The Paddler Magazine issue 72 Summer 2023 | Page 34

PADDLER 34
PADDLER 34
THE AREA
Raz de Sein is a stretch of water located near Pointe du Raz in Bretagne – France . The tide race itself lies between Ile de Sein and Pointe du Raz – many beautiful , iconic lighthouses there , some of them with interesting stories . We drove by car ( about 850 km from where we live ). The last couple of hours were great , treating us with the best view upon arrival over Baie des Trépassés ( Bay of the Departed ), where we could soak in our first impressions ; La Vieille lighthouse in the very distance , Pointe du Raz sticking out of the mainland and clean swell rolling into the bay itself forming what seemed perfect surf ! We were ecstatic ! Sylvie found the best stay in that area , an old but fully renovated mill ( Moulin de Kernot ).
THE PLAN
When we go somewhere , we rarely ( read : never ) go unprepared . So , we bought ourselves detailed sea charts , did research , etc . But like we know our beloved North Sea , we value the knowledge from local paddlers . Social media is helpful in those moments ; we got suggestions from Jérôme ( local sea kayak coach ) and his teammates Bertrand and Cécile . They even proposed to join us on the first day . We only had three days on the scene to do what we came for , which was short . The tide race was a priority ; all the rest was secondary . We couldn ’ t be more wrong .