Courtmacsherry, Cork - Sea Kayaking

The town of Courtmacsherry lies about an hour or so to the South East of Cork City on the coast. An effort was made in the morning to get into work early this particular Wednesday with the aim of getting out early. Alwyn and myself planned to go sea kayaking in the afternoon down in Courtmacsherry. After the fun Rosa and myself had in Baginbun bay on a sit on kayak, Alwyn thought I might enjoy a trip out with some hardcore seasoned kayakers. Of course I jumped at the chance but was nervous about using the different equipment associated with a sit-in kayak.

Playing Jack Johnson chill out tunes we were super laid back as we drove into Courtmacsherry. We drove straight through the town and then turned right up a hill. In the passenger seat trying to follow google maps I was useless as Alwyn took the detours google sent us on as a result of my inability to follow the original route. Without much fuss or delay in the end we reached Broadstrand Beach. It was a beautiful evening in July that seemed like it would stretch on late into the night as the sun was in no hurry to go down.

As Alwyns mates drove into the carpark they were easy to identify by the big long sea kayaks on their roof racks. A sit-in sea kayak is very different to a sit-on kayak in terms of its length, width and of course how you sit in it.

Togged out in my wetsuit I put on a bouncy aid and a spray deck, then carried the kayak I'd be using down to the tip of the water. I got in and played with the foot holds inside the kayak, used to push your feet off and maintain stability as you paddle. Once in and comfortable I pulled over my spray deck, which looks like a Scottish kilt when your wearing it walking around outside of the kayak but when you’re in the kayak it is pulled over a little ledge around the seating area stopping any water entering the main body of the kayak. If the kayak turns over some more skilled kayakers are able to perform a paddle stroke combined with a wiggle of the hip’s that can roll them back up out of the water and into the correct position. As this was my first time in a sea kayak my instruction was if I turned over to just pull the spray deck off get out of the kayak, turn the kayak over and with a bit of help I’d be able to get back in and re set.

Ready to go – I was sitting in the kayak, spray deck on and paddle in hand ready to start cutting through the water. However, first I had to get the kayak fully into the water and this is done with a wiggle of your hips guiding the kayak off the last bit of land and fully into the water. My first time in a sea kayak of course I hadn’t a notion about this technique and I was given a gentle nudge by Alwyn sending me out into the water. The kayak cut through the water with minimal effort and the shortest of paddle strokes. The paddle which I was using was made of carbon fibre making it extremely light and easy to lift out of the water after each stroke. It soon became clear how important your feet are involved in sea kayaking. As you stroke the paddle into the water on the right, you put a small bit of pressure on the opposite foot hold to counteract your stroke and keep the kayak straight. This requires a lot of focus at first and can be frustrating as you tend to veer off to your stronger side. Eventually after spending 15 min drifting off to the right with each paddle stroke I began to realize my foot holds were not aligned, meaning I was able to put more pressure on one foot than the other causing an imbalance leading me to veer off to my right. I called back Alwyn and he helped me re-align my foot holds. Boom, the fix worked instantly and soon I was keeping up with Alwyn and his mates enjoying the views as we paddled out of the bay. Alwyns friend, than kindly gave me other tips and corrected my form as we moved. Cutting through the water we were moving strong and made it out of the bay turning right following the cliff line. Enjoying my progress, at times it felt effortless but every now and again I would need to focus on my posture, my feet and my paddle stroke. As silly as it may sound paddling straight can be difficult if all these points are not aligned but its easy to see how with experience it can become second nature.

Eventually we paddled ashore onto a small remote beach that was in-accessible from the mainland itself as it was surrounded by cliffs. Once ashore we walked around, swam through rock pools and then picked some litter that had been washed ashore, in turn performing our good deed for the day. This was a beautiful little spot and it was nice to think we had it to ourselves.

Once back in the kayaks we went about exploring a nearby cave by paddling in among throngs of jellyfish floating around at the mouth of the cave, then we paddled into the cave as far as we could go.

The time came to turn around and go back the way we had come. We set off at a relaxed speed paddling towards the bay leading into Broadstrand. Alwyn’s mates were sound and I tried to take in as much information as I could about endurance paddling, steering without the paddle and techniques like sculling. We went all out racing towards the bay and it was fun, I was happy I was able to keep up with these guys and knew if I had more experience I could maybe match them.

As we reached the shore it brought our Evening of Adventure to an end. I got out of the kayak and onto land again, my legs felt a bit wobbly but came too within a minute or so. We then began packing away the kayaks, paddles and accessories and within no time we were ready for road and heading back to Cork City.

Thanks to Alwyn for bringing me out and in particular to his friend Johnathon who was extremely generous to let a complete novice into one of his kayaks. Johnathon was equally as generous in sharing his experience and knowledge to help me move in the right direction as we paddled along.

I really enjoyed sea kayaking and my first time in a Sit-in kayak. Looking forward to the next time I go out in one and excited about what adventure might be possible in the future with a bit more experience in a sea kayak.