Isle of Man Crossing 

Isle of Man Crossing by James G

Sat at my table on a Monday morning, a text arrived that changed my whole outlook on the week. Weather looks good Saturday, Isle of Man? Was the vague message, before long, we had a group of four capable paddlers, two of whom would forego their Devizes to Westminster prize giving ceremony. 

Weather-wise, a high-pressure system was due to hit the mainland on Sunday, but with a low-pressure system on either side, it would be subject to a last-minute decision to go….still plans formed, sail from Liverpool on Saturday, £30 for foot passengers, £10 per boat, bargain! Then a 14-mile paddle to the north end of the island and Port E Vullen, where the Venture Centre charged £20 a night each! Bargain #2. Time to plan the crossing, charts out and ideal speeds calculated. 

A slight complication was a Force 4, gusting 6 westerly on the Saturday, which made the Mananan crossing quite interesting, the vomit comet living up to its name! Still, we arrived in Douglas, a Spitfire approached the coast and performed a barrel roll just before we got on the water, the wind dropping, we were able to pick our way up the coast with one double kayak crewed by Tim and Miles, Shaun and I in singles. Arriving just beyond the overalls at Maughold Head, we left the boats above the high waterline, walked the 1km to the accommodation, had takeaway pizza and got some rest for the next day.

The forecast for Sunday was F3 dropping to F2 with minimal gusts from the west. Sea would be ebbing for most of the crossing and a very slight wind over tide, giving us a swell of 0.3m at 3s. Which, for the group, was as good as we could ask for without being pan flat. 

As per Tim’s original crossing write-up, the actual crossing isn’t the best part of the tale, apart from learning to urinate whilst in a Taran, suffice to say, with a 34” inside leg and a small cockpit opening, it’s a newfound skill and why you need some trusted friends to help! We paddled a mostly 070 bearing, taking a more northerly course as the flood began. The only slight bumps we felt over Bahama Bank, 6 miles from Ramsey, where the sea is approx 2-4m deep in places, but nothing to trouble us. One porpoise, razorbills, guillemots and a few puffins providing the entertainment. 0 ferries, which was a bonus, and only one sailing boat was seen during the entire 33-mile crossing. 

Arriving in St Bees was an awesome experience, with the beach occupants unaware of what we had just done. To pull our boats up to the car park, quick pic and home after dark. Smiles on our faces and a big tick under our belt. Onto the next one!