I have previously used Rule 500 Fully Automatic Pumps Model 25S

These operate using micro electronics, the pump is programed to start up every 2 minutes. If the pump spins with no load on the impeller it switches off, if however there is water present and a ‘load’ detected, the motor continues to run until a ‘no load’ condition is detected ie The boat is empty.

They simplify the installation by not requiring a switch

In addition to the pump, I also used the following items …
Plastic Skin Fitting, some 3/4 inch hose, Waterproof cable connector IP68,  Two Cable ‘stuffing glands’ a length of 3 core 1.5mm Flex and a ‘Click seal’ food container

The installation requires just two holes in the boat, the first for the skin fitting, and the second in the bulkhead for the cable stuffing gland. Both these holes are 20mm Diameter.

The best tool for this job is a 20mm Hole Saw, it cuts a clean hole effortlesly  The boat I was installing it  in this time is my QAJAQ Sardinia.  I needed to spend a little time getting the skin fitting positioned correctly, the bulkhead between the day hatch and cockpit is curved to follow the shape of the cockpit coaming leaving not too much choice. In my case to keep the skin fitting close to the gunwell, I cut the flanged retaining nut back on one side to allow a close fit (It does of course mean that the male portion of the fitting is screwed down into the nut placed underneath)

A small amount of Silicone was blobbed on the skin fitting and then screwed down tight into the retaining nut.
You can see that cutting the flanged nut down allows for a neat install close to the side of the hull.  Next the 3/4 Tube can be slid over the outlet and secured with stainless steel hose clips.

To fix the pump in to the hull, I cleaned the position with some acetone and ‘stuck’ the pump to the hull with a generous blob of Silicon.   I cut the hose to length first then marked with pencil where the base was to go, then unclipped the lightweight base before sticking it in. (This takes all the weight and strain off while the silicon sets )

The Pump is manufactured with 3 single core conductors leaving the body. I wanted to feed these through the bulkhead through a single cable gland,  to keep it waterproof I stripped a section of sheath from the 1.5mm sq. Flex and fed this over the pump conductors  ( The pump cables are also 1.5mmsq.)     Then I applied a small amount of Sure seal adhesive to the conductors before sliding the sheath into place.  (I am sure that the stuffing gland would tighten up on this and waterproof it anyway, so a bit of ‘Belt & Braces’ )

Here you can see the 3 seperate conductors of the pump run into a bit of cable sheaf, then fed into the IP68 waterproof connector, the glands on the cable connector work exactly as the stuffing glands, compressing a rubber seal on the outside of the cable.

The purpose of the Cable connector was to allow a longer length of flex to be used allowing easy siting in the day hatch, but also to allow a simple means of removing the pump for storage, maintenance or security.

A 20mm hole is cut in the bulkhead, I chose near the top as there is less likely hood of the gland sitting in water (and I guess giving a better life ) Another length of flex is needed from the cable connector through the Bulkhead using a cable stuffing gland and then into the Battery box.  I used a small amount of silicon on the cable gland to ensure it is water tight as my bulkhead does have a curve in in it.

A stuffing gland was used on the battery box, even though my hatches are dry I really wanted to be sure of not damaging the battery.

For this boat I have gone from a 1.2 Ah  Lead Acid Battery to a 3 Ah Lithium-ion, found on Ebay and sourced from China … at 16£ inc postage I thought an acceptable risk, as it turned out, it is really good weighing in at just under 200gm

The actual wiring is simple.   The pump has 2 conductors for Auto run which go to the two terminals on the Battery, and the 3rd conductor allows connection to a switch to operate manually. I installed all 3 cores to the battery box because the three core flex is sealed perfectly by the glands, and of course it does offer options in the future.

The manufactures specify no ‘non return valve to be used, and no ‘loop’ to be placed in the discharge hose as they would create too high a pressure. On the other boats I have use a soft foam plug on a cord to stop water entering the skin fitting, when the pump starts pumping water it actually pops the plug out easily.

having a C Tug trolley each raised the idea of building a road trolley to carry the load.

Here’s what we came up with……

My spare split shaft was used to strap the two C Tugs together, it really produced a rigid four wheel trolly.

Dry sacks were stacked on the trolly and lashed on with a tow rope

We were fortunate enough to get a lift the vast majority of the way by John Richardson who kindly dropped us off at the head of the track down to ‘Wolf’s Lair’  which left us with a 800 meter walk down the rough track.
Without doubt the idea worked well making easy work of getting our kit down

Just one hour before we launched, there was a striking calm and flat seas but with winds forecast to rise 2-3 Bf NW. A transit report was made to Jersey Coastguard informing them of our intentions, which at that point was to cross to Gorey, wait for the tide to slack and turn then move down to our destination on Seymour Tower.

True to the forecast the wind rose and effectively stole our tidal assistance, in fact it became a little bouncy for an hour at the centre of the crossing which provided for some interest during this long crossing. Jersey was mostly in sight from launching and from half way across we could make out Seymour Tower, Gorey and St Catherines point.  The wind delayed us but never reached a level where any concern was felt. At 3 miles short of Gorey, we did however call Jersey Coast with an update to our passage plan changing course to go direct to Seymour Tower.  There were difficulties with the communication, surprisingly J Cgd received all my transmissions , most of what I recieved was unreadable, on both their working chanels, Ch 16 was better but not perfect

The landscape around the Tower is surreal, it immediately brought thoughts  of TinTins adventures at the ‘Black Tower’  We spent two nights on the Tower, the seccond evening saw the arrival of Derek from Jersey kayak Adventures (Wearing his “Guide Trainer” hat ) who brought along with him some of his candidate Walking guides.

The walks look interesting but should not be undertaken lightly, there are many channels on this stretch of intertidal zone that fill remarkably quickly and can cut people off. I heard a tale of two horse riders stranded on the tower to be rescued some time later by a farmer and Donkey, perhaps I can get Derek to relate it on his blog …

Jersey Channel islands UK: Some of the highest tides in the world from Jersey Walk Adventures on Vimeo.
This is some real time Video of the rising tide by Seymour, it really is worth while to watch it through to the end the rate of rise is fast.  We launched from this spot on both days, here you see the rate during a spring tide,  whilst our trip was closer to Neaps we still only waited for 18 minutes to paddle over these rocks.

Tidal planning and launch times were critical at this location, too much water made it difficult to land, too little means a very long walk, I used the Tide Plan 11 app for the iphone using the graph to identify tide height at the critical time it made it quite simple and was reliable with the predictions, as ever an allowance was always added to account for pressure differences

Probably a good time to thank Derek and Trudi for giving us the benefit of their  extensive local knowledge both on and off the water.

Saturday 14th April was Jersey Canoe Clubs open day, we set off from Seymour for a rather leisurely paddle along the East coast, the sky was blue, some low clound but bright.
We reached Mont Orgueil Castle, a fortification built over 600 years ago to protect from the French.

After all the renovations it looks quite magnificent, especially at night when illuminated.

We continued on into St Catherines bay, over the Breakwater the sky darkened, with 1 km to the slipway thunder started, then a couple of flashes of lighting, a fierce squall was heading over fast… first torrential rain (We saw the canoe club groups wisely getting off the water )  then hailstones, we dug in deep and soon found shelter from the huge breakwater wall  and were immediately welcomed by Jersey Canoe Club.

In no time at all we were drinking hot tea, meeting old friends and making new. JCC have a Cottage on the North coast, it is probably best described as a “very well appointed Bothy”

It is however a fantastic resource which for a nominal rent and temporary membership can be hired out. There is a great kitchen with gas camping cookers, a wood burning stove and some fascinating features.  A small solar charger in the window charges a battery supplying LED  lighting over the kitchen area and main room quite innovative !

We did prefer however the warm glow of the candles and the comfort of the woodburner.

We spent the next four nights here, really hoping for a break in the weather so we could get out and explore the North coast, but the depesion centred over central england didnt allow. There were still short periods when conditions improved a little and we joined a few members of the Club on paddles.

We were due to paddle back to France on Thursday 29th, each time we checked the weather conditions seemed to deteriorate. With work commitments we needed to make a decision, which was to travel back by ferry.

This proved to be the most difficult part of the trip, first the Thursday scheduled Ferry from St Hellier to Granville was cancelled, then they informed us they would not take Kayaks rolled on.  Condor Ferries do take kayaks with foot passengers but the destination port is St Malo some 160 km from the van

The end result was taking the Granville ferry on Friday, canvassing a lift to Coutainville whilst on the Ferry, then driving down to St Malo and going across as foot passengers to collect the boats and remaining kit.

In terms of cost the single foot passenger  from St Hellier to Granville (No kayaks allowed ) was £28,   and the day return as a foot passenger wheeling kayaks on from St Hellier to St Malo  was 45€

If that sounds complicated then it was !  Now a special thank you to Alan Blampied whoose help and hospitality really made everything run quite smoothly, Di worked her special magic at the  table where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch,  we are grateful for the friendship and look forward to seeing you in France.

It is always difficult when announcing thank you’s …  always a danger of leaving someone out, so in this case I am very happy to thank all the members of Jersey Canoe Club who made our stay so enjoyable .

This crossing is a great paddle, but I should add that under French navigation rules, it does mean you exceed the 6 mile limit by just under 2 miles. the likely hood of being challenged on this route is quite remote, but the implications of course are more serious if you find yourself being rescued by the French authorities in French waters outside the limits. This is a judgement call you need to make and take responsibility for

As a French government site it is full of Map related information and cartography. Principally there are the online IGN maps all with adjustable scales. Not only does it cover mainland France but also all the overseas territoires.
A new function available are on line SHOM Charts. The Menu on the left hand side of the window offers a range of selectable features, by default the window opens in Aerial photo view, to view Maps select  CARTES  then on the Sub menu Cartes IGN. Each selection adds a new mapping layer to the window

Marine Charts on the LITTORAL  menu and Sub Menu Carte Littorale

At the bottom of the menu it is possible to adjust the opacity of different layers with a slider.

Thanks to Michelle for discovering this new addition

This morning I was on the beach at 8:30 am … (the day the clocks went forward )  which may have accounted for just two other waveskis present. The wave forcast was for 0.7  to 1 meter, and I wasn’t dissappointed.

I do enjoy a bit of surfing but but have never decided to go down that particular road and buy a Surf boat, instead I take my river boat an Eskimo Speedo. It was a beautiful morning with the rising sun, it really is Spring

Next weekend will be spent at the East end of Brittany climbing on the Limestone of the ‘Amoricain Masif’   and planning is underway for another paddle across to the Channel Isles

The location and situation of the Golfe du Morbihan often means it is possible to get on the sea for a paddle when it looks quite hopeless on the coast. The wind was North Westerly and on the more open stretches in the Golfe were reduced from Bf 7 to a 5, and in the Lee of the Islands were just occasional swirling gusts up to Bf 5.  At one point around lunchtime the clouds parted to reveal a blue sky and sunshine.

Despite the more determined stroke needed when catching the gusts a great day out when conditions would suggest a day off the water.  I have attached a couple of photos, the interior where we paddled and the entrance to the Golfe at Port Navalo.  The wind has flattened out the white horses and wrinkled the surface, it is quite different where we paddled just 4km East

After the paddle we found all the Cafés in Port Navalo shut, but just a few minutes drive to Port Cruesty gave us the choice of many.  There is a Large Marina complex at Cruesty with all the associated facilities, on previous trips we have been welcomed into the Marina and allowed to use the Yacht Club bar. The Bar is has some unusual decorations … a “Stainless Steel Shark” suspended from the ceiling joists

We set off from the sheltered harbour of Penn Enez situated on the North Brittany coast. The harbour dries at low water, but has several slips alongside a small beach and offers easy access.
Just after sunrise the sky looked quite bleak and grey, winds were around Bf 3 and forecast to fall further.  The general forecast off the west coast of France was around 2.7m of swell after the recent high winds
Previmer now features prominantly in my trip prep with its accurate forecasts. There was considerable swell featured offshore but much reduced coast wise.  The hourly indications are great for indicating the trend and the levels of Accuracy are quite amazing.

We planned to visit the two lighthouses situated at L’Aber Wrac’h,  one on Île Vierge and the other on Île Wrac’h.
There are actually two lighthouses on Île Vierge, the newest being brought into service in 1902. It is the highest lighthouse in Europe standing at 82 meters. It is possible to walk to this lighthouse at low tide (on the highest springs)  and guided trips are conducted here.

Situated much closer to the coast is the lighthouse on Île Wrac’h.   There is now a community association which keeps the lighthouse in good order and during the summer months is open to the public to view a variety of themed exhibitions.  This is just a few hundred meters walk at low tide.

The day finished with a beer in the rather splendid surroundings of   “Le Carré St Michel” (just at the end of the road from the harbour) it is extremely stylish and with some quite extraordinary food on the menu

It never crossed his mind that these creatures were actually very tasty !

These ‘Goose Barnacle’ look quite prehistoric !  the bony looking head opens up and a number of “frilled legs” come out to filter the water

You may have seen Jerremy Clarkson sampling them during his ‘Meet the neigbours’ series when he visits Spain,  some good footage showing the fishermen

The part you eat is the inside of the long leathery finger, it’s quite easy to hold the white head and snap the outer case off, leaving you with the tasty inside
They thrive in conditons where the waves strike the rocks between low and high water, which means pretty much where it is very dangerous to collect them !

The west coast of France is no éxception … and I was soon introduced to a number of closely guarded spots where it was possible to harvest the Pousse-pieds.  A kayak is certainly an advantage, we are able to get much closer, but invariably it involves a swim. There is one exception I recall where I found a huge cave lined with Goose barnacles, I harvested enough for two meals before finding myself suspended from my paddle wedged across the width of the cave when the swell dropped.

It was in this particular cave that I found the frilled legs tickling my arms as I ripped them off the rocks !  …. and can you believe they bleed !  Yes a dark pink ‘Blood’ runs freely as you pluck them, It seems they have no vocal cords, I heard no screams

After the hard work of collecting I asked what I could expect …   It was a unanimous response, a subtle blend of flavours from Crab to Lobster       Woow

The Verdict …    You will find a dozen or more recomendations

1)   Eat raw       Yes tried it and yes good …   it is not best

2) Boil water   throw in Pousse-pieds  then pull out and eat  …..     This is what does it for me  !  Absolutely superb !

3) Boil water with Pousse-pieds in, boil for 1 minute

I found method 3) lost many flavours,  and in  method 1) not enough flavours to develop    ….   but with method  2)  they really are  superb !   Now I like to dip my Pousse-pieds   in a home made mayonnaise !!!  Wow

OK any downsides ….
Yes of course,  in France there is a Season for ‘Pousse-pieds’   it is from November to March  ( Yes you guessed … when the west  coast is at its worst ! )

The Plus sides ?   Pousse-pieds sell around €300 per kilo in Spain

There are several kilometers of rock garden to play as you reach the western end, however today the sea was flat with hardly any swell at all.

This section of coast has a number of  bolted sport climbs, up to 12 metres. A few are climbable on a Neap high tide, but the best time is at a spring low water.  The Club Alpin Française de Nantes have produced a good PDF of the routes and grades.  Climbs start at a 3 and go up to a 7b.  With most in  4 – 5

Download Guide PDF HERE

We took a break just below Le Fort de L’Océan, a 400 year old Fort now serving as a 4* hotel and restaurant. I’ve included a link to the hotels website, the Web Intro is really good for seeing the nature of the coast here, (there is also a video inside with more footage)

After our snack we continued back along the coast finishing out trip just as the sun was setting. A good ending to a very enjoyable paddle