Shearwater Sea Kayaking

GRMA Donegal. Go raibh míle maith agat Donegal. You weaved your magic once again. Seascapes, fabulous weather and wonderful hospitality and food in The Caisleán ÓIR Hotel set us up for long days of superb Atlantic paddling. The Errigal brewery tour and tasting of GRMA wasn't half bad either!! Tá craic sna cnoic!! Míle Buíochas to the Shearwater Sea Kayaking Team of Ciaran Butler and Frank McGloin for the support and photos .

Ag baint suilt as an saoirse, an dúlra, an t-aer úr agus ailleacht na timpeallachta nádúrtha i measc na n-oiléan Chonamra Theas. Enjoying the freedom, pristine nature and the beautiful natural environment on the South Connemara Islands.

Back to wild winds, rain, showers and sunny spells for our weekend trip to explore the Erris Peninsula in North Mayo. A 20knot wind downwind run up Blacksod Bay on Day 1 was followed by a day of exploration and culture on the beautiful Lough Conn with the mayfly season in full swing. Well done to all who managed a tough paddle home against 35knot westerlies.

Donegal always dishes up the magic. Sunshine and lively northerlies made for a perfect variety of conditions for our May Bank Hol Weekend trip of exploration to the north west frontier. "Baidín Fheilimí" was sang aloud as we made our way around Gabhla in a lively following sea. Paddling into 20knot winds as we made our way back to shore wasn't easy and the winds continued to blow for a second day in the Cruit Owey sound. The winds finally abated on day 3 and allowed us a magnificent paddle and landing under the Slieve League Cliffs (pics to follow). Míle Buíochas as always to Leo's Tavern for feeding us so well and of course to everyone for being such great company even when the conditions got tough!

Superb Atlantic conditions for a Level 3 Sea Skills Irish Sea Kayaking Association Training Weekend in the wilds of Erris, Co. Mayo. What a wonderful group of trainees, full of enthusiasm, smiles and good fun even when the going got tough and the seas got rough! Well done everyone and "go n-eirí and t-adh libh go léir "as you progress towards becoming safe and independent sea kayakers. Míle Buíochas to Ciaran Butler for helping to deliver the course.

A few pics from our Winter in the Kingdom Weekend, our final Atlantic Trip of 2024. Superb hospitality and delicious food in the cosy Royal Valentia Hotel coupled with stunning views and a great choice of paddling destinations to suit the conditions made for a fun and eventful weekend. The Atlantic seaboard never disappoints the trained sea kayaker with wind varying from the aftermath of Storm Darragh on Saturday to calm sunny almost summer like conditions on Monday. Those tough training days on the east coast definitely pay off! Roll on 2025 for more great Wild Atlantic kayaking weekends.

Donegal has it all! When the sun shines it is out of this world. Classic sea kayaking amidst the islands where the well trained sea kayaker can find shelter from the elements, big rolling seas on the exposed Atlantic side, hospitality that knows no bounds! Not to mention the Ceol agus Craic in Leo's Tavern, Caislean Oir and Crolly Distillery. Where else would you be lucky enough to find yourself in the midst of an impromptu session with members of Clannad or Altan. Thanks to Bartley and his team in Leo's Tavern for feeding us so well.
゚ Leo's Tavern Atlantic Way

From the Scottish Hebrides to the Wild Atlantic west coast of Ireland, it's been a summer of travel to pristine places way off the beaten track and with more to come! From stunning blue skies to fifty shades of grey, from full blown Atlantic storms to everything in between, it's been fun selecting the optimum locations where we can still kayak safely with lots of challenges thrown in.

Mighty Mayo dished up another two weekends of pure magic on the rolling high seas. From BnB based to camping trips, Shearwater enjoyed sharing the seascapes, history and wildlife of this amazing and unique corner of the Wild Atlantic Way. The company and the craic were only mighty!

Cookoos, Corncrakes, Ceol agus Craic.....Another great weekend exploring the magical Donegal coastline and enjoying the best of it's wildlife. Long days of physical activity at sea were punctuated by nights of ceol agus craic (music and fun) as we dined out. Míle Buíochas Leo's Tavern for looking after us so well. Donegal has it all!

Is there no end to the March wind? The cold front that pulled down strong polar north westerlies on Saturday made for a very challenging Level 3 training in the confines of Howth Harbour. Conditions at the Harbour entrance provided perfect conditions for crosswind and downwind running. Well done to all you hardy annuals!!

Lots of fun in the surf during a Shearwater Sea KayakingSkills Day in Howth on Sunday and well done to the Beginner group who spent the day in the confines of the harbour where the easterly winds were causing lots of thrills and spills over the harbour wall.