Crossings - Irish Sea
The Irish Sea Crossing is a committing undertaking requiring stamina, confidence and resourcefulness. A solo crossing is seen by many as a rite of passage for the serious sea kayaker. There is a choice of routes; the North Channel is probably the most straightforward, West Wales brings greater distance and more complicated tides. But the Blue Riband is also the longest route, between Dun Laoghaire and Anglesey - dodging ferries and the fast tides of the Anglesey coastline.
Notable was the solo, unsupported crossing in a canadian canoe by Steve Porter in July 2000. Using a 16.5ft Pyranha Traveler with a home-made sailing rig it took Steve 18hrs from Treaddur Bay to Wicklow with a nice force 3 easterly!
Images © Google / Justine Curgenven / Barry Shaw / Mark Stocker
- Anglesey
- Lleyn Peninsula
- St George's Channel
- North Channel
- Links
| Cat | Paddler | Elapsed time (Hrs) | Distance | Avg Speed | Date | Route | Boat | Escort | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K1M | John Willacy^^ | 13:45:00 | 57.4 nm | 4.1 kts | 24-Aug-07 | Dun Laoghaire - Porth Dafarch | Nelo Inuk | No | Here |
| K1W | |||||||||
| K2 | |||||||||
| Team | Nick Cunliffe, Justine Curgenven ** | 11:45:00 | 57 nm | 4.8 kts | 13-May-09 | Soldiers' Point - Collimore Harbour | Valley Nordkap LV / NDK Explorer | No | Here |
| SKI Single | |||||||||
| SKI Double | |||||||||
| Notes: ^^ I suspect the K1M crossing may have been completed in a faster time, I just don't yet know by who - until then... ** The crossing by Justine and Nick is a truly outstanding time - a few words from Nick: "Throughout the crossing the wind varied between E4-5, occasionally more ENE. It had been blowing from the east for a few days, so we had a good moderate sea mid-crossing – downhill paddling all the way. The sea state settled once we crossed the Kish Bank, especially as the wind was no more than E4 for the last couple of hours. On a personal note, it was also my 42nd birthday and I fancied a big day out to celebrate - I certainly got one! Justine didn’t know until we arrived. We hadn’t gone out to set a “record”, just to get it over with as quick as possible and to enjoy the conditions. The Guinness tasted good in Dun Laoghaire! " |
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| Cat | Paddler | Elapsed time (Hrs) | Distance | Avg Speed | Date | Route | Boat | Escort | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K1M | |||||||||
| K1W | |||||||||
| K2 | Justine Curgenven, Barry Shaw ** | 11:56:00 | 01-Jan-09 | Whistling Sands - Wicklow | NDK Triton | No | |||
| Team | |||||||||
| SKI Single | |||||||||
| SKI Double | |||||||||
| Notes: ** The crossing by Justine and Barry probably takes the record for the first of the New Year too (and the coldest?) | |||||||||
| Cat | Paddler | Elapsed time (Hrs) | Distance | Avg Speed | Date | Route | Boat | Escort | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K1M | |||||||||
| K1W | |||||||||
| K2 | |||||||||
| Team | Sean Morley, Jim Morrissey, Ian Wilson | 11:06:00 | 01-Aug-98 | Whitesands Bay - Rosslare Harbour | Kirton Kayaks Inuk x3 | No | Here | ||
| Graham Dore, Hugh Lane, Bill Jags, Mark Stocker, Andy Worth | 12:45:00 | 43 nm | ~3.4 kts | 27-Jun-09 | Whitesands Bay - Rosslare Harbour | Valley Nordkapp x2, P&H Quest x2, Kirton C-Trek | No | ||
| SKI Single | |||||||||
| SKI Double | |||||||||
| Notes: | |||||||||
| Cat | Paddler | Elapsed time (Hrs) | Distance | Avg Speed | Date | Route | Boat | Escort | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K1M | Barry Shaw | 05:40:00 | 43 km | 4.1 kts | 02-Apr-05 | Portpatrick - Larne | NDK Romany | No | Here |
| K1W | |||||||||
| K2 | |||||||||
| Team | |||||||||
| SKI Single | |||||||||
| SKI Double | |||||||||
| Notes: | |||||||||
John Willacy - Anglesey: http://angleseypaddling.fotopic.net/c1355441.html
Nick Cunliffe, Justine Curgeneven - Anglesey: http://www.cackletv.com/2009/05/19/across-the-irish-sea-in-11hours-30-mins/
Sean Morley, Jim Morrissey, Ian Wilson - West Wales: http://www.expeditionkayak.com/content/?page_id=160
Barry Shaw - North Channel: http://www.ukseakayakguidebook.co.uk/north_channel/art_north_channel.htm
Notes are set in here