The PaddlerUK magazine December 2015 issue 5 | Page 32

Les Minquiers
Bailiwick of Jersey

Derek Hairon

www.jerseykayakadventures.co.uk

PADDLERUK 32

“Living in Jersey means I’m spoilt with so many great sea kayaking locations
on my doorstep. My favourite is Les Minquiers, a 12-nautical mile open sea
crossing from Jersey. At low tide the reef dries to the size of Jersey but at
high tide only a few hundred
square yards remain. A few
fishermen’s granite huts cling to the
islet.To awake in a hut and watch
sunrise through the salt encrusted
windows is fantastic.
“The trip across is
tricky and in the past
I’ve had a few epics. At
some stage you’ll be
six miles from land so
you have to cope with
feeling very tiny and
exposed. For me the
best bit is when ocean
and horizon merge –
and on a calm day
pure silence surrounds
you. Once at Maîtresse
Île, the waters are
invariably Caribbean like in colour. You can
even use the most southerly toilet in the
British Isles. Here I always feel like a visitor,
even the seagulls strut about with attitude.”