Showing posts with label Ailsa Craig. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ailsa Craig. Show all posts

Saturday, January 03, 2015

Sea kayaking desktop wallpaper calendar 2015.

Welcome to the 11th annual sea kayaking desktop calendar from seakayakphoto.com! Like 2013, my 2014 has had somewhat restricted paddling. Recovering from several major health problems, caring for my mother in her final illness and then being executor to her estate have all taken their toll on my paddling time. However, what paddling I was able to do was of the finest order and with the best of friends and so quality has made up for quantity. This year all the photos are taken in local waters, all a short drive from home. You can follow the links to Dropbox and download  high resolution photos for your computer or tablet desktop wallpaper in either 4x3 or 8x5 format.

January.
Leaving Portencross Castle before mid winter dawn. Short winter days in Scotland mean an early start and we often launch and land in the dark. From Portencross, we have set off for the islands of the Firth of Clyde: the Great and Little Cumbraes, Bute, Inchmarnock and Arran. Each is a unique adventure.
Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.
Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

February.
Paddle sailing on a winter crossing to Arran. Our 30km route took us via Garroch Head on Bute then on this fabulous 11 km crossing to Sannox at the north end of Arran. This must be one of the most scenic rossings in Scotland. In winter we arrive in Brodick after sunset then get the ferry back to Ardrossan.
Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.
Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

March.
Setting off from the reefs of Lendalfoot on the 14km crossing to the isolated and uninhabited granite island of Ailsa Craig. It lies in an exposed position and the nearest point of land is Lendalfoot. Weather conditions can change rapidly here and we had wind against tide conditions on our return. I capsized while paddle sailing across the Bennane Head tide race about a kilometre offshore. Even though it was sunny and I was back paddle sailing in only a few minutes, I was glad I was wearing a dry suit as the water temperature was only 9C. Anyway it did not put me off returning to Ailsa Craig a further two times (three times in all) in 2014.

April.
We set off across the Kilbrannan Sound from Kintyre to Arran in thick, gloomy fog. It unexpectedly began to clear when we were about 3/4 of the way across. It was like paddling between a day of two halves.
Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

May.
Pinks and plantains at Pladda. The delightful island of Pladda lies off the southern tip of its much larger neighbour Arran. It is protected by swirling tides but with its Stevenson lighthouse and teeming bird life, is a joy to visit. There are so many nesting birds covering the ground (and the lighthouse cottages are a private residence) that it would not be easy to camp there in the nesting season. We usually camp at nearby Kildonan on Arran

June.
The heather growing on Brown Head on Arran means that it is indeed usually brown. However, in early summer, fresh fronds of bracken add a splash of green. The waters are delightfully clear and on this June day warm enough for swimming in a little bay beyond the head. We passed this way twice this year. Once on a clockwise circumnavigation of Arran in March and once en route from Kintyre to Ailsa Craig in June.
July.
Ailsa Craig is a haven for breeding birds the SW and W cliffs soar steeply from the sea and their high ledges are host to tens of thousands of gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars. Lower down there are colonies of puffins, shags and cormorants. This congregation of cormorants had gathered at Ashydoo Church. No visitor to Ailsa Craig should forget to bring a broad brimmed hat.

August.
Cleats Shore on Arran enjoys some fine views like this one to Ailsa Craig, some 23 km to the SE. It is also one of the few naturist beaches in Scotland. There was no one there on our visit so Ailsa got our full and undivided attention.

September.
We often see the PS Waveley on our travels. She was built in Glasgow in 1947 for the Craigendorran to Arrochar run but was retired in 1974. Since 1975 she has been operated as a tourist attraction and is now the last sea going paddle steamer in the World. We saw her to the north of Arran in the Sound of Bute in the evening calm that followed a very windy and wet paddle up the Kilbrannan Sound. She is one of our larger fellow paddlers!
Link to 8:5 desktop 1920 x 1200.

October.
Back in October I paddled out into Wigtown Bay beyond the Islands of Fleet. The wind steadily dropped to nothing but these strange clouds bubbled up from the Machars peninsula and drifted over distant Burrow Head at the mouth of the Bay.

November.
Paddle sailing is a whole heap of fun. This is going through the tide race off the south end of Pladda. If you only make one sea kayaking resolution in 2015, it should be to give paddle sailing a try!

December.
As the winter sun set behind Great Cumbrae and Arran, Duncan Winning and I enjoyed a long chat about kayaking history. At last we went our separate ways as darkness fell. In 1964 Duncan made the first accurate drawings of the kayak Ken Taylor brought to Scotland in 1960 from Illorsuit in West Greenland. This kayak which was made by Emanuele Korniliussen in 1959 is now in the Kelvingrove museum in Glasgow, Scotland. Duncan's drawings were used to create the Anas Acuta, which was a great influence in what was to become the British style of recreational touring sea kayak.
Link to 4:3 desktop 2048 x 1540.

I wish all readers of seakayakphoto.com a great paddling year in 2015 and thank you for visiting.
Douglas Wilcox.

Friday, November 14, 2014

I saw just a flicker of respect cross their weather beaten faces.

We enjoyed a fair breeze and made rapid progress for the first 6km of the 16km crossing from Ailsa Craig to Girvan but then...

...the wind dropped and our pace slowed but ever so slowly the buildings of Girvan emerged from the sea fog.

I decided to take a quick explore of the River Girvan which flows into the sea through what is now Girvan harbour.

I passed the RNLB Sylvia Burrell, a Mersey class lifeboat.

Then a visitor from Fleetwood FV Crusader.


MV Radiance II is a retired wooden fishing boat. She was originally called Ruby III and was built in 1984 by John Gaff of Girvan. She has been recently restored.

John Gaff have stopped trading but Alexander Noble and Sons still run a boat building and repair yard in Girvan harbour. They specialise in RNLI refurbishment work. BA 817 FV Academus was in for a refit. In April 2005 she had been rescued by the Mallaig RNLI  lifeboat after she fouled her propeller on a rope off Canna.

As I  passed FV Moian BA 820 and Radiance II, a couple of fishermen leaned over the harbour wall and asked "Have you guys just paddled in from Ailsa Craig?"

I looked them in the eye and said "We have actually come from Campbeltown" I saw just a flicker of respect cross their weather beaten faces.

I joined Tony and Phil on the sands below Girvan beach car park where Phil had left his car overnight. My Mum had taken unwell during the previous night so Phil offered to run me back to Ardrossan to collect my car while Tony would continue to paddle on his own past Turnberry and Culzean to be picked up by his wife at Croy Bay. Tony and I had paddled nearly 100 kilometres to this point.

As we looked out to Ailsa Craig and the distant Mull of Kintyre we knew we had had one of the best paddles ever.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Dropping hints, raising sails in the lee of Ailsa Craig.

 When we arrived back at the lighthouse after our early morning circumnavigation of Ailsa Craig the weather changed. The wind began to pick up and clouds an low level fog obscured the distant...

...coast of Ayrshire. We took a compass bearing and a GPS bearing on a waypoint for Girvan, our destination. The 16km crossing to Girvan is a good bit shorter than the 21km crossing from Arran, which Tony and I had done the previous day. However, Ailsa Craig stands in splendid isolation and it is very exposed to sudden changes in weather.

No sooner had we set off than the wind increased and became very unstable in direction and gusty as we were in the lee of the Craig. Looking back we saw an amazing sight as...

  ...the SE wind whipped a plume of mist to leeward of the rock.

Initially we didn't launch the sails as the gusty wind was all over the place from dead ahead to dead astern.At first Phil and Tony were a bit reluctant to launch the sails. I dropped several hints: "It's steadying.", "It's gone round to the north." and "It's settled to a beam reach." Eventually I tired of hints and launched the sail.

This hint could not be ignored and the others quickly followed suit and we set off on a cracking beam reach towards an unseen Girvan. The bulk of Ailsa Craig rapidly...

...receded in our smiling wakes. Remarkably it was still only 08:38am!

Sunday, November 09, 2014

Gardyloo on Ailsa Craig.

It was just 07:12 am when we rounded Stranny Point at the SW corner of Ailsa Craig and...

...came to the Water Cave.

 The air was thick with sea birds and if anything, the smell...

...of guano was even stronger first thing in the morning than the evening. We were surrounded by constant plops in the water raining down from above.

 It was unusual to see the sun break out to the ENE as we rounded the north end of the island at Bare Stack.

When we usually paddle round the island in the afternoon we expect the sun to be coming round the other end of Bare Stack to the SW.

After the north foghorn we came to the old tramway which we followed...

...back to the lighthouse. It was still just 07:34 am yet we had just enjoyed a paddle round what must be one one of the world's finest seakayaking destinations.

Saturday, November 08, 2014

A dawn start on Ailsa Craig.

On Ailsa Craig the sun was well clear of the north eastern horizon by 04:55 am. It was impossible to sleep due to the racket made by assorted gulls so...

 ...it was time for an early first breakfast.

We were not the only ones to be up and about early. On the horizon, the general cargo boat MS Fri Stream was making her way up the Clyde.

As we were on the water by 06:53 am, we decided we had time for a second circumnavigation of the island.

The  south eastern cliffs were in full sun due to the early time of day. It is usually about midday when we arrive on the rock and they are in shade.

 As we approached the south foghorn a line of clouds came in and...

 ... we were cast into the shade by the towering cliffs above...

...the isolated rock known as Little Ailsa.

 Offshore FV Rejoice BH220 was still in the sun as she trawled for scallops. Registered in Blyth Rejoice has been based in Girvan forb a few years but was sold in October 2014.

The skies above us began to fill with gannets.

Thursday, November 06, 2014

A Glengoyne glow in the midsummer midnight sky at Ailsa Craig.

It was 9:30pm when we returned to the spit by the lighthouse and so we wasted no time in getting a fire going. 

 A combination of a fresh wind and plentiful dry well seasoned firewood rapidly produced...

....wonderful embers for our baked potatoes which we garnished with butter, cheese and salt.

At this point I produced a bottle of single cask 18y old Glengoyne. My friend Ming was staying with us on a visit from Taiwan and he kindly bought me a bottle of this wonderful elixir. This whisky truly has an extra dimension when compared with lesser malts and it is all the better enjoyed in company.

 The glow in our bellies was matched by the glow of the hidden sunset.

 The lighthouse lantern started flashing as...

...Phil Tony and I chatted long into the summer night. It had been a wonderful day for each of us.

 Behind us the rocks glowed in the light of the fire and...

...the sky behind the Arran mountains still glowed even though it was midnight. This is a view of a sunset behind Arran that not many people see.