Thursday, November 04, 2010

A little rockhopping in the Firth of Clyde.


Phil and I convened at Carleton Bay to the south of Lendalfoot on the South Ayrshire coast. The light breeze was onshore so to check the sail, I had to head back into the shore...


...before starting the 15km crossing to the great granite monolith of Ailsa Craig.


Ailsa Craig sits right in the middle of the mouth of the Firth of Clyde and it takes a long time to grow in size.


As we approached the rock, the wind backed to the south allowing me to get the sail up.


We landed (with some difficulty in my case) on the spit of granite boulders that extends from the east of the island. The lighthouse is situated here which means it is not visible from the west of the island.


It is a rough landing and tricky to bring a kayak up the green slimy rocks.


We enjoyed lunch on a stony bank at the top of the beach. At 15km distant, the Ayrshire coast is pretty featureless and it is difficult to identify Lendlfoot. You can just make out a transmitter on the summit of Knockormal hill. The launch spot is directly below it.