Wales Tourism and Visit Planning

Rugged Rigid-Hull Inflatables Take On

cottage holiday in wales
Author: By Paul Mahy

A sight of great significance to the Holocaust, we visit the Auschwitz site seen as the central point in the plan to exterminate a whole race.

We British are often known to our transatlantic cousins as being "stiff upper-lipped." However, of late, we've also been getting somewhat "soft upper-decked! The rigid inflatable boat has made an impressive impact in Europe. In the commercial and leisure world, it is becoming a more common sight on the water these days. Nobody has exploited this more than Thousand Islands Expeditions and Ocean Dynamics of Saint David's in Wales, Great Britain, whereexploited this more than Thousand Islands Expeditions and Ocean Dynamics of Saint David's in Wales, Great Britain, where they not only build their fantastic High Surf Superiority Craft but promise you on every spring tide a ride you will never forget.
On the most southwestern tip of Wales, the configuration of land and adjacent islands forms a funnel for the enormous tidal mass of water rushing northward, and in the bottleneck, a reef stretches out from nearby Ramsey Island to a crop of hostile rocks, very accurately named the Bitches. In and around this patch of sea, water can be forced to speeds of 20-plus knots in some spots, this amount of mobile energy causes standing waves over 5 feet high and a great amount of white water. In a strong wind-against-tide situation, it's common to have standing 30-foot waves in Ramsey Sound.This natural creation has become the focus of thousands of thrill seekers, and Thousand Islands has been thrilling people for more than 25 years.
The boat for our trip was Atlantic Eagle, a 9-meter RIB driven by a 350-horse Caterpillar through a Vosper jet unit. Able to drain a ton of water a second from her decks, the Atlantic Eagle looked cut out for the job. We boarded her at a picturesque St. Justinian's and took our places along the tubes. The skipper, Tim Brooks, then asked if we had any injuries or ailments that may prevent the serious task of hanging on, after which he and crewman Jeremy Nichalls made a point of putting on all our life jackets themselves and once again checked that we knew what we were letting ourselves in for. We set off on a calm, sunny evening, the sun dipping over Ramsey Island and we powering toward it at 35 knots. I could see an area of white water ahead, which rapidly grew in size as we approached from downstream, the roar of the sea clearly audible above the big Caterpillar, and in we went.
The rib plowed through the white water, heaving itself over the standing waves, extracting whoops of glee from the passengers on board.
To those in the know, the power of solid water on the body is something to be respected. However, until experienced, it can never be totally understood, and to those on board, lesson one was about to commence. As we funneled into the gap between the rocks, Atlantic Eagle accelerated toward a drop in the sea and a 4-foot standing wave. She plowed through, rearing in a cloud of exploded water, shedding any deck seas before taking on the next. Tim obviously thought this too tame, so he spanned the stern into the next, allowing green water to enter the boat, immersing everyone on the port side; we had all been taught how to hang on to the custom-built grips, and this was the time to put it to use.
We traversed the Bitches from every direction - each time as thrilling as the first - with Tim and Jeremy nonchalantly pointing out deadly rocks a couple feet away just under the surface. At a place called Devil's Hole, we powered through gaps in the cliffs barely large enough for the RIB and rode the swells that congregate there along with the tide. Curious seals would occasionally surface and watch us with equal amusement as we paused to appreciate raw nature. Unfortunately, time passes too quickly.