There are two ways to get your kayak to the Isles of Scilly. I’ve tried them both. One way is to paddle there, a biggish but not extreme open crossing. The other way is to take the ferry. The Scillonian III makes the crossing from Penzance most days of the week. It’s popularly known as the ‘Vomit Comet’ on account of the somewhat lively seas it often ploughes through. To get your kayak onto the Scillonian, you load it onto a wobbly wooden pallet which is then craned into a worryingly small hold opening on the deck.
In two weeks’ time, we are going back to the Isles of Scilly. Hooray! However, as we have no way of knowing whether the weather conditions (or our energy levels) will suit a paddle crossing either there or back, we’ve had to book tickets for the ferry. Unfortunately the Scillonian option doesn’t come cheap. According to the ferry company’s bumf, two adults and two kayaks return costs the best part of £300(!). So, this afternoon I winced in real pain as I read my card details down the phone to the nice lady at the booking office. However, the final cost actually came to about half that, for reasons we can’t divine. I checked again and the price stayed the same … fingers crossed that no mistake has been made.
Anyway … did I mention that we are going back to the Isles of Scilly, in two weeks’ time? Hooray!
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