Bushmills meet

[marese]

Thanks again to Martin for organising the meet. Perfect coastline, perfect accommodation, perfect company - even the rain couldn\'t dampen spirits. Sorry I didn\'t get a chance to say goodbye. Thanks also to Robin for the fantastic hospitality and advice and all the ferrying and shuttling. Thanks also Robin for telling me about the puffins at the back of Rathlin - hundreds of thousand of birds - amazing - if you could see them over the 20 foot waves - you forgot to mention that bit Robin!! Patricia

[smurphy]

Thanks to all who led trips and Robin for so much brilliant information. The North Coast is beautiful and I can\'t wait to return.

Only dampener is I missed the Basking Sharks in Murlough Bay! Supposedly they were about 25 ft long. Ask Carl & Evelyn for more info.

Thanks,
Sarah.

[Dave]

Just to add my thanks to Robin Martin etc. Fantastic weekends paddling. Very \"interesting\" trip around Rathlin yesterday. By the way \"Interesting\" in the kayakers dictionary means \"What the hell am I doing here\". For future reference if the sea is rough at Ballintoy, its not a good idea to go around the Bull. There was a big race with plenty of exposed rocks. Definitely level 5+ paddling conditions. Very well done to Fred and Trish, they paddled extremely well down along the back of the island. I nearly got a pop out on one of the waves in the race, as good as Wales. The bird life was fantastic from Mank shearwaters, puffins, kittiwakes, comoronants, guillemots, razorbills, eider ducks etc.

Thanks to everyone who made the weekend so good.

[Dermot]

Thank you all, leaders, peers, and gurus for another fantastic ISKA weekend - and especially to Martin and Robin for the organisation, hospitality, lore, and seascape.

Thanks too, Sarah and Carl, for sending me off by myself through shark infested water to rendevous with the others!! (In truth it was all very safe and proper, and thank you also Barbara et al). I am not sure that if I knew about the \'sharks\' whether I would have paddled harder or not gone out. I know they are not the man-eating type, but afterwards I figured - 25 foot shark / probably got an 18 foor stomach / my kayak is about 17 foot long and perhaps looks like krill?!?.......or worse still maybe its mating season and my skeg looks tasty in a different way......

As Robin said - its the people that make it - and thank you all people - you made it a wonderful weekend.
Dermot

[marese]

Dermot can you text me your email address to 0872025810 and I\'ll send on some info about that trip. Trisha

[nigelgalloway]

Thanks to everyone for making a very memorable weekend. Thanks to Robin for saving me from a waterlogged tent & for being the host with the most! I think I saw the amphibious man by the skerries - I\'ll keep his identity a secret. For a beginner & new to the group, I felt very welcome, had many a laugh & thoroughly enjoyed challenging paddles in an amazingly beautiful part of the country. Thanks to Julian & Michael for babysitting me on the water, & to Marie for the leggings. Contact me if you need them returned urgently, nigel99@eircom.net

Nobody mentioned anything about sharks. hmy:

[conorhilliard]

Thanks Robin, Ricky and Martin for all the hard work.
On the negative side, Martin needs dance lessons to improve his weather dance and get more than one sunney day for the weekends. Perhaps El Presidente would add the item to the next committee meeting agenda for discussion / funding approval.
Conor.

[MOFarrell]

Again, thanks Robin, Dave, Martin & Ricky for your organisation, time and information over the weekend.
While I slept under canvas (for one night) it was great to fall back to a warm dry bed .

Pity I missed the Rathlin trip with the shark. It was great to get out Monday morning and enjoy the clapotis at Dunluce castle. :sick:

Anyway, here are some sights I did capture:
http://michaelofarrell.spaces.live.com/

Michael O\'F

[Chancer]

Brill weekend thanks to Robin and Martin and Ricky working hard in the background. Thanks to all there for the excellent paddling and company in a very special place. You could spend a pleasant week paddling there even without the weather. My shoulder aches thinking of John Fortunes rope tricks not to mention other parts of my anatomy. One hell of a race off Fair Head- took a quick paddle in it on my own and ducked out quickly enough. As Mark says no need to travel to Wales -here is a two km by one km playground for adrenaline junkies, suicide jockeys and DC wannabies,

[Chancer]

Maybe we should have a lost and found section for all us forgetful folk attending ISKA meets. Anyone found a platypus one litre with drinking tube attd? Fits or rather fitted nicely into my lifejacket. Cant imagine anyone else wanting to suck on it.
Mick