CSCC Reports 2012: Exmouth – 3rd to 5th August 2012

Eight club members - Stephen, Dan, David, Mark, Rob, Marc, Tom and Colette - headed to Devon to paddle the western extremity of the "Jurassic Coast". 

We stayed at St John’s farm campsite, near Exmouth.  This was good value (£7 pppn), and pleasant enough although the facilities were a bit limited (not really enough showers).  We also had some noisy neighbours, although that could not be blamed on the site owners.

Mark Rainsley's book describes a day paddle from Seaton to Exmouth, which Rob and Stephen had some on a previous occasion.  In light of the likely conditions (winds up to force 5 were forecast, with a moderate swell) we decided to shorten to the trip and do it in reverse (to have the wind behind us), starting from Exmouth and stopping at Sidmouth.

However, parking proved to be very difficult to find in Sidmouth due to their annual folk festival being held the same weekend, and cars were left instead at Budleigh Salterton.  This meant that the trip would be less than 5 miles.  Nevertheless, this proved to be quite long enough to provide a few challenges.

The tide was flowing quickly out of Exmouth harbour (tides here can flow at 5 knots).  This initially sped us on our way but the tide had gone out far enough to start to expose the sand bar in the mouth of the estuary.  As we rounded Orcombe rocks this threw up some choppy water with some breaking surf and Colette and Mark became briefly stuck on the sandbank. Tom and Stephen went back to check Mark and Colette were OK while Dan, Rob, Mark and David continued on.  Both Dan and Stephen had VHF radios so contact could be maintained between the two groups of four.  Once through the surf over the sandbank the water was calmer but some there was some more choppy water around Straight Point, which was challenging at times.

Colette swam after being caught out by a broadside wave but got back in her boat quickly with assistance from Tom and Stephen.  Mark found that the swell threatened to make him feel sea sick and pressed on at the front of the group of four.

By the time this group got to Buddleigh Salterton (after a second swim from Colette) the first group had landed successfully but Stephen, Tom and Colette picked a shallower part of the beach at the eastern end where there was less intimidating surf.

Marc, Rob and Stephen went back to practice rescues and paddling in the surf and coped well, although Rob had a hairy moment coming into the beach when the front of his boat dug into the shingle and a wave lifted the back high up in the air.  Luckily, Rob landed the right way up (although backwards) on the beach.

On Saturday night we had a good meal at a pub in Woodbury, where we managed to see British Olympic success in the heptathlon and long jump on the TV and the usual dismal performance from overpaid footballers in a penalty shoot-out.

On Sunday the plan had been to paddle from Teignmouth to Torbay but instead we decided to paddle across the Ex estuary and go along the coast for a couple of miles before returning (avoiding a shuttle).  However, the tide was running very strong out of the estuary and we found that holding station for a ferry glide across to the west shore proved very difficult.  Added to which a thunder storm started nearby.  Unwilling to become human lightening conductors we headed back to the shore and waited for the storm to move away.

Since we had now lost time, we decided just to play in the estuary, making our way along the beach towards Orcombe rocks where we went back into the surf, practising in these conditions.  Stephen found himself surfing backwards before capsizing and rolling.  Marc, did his first roll in anger, and we all practised rescues and rolls.

Whilst we had not achieved the distances that we had hoped to paddle, the two days had provided some fun as well as very valuable practice in challenging conditions.