Sunday 28 January 2024

First of 2024

 A run of nice warm days, and a forecast of very light winds, encouraged me to take my Gumotex Halibut kayak to the Embalse de Negratin last Thursday.

Got on the water at 10:30am, at Playa de Freila. With the water in the reservoir so low (currently at 21.19%) Playa de Freila is the only place with easy access to the water. It no longer reaches the other two places, in the upper part of reservoir, which I've used for access in the past.

After making the effort to go all the way to Negratin, I like to try and get at least four hours on the water, to make the journey worthwhile. So, becoming curious about how far up the reservoir I could go, without running out of water, I decided on a two hour non-stop paddle from Freila towards the upper end. A four hour round trip, as long as I resisted the urge to explore any side inlets.

I did reach a section of the reservoir I hadn't paddled for a long time. However, my four hour plan actually stretched a bit. When I turned back after two hours, with open water still ahead of me, I gulped a bit when I realised how far I had come! The return journey took a bit longer than the outward leg. Fortunately I had taken my pack-up lunch with me – and munched my way back. A tail wind would have been helpful, but the water was glassy calm. Reflections on the water were magnificent, but I didn't break paddling rhythm to take any photos.

Curiosity now part satisfied. If I repeat this trip in my new kayak, the Neris Smart 1, which is a far better long distance craft, I could get much further in the same time. It was a bit ambitious with the wider and heavier, but comfortable, Halibut.

Time on the water was approaching 4½ hours. Distance paddled was 15 kilometres. I admit to being a bit achy the next day!

Sunday 31 December 2023

Last of the Year.

 Back on the sea:

During the long and hot summer(very hot and very long), with crowded beaches, roads and car parks, I had avoided the coast.  Embalse de Negratin had been a more pleasant place for my type of quiet kayaking. My first trip back to the sea, since May 4th., was on Tuesday November 28th. when I took The Smart One to Villaricos:

There are four places at Villaricos where I can get on the water fairly easily with a kayak.   Because of a not entirely favourable weather forecast I opted for the one close to Chiringuito (beach bar) Las Brisas, where a reef of rocks, about 25 metres out from the shore, creates a calm patch between shore and reef in most sea conditions.  It doesn't take much of a 'lift' in the water to make getting afloat on a 'steep-to' beach a bit tricky, without getting wet.  Also, at this particular spot, it's only a short distance across sand from car park to shore.  The Smart One is light enough to carry that far without faffing around with a kayak trolley,

It wasn't a perfect morning.  I got on the water at 10:15 a.m., when just a light breeze, off the land, barely ruffled the water, but that wind soon picked up a little and backed to blow off the sea. A plan for a longish distance paddle, south along the coast, was abandoned in favour of a bit of dodging backwards and forwards between the two marinas at Villaricos. Running one way, with following wind and waves was very pleasant, punching back again, against those elements, was harder work.

Time on the water was 2 hrs. and distance paddled was 6.6 km.

To Isla Negra and beyond:

Next trip to the sea, again with The Smart One, was on December 23rd.  Another commitment kept me home on the Winter Solstice but I was on the water, at Punta Parda, the following day – the first full day of winter.  Nothing untoward in the weather forecast that day and sea condition near perfect for a long paddle.  Got on the water at 11:00 a.m. and conditions looked so good that I decided on a repeat of my paddle to Isla Negra (blog post 29/4/23) and, if all went well, to continue to the headland (Punta Cañón) a bit further on.  The town of San Juan de los Terreros is just around that headland.


Approaching Isla Negra.  The island on the horizon is Islote de San Juan de los Terreros – a long name for a little island!  A circumnavigation of that island is a future possibility, in the right conditions.






A view of the old part of San Juan de los Terreros as round Punta Cañón. Conditions were still very favourable when I reached Isla Negra, and it hadn't taken as long to get there as I had anticipated, so I had pressed on.






A nice vista of San Juan opened up when I cleared Punta Cañón.  The old part of the town on the right of the picture with the sprawl of more recent urbanization, along the shore, on the left.  It was now time to turn back.






Looking back from Punta Cañón. Conditions still very good, although a breeze did start to ruffle the water later, when Isla Negra (that dark lump) was well astern of me.





Back at Punta Parda, at the entrance to the bay. Not many people on the beach now, but hidden from view is a motor-home and camper-van city! Vehicles of all shapes, sizes, ages and conditions, owned by a variety of nationalities, mainly Northern Europeans, gathered here in Spain for the winter sun.




Time on the water this time was 2¼ hrs. and distance paddled was 7.8 km.

It's been a pretty good year for my quiet kayaking. A record year of 14 trips plus a new kayak, the Neris Smart 1, to play with. I'm still at two kayaks. That new kayak, and the possibilities that go with it, made my little Gumotex Twist 1 redundant – but it has a new good home, with family, in the U.K. The Twist  served me well, for 37 trips over 6 years.  .


Sunday 5 November 2023

End of Summer Time

 Sunday October 29th. and I reached Playa del Freila, at Embalse de Negratin, at 8:30 am. It would have been 9:30 am if Summer Time hadn't come to an end much earlier that morning. The water level in the reservoir is still going steadily down, so Playa del Freila is the only place where access to the water is still reasonably easy. Now the water doesn't reach the other two places towards the top end of the reservoir, where the Castril and Guardal rivers flow in (when they aren't dry). On 25/10/23 it was recorded that the reservoir was down to 19.26% of capacity. Fortunately, even at that capacity, there is still a more than adequate area of water a good morning of quiet paddling.

This time I thought I'd meander down the Freila side of the reservoir to the dam. Hadn't been as far as that since May 2017. Hardly a breath of wind when I got on the water but a fresh wind, from the direction of the dam, was forecast for later in the morning: a wind which would be behind me on my return journey.


Approaching the dam.



Near enough for me. Getting too close to a dam makes me nervous!








A few facts about the Embalse del Negratin. The dam was constructed in 1984 and opened by the previous king of Spain (King Juan Carlos) in 1985. The max. surface area of the reservoir behind the dam is 2170 hectares and the maximum capacity is 567 cubic hectometres (which, if converted to litres or gallons gives a mind boggling figure). It is the fourth largest reservoir in Andalucia and the largest in the province of Granada. According to tourist information the length of the reservoir is 22 km, but on our maps it scales 16 km. Maybe the 22 km. includes the length of a very long, large inlet at the upper end of the reservoir. Since late 2016 I've paddled the entire perimeter of Negratin – some stretches of shoreline several times.



And about turn – my starting point is several kilometres past that headland on the right hand side.

Nearly back to Playa del Freila. Autumn colours are starting to appear among the vegetation. That's the Jabalcón mountain in the background – and reflected in the water. The fresher wind that was forecast never did amount to anything, so it was a good morning for reflections, and a nice morning for another quiet paddle.






Time on the water was 2¼ hours and distance paddled was 9.0 kilometres. Mornings are much cooler now. In fact it was quite chilly when I first got on the water – after such a long hot summer, and a warm start to autumn, I'd nearly forgotten what 'chilly' felt like!

Sunday 24 September 2023

Another Equinox Paddle

I couldn't let the Autumn Equinox pass without doing a bit of kayaking somewhere. The weather forecasts for any coastal kayaking looked a bit iffy, so I opted for the Embalse de Negratin, which I still haven't tired of. Even for there the forecast wasn't perfect – light easterly breeze in the early part of the morning but getting much stronger towards mid-day. So I took The Smart One, a better kayak for windy conditions, and planned to start early from Playa del Freila, follow the east shore into any wind at that time, then return with the wind behind me if it did get a bit strong.

New for today was this piece of wood decking I've made. Somewhere to keep a map case within easy reach, with a small waterproof bag on the back edge to keep snacks and bits & bobs in. It will also keep the sun off my ankles. One of the drawbacks of kayaking in a hot climate is getting sunburnt legs if you don't keep them covered. So I've taken to wearing very lightweight trousers, but I've sometimes ended the day with sunburn on exposed ankles. I've been looking forward to trying this deck out.

Water in the reservoir has got quite low during this unusually hot summer. It's currently at about quite 20%. At this level, particularly close to the shore, the tops of many small trees and woody shrubs are exposed, and sometimes extending quite a way out from the edge. Sometimes it is possible to pick a way through them.




And sometimes you can't!

The exposed bits are pretty harmless, generally quite soft (waterlogged) and bendy. Thinnest bits break off easily. It's the thicker bits hidden below the surface you have to watch out for.






The next hazard, a couple of hours into the trip, was mud! I'd reached a little bay, with what looked (from a distance) like a gently shelving sandy beach. A good place to stop and get out for a leg stretch, I thought. When I reached shallow enough water, I swung my legs over the side of the kayak, and started to stand up – only to discover I was about to step out into deep, sticky, soft mud! Retracted feet very quickly before my Crocs could get left behind in this gooey stuff. Didn't want feet, very heavy with mud, in the kayak so I backed away with both legs dangling over the side. It took a lot of rubbing and rinsing before feet and Crocs were clean enough to come aboard again.


But there was a good side to this mishap. I discovered that sitting sideways in this kayak, with both legs dangling in the water, doesn't make it  heel much nor feel unstable, even when reaching over to wash feet. Wouldn't like to try it in choppy water, but in calm water it is just fine – and surprisingly comfortable. And the new bit of deck was an ideal place to dry those Crocs.



My turning back point was this pylon, which was also my turning back point when I came this way on the Autumn Equinox last year. More of it was sticking out of the water that time, so this must have been a slightly better year for the capacity of this reservoir.




The reservoir might only be at about 20% of capacity – but there's still plenty of water for kayaking! My starting point, at 9:30 am yesterday morning, was way, way down there on the left hand side.




Rocks can be quite sculptural.














1:30 pm and I'm back at Playa del Freila. That easterly wind never did get anywhere near as strong as the weather forecast suggested, so my return to here, with just a gentle easterly breeze behind me, was a lot quicker and easier than the outward leg. Here I had another little mishap – a dip into the water as I landed! Swung my legs out when reaching very shallow water, was very unsteady on my feet after 4 hours sat down, tripped on a rock and fell over. Floundered around in the water until I could stand up! Fortunately I fell backwards into deeper water, the water was quite warm – and the only two people on the shore were too far away to see a very wet kayaker dragging his craft up the shore.


Kayak back on the trolley ready for the last lap.







Pushing it, still very wet, back up that slipway! Some people do bring vehicles down to the shore (as you can see), despite prohibited notices, but I wouldn't like to risk getting bogged down on it myself!






It turned out to be a very nice day, apart from the involuntary swim, for a paddle. Got a bit hot just after mid-day but was pleasantly cool to start with. Time on the water was 4 hours and distance paddled was 11.0 kilometres. Another Equinox suitably celebrated – and the deck worked perfectly. No more very red feet or ankles.


Sunday 6 August 2023

Mad Dogs and Englishmen ..............

 I don't often go kayaking in August.  Partly because, even with a dawn start, it's too hot here to stay out on the water for very long and partly because of the heat induced lethargy of mid-summer.  However, yesterday morning, enticed out by a couple of cooler days than normal, I took my Neris Smart -1 to the Negratin reservoir for a quiet paddle.  Hoping to rid myself of a bit of that lethargy!

Didn't manage to get there at dawn, but did get afloat at Playa de Freila before the sun got too high in the sky.  Water was ruffled by a gentle breeze which made it quite a pleasant start.  No great plan for the day – just some gentle paddling along the shoreline.  Water level has dropped by at least 1½ metres since I was here in June, so it all looked a bit different.  Some bays have disappeared and new little islands have emerged.


Back at my starting point as mid-day approached.

The earlier breeze had long gone and the day was rapidly heating up.  It was a relief to get back to the shade of the trees in the car park and pack everything away again.  But I'm glad I made the effort.  Lethargy defeated – if only for a few days!



This was the first time I had used The Smart One on fresh water.  Being lighter and narrower than my Gumotex Halibut, which I usually use on Negratin, it takes less effort to keep it moving.  The Halibut is a bit of a barge – but a very comfortable one!  Time on the water was 2¼ hours and distance paddled was 7 kilometres.


Thursday 22 June 2023

Welcoming the Summer Solstice

It was the summer solstice yesterday, I marked the occasion with an excursion to the Embalse de Negratin with my Gumotex Halibut kayak.  The plan for the day was to re-trace the route of a paddle on the 'badlands' side of the reservoir, which I did with my Neris Valkure folding kayak in June 2017, blog post June 6th. 2017.  I affectionately refer to the side of the reservoir, opposite to Playa de Freila, as the 'badlands', because it's a remote, wilderness-like area with scenery reminding me of old western films.  Got into a nice steady paddling rhythm and covered 11 kilometres in 3¼ hours.  It's getting pretty hot here now, but the weather was on my side yesterday - overcast, threatening rain (which never came) and very light winds to start with.  Sun kept trying to break through the clouds - and I kept willing it not to!  Didn't feel like a Summer Solstice day, but it suited me just fine.

Didn't take any photos this time but I've attached a couple from the 2017 trip – the sort of scenery where, with a little imagination, you might expect to see eagles soaring, coyotes skulking around, smoke signals in the sky, Apaches on horseback silhouetted on the skyline and Clint Eastwood (or John Wayne) riding through the canyons – but, of course, I didn't see any of that!  In fact I didn't see or hear any movement, wildlife or otherwise, at all.




Most strenuous part of the trip was the crossing of open water back to Playa de Freila.  A wind, stronger than forecast, started gusting up from the dam end of the reservoir, creating uncomfortably choppy water.  My nice steady paddling rhythm increased in tempo!  Open water crossings of Negratin need to be treated with respect in fresh winds from either end of the reservoir.  The very same thing happened on that June 2017 trip, but on that occasion the wind was short lived and I sheltered in an inlet until it passed, before attempting the crossing.

Landing back at the beach was a bit ungainly.  With waves sweeping diagonally along the shore a nimble exit from the kayak, to pull it clear of the water, was needed – but my old legs, after being redundant for more than 3 hours, didn't feel like co-operating quickly enough!  Fortunately, it being such a grey morning, there were no witnesses – and I didn't actually fall over.


Sunday 11 June 2023

Negratin Again

 I was back at Embalse de Negratin again yesterday. Despite all the rain we've had these past couple of weeks, the water level hadn't changed much since I was here last month. Evidently water has been going out as fast as it was coming in.  A lot of water is now needed for agricultural irrigation after such a dry winter.


9:30 am at the bottom of the slipway at Playa de Freila, ready for a morning on the water. Only a gentle breeze to contend with this trip.







Nice new piece of kit for this outing: a heavy duty, tapered, zipped waterproof bag for all those bits and pieces normally in an assortment of bags. It's made by Grabner (Austria) to fit their own range of excellent, but expensive, inflatable kayaks – and it fits perfectly in the bow of my Gumotex Halibut and also just as well in the stern of my Neris Smart 1. Purchase was part assisted by the sale of a welding set, which I regret I never mastered using, to a neighbour with welding experience.

I followed the shore to the north-east. Within an hour the breeze had died away completely, leaving the water mirror-like near the edges. But it didn't last – when I turned back after 2 hours of quiet paddling, in and out of side inlets, I was surprised by a bit of a headwind to contend with when I was expecting (from the weather forecast) a gentle tailwind. However that didn't last long either, These gentle breezes were all over the place this morning.


On the way back I had to stop in this inlet for a leg-stretch. Even an inflatable seat pad feels pretty hard after a couple of hours of paddling, however gentle.







Time on the water was 3½ hrs. and total distance paddled was 9.5 kilometres.