|
|
Our club members frequently goes on canoeing trips both localy and sometimes to more exotic places. This section contains short summaries of their experiences.
Sea Kayaking in the COLLIOURE area (French Catalunya) June 22-25, 2006
This invitation from Liz's French club in Lyon (the people who visited us in London last year) came up only at the last minute. There were only a couple of spaces/boats available, so apologies to others who would like to have attended. Here anyway, is a postcard from Collioure:
Stepping off the plane at Perpignan was like opening the oven door to see how the flapjack is coming along. We were greeted by that warm blast, so beloved of those that have olive oil flowing in their veins.
This triggers a panic re-assessment of kayak clothing. How do you dress when the water temperature is 20C and the air 30C. Bear in mind it still gets windy. Had we bought the right kit ? Would I look silly in my Reed drysuit ? Sillier than usual, I mean ?
We were here at the invitation at Liz's club, which is based in Lyon. This was evidently not Lyon. This was COLLIOURE, "St Tropez" of the Pyrénées Orientales, and northen limit of what is effectively the "French Costa Brava".
This is a lovely stretch of coastline, arrestingly beautiful - but frustratingly short. As you head south from the candyfloss beaches of Perpignan, Collioure is where the Pyrenean hills start to rise. The sand gives way to a series of rocky headlands, coves and sea caves, all washed in clear blue water. There are just 4 small towns before the border with SPAIN - towns which as a part-time 'Planet Thanet' person, I have mentally twinned with their Kent equivalents: COLLIOURE = Broadstairs, PORT VENDRES = Ramsgate, BANYULS = Margate, and CERBÈRE ... ? Well, Thanet only has 3 towns.
This trip was being organised by the "touring" section of the Lyon club, a group of amiable and fun-loving people who seem comfortable driving long distances in their club MINI-BUS/TRAILER combination. They had recently returned from CROATIA. That is a mere 17 hours drive each way - and a reminder of the big advantage of living in mainland Europe: the countries are all joined up ! You just get into the mini-bus and keep going. At 5 hours drive from Lyon, Collioure was a stroll in the woods.
This bus/trailer combo is something of a trump card. It is apparently held as a capital asset by the club and is effectively available "for rent" by club members doing trips. They pay fuel costs, plus some 30 centimes per km "amortissement". The simplicity of this arrangement undoubtedly gives them a head start when planning trips. The bus even has air-con.
A short train ride delivered us from the airport to Colliore station, where we were met. The Lyon contingent were 5 in number (Philippe, Didier, Josiane, Jean Christophe, and Muriel). They had arrived ahead of us and were already set up in the campsite, ready for an early evening swim/paddle. Then would come the serious business of the evening meal. This is France, remember, so food matters. But more of that later...
The Lyon folk seem to do all their trips CAMPING-BASED: once you have a club minibus and trailer, it's a small step to add a folding table, a set of chairs, a gas stove, 2 eskies, 2 large food storage chests - and so on. This means they can go just about anywhere and be self-sufficient. By 8pm on the night of arrival, we were spread around the dining table - and quite at leisure, as evening sunshine filtered through the trees.
It's a cliché to say that French people like their food. The approach to it here, though, was not fussy, prententious or flamboyant. It shows what can be done to make 'kayak refuelling' a pleasure - especially if you commit to doing it "en collectivité", as they do.
How they go about it is also interesting. A moment's thought tells you that if you're catering for up to 9 people with just a 2 burner Camping Gaz stove, you haven't got the surface area to fry or grill anything. You have to cook vertically ! Their main tool is a tall, industrial scale pressure cooker, which they use both as a giant kettle for tea & coffee (dispensing water into cups with a soup ladle) and also for preparing huge mixed salads. These salads are based on "boilable" ingredients - potatoes, rice, tabouleh, pasta, lentils, eggs... Since they come from Lyon, saucisson also plays a big part. It's a protein source that stores well in hot weather - and tastes great, provided you're not vegetarian ! Lastly, of course, even the simplest salad needs a dressing, in this case a lovely, mustard-rich vinaigrette. I cannot have been concentrating when we did vinaigrette in Domestic Science, because mine never tasted like this. The salad is of course just one dish. Insert this into the usual French running order - french bread, wine, Pastis, fromage, fresh fruit, yoghourt - and you emerge ready to take on the world. And the curious thing is: everything that was cooked was boiled !
Paddling in warm water and eating like this inevitably invites comparisons with British sea kayaking. Sorry, but I just can't help it. My experience of British sea kayaking is one of hardship and adversity: you launch under glowering skies into a freezing sea, paddle till you drop, then flop on to some dismal beach for a sandwich and a diet coke. British sea kayaking is a SEAL HUNT. We just haven't caught any seals lately.
So what was the paddling like ?
First surprise for me was that Lyon folk use PLASTIC boats with RUDDERS ! For British sea kayakers, the rudder is a forbidden indulgence. I forget why this is for the moment, but I know it has something to do with seal hunting. Once you've hunted your seal, you need to drape the carcass over the rear deck - and the rudder must get in the way ! For good measure, the rudder also impedes rescues, and makes rolling the boat harder. "Ah, but the rudder is great for surfing", Philippe points out.
And why PLASTIC ? This is partly an economy measure - but that's not the only reason. The Lyon folk use these boats for "crossover" activities, such as the recent descent of the ALLIER. This is a regular "Xbox" river, with real rapids and drops - yet they did it in sea kayaks ! Would you risk your gelcoat in a river descent ?
The Lyon folk do seem to come up with interesting trip ideas. Another recent example was the "Raid Littoral", a crossing of the Rhone Delta, with some big waves, winds and currents (and hoardes of aggressive Flamingoes ? After all, this basically the Carmargue).
So what was the paddling like ?
Well - on FRIDAY, we drove the bus/trailer South to BANYULS and paddled from there to SPAIN and back. We knew we were in Spain, because navigator Philippe identified a particularly Spanish-looking rock. We ventured a "hola!" at a passing boat, and got a "bonjour" in return. Inconclusive, you may think, but my paddling log records that this was an "international crossing".
On SATURDAY we did the Northern half of the coast from COLLIOURE to BANYULS and back, starting and finishing at the campsite beach. In the evening - and for the very first time - we ate out in a waterfront restaurant in Collioure. This felt strange after the self-catering.
And that, dear reader, is that. For 2 whole days, we paddled just for the pleasure of it. We paddled reasonable distances. We paddled through water that was clear and warm. We paddled through every rock pool and into every sea cave. We landed for lunch on some fine beaches, and spent several hours swimming, eating and relaxing.
And after 2 days of this, dear reader, I began to worry. With sufficient exposure to these corrupting influences, might one be seduced into abandonning the Great British Seal Hunt forever ?
A final acknowledgement to the Lyon folk, whom we thank warmly for their invitation. This is how they made the vinaigrette:
Blend 1 part Vinegar with 1 part Dijon mustard in a large Croatian jamjar.
Add 4 parts olive oil.
Shake vigourously
Anonymous comments are disabled
|
|
|