Richmond Walk-Eddystone-Gunnislake 23 08 25

Evening launch to the Eddystone, nice easy paddle out under a star filled moonless sky with Perseids occasionally arcing overhead. Below bioluminescence was stunning, jellyfish glowing with each pulsation then squid and mackerel darting around sheathed in light for around 15km. Work being done on the lighthouse so windows and doors all lit up. There was a half metre easterly swell making plenty of noise so I gave the reefs a wide berth in the dark. The coastguard confirmed a southerly wind force 2 but the reality was a brisk north easterly gradually strengthening and becoming almost due north so a direct headwind. Progress was slow I had to paddle hard and stopping was not an option. I was bearing around 30 degrees east of the sound aiming for where the Mewstone should be but several hours later was approaching west of Penlee point. Along the way plenty of fish then some dolphins feeding nearby making huge sparkling tracks and shortly after a whole load of tuna and some bumps under my hull. Spectacular breaches by the tuna in a shower of bioluminescence! Absolutely stunning and made up for the slog of a paddle. Running well behind the flood tide died about a mile before Cothele then shortly after it was a couple of hours pushing against the ebb to arrive too late to touch the main Gunnislake weir. Back downriver and the ebb died off around Cargreen and the southerly wind picked up then the flood tide strengthened and the final few hours was another slog with Chanel marker buoys heeling well over in the current. The aim was to hit 120k by taking in a circumnavigation of the Mewstone and Drake’s Island but that just wasn’t possible so 104.5 km in a slow 22.5 hours, 6 hours longer then the first time I did this trip - timing is so critical to make this one work well.