We've had a gorgeous summer so far, very warm and sunny days, lots of people taking to the water and getting into kayaking, Stand Up Paddleboarding or simply swimming. A lot of people have started a serious activity without any expert advice or tuition and have, unfortunately, got into serious trouble. The Coastguard recorded its higher ever callout over a weekend this summer in the last four years. Scary- isn't it?
We're all adventure lovers and this year, perhaps because of lockdown and lack of opportunities to go abroad, we're all enjoying a cheeky staycation (or three?) on the coast this year. Its important to remember the weather changes fast in the UK, especially in coastal areas and can catch us unawares. When going out paddling, especially out at sea, its a good idea to be fully prepared. Please think about the following before planning your adventure:
Physical strength: when we plan trips out at sea, we do the hard bit first and the easy bit later. What information might we need to do this? Physical strength is a usually good indicator but if you've never been kayaking out at sea, how do you know how far you can go? How about the weather?
Weather: most kayakers I have been out with haven't checked the weather or they checked it once, a few days ago and "it looked OK". The weather in the UK can change in a few hours and this is the easiest way to avoid problems when out on the water.
Tides: Lets not forget our waters are tidal. Unless you go kayaking or paddleboarding in a lake or canal, you should check the tides. Tides flow very fast every two weeks, so its important to check with someone who can help, or a lifeguard before getting on the water.
Lets focus on weather to see how it can help or hinder us. I think weather can play a huge role in paddlesports and can turn a fun day into a local news headline. I can talk about this for days but I'll try to sum it up in a few helpful points. First, please check the weather where you intend to go paddling.
Its important to remember that its not a weather "prediction" which wrongly lets us think that what the website says will actually happen. Its more of a "projection" and can change last minute. Once I am at my launch point, I check the weather again to see if its changed. So what exactly are we looking for? Air temperature is a good start. If it was projected to be 21C but its now actually 15C, are you dressed for this change? It gets interesting when we factor in wind and wind chill factor. Where is the wind blowing? How fast is it? Is your hat still on your head or does it keep falling off?
I usually check MetOffice, Windguru and Windy to see what the wind is upto in my area. They all use different computer models to project the weather, so its important to take them all into account. Wind direction is crucial; if you're standing at your launch point and the wind is behind you, you might find it very easy to paddle quite far out. If the wind direction doesn't change and the speed gets stronger through the day (as it often does in the summer) you may struggle to get back to the starting point. Wind speeds are key, especially if you're not used to being out at sea where it will feel a lot windier than on land.
In 1805, an officer of the Royal Navy developed a scale known as the "Beaufort scale" to standardise how we interpret weather conditions. What I may find "too breezy" might be a "calm breeze" for someone else. Most new kayakers/paddleboarders don't know about this scale but it can change the way you plan trips and keep you safe. You don't have to be a sailor to interpret this scale, the modern version has very helpful notes to use non water features such as trees or windsocks to estimate wind speeds when your phone isn't handy enough to check the actual wind speed. To see the full beaufort scale, check out Wikipedia but I've pasted some of it below:
Its rare to have 1-2 mph winds in the UK but it can happen and sea kayaking will be relatively easy on such days. Inland paddling is also very enjoyable and offer the opportunity to take stunning photos.
More commonly, we have winds between 15-25mph which can feel relatively mild inland but quite strong out at sea. You can see from the image above, that a 15mph steady wind is a beaufort force (BF) 3 and called a "moderate breeze". Its easy to feel confident with the word "moderate" if you're physically strong but at this speed, the waves can make us feel unstable, especially if its not something we're accustomed to. The wave height should give you an indication of whether a paddle out at sea might be fun or a little bit scary in 2-3 ft waves. Remember to keep an eye on the speed of wind gusts too, it might be a steady wind of 15mph but gusts of 25mph which can make us feel unstable every so often.
The weather was very interesting yesterday and today, as many of us were out kayaking/paddleboarding in sheltered water. The water is warm, the air is also warm at 19-20C but the wind has been gusting around 30mph. Sheltered water protects us from the worst of the wind, but we can still feel it and when its as strong as this, we can also experience waves that can destabilise paddlers. Out at sea, this is definitely not paddling weather but what about more inland water? Should we be out paddling on a canal if the wind speed is almost 30mph?
I have the same advice for novices and non-novices (if they ask!):
Paddleboarders on inflatable boards should probably stick to going out in wind speeds under 12-13 mph. When we're on a board, especially an inflatable, we're more susceptible to strong wind and can get us into difficulties. Those on hard boards can probably get away with a bit more, just because they sit lower in the water. The hard boards are also a bit heavier, so I wouldn't go in winds stronger than 15mph.
Inflatable kayaks are lower in the water than stand up paddleboards, but still very susceptible to getting blown away in the wind. Stay safe and don't take it out in winds stronger than 15mph, especially at sea as they are very hard to spot!
Plastic kayaks sit low on the water and are relatively less susceptible to being blown away. If you've never kayaked before, I would recommend going out with someone experienced, like a coach and on not too windy days, with wind speeds at or under 15mph. Stronger winds will tire you out faster, there may be waves and capsizes that you may not be prepared for. It goes without saying that paddling into wind is harder work than having the wind behind you. For experienced paddlers, it can be quite a range as some people prefer to paddle on calm days whereas others are happy to go in high winds of 30-35mph. My comfort zone sits neatly around 27mph, at which I can paddle comfortably but I am not enjoying myself.
Maybe you believe in extreme adventure and scaring yourself to a point of being in grave danger. Fair play, but wouldn't it be nice to have an adventure fully prepared and not be in danger? I'm rather risk averse, so I don't put myself in dangerous situations where someone may need to come out, put their own life in danger to rescue me. I'm planning a solo adventure next year in sheltered water and the thought of going out alone scares me, so I'm going to use the next 12 months to prepare for this trip. If you've made it this far, I hope it helps and stay safe out there!