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!