Calm day at sea Photo: Justine Curgenven

We saw loads of birds, porpoises, seals and dolphins. Guillimots and puffins kept us company on the many long open crossings that we did to cut the corners. I got really bored on some days and at times really resented the fact that we constantly paddled for so many hours, often against the tide and always against the wind. Fiona was great when I was feeling low - always coming up with a sweet, some chocolate or a silly song. In fact, I have never sung so much in my life! Even if half the time I didn't know the words. Probably a blessing.

Long crossings posed other problems. We were on the water for up to 11 hours without getting out of our boats and we had to devise a way of relieving ourselves. It worked a treat and we even conquered gravity in a force 5 right by the Severn Bridge! To make it easier next time, we have put in a request for a non-slip pad on the back decks of the Explorers!

After two weeks on the water, we had our only day off in Aberdovey. We had planned a 45km open crossing to the Llyn Peninsula but in the morning the tent was flapping with a force 3 to 4 headwind and we couldn't see across the estuary so we postponed it. I was delighted and went straight back to bed. Our tent was on the main Aberdovey beach, which perhaps wasn't the subtlest place, but we hadn't expected to be there all day.

"We were met by five to six foot confused seas rebounding off the cliffs."

At Bardsey Sound we had a force 5 headwind and our biggest epic on the sea. The tide wasn't with us until 2pm but we didn't want to wait so we tried to eddy hop around the point. This went well until we reached Brah-y-cil and were met by five to six foot confused seas rebounding off the cliffs. We took a deep breath and paddled into it but we had no chance. I was going in all directions except forwards, spending my time fending off sideways waves and not finding anything that I could surf. I was nervous of having to roll in it, especially as I had my video camera in a waterproof housing under my front decklines. After 10 minutes I shouted to Fiona that I was going back to the eddy and we both dropped into the relatively still water. We took refuge in a sheltered bay for lunch then kept trying to get around the corner every half hour. After 2 hours we eventually made it.

Justine and Fiona

The wind gave up its personal onslaught after that and our last two days of paddling were calm and peaceful. The strong tides around Anglesey helped us to put in a 56 miler on our penultimate day - which included a 3 hour stop for lunch (and a sneaky bath) at ASSC. On day 18 - our last day - we had the token distance of 22km to paddle for a lunchtime finish, but it was one of the hardest stretches in terms of motivation. The sky was foggy and the tide was against us as we rounded Puffin Island. Only 6km to go. Finally we saw the pier at Beaumaris and with sore muscles, and big smiles we ran our kayaks up onto the beach where we'd begun.

We'd like to thank everyone who sponsored us - Nigel Dennis Sea kayaks, Lendal Paddles, Yak Clothing, Silva Compasses, North Face, Ordnance Survey, and Extreme Vision Systems. Thanks also to Aled for making our website and to Fiona's dad for updating it. Hello and thanks to everyone who helped us along the way. Check our expedition site for more information about the trip.

Editor's Note: Justine learned to kayak in her home waters of Jersey four years ago and got hooked on sea kayaking when she paddled to Alderney to see the total eclipse in 1999. She's recently set up her own business, "Cackle TV Productions" to make outdoor and adventure TV programmes and videos.