Bleeding Nipples: A paddle round the Isle of Wight

Oh my… it’s big!

Sea kayaking round this beautiful island (formed some 8,000 years ago) is a mighty weekend challenge.

Setting off at 5am from the mainland (Lee-on-the-Solent), it took 26hrs of paddling to complete the 120km return trip – with a wild camp half-way.

That’s equivalent to paddling to France and back… twice.

Being the busiest waterway in Europe, with racing tides, timing was key.

As a novice sea kayaker, I soon found that a salty t-shirt equals lots of chaffing (unhappy nipples).

I also learnt that a lumpy, choppy sea state is pretty adrenalising. No time for sore muscles. There was zero room for mistakes as we threaded the Needles in (Force 5) wind over tide (and way too risky to get my camera out).

Finally, I learnt that landing on a beach when the tide is ‘high shelving’ is quite tricky, as the video below will show. Thankfully no one was hurt (as this was a remote spot).

Many thanks to my awesome companions – Tim and Adrian – for having me along for this epic paddle round the Isle of Wight.