Simon Winkley is
supported by
Starboard SUP and
Bray Lake
Watersports. Thanks
to Clare Edmead and
Lee Crump of Clare
Edmead Photography
and to Angus
Whittaker for local
advice and for being
on standby as my
emergency buddy.
Instagram:
@simonwinkley
I paddled straight upwind and then across
in the lee of the high ground. It took a full
hour to beat the wind on the first leg, which
would have taken about 10-15 minutes in
normal conditions. The paddle across the
top of the bay was a strain in the shifty
side/headwinds. Getting to the edge of the
first bay, however, made the prospect of
getting back seem like a reality.
Paddling back through the first waterway
provided shelter in places yet, at regular
intervals, huge gusts would tear through to
force the board up to 100 degrees off
course. The wind was just as fierce in the
open and exposed Novigradsko More Bay
and kneeling again to paddle the long way
into the wind then across it was the only
way to make progress. By now a solid band
https://goo.gl/maps/pFJUWoTmS4N2
of white cloud capped the mountains of the
National Park – a firm reminder of the
presence of the Bora.
All the open stretches of water were the same
and the wind at the top of each one had
violent shifts of up to 120 degrees. After nine
hours of paddling on day two with a bit of
resting on sheltered, remote, rocky beaches I
arrived back at the start stoked that I had
completed the trip unsupported and without
picking up any blisters.
Paddling in this way, with the sheer
repetition of paddle strokes, is a great way
to focus the mind and body. Paddling the
final 26km against/across 15-35 knot winds
all day was a challenge I had not intended,
yet it paid greater rewards in the end in
terms of the overall achievement.
Croatia is simply stunning and this trip took
in just one small piece of it. I look forward to
returning to discover more of its hidden
places by SUP – hopefully next time
steering well clear of the Bora!
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