We rose at dawn in the Sound of Islay.
The warm light dir not reflect the air temperature which was rather cold.
Surprisingly we were not the first to be afloat on the Sound. The MV Scot Isles was on her way to Wicklow in Ireland. At 1am she had been off Arnamurchan Point then made her way down the Sound of Mull and Firth of Lorn before entering the Sound of Islay.
The water off An Cladach was still and clear but...
...once we left the shore it was moving like a train. This is the view up the Sound and...
...this is the view down the Sound past McArthur's Head lighthouse.
The ebb tide was flowing SE down the Sound. We paddled at right angles to the flow. To the SE, the distant mountains of Arran rose beyond the Kintyre peninsula. After leaving Islay we paddled towards...
...the green can on the above chart and continued paddling NW. You can see how far we were carried SE before we hit a NW going counter eddy.
We arrived off Am Fraoch Eilean which is topped by...
...the remains of the 15th century Claig Castle.
Soon we left the Sound of Islay and Claig Castle behind us. We would shortly enter the Sound of Jura and when the tide turned about mid day, it would accelerate us back to our starting point at Carsaig Bay on the mainland.
