For richer and poorer in the Hunterston Channel.

I have not paddled on the Clyde since my mother died in July and as Sunday 16th November was forecast to be such a beautiful day I decided it was time to get back out. A trip to Little Cumbrae, Bute and The Eileans from Largs seemed in order so after a few texts I met up with regular paddling buddy Phil but also Andrew, Colin McM, Colin R and Maurice, all from my old home town of Ayr.

 We used the ebb to head down the the Hunterston channel past...

the Hun 5 starboard channel buoy,...

 ...the coal and ore terminal and...

 ...the "robbing the poor to pay the rich" offshore wind turbine test bed. This so called green scheme is funded by a tax on every citizen's power bill and subsidises multinational companies and land owners to build these expensive, inefficient and resource greedy monsters. There is nothing renewable about this industry which damages the environment and the sea bed during both construction, running not to mention disposal after their short working lives have expired.

As we drove into Largs, the Kelburn and West Kilbride windmills were all turning. Do you notice how much wind there was? They were being turned by electricity generated by the Hunterston B nuclear power station, which is just to the right of this photo. It is a common public relations stunt when it's calm. Then when it is windy they don't turn because they break or go on fire like this one at West Kilbride. What is needed is another nuclear power station station but we are unlikely to get one in Scotland while the Nationalists hold power in Edinburgh, as they are in bed with the Greens. Anyway, back to the test bed, these monster turbines are prototypes for thousands which are planned for off the west coast of the Hebrides. I really doubt the politicians and the industrialists have a clue about how much it will cost to build and maintain them in the harsh conditions out there...

Land based wind factories also have problems. They are destroying the wilderness across Scotland and developers and land owners are getting away with it because most politicians and "green" city dwellers (who all leave their lights and chargers on) don't give a monkey's cuss about the countryside.

Wind farms represent the biggest redistribution of wealth from the poor to the rich in this country since the Norman invasion of 1066. (Even that proto-nationalist, Robert the Bruce, was a Norman!)

Talking of the rich, this lovely little ship, the MV Hebridean Princess, was anchored in Millport Bay. She was built in 1964 in Aberdeen and as MV Columba served as a ferry on the Inner and Outer Hebrides for what would become Calmac. When she was retired  in 1988 she was the last Calmac ferry to load cars with a hoist. She was bought by Hebridean Island Cruises who operate her as a luxury cruise  ship for 50 passengers. A double cabin in peak season will cost you well over £1000 per night. Since the Royal Yacht Britannia was retired, the Queen has chartered the Hebridean Princess several times for Royal cruise parties. I would love to go on a week's cruise on her but don't have the spare cash. I had better go and switch the heating off and start saving.

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.

Big boats and wee boats, all headed for Ailsa Craig!

It was an overcast morning when Ian and I met at Lendalfoot on the Ayrshire coast for a trip out to Ailsa Craig. It was actually my third trip of the year but Ian had missed the last trip so any excuse as they say. We were not the only ones interested in the Craig. The cruise liner MV Discovery beat us too it despite Ian's 04:30 start from Aberdeenshire!

A telephoto lens makes Ailsa Craig appear tantalisingly close but it is...

...14.2km from Lendalfoot. We are not fast paddlers and normally allow 2hours 45minutes for the crossing.  The cloud of the early morning soon...

...burned off and it proved to be a hot crossing.

Slowly, slowly Ailsa Craig spreads over...

 ...the western horizon and detail such as...

...the castle and the lighthouse.

A roar broke the peace of the morning which had only been disturbed by the dripping of our paddles. It was...

...the high speed ferry en route from Troon to Larne.

The best place to land is the spit of granite rubble which extends to the east of the Craig. The smallest boulders are on the north of the spit but in early season grey seals haul out here and it is best to land on the SE of the spit.

As we approached we could see no seals and so we decided to land on the north of the spit just as...

MV Glorious the tour boat from Girvan was arriving.

Wuite a bit of tide runs past the spit and we were so taken by the scenery that we rather overshot the spit on our final approach.

We delayed a little to allow the wash from the high speed ferry to subside, you can see how high up the beach  the waves reached.

We hauled the up to a ledge on the storm beach but not before Ian's kayak escaped and shot down the steep beach into the see. Ian has better knees than I and he leapt after it catching it just before it glided out of reach.

We enjoyed our lunch in the sun as the passengers on the tour explored the lighthouse area and the crew of Glorious had their tea.

We may have left the shelter of the Eileans in Millport Bay on a millpond but...

We left the shelter of The Eileans in Millport Bay on a millpond to find somewhat different conditions off...

 ...Farland Point where the wind was at the top end of F4 against an ebb spring tide in its third hour.

 These photos can only give an inkling...

 ...of the fun conditions we experienced.

Once round the point we entered the main tide race with the wind behind us.

There were some great waves to catch and the combination of the Flat Earth kayak sail and paddling very hard (I do like these VE paddles) meant we could get onto the plane (in fully loaded sea kayaks!) and overtake the waves in front.

 It is a great feeling accelerating down a wave face then breaking...

....through the wave in front then resurfacing with spray flying everywhere.

I hope this video will give some idea of the speed and fun.

Unfortunately not everyone was having fun. As we paddled into the shelter of Largs the VHF radio traffic was busy with calls as the Largs inshore lifeboat and a Sea King helicopter from HMS Gannet were called to assist a small motor boat that had got swamped south of the Great Cumbrae.

All in all our overnight trip to Inchmarnock had proved a wonderful experience. Camping, bonfire, good company, a swim, a pilgrimage to Saint Blane's monastery and some wind over  tide race fun all made it unforgettable.

The Monday morning Commute to Bute.

This blog has been pretty silent for a long time as my recovery from major surgical operations has been long and hard and I was unable to kayak for seven and a half months.. However, a weather window opened just when I was feeling able to try a camping trip again, my first in nearly a year! Ian, Mike and I exchanged some texts on Sunday and amazingly a trip took shape.

Mike and I commuted to Wemyss Bay rail and ferry station early on Monday morning and arranged to meet Ian in Bute where he was staying with his relatives. The Victorians sure knew how to build public buildings. The Wemyss Bay station served many of the Clyde steamers that took generations of Glaswegians "Doon the Water" for their holidays.

 That bygone age is recalled by the Norman Wilkinson posters which still adorn the station walls.

 Right on time the MV Bute arrived to carry us...

 ...over the Firth of Clyde to...

...the port of Rothesay on the island of Bute.

 A short drive to Kildavanan Bay on Bute's west coast saw us busy packing for our trip.

 It was the first camping trip of the year for each of us but amazingly we each had space to spare...

...darn, we will need to remember to bring more ballast the next time.

Although it was the end of April we decided on dry suits as the water temperature was only 7.5C and our trip would involve some crossings of the mouths of the West Kyle of Bute, Loch Fyne, the Kilbrannan Sound and the Sound of Bute.

Soon we were off on another adventure....