East Sussex May Day Festivities for all the family

Richard

Hastings Jack in the Green

 

Jack in the Green | image: Mike Harding |www.mikeharding.co.uk

Hastings atmospheric old town is the setting for this yearly gathering, which spans the entire bank holiday weekend and culminates in a spirited May Day procession. Its origins date back to 16th and 17th century work guilds, who every year would make increasingly inventive garlands for the annual May Day celebrations. Jack in the Green, the name given to both the garland-wearer and the garland itself. The “Jack” is covered from head to toe in green and foliage.

The custom died out in the early 20th century before being revived by Mad Jacks Morris Dancers in 1983, the celebration has become one of the South Coast’s most colourful celebrations, with a procession including a multitude of Jack’s along with their followers and drumming bands.

 

Michelham Priory – Ancient Crafts Festival

Fllint Knapping

 

The Ancient Crafts Festival – a unique opportunity to get hands on with a fabulous range of early craft techniques.
Welcome to the 28th Ancient Crafts Festival. The Ancient Crafts Festival showcases a range of craft techniques throughout the centuries. This is your opportunity to make and take away with you copies of a range of early artefacts. Try your hand at making a prehistoric pot, turn your hand to Iron Age wood turning, have ago at the earliest craft of all – flint knapping, try  using a reconstruction Iron age loom and learn about early dyeing.
The centerpiece of this year’s activities will be the unique opportunity to have a go at helping to make a small Bronze Age building out of a mixture of oak, hazel and willow.
Our award winning blacksmith will be giving demonstrations and there will be displays of Saxon and Roman crafts. There is something for everyone and a unique opportunity for you to join in and get hands on working with some our experts and specialists across a range of areas.
We will also be showcasing local archaeological discoveries – you will be able to handle a range of original local material which has been found in Sussex over the recent period.
Activities, fun and real learning for all ages.

Normal admission applies. – There is no extra charge for all of the activities; once you have paid to enter the Priory the activities are free.

 

New Sea Data Service

NotThatMrT

Latest News: New Sea Data Service

As part of the revamp of the Fair Weather Kayaker site we have implemented the first stage of the Sea Data Service. The first incarnation is the inclusion of a table displaying a summary of the data captured from buoys managed by the Channel Coast Observatory.

In the next few weeks and months I shall add more locations to my service and include more information, for those undertaking in-shore and off-shore water activities, such as:

  • Tidal timetables
  • Latest water quality analysis
  • “Hyper-local” weather conditions
  • Weather forecasts
  • Historical sea observations
  • Location Based Sea Data trend charts.

The summarised data will always be free, but once we move from a ‘beta’ stage, the base and historical data will be available to be retrieved from our RESTful web service offering by subscription.

For further information contact us via the Contact Us page.

The Channel Coast Observatory is a website for the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes of England.

The Network comprises 6 Regional Programmes, collecting coastal monitoring data in a co-ordinated and systematic manner to serve the needs of coastal engineering and management.

 

HDPE or LDPE

NotThatMrT 1 Comment

I spent some time scouting around the net yesterday looking for a “Sit On Kayak”, something that I could lift on and off the car myself and launch from the pebble beaches around Eastbourne and Pevensey bay. There are many different option  available from brand new direct from a brand company like Fatyak or Ocean Kayaks, new or second hand from eBay or GumTree.

One thing that kept coming up, was the claims about the type of polyethylene that the body was made from; LDPE lighter and more flexible than HDPE, HDPE tougher but heavier…. etc, etc….

I decided to find out about the differences and what that means about Kayak manufacture.

It polyethylene comes in four distinct types, LLDPE, LDPE, MDPE and HDPE.

Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE)

is the most flexible of the plastic sheeting films. LLDPE is blended form of LDPE where the film has much more flexibility, tensile strength, and more conformability. It is more pliable and softer than LDPE and it’s most commonly used to make supermarket carrier bags toys and cable coverings, it’s also is used for films that need a tremendous amount of strength to absorb impacts while not tearing or puncturing. 

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) 

is the most common type of plastic sheeting. It is very flexible, most often from 0.5 mil thick to about 40 mil in flexible sheeting forms. Due to its flexibility is conforms well to a variety of surfaces. The downside is that this LDPE is not as strong or dense as some other types of plastic sheeting. It is not nearly as puncture resistant either. It’s commonly used in the manufacture of  washing up bowls, food containers,  plastic cups and is used quite widely in construction, agriculture, surface protection applications along with covers of all sorts, tarps and much more. UV filtering additives need to be added to increase the UV resistance of the material.

Medium Density Polyethylene (MDPE)

is the least commonly used form of polyethylene for flexible plastic sheeting. Its positive attributes is that it is stronger than LDPE and has a little more chemical resistant. It has a tighter cell structure making it more tear and puncture resistant. When pond liners are manufactured they are often made with MDPE and blended with LDPE or LLDPE to achieve a strong yet flexible pond liner for larger areas.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE, aka HD) 

has the distinction of being the strongest, toughest, most chemical resistant and least flexible of the four types of flexible plastic sheeting. It is also the most UV resistant- holding up to the harsh rays of the sun without needing UV additives. The strength of HDPE comes from its tight molecular structure that makes it very difficult for other molecules to pass through the material on a microscopic level. In the household HDPE can be found in Rubbish bins, detergent bottle and water pipes. When applications call for very large liners such as lake liners,  HDPE is used as it is the most easily seamed or “sewn” together. HDPE is also used as secondary containment liners for oil tanks where chemical resistance is needed.

Conclusion

My conclusion is that while kayaks made from LDPE are invariably cheaper and lighter than their HDPE counterparts, it maybe a false economy as a HDPE Kayak should last longer and more be able to withstand pebble beach launching and landing without catastrophic damage . So I’ll more likely to be buying a brand name HDPE based kayak second hand rather than a new LDPE kayak thats the same price.

 

Jelly Fish Warnings

Richard

Lion's Main Jelly Fish

Lion’s Main Jelly Fish
image: C Duncan\BBC

Portuguese Man-of-War Jellyfish

Portuguese Man-of-War Jellyfish
image: ALAMY\Daily Mail

“Record numbers of jellyfish are expected in the waters around the UK  this summer” maybe an alarming headline you shouldn’t let it stop you enjoying the beaches around the UK during the summer,  just be aware of the warming sea maybe being share by these beautiful and enigmatic creatures.
With the warm weather at the moment and add to that the school holidays have started, you along with many families and friends will be planning days out to our beaches. However as the seas continue to warm up you may come across various species of jelly fish including barrel, moon, compass, blue,  lion’s mane and Portuguese Man of War swarming in the water.

The Marine Conservation Society advises that most jellyfish are pretty harmless – however, please avoid the Lion’s Mane jellyfish and the less frequently found; Portuguese Man of War, as both can produce a nasty sting.

Despite the nasty sting of the lion’s mane jellyfish and the rarely seen Portuguese Man of War, there was no real cause for alarm, so be aware of your surroundings and enjoy yourself

Things to remember:

  • Never touch jellyfish with bare hands
  • Always use a stick or wear arm length rubber gloves if you need to turn them over for identification
  • Beware of the stinging tentacles and keep your face and any exposed skin well clear
  • Seek medical attention in the case of a severe sting, especially with the Lion’s Mane or Portuguese Man of War

The Marine Conservation Society Uk Jelly Fish Identification page can be found here

Buoyancy Aid or Life Jacket?

Richard
Gul Buoyancy Jacket

Gul Buoyancy Jacket

The advice from the BCU is as follows:

Always wear a Buoyancy Aid

A buoyancy aid should be worn for every canoeing activity, regardless of how well you can swim. Should you capsize it will keep you afloat and unlike a lifejacket, you can easily swim to help yourself. No one has drowned from a canoe close to the bank on simple water, whilst wearing a buoyancy aid. A buoyancy aid is probably the most important piece of safety kit you’ll invest in so don’t just rush out and buy the first one you see. Treat it with respect and it will last a long time.

Buoyancy Aid or Life Jacket?
Life jackets are designed to keep you floating the right way up but are generally too bulky to swim in, let alone paddle, so a buoyancy aid is the natural choice for the canoeist. Canoeing buoyancy aids are foam-filled not air-filled

Alway buy you safety equipment from a recognised dealer,  ensure that you are within it weight range and always check for damage before use.

OutdoorEyes has a great check list which includes all the things you should consider including on a personal floatation device, it can be found here

Eastbourne Kayak and Surf Hire

Richard
Eastbourne Kayak and Surf Hire

image: Eastbourne Kayak and Surf Hire

If you haven’t tried sea-kayaking or find yourself in Eastbourne with an hour or 2 spare, Eastbourne Kayak and Surf Hire are a friendly bunch of people who hire out single and double “Sit On” kayaks along with Stand Up Paddle Boards at a very reasonable rate.

Single Seat Kayaks and Paddle Boards £10.00 per hour
Double Seat Kayaks £15.00 per hour
 Each hire includes a life jacket.

When you get out on to the water you can just paddle out and around the pier, if that doesn’t appeal then the white cliffs of Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters are well within paddling distance too. Kayaks and boards can be pre-booked, but they have more than enough for you to just turn up an get wet.

They can be found most days on the beach directly in front of the Wish Tower, easy parking can be found within walking distance too.

For up to date opening times and other details go to their web site: www.eastbournekayakandsurf.co.uk or find them on Facebook: Eastbourne Kayak and Surf

 

The journey starts

Richard

I’m just starting out on this little journey and need to decide on the style of Kayak, whether it’s a ‘Sit In’ or ‘Sit on Top’, the safety equipment required and if I need a wetsuit.

 

More posts will follow as I work thou the options