So Far, So Good.

In spite of the very hot weather I took my packraft to the coast, at Punta Parda, last Friday (July 19th.) morning.   I was eager to try the packraft with the inflatable foot rest, which had just arrived from Germany.  Got on the water just as the sun was rising above a hazy horizon, hoping to get a couple of hours before heat and humidity became uncomfortable – although the coast is a bit cooler, the humidity is much higher than we are used to inland.

The foot rest was a huge improvement.  Not only did it make paddling more comfortable, it also provided a convenient raised platform in the bow, for a bag of those bits of kit which might be needed on the water. I made a couple of leisurely circuits of the bay before heading out into open water.  I soon got over that bit of apprehension, about being sat in a single air chamber inflatable craft no bigger than the usual household bath, and felt quite at home rising and falling in a gentle swell.  A tubby packraft is not really suited to long distance paddling, unless going downstream on a river.  So, particularly on the sea, I'll generally only use it for pottering around.  Anfibio give a top speed of 4km./hr. for my model of packraft, but I found it took hard paddling to achieve that – and, because of its shape, forward momentum is quickly lost as soon as you stop paddling – there's no 'glide' like a longer, sleeker craft.  I found that 3km./hr. was a comfortable speed.

I still need a bit more practice, but I didn't embarrass myself getting in and out this time.  However, the beach in the bay was starting to fill up with sun worshippers when I got back at around 9:30 a.m., so I played safe and landed well away from an audience.  I did get wet, but through choice – I went for swim after landing.

I did get the hoped for two hours on the water.  Distance paddled this time was 5.7 kilometres.  I am now waiting for some much cooler days for further outings with this craft. 

And Now Packrafting

 In my blog post of Sunday July 26th. 2020, I extolled the virtues of my Gumotex Twist kayak and compared it to a packraft. I showed a picture of a typical packraft and ended up by saying the following: “Even if I wanted one, which I don't, I'm not sure if I would like to be seen in something which looks as if it was bought in a beach shop”. Now, four years on, my curiosity about packrafts has got the better of me and I have bought one …... thinking that if I didn't try one now I might regret it when the time comes for me to give up kayaking.

I am now the proud owner of an Anfibio Delta MX packraft. A basic, very lightweight , multi-functional and modestly priced craft, which rolls up into a conveniently small bundle when deflated. I have added full details and photos to the 'My Kayaks' page of this blog and a link to the Anfibio website in the 'WEBSITES OF INTEREST' list.

Having never seen a packraft, other than on websites and YouTube videos, I wasn't prepared for how delicate the fabric looked and felt when I first unpacked it. It is going to take a while to accept that a fabric, not unlike good quality Christmas wrapping paper with a foil outer surface (it even crackles when folded!) is incredibly strong and abrasion resistant – as it needs to be for the range of uses (i.e. bouncing down rapids) that packrafts are used for. Not that I'm likely to do anything more than quiet paddling. It's the light weight and simplicity of packrafts that appeals to me.

Since the packraft arrived, just over a week ago, I've been out with it twice – for two hours on the Negratin reservoir and for one hour on the sea. Just trial runs to get used to an unfamiliar craft. On the reservoir I covered 3.6 kms. and 2.2 kms. on the sea and, despite it's tubby appearance, it paddled easier than I expected. A lot of time was spent faffing around with the best seat position and where & how to stow bits of kit – which will resolve themselves over time, no doubt.

View of Negratin from my first trip in a packraft.

 I've had to order the optional inflatable footrest from Anfibio – my feet (I've got short legs, for my height) need something to push against for comfortable paddling. Even a bit of kit behind the seat, to move it forward, isn't enough.

Back on the shore at Negratin.

 I need to experiment with the best ways of getting in and out of this craft, gracefully! As it's a low pressure, single air chamber craft it's all squidgy when concentrated weight goes on the side tubes – and the surface of the fabric is slippery. So far my entries and exits have been a tad ungainly! Good job I went for trial paddles early mornings, when no one was around.

First impressions are all good. This craft should get me on the water at places where there's no access for a kayak on a trolley. Everything needed (and it's all lightweight stuff) for a few hours on the water will pack easily into a single rucksack for back-packing to the water edge. I've ordered a waterproof rucksack along with the footrest.

So, I'm on a learning curve with this craft - but I still think packrafts look a bit like something from a beach shop, just much bigger.

A Late Blog Post.

I was back at Embalse de Negratin on Saturday May 25th. - but I've only just got around to including it on this blog. 

Days are getting a bit warm here now, so I left home at 05:30 am in order to get on the water early – and off again before it got uncomfortably hot. Launched as usual at Playa de Freila and was on the water by 08:00 am. Ate a pack-up breakfast on the water soon after.

Water level in the reservoir was even higher than the last time I was there, on April 24th. Unlike the reservoirs in the drought stricken areas of southern Spain, where levels have been dropping alarmingly, the level in Negratin has been rising steadily. These two pictures, taken at the same place, but different days, show the difference that seven weeks made :-

Water level on Wednesday April 3rd. When Negratin was at 26% of full capacity.

Water level on Saturday May 25th. when Negratin was at 30% of full capacity. As usual the shape of the shoreline was totally different to that last trip a month ago. No shortage of water in Negratin for kayaking!

Leg-stretch stop here. No doubt an experienced photographer would have refered to this as an 'atmospheric shot' – in my case it was purely accidental!

3½ hours of quiet kayaking later, and 7.6 kilometres paddled, I was back at Playa de Freila. Ought to have made it in 3 hrs., as by 11:30 am it was a bit warm to be contemplating pushing a kayak back up that ramp! I may not be visiting Negratin again until the Autumn, or in the unlikely event of some much cooler days. The coast beckons now – and there is a new plan, coming soon, to take advantage of it during the heat of summer.

April Kayaking on Negratin

This month was a record one for me – four outings in one month, all on Embalse de Negratin, launching at Playa de Freila each time. For some mysterious reason it was always on a Wednesday that the weather forecasts looked the most favourable for a bit of kayaking with my Gumotex Halibut:

Wed. April 3rd. - time on water 4 hrs. and 8.5 kilometres paddled. Start time 10:45h.

Wed. April 10th. - time on water 3¼ hrs. and 8.5 kilometres paddled. Start time 10:45h.

Wed. April 17th. - time on water 3¼ hrs. and 7.5 kilometres paddled. Start time 11:00h.

Wed. April 24th. - time on water 2½ hrs. and 5.4 kilometres paddled. Start time 10:00h.

The weather wasn't entirely in my favour on my last trip. What little wind there was at the start freshened after two hours, creating quite a chop on open water. Headed back to Playa de Freila a bit earlier than usual. Now know to avoid days where there's likely to be a westerly wind like that.

Visiting the reservoir regularly throughout April has been interesting. Week by week the water level rose, unlike the reservoirs in the drought stricken areas of the Costa del Sol. The river which feeds Negratin must have been collecting much rainwater run-off from the mountains further North. I paddled the same stretch of shoreline three times, and every time it looked different. Paddling in open water on Negratin is all well and good, but it's close to the shoreline where there's a chance of seeing something different. Even if it's only terrapin 'plopping' back into the water as you approach, or electric-blue damselflies darting around in the vegetation, as I saw this month.

A reminder to be aware that tops or branches can break off these dead trees at any time, especially on windy days. Whole trees could even fall unexpectedly.

 

Looks as if these trees are well on the way to collapsing. It's inevitable that all these dead trees will eventually collapse into the water – and the scenery around the edge of the reservoir will be the worse for it.

Early in the month I couldn't have got this far into this inlet. The water level had risen by at least a metre by the day of my last trip. Somewhere further into the inlet I could hear running water, but couldn't penetrate far enough to actually find the source.

Sun, wind and water has made natural sculptures from tree stumps and roots around the shoreline of the reservoir. On my April 3rd. trip there wasn't a suitable landing place, to go ashore and get near to this one – but, thanks to the rising water, I could land and take a photo of it three weeks later. This is one of the best I've seen.

This bit of sculpture was just drifting around. Bits and bobs of timber, previously high and dry, are now taking to the water.

A leg-stretch stop early in the month. That green, wispy/feathery looking vegetation in the water is growing in profusion along a lot of the shoreline. In some places it is growing 2 to 3 metres high. Took a piece home with me to try and identify it – initially without any success.

Invasive or what! That green vegetation doesn't seem to be bothered by the rising water level. Doesn't even mind being totally submerged. With the water quite clear, when the plants are only just covered it is like paddling above waving tree tops. Being very flexible with feathery foliage it is easily paddled through – other than where it's very dense.

Success! On my final trip that vegetation was in flower and much easier to identify, with the help of Google. It is a member of the Tamarisk family (also known as Saltcedar) and can even grow into fully fledged trees. Apparently in some parts of the world, especially in the U.S.A.. it's classed as an invasive species. Certainly proving very invasive here.

Another pull-out. I generally go ashore to stretch my legs at least once on every trip. Actually my bottom benefits from these stops more than my legs! Despite being an inflatable one, the seat pad of a Gumtex Halibut starts feeling a tad too hard after an hour or so. Seems to be a shared problem among us oldies – not long ago I came across quite a lengthy discussion, on a canoe & kayak forum, about how to make seats more comfortable for old butts!

When I was here in January this ramp didn't even reach the water. Now at least 30 metres of it is covered. That's 30 metres less of hauling back up to the car park!

The reflections on the water were magnificent that day.

Despite the considerable rise in water level, it's still a long way back up to that car park!

A month of quiet kayaking at it's best - with a bit of education, about Tamarisk, as a bonus.  As you can see, Tamarisk appears somewhere in most of the photographs.

First of 2024

 A run of nice warm days, and a forecast of very light winds, encouraged me to take my Gumotex Halibut kayak to the Embalse de Negratin last Thursday.

Got on the water at 10:30am, at Playa de Freila. With the water in the reservoir so low (currently at 21.19%) Playa de Freila is the only place with easy access to the water. It no longer reaches the other two places, in the upper part of reservoir, which I've used for access in the past.

After making the effort to go all the way to Negratin, I like to try and get at least four hours on the water, to make the journey worthwhile. So, becoming curious about how far up the reservoir I could go, without running out of water, I decided on a two hour non-stop paddle from Freila towards the upper end. A four hour round trip, as long as I resisted the urge to explore any side inlets.

I did reach a section of the reservoir I hadn't paddled for a long time. However, my four hour plan actually stretched a bit. When I turned back after two hours, with open water still ahead of me, I gulped a bit when I realised how far I had come! The return journey took a bit longer than the outward leg. Fortunately I had taken my pack-up lunch with me – and munched my way back. A tail wind would have been helpful, but the water was glassy calm. Reflections on the water were magnificent, but I didn't break paddling rhythm to take any photos.

Curiosity now part satisfied. If I repeat this trip in my new kayak, the Neris Smart 1, which is a far better long distance craft, I could get much further in the same time. It was a bit ambitious with the wider and heavier, but comfortable, Halibut.

Time on the water was approaching 4½ hours. Distance paddled was 15 kilometres. I admit to being a bit achy the next day!

Last of the Year.

 Back on the sea:

During the long and hot summer(very hot and very long), with crowded beaches, roads and car parks, I had avoided the coast.  Embalse de Negratin had been a more pleasant place for my type of quiet kayaking. My first trip back to the sea, since May 4th., was on Tuesday November 28th. when I took The Smart One to Villaricos:

There are four places at Villaricos where I can get on the water fairly easily with a kayak.   Because of a not entirely favourable weather forecast I opted for the one close to Chiringuito (beach bar) Las Brisas, where a reef of rocks, about 25 metres out from the shore, creates a calm patch between shore and reef in most sea conditions.  It doesn't take much of a 'lift' in the water to make getting afloat on a 'steep-to' beach a bit tricky, without getting wet.  Also, at this particular spot, it's only a short distance across sand from car park to shore.  The Smart One is light enough to carry that far without faffing around with a kayak trolley,

It wasn't a perfect morning.  I got on the water at 10:15 a.m., when just a light breeze, off the land, barely ruffled the water, but that wind soon picked up a little and backed to blow off the sea. A plan for a longish distance paddle, south along the coast, was abandoned in favour of a bit of dodging backwards and forwards between the two marinas at Villaricos. Running one way, with following wind and waves was very pleasant, punching back again, against those elements, was harder work.

Time on the water was 2 hrs. and distance paddled was 6.6 km.

To Isla Negra and beyond:

Next trip to the sea, again with The Smart One, was on December 23rd.  Another commitment kept me home on the Winter Solstice but I was on the water, at Punta Parda, the following day – the first full day of winter.  Nothing untoward in the weather forecast that day and sea condition near perfect for a long paddle.  Got on the water at 11:00 a.m. and conditions looked so good that I decided on a repeat of my paddle to Isla Negra (blog post 29/4/23) and, if all went well, to continue to the headland (Punta Cañón) a bit further on.  The town of San Juan de los Terreros is just around that headland.

Approaching Isla Negra.  The island on the horizon is Islote de San Juan de los Terreros – a long name for a little island!  A circumnavigation of that island is a future possibility, in the right conditions.

A view of the old part of San Juan de los Terreros as round Punta Cañón. Conditions were still very favourable when I reached Isla Negra, and it hadn't taken as long to get there as I had anticipated, so I had pressed on.

A nice vista of San Juan opened up when I cleared Punta Cañón.  The old part of the town on the right of the picture with the sprawl of more recent urbanization, along the shore, on the left.  It was now time to turn back.

Looking back from Punta Cañón. Conditions still very good, although a breeze did start to ruffle the water later, when Isla Negra (that dark lump) was well astern of me.

Back at Punta Parda, at the entrance to the bay. Not many people on the beach now, but hidden from view is a motor-home and camper-van city! Vehicles of all shapes, sizes, ages and conditions, owned by a variety of nationalities, mainly Northern Europeans, gathered here in Spain for the winter sun.

Time on the water this time was 2¼ hrs. and distance paddled was 7.8 km.

It's been a pretty good year for my quiet kayaking. A record year of 14 trips plus a new kayak, the Neris Smart 1, to play with. I'm still at two kayaks. That new kayak, and the possibilities that go with it, made my little Gumotex Twist 1 redundant – but it has a new good home, with family, in the U.K. The Twist  served me well, for 37 trips over 6 years.  .

End of Summer Time

 Sunday October 29th. and I reached Playa del Freila, at Embalse de Negratin, at 8:30 am. It would have been 9:30 am if Summer Time hadn't come to an end much earlier that morning. The water level in the reservoir is still going steadily down, so Playa del Freila is the only place where access to the water is still reasonably easy. Now the water doesn't reach the other two places towards the top end of the reservoir, where the Castril and Guardal rivers flow in (when they aren't dry). On 25/10/23 it was recorded that the reservoir was down to 19.26% of capacity. Fortunately, even at that capacity, there is still a more than adequate area of water for a good morning of quiet paddling.

This time I thought I'd meander down the Freila side of the reservoir to the dam. Hadn't been as far as that since May 2017. Hardly a breath of wind when I got on the water but a fresh wind, from the direction of the dam, was forecast for later in the morning: a wind which would be behind me on my return journey.

Approaching the dam.

Near enough for me. Getting too close to a dam makes me nervous!

A few facts about the Embalse del Negratin. The dam was constructed in 1984 and opened by the previous king of Spain (King Juan Carlos) in 1985. The max. surface area of the reservoir behind the dam is 2170 hectares and the maximum capacity is 567 cubic hectometres (which, if converted to litres or gallons gives a mind boggling figure). It is the fourth largest reservoir in Andalucia and the largest in the province of Granada. According to tourist information the length of the reservoir is 22 km, but on our maps it scales 16 km. Maybe the 22 km. includes the length of a very long, large inlet at the upper end of the reservoir. Since late 2016 I've paddled the entire perimeter of Negratin – some stretches of shoreline several times.

And about turn – my starting point is several kilometres past that headland on the right hand side.

Nearly back to Playa del Freila. Autumn colours are starting to appear among the vegetation. That's the Jabalcón mountain in the background – and reflected in the water. The fresher wind that was forecast never did amount to anything, so it was a good morning for reflections, and a nice morning for another quiet paddle.

Time on the water was 2¼ hours and distance paddled was 9.0 kilometres. Mornings are much cooler now. In fact it was quite chilly when I first got on the water – after such a long hot summer, and a warm start to autumn, I'd nearly forgotten what 'chilly' felt like!