Lymington Paddle

Lymington Paddle

I haven't managed to get any sailing in this Bank Holiday weekend, far too many house chores, but I did get the chance to go Kayaking with my neighbourino!

At the end of last year I managed to pick up a bargain on eBay, a sit-on Islander Paradise kayak. I had been looking for something cheap and easy that I could use to explore the river and canals around my area. This seemed to fit the bill and was going for a song, which might have been down to the rather funky green colour! Yesterday was the first time I managed to try it out when my neighbour asked if I'd like to join him in a gentle paddle up the Lymington River.

Having access to the Yacht Haven we parked up at the end of the car park and after scrambling over the low wall tentatively launched. The tide was in our favour with a couple of hours until high tide to get upstream before it turned for our return leg.

Whilst not a very tranquil expedition it was ideal for testing out the kayak (and me!) and very interesting to have a different perspective of all the yachts moored in the marinas, not to mention the WightLink ferry! We paddled all the way up to the monitoring station and then turned around and decided to get out on the Quay to eat our lunch and buy a much needed coffee.

With the tide now ebbing and the wind behind us the return leg was a breeze, and we followed the Eastern bank all the way back.

In in all a great day out with good company and my eBay purchase was deemed a success. All I need now is to get some Popeye muscles so I can venture further afield!