Mull sea kayaking trip

NOTE: all led places on this trip are now fully booked, though there is a waiting list. Peer places are still available for those known to the club sea leaders and safety officer, and with demonstrable sea kayak experience and abilities. See below for details of both, and get in touch if you are unsure. 

We are organising a sea kayaking trip to the Isle of Mull this September. Mull has many and varied sea kayaking possibilities in a beautiful Inner Hebridean setting. This  is no longer just a call for interest. Booking on this will be taken as confirmation that you plan to take part in the trip

The trip will include both a led group and an experienced peer paddler group. What we do will depend on weather and sea conditions, on the group, their experience, and of course our energy levels!

The led group will be run by Charlie Miller, the British Canoeing West Midlands Regional Development Officer, a 4* sea kayak leader. Charlie will also organise a skills session on the first day of the trip for both led and peer paddlers. Charlie is not a club member and so in return we will pay his fuel costs.

Dates: the club trip will be on these days:

• Monday 19 September outward travel
• Tuesday 20 September skills day
• Wednesday 21 - Saturday 24 paddle trips
• Sunday 25 September return travel

People are of course welcome to travel and be in Mull on different days, but any days outside of the above will not be part of the club trip.

Cost: will be £20 per head payable on registration. This will cover Charlie's fuel costs and any other group costs. Any surplus will be put in to the club against future sea trips. In addition to the registration fee,  you will have to pay for your own travel, ferry, food and camping. We encourage you to share transport and will help organise this nearer the time.

Location: We will base ourselves at a camp site with facilities on Mull. We will organise led day paddles from this base, as well as planning a 2-3 day led touring trip with overnight wild camping. The "base camp" will probably be Salen Bay Campsite as it is convenient and central.

People will need to organise their own food. We may plan some communal meals.

Campsite booking: You will need to book your own pitch on the main site. However, we do not recommend you book until closer to the time, in case of changes in plans. We will not be able to refund your campsite fees if you book a campsite that you do not use. We will be going out of high season, so space should not be a problem.

Led paddlers: will need some sea experience. If you are not sure whether you have the skills, please do register, then discuss the trip with club coaches and leaders, and arrange to get plenty of practice over the Summer (see pre-trip events and training below). By the time of the trip, you will need a confident capsize, be used to paddling a sea boat, and have some experience of assisted rescues.

Peer paddlers: need to be known to the club sea leaders and safety officer, and have demonstrable sea kayak experience and abilities. If you are not sure if you meet this requirement, you are welcome to register but please then get in touch so we can arrange for you to speak to one of the sea kayak leaders and possibly come along on a club sea trip ahead of time. You need to be able to make judgements as to the suitability of yourself, your kit and your skills in the prevailing conditions, and take responsibility for yourself and your fellow peer paddlers.

Leaders and trainee leaders: if you are a sea kayak leader and would like offer to lead another group on this trip, or help Charlie so we can increase the numbers beyond 6, please get in touch. If you are a trainee leader, and would like to help the leaders, for log book experience, please choose the "Trainee leader" option when registering.

Registration: The trip is only open to registered members of the club. There will be unlimited peer paddler places. There will be 6 led paddler places. We will run a waiting list for led paddlers - please put yourself on it if the trip fills up, in case we can offer more places.

Pre-trip events and training: will be organised over the Summer, alongside the club's usual programme of training and events. All trip paddlers are encouraged to come on these, to make sure they have the appropriate skills. We are hoping to run the following events and training, dates to be decided:

• Sea boat skills and rescue session - at Frankwell on a Monday
• Club sea trips - we especially encourage led paddlers to go on these, and any experienced paddlers who are not already known to the club sea kayak leaders
• British Canoeing event 3-4 September - British Canoeing West Midlands Regional Sea Kayaking meet on Anglesey, run by Charlie, will be used as a pre-trip training event for led paddlers needing more exposure to sea kayaking. This event is yet to be advertised - we will circulate details when we know more. 
• Pre-trip planning meeting - date to be announced, possibly combined with a Monday night paddle
• Overnight wild camp expedition - a 2 day / one night paddle for anyone who would like to practice packing and paddling a loaded sea kayak, we recommend that led paddlers in particular come on this

Kit list: as well as paddling kit, you will need camping kit suitable for overnight kayak trips. A full kit list will be made available in the next few months. Club sea kayaks are available for hire. If you wish to use one, please arrange for and pay for this separately.

Weather: All paddles will be subject to weather conditions and sea state, both of which are hard to predict until we are very close to the trip date, and on the trip. If we are unable to paddle from Mull, we will consider organising something more suited to the conditions on the same dates. Alternatives include Skye Inner Sound, Arran. We will even consider the other end of the country if the weather dictates!