Jersey
The Club offers regular kayaking in Jersey waters throughout the year. Two or three times per week in the winter with the frequency increasing during the summer months, particularly during periods of settled weather. The coastal waters are fascinating with physical geography, geology and human activity stretching back thousands of years providing a stunning backdrop to the ever changing coastal zone. The rise and fall of the tides, revealing and obscuring on a daily basis many of the features. With a tidal range, which exceeds 11 metres on Spring Tides, no two trips are the same.
Offshore reefs
There are a number of stunning reefs close to Jersey, which are perfect places to visit if the members of the group have the appropriate experience. The Paternosters are relatively close to the north west corner of Jersey, heading the next reef is Les Dirouilles, which has becoming increasingly popular in recent years. The Ecrehous are next, are really special area, which has become increasingly popular with visitors, in recent years. Wednesday’s in January tend to be quiet! The final reef is also the largest, the MInquiers, located to the south of the Island and the most challenging paddle of all the reefs, from Jersey.
Channel Islands
Although the coast of Jersey is the focus of much of the Clubs paddling members are always keen to extend their horizons. Whenever tides and weather permit members are likely to heading towards the offshore reefs and during the summer months towards the other Channel Islands. Sark is the nearest inhabited island and the most popular destination with Club members. It lies just under 12 nautical miles to the north but with accurate navigation there is plenty of tidal assistance.
Further afield
Jersey Canoe Club has a long and varied history of paddling in areas away from the island. Initially, members didn’t travel that far, both Brittany and Normandy, our nearest neighbours offer fantastic paddling. As the time progressed, people went to elsewhere in the United Kingdom, for example, the west coast of Scotland, both north and South Wales and areas of the south coast of England. Also in the 1980’s members were venturing further afield to places such as Denmark, Spitsbergen and Norway.
By the 1990’s it was Greenland, North America plus a few European countries which attracted the Club members. British Columbia and Alsaka were all visited by members in the late 1990’s.
In the first decade of the 21st Century new destinations were appearing on the Club radar. Greece, Kefalonia and Milos in particular was proving popular. Greenland trips were becoming more frequent, a trend which has continued to this day.