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Thursday, November 30, 2006

Cuan Sound.



One of the most fun things to do in a sea kayak is to play in a nice tidal race. Between the islands of Seil and Luing lies the narrow Cuan Sound.



The flood tide is compressed as it travels up the great Sound of Jura and through Shuna Sound until it squirts out through the Cuan sound at up to 15km/hour.



As the tide turns the flow reverses and unlike the tide in more open waters it reaches maximum speed very shortly after turning.



In a recent post about wind farms Iona commented that tidal power is efficient and less intrusive. The Cuan Sound is one of the sites under consideration for a tidal barrage or fence to generate electricity.

We enjoy the Cuan Sound while it is still a free ride through!
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7 comments:

  1. Anonymous01/12/2006, 22:05

    Hi Douglas,
    I have just visited here and greatly enjoyed your introduction... The analogy to kayaking and mountaineering is an interesting one to muse over...
    DSD
    "Summit-Stones" at Blogger.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Douglas Wilcox02/12/2006, 10:42

    Hello DSD thank you for calling by. I used to do a lot of mountaineering but arthritis got on the way. Sea kayaking was a wonderful discovery. I have just been over to your site which I like very much
    Douglas :o)

    ReplyDelete
  3. clairesgarden02/12/2006, 16:54

    if you get chucked in here please have a look on the bottom for my nice rayban sunglasses wot fell off!
    love the pictures, and Easdale must be my favourite place, have you ever been to the Stone Skimming? its a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Douglas Wilcox02/12/2006, 17:06

    Hello Claire, I am glad I am not the only one with various bits and pieces now residing on the bottom! I have not been to the official stone skimming but in 1967 I went to a scout camp at Ardencaple. We all spent ages just skimming stones.
    Douglas :o)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous05/12/2006, 21:07

    Hello again Douglas,
    Yes, my knees have given way before my motivation too. There is often a price of admission. Reminds me of Royal Robbins own experience when he moved on from climbing to kayaking & running rivers... Being out on the water is indeed a special thing...
    DSD
    "Summit-Stones & Adventure Musings" by DSD
    Blogger.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Douglas Wilcox05/12/2006, 23:17

    DSD, you are right about being on the water, I sometimes think my arthritis has opened a new door. I do not really miss the mountains that much though I did buy a book about scrambling in the NW of Scotland and the Outer Hebrides today. This was despite the fact that my last hill adventure was now two and a half years ago....

    Try a Google search for "Sgurr a' Mhadaidh" should be #2

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous12/12/2006, 14:00

    Hi Douglas,
    Hmmmm.... Getting a new guide book... Could be, there are a few more times at altitude out there for you! I've been in very similar situations and we never know...
    DSD

    ReplyDelete