An Equinox Paddle

 The autumn equinox on September 22nd. was another good excuse for a kayaking trip.  By starting out early I had hoped that on my way to Embalse de Negratin I might see a memorable equinox sunrise, but it was a bit of a grey morning and the sun was quite high in the sky before it eventually broke through the clouds.  After such a hot summer I didn't know what to expect regarding the water level in the reservoir - so I went to Playa del Freila, where the water is always accessible, and I took The Twist, the lightest of my kayaks.  Both turned out to be good choices.

   On the water about 9.00 am.  Bit of a breeze coming from the N.E. so I paddled along the shore in that direction.  If the wind continued, or even got stronger, I would at least have it behind me on my way back.  The water level was the lowest I've ever seen it, so the inlets, which I ducked in and out of , looked totally different to previous visits.  A secondary reason for hugging the shore into the inlets was looking out for a yellow kayak and a red kayak.  Earlier I had met a Belgium couple, who had left their kayaks on the shore at Playa del Freila and had come back later to find them gone.  May have been stolen - or maybe just pushed out into the reservoir.  I had said I would look out for the kayaks.

This a good indicator of how low the water has dropped.  I may have seen tips of the branches above the water on previous visits - but never as much of these trees as this.

After 1½ hours of shore hugging paddling I stopped for a leg-stretch.  Even an inflatable seat pad feels hard after a while!  By now that north-easterly breeze was dying away.  I had new batteries in my Garmin GPS thingy - so, when in the shelter of inlets, I'd checked out paddling speeds:  3 k.p.h. gentle paddling, 4 k.p.h. steady paddling and 5 k.p.h. if paddling hard, but only for a short period.

By the time I got back to my starting point the wind had died completely and there were the usual stunning reflections on the water of the mountains.  Time on the water had been 3 hours and total distance paddled was 6.7 kilometres.

It's now a very long way down to the water.  Fortunately the concrete ramp still reaches it.  The Twist is light enough to carry on my head and taking it down to the water was simple - the return wasn't as easy!  I'm glad I didn't take a bigger kayak, on a trolley.  For now I can't see my bigger and heavier kayaks getting much use here.

After packing up the kayak I had a trial run with a birthday gift of Brew in the Bag gourmet coffee - just add hot water.  Strength of the brew can be controlled by the amount of water and different brewing times.  I compromised by filling it to the 'mild' level but letting it brew the extra minutes for 'strong' coffee - which gave me a good size mug full of very acceptable coffee.  It works well, but you do need to be careful where you hold it when filling with near boiling water, and finding somewhere safe to stand it while it brews for several minutes.  This one was organic, roasted coffee from Ethiopia.  I have four more like this, with coffee from other parts of the world.

It says that the bags are reusable, but I found that it took a lot of water to flush out the used coffee grounds and the inner filter bag dried very slowly - maybe not worth the effort.  But for a cup (or mug) of good coffee, without the faff of a percolator - excellent.  

Where has all the water gone!  Before heading home I went to an access point I've used previously at the top end of the reservoir.  I've launched from here and paddled (to the right) 3 kilometres or more to the upper end where a river flows in.  Now, other than a shallow pool, it is mud flats.

Apart from the high ground in the distance, this would all have been water twelve months ago.  Now        long-legged wading birds are walking  across what water little there is in the middle.

Again, apart from the distant high ground, this used to be all covered in water.  The old bit of road, on the left, was visible a few months ago, but four years back even that was under water.  According the the website of reservoirs in Spain, this one is now down to 31% of capacity.  It is going to take an awful lot of winter rain and mountain snow to bring the level back up.  Each spring, for as long as I've been coming here, the level has been progressively lower.

  

   So, my 'welcome to autumn' paddle was quite eventful.  The low water level could be quite a game changer for my kayaking.  The only spot where the water is still accessible is Playa del Freila - but that long concrete ramp, rather steep at the upper end, is a bit daunting for a solo paddler!  My bigger and heavier kayaks might be 'mothballed' for a while and more use made of The Twist, and the coast.

   Shame about the Belgium couple and their kayaks.  When I last saw them they had reported the loss to the police and were about to go to a viewing point on the other side of the reservoir, where they might spot the kayaks from high ground.  They were in the area on holiday and had to return to Alicante before the weekend. 

 

Back on the Water

    A birthday is always a good excuse for a little treat.  So, on Wednesday this week, I had an aprés birthday outing with a kayak.  Just an hour or so of gentle paddling with The Twist at Villaricos.

   I made one of my usual early morning starts, hoping to be on the sea not long after 8.00 am.  However, there was a touch too much 'lift' in the water to get afloat where I hoped - and I looked at a couple of alternatives before finding somewhere more suitable.

It was not a morning for meandering among rocks, but these had at least provided a sheltered bit of shore for launching.  I don't like to get wet at a start of a trip!

Villaricos from the sea.  Out here in deeper water it was pleasant paddling, gently rising and falling on the swells as they passed under me, to break on the rocks and the shore.

   It wasn't a very long paddle - just enough to get back into the swing of things, now that the heat of summer has passed.  Hopefully there will be longer trips as the days get even cooler.

Embalse de Negratin Again.

   I took The Twist to Embalse de Negratin early yesterday morning.  With new outbreaks of COVID-19 occurring with disturbing regularity in many regions of Spain, and with fresh lock-downs imposed upon the worst hit areas, I thought I'd better squeeze in another quiet paddle before we got 'confined to barracks' ourselves.  I wouldn't normally have travelled to the reservoir in mid-summer, just for a couple of hours on the water, but the sea was very rough when we were at Mojácar on Tuesday and I could see no reason why it would have been any better yesterday.

   Reached Playa de Freila at 7:00 am and was on the water soon after 7:30 am.  This week I re-discovered a waterproof thermometer from my diving days, so I can tell you that air temperature was a pleasant 21°C  at that time of the morning and water temperature was 27°C, even at a depth of  a metre or so.

There's a new sign at the top of the concrete ramp at Playa de Freila.  Apparently, because of COVID-19, swimming from here is prohibited.  No mention of kayaking so I guessed it was O.K. for me to go on the water, as long as I didn't tip over and have to swim!  Obviously the absurdity of the ban is a contentious issue, as someone had tried to obliterate the notice by scratching  lines across the perspex with something sharp.  Can't say I really understand the reasoning behind this ban myself.


     I meandered along the shoreline, in and out of all the inlets, towards the dam for about an hour and then returned by a more direct route.  A gentle headwind was ruffling the surface of the water as I paddled back.  As I turned a headland into one inlet a grey heron took off and flapped lazily into the safety of woodland.   Very small wading birds were busily feeding along the edges, but they took little notice of me, just maintained a safe distance.  Once, without spotting it myself, I got unusually close to a duck, of some sort, which, startled, perhaps from slumber, leapt noisily into the air and disappeared.

At the head of one of the larger inlets was a narrow channel, more like a muddy ditch.  It led to a dry river bed that would feed the reservoir when/if there was rain in the winter.  This was as far as it went.

Turned around and looking back to open water.  This photo is deceptive.  The channel/ditch was much narrower than it looks here.  Where it necks, at centre picture, I could only just pass between the right hand side bank and a submerged tree.

Sticking out of the mud on one side of the channel was this boot sole.  I hoped there wasn't a toe bone behind the sole -  connected to a foot bone, connected to heel bone, connected to an ankle bone, connected to a leg bone ...... etc. etc. (as in the 'Dry Bones' lyrics).  I didn't check!








    It was a nice quiet paddle, which gave me the opportunity to try new ideas about stowing 'stuff' in my tiny kayak.  I've become quite fond of The Twist, which was originally purchased just for fun and grabbed opportunities for a quick paddle.  Now I see it as something really versatile - a step above what are known as 'packrafts', which are becoming increasingly popular, and a step below a fully fledged inflatable kayak.  I think The Twist gives me the best of both worlds for simplicity and shortish paddles in good conditions.

This is a typical packraft.  They pack into a very small bundle, they are very lightweight and the fabric is amazingly tough - you can bounce down rapids in them, should you wish.  They are also quite  expensive.  You are unlikely to get one like this for under £1,000 - well over double the price of my faithful Gumotex Twist.  Even if I wanted one, which I don't, I'm not sure if I would like to seen in something which looks as if it was bought in a beach shop.  Nor would I like carrying my 'stuff' so precariously.

Time on the water was just over 2 hours.  My GPS thingy recorded 3.5 kilometres paddled but the batteries ran out without my noticing, before I had reached shore, so I might have travelled a bit further than that.  Air temperature had increased to 27°C by the time I got off the water and was approaching 30°C by the time I left for home at 11:00 am.  Too much data?  I won't take the thermometer with me again! 

     

The Twist goes to Embalse de Negratin

Today Spain's State of Emergency and the resulting lockdowns, first imposed on March 14th. to combat the Coronavirus COVID-19, came to an end - it was also Fathers' Day.  Both being good excuses for a little treat, I took The Twist to Embalse de Negratin for an early morning, beat-the heat paddle.  There's no better 'social distancing' than paddling solo on a vast expanse of water!

I left home at 5:30 am, arriving at Freila beach just before 7:00 am - in time to see the first sunrise following the Summer Solstice of yesterday evening.  It was not a very spectacular sunrise, but still worth waiting for.

By the time I got on the water it was daylight.  The low sun created shadows emphasizing the folds and gullies in the rugged landscape on the other side of the reservoir.  This landscape looks its best in the early morning or late evening light.

There was a gentle breeze blowing down from the head of the reservoir, creating a steady procession of small waves.  The water was a lot smoother in the shelter of inlets.

That might appear to be a big slab of concrete - but it is natural, in a sort of unnatural looking way.

This is one of the longer inlets near the beach at Freila.  I'd been in here before - but due to the variations in water level these inlets always look different.  At the moment the capacity of reservoir is just below 50% of full.

As the sun got higher and hotter, these areas of deep shade in the inlets became very welcome.

Heading back towards my starting point after about 1½ hours on the water.  Feet up, sun on my back and a following wind - what more could an early morning kayaker ask for?  My return leg only took 30 mins. and I was off the water by 9:45 am.  An early start had been well worthwhile as the heat of the day was already building up.

This was a 'first'.  The first time I have used The Twist anywhere other than on the sea, for grabbed opportunities and beat-the-heat early morning paddles, like today.  Can't beat it for speed to get afloat - it inflates quickly and can be carried easily.  No trolley needed.  Rucksack of gear on back, lift and invert kayak onto head, pick up paddle - and go!  Simplicity itself.






There was no great purpose behind today's quiet paddle.  Just a little treat after many weeks of lockdown.  Most of the time I followed the shoreline at not much more than a paddle length.  Quiet kayaking at its best.

There was another 'first'.  For the first time since coming to Negratin I was able to get quite close to a group of wading birds, before they took off.  Black and white birds with long, spindly, red legs. which trailed behind them when they flew away.  I'm no ornithologist, but it seems, according to a bird book, highly likely they were Black-Winged Stilts, apparently common summer visitors in Spain.

Time on the water was 2 hours.  Total distance paddled was 5.3 kilometres.

 

A Leap for The Twist

A Leap Day actually!  With a coastal weather forecast looking favourable for kayaking, it seemed a good opportunity to make use of this extra day in the year.  So I took The Twist to Villaricos this morning and paddled south along the coast, towards Vera Playa and Garrucha - a stretch of the coast I hadn't previously covered.

A 'porta-village' on a beach at Villaricos.  I have observed that despite the plethora of nice quiet accessible beaches and coves in the province of Almeria, some motor-home owners, particularly those with fancy 'rigs' (as they might be called in the U.S.A.), have a 'herding' instinct!  There will be quite a mixture of nationalities in this group - mainly retirees escaping the winter climate of their respective Northern European countries.
P.S.  That is not my little van parked in front of them all!

Hazy, cool and just the gentlest of breezes when I started out.

Have just passed Punta del Río and can see the mouth of the Río Almanzora - usually dry but sometimes, after heavy rain in the mountains, it can be a proper river.

The sea doesn't get much calmer than this.  Those two ships are probably anchored, waiting to enter the port of Garrucha to load gypsum.

The haze cleared later.  Just passing Punta de los Hornícos. - even this far from shore the water is quite shallow in this area.  I could see the seabed quite clearly and could have got out and walked in some places.

The motor-homes were more scattered along this stretch of shore just past Punta de los Hornícos.  The wooded area is named El Marqués

11.30 a.m.  Back at my starting point just outside the southern marina at Villaricos.  Time on the water just a tad under 2 hours.  Distance paddled:   5.25 kilometres - fuelled by diluted lime juice (against scurvy!) and fig rolls.  It will be another four years (and weather permitting) before I can kayak on this day of the year again!

A Third Outing for The Halibut

   I took The Halibut to Embalse de Negratin yesterday - only the third time I have used it.  At present the water in the reservoir is very low, so I launched from the concrete slipway at Playa de Freila - because access to the water is difficult elsewhere, until the water level rises again.

It's a long way down to that water!
















   Other than wanting to give The Halibut an 'airing', and try out a trolley I had made for it, there was no great purpose behind this trip.  I just took advantage of a very pleasant February day to enjoy a bit of quiet, lazy, pootling around - for which The Halibut is just perfect.  Here are a few pictures from the trip :-

An occasional cool breeze ruffled the water as a reminder that, although it may be spring-like weather, winter is still here.

Stopped here to stretch my legs and do a bit of litter-picking - collected quite a few discarded plastic and glass bottles for disposal later.

A stop for lunch before returning to tackle the slipway at Playa de Freila.

Now for the hard part - getting the loaded kayak back up that slipway!  Fortunately the new trolley handled it well - but the manpower behind it needed a couple of catch-your-breath stops on the way up!

The Halibut is a bit too heavy and awkward to carry it far single-handed.  This is the trolley which makes life easier.













Time on the water was 3½ hrs. and total distance paddled was 7.5 kilometres.

The Last and the First

'The Last and the First' being the last time I went kayaking in 2019 and the first time in 2020.

The last of 2019 was a return visit to Villaricos, on the morning of November 26th.  To take a closer look at those nice little bays mentioned in my previous blog post.  The Spanish met office, which I usually rely on, gave marginal conditions for a quiet paddle, but two others were more optimistic.  So it was a bit of gamble if I could get afloat there, or go seeking somewhere more sheltered.  Wind and water conditions weren't perfect when I got there, but I was able to get afloat comfortably in the shelter of a bay, and once clear of exposed outcrops of rock paddling was easy enough in deeper water.  I had to give exposed rocks a wide berth as the choppy conditions made it difficult to see what else might be lurking just below the surface.  However, an hour later, after a bit of rock-dodging and a longer paddle along the coast, the wind freshened and I opted to get ashore while it was still easy to do so.  This bit of shoreline is named the 'Playa La Dolores' and is worthy of another visit, in better conditions ...... and I'll stick to using the Spanish met office forecasts in future!

Time on the water was just a bit over an hour, and distance paddled was 3.2 kilometres.

There seems to be a bit of confusion over the name of this beach (playa).  A road signpost reads 'Playa La Dolores' but a noticeboard on the beach reads 'CALA LA DOLORES'.  A cala being a cove or inlet - and that term is used for the names of most stretches on this bit of coast.  However, most maps refer to 'Playa La Dolores', so I am going to stick with that for this blog.


The first of 2020 was another visit to the Playa La Dolores' on the morning of January 15th. - in much better conditions.  AS I drove down to the beach at 10:00 am I could see that the sea was glassy-calm and the low sun was starting to break through a hazy sky.  I was on the water by 10:30 and heading south towards Villaricos to take a look at Cala de la Esperanzo.

Playa La Dolores ...... looking good.

Cala de la Esperanzo from the sea, with the northernmost houses of Villaricos in the background.

A headland at Cala de la Esperanzo.  With an interesting variety of inclined layers of rock - and the look of a resting elephant. The water was so clear and calm that any rocks rising to just below the surface were visible and could be avoided.

Looking back along Cala de la Esperanzo.  Taken, later in the morning, from a little car park and viewing point on a headland.













Next up, was a return for a closer look at rocks in the vicinity of Playa La Dolores.  Despite the very calm sea and the clear water, I did gently scrape over submerged rocks a couple of times.  Later I checked the underside of The Twist - no evidence at all of contact with rocks was found.  Not a scratch, scuff or scrape.  Which is reassuring for me and testimony to the toughness of the material (Hypalon) which Gumotex choose to use for their inflatable craft.

Stopped to weigh up whether to go and dodge among this group of rocks with shallow water between them.  With such calm, clear water there seemed little risk - and only once did I scrape over an unnoticed obstacle.

 Jagged, or what!  Wouldn't like to be anywhere near this one in a rough sea!

There was quite a variety of sea-birds around and on the rocks.  Mostly wary of an old guy in a red kayak - but this group allowed me to drift quite close, before taking off with squawks, screeches and a flurry of wings.  Later I was able to follow a cormorant on the water, as it repeatedly dived in search of a meal.  Unless cormorants can devour their catch underwater I didn't witness the bird having any success.

Looking along Playa La Dolores.  Taken, later in the morning, from that little car park on a headland.  The green buildings in the distance are part of a chemical works.  Beyond them is Cala de la Cueva and Cala de la Invencible.  The beach of Playa La Dolores is all shingle and small stones - in varying shades of dark grey, stopping at the water's edge.  Then shallow water with a rock bottom stretches quite a way out to sea.

From Playa La Dolores I set out on a longer paddle - past the chemical works, past Cala de la Cuevas and nearly to the end of Cala de la Invencible, where ruins remain on the hillside of buildings associated with the long gone mining operations which once dominated this bit of the coast.

Looking back along the the beach at Cala de la Invencible.  This beach, with pale coloured sand and shingle, is much fresher and cleaner looking than Playa La Dolores.  Those are more of the chemical work's buildings on the skyline - the low drone of pumps and other machinery coming from there is a bit intrusive.







It was a lengthy paddle back to where I had started from.  At times light breezes ruffled the surface of the water.  It had been a very pleasant first bit of quiet paddling to start the new year.  Time on the water was two hours and the total distance (according to my GPS thingy) was about 8 kilometres.