the water by 8.45am.  Breakfast had to wait until I was afloat.   The water level in the reservoir was much lower than when I was last here, so I expected the various inlets along the shoreline towards the dam to look very different.

Just a gentle headwind at the start.  A fresh N.W. wind was forecast for the morning, coming over the top of those high 'badlands' in the distance.  I had banked on it being a lighter wind at water level.

I didn't recognize this inlet at all from a previous trip along this bit of shoreline.

Sun bleached and weather-worn dead trees, stumps, roots and bushes were quite a feature of this trip.  Some were quite sculptural.  I could see mystical figures or creatures in all of them .... perhaps I shouldn't give my imagination free rein!

Some rock outcrops were quite nice also.

I stopped here for a leg-stretch and a comfort stop ..... also to try getting out of the kayak when fitted with the spray-deck which was supplied with it.  Until now I'd never felt the use for it .... but on this occasion I thought I would try it out and see how I managed getting in and out of a much reduced cockpit size.  Getting in had been O.K. but I thought I would try getting out again somewhere private, rather than embarrass myself when I got back to Playa de Freila and found an audience there!  Luckily I managed just fine, as there was quite a few people around on the shore when I did get back.

I got as far as the Torre de Maruq, the remains of an ancient Moorish lookout tower last visited on May 19th. 2017, before turning back at around 11.00am.  It was getting uncomfortably hot on the water by then.  The outward leg of this trip, dipping in and out of all the inlets, had taken just over two hours

As I made my way back to Playa de Freila the wind died away completely, leaving the water quite mirror-like.  However, this didn't last and the weather forecasters were eventually proved correct.  As I packed up to leave for home the wind came back with force ...... and  created a nasty chop on the water with flecks of white where wave tops were collapsing.  Just as well I had made an early start.

My straight-line return leg to Playa de Freila took just 45 minutes.  The cafe-bar, which was closed when I set off, in the car park at the top of the slipway, was now open and quite busy.

Time on the water for this quiet paddle was approximately 3 hours and the total distance paddled, according to my GPS thingy, was 6.95 kilometres.  All in all, a very nice morning on the water - it was good to finally get afloat again.