Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - Chicken Rock Tidal Races.

I hadn't paddled for four weeks having been away working in Gibraltar. I think both Ian and myself thought we might be a bit rusty. Still, on Saturday with only the freezing cold temperatures to contend with we didn't feel that the force 4 winds and weak tides would pose much of a challenge. We headed off from Port Erin to circumnavigate the Calf of Man via the infamous Chicken Rock Lighthouse. All seemed reasonably calm at Chicken Rock until as is so often the case there, within seconds a squally, breaking, sizable tidal race appeared from nowhere. North Easterly winds aren't usual for the Isle of Man and I'd never encountered a race running to the North of the rock like this before. Ian and I counted our blessings as we made the most of the tidal race action. If you want to see what some one's face looks like as it dawns on them that they are in for a freezing cold dunking you need look no further than Ian's face in the last photograph. Of course he successfully rolled back up.
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Isle of Man Kayaking - Chicken Rock.

Located a mile and a half off the southern most tip of the Calf of Man lies Chicken Rock, with it's formidable lighthouse. This is the most southerly land mass administered by the Manx Government. There's a light house there because the rock is treacherous to shipping. It's also pretty treacherous to kayakers. Exposed to the prevailing westerly and south westerly winds, the rock has vast, endless and constant tidal races sweeping around it. These often meet with eddy currents creating turbulent, boiling, whirlpool infested waters! This seemed the ideal spot for Ian and I to practice our rough water landings, roles and self rescues! Well, to be fair it was pretty sedate for chicken rock this day, and the rough water landing was made in a gentle swell. There was even time to climb the 30 feet or so up the iron ladder to the locked lighthouse door to snap some of the photos above.
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