The Dog's Bollocks

Tony prepares the balls!


Then he tossed them into the slavering jowls of the Grey Dogs tidal race....


and they promptly disappeared over the horizon into the sunset.

A camp by the Dogs.

After unloading the kayaks...


We set up camp and climbed the hill behind the beach where we glimpsed tomorrows destination, the Garvellachs on the horizon.



Looking the other way we caught sight of the Grey Dogs tidal race on full flood. That standing wave is about eight feet high.


The tide fair rips through the gap at over 22km/hr.

Seakayaking the west and north coasts of Scarba

Emerging from the Gulf of Corryvreckan we turned northwards. The west coast of Scarba is a wild place. Photo Jennifer Wilcox.


There is almost nowhere to land.



There is a very high raised beach then a cliff falls precipitously to the swell zone below.


The first landing spot is once you round Rhuba nam Faoileann. There is an ancient settlement on the flatter land above the cliffs.


As you continue round the coast you meet the current from the Grey Dogs tidal race to the north of Scarba.


We stopped at caves for a breather.


But we were quite tired at the end of the day. There are no pubs on Jura but we had brought such essentials of sustenance as cans of Guinness and bottles of Jura and Speyside malts.....

10/05/2008

22.4 km/hr in the Sound of Luing

Leaving Easdale there was not a breath of wind and away from the rocks the swell was just a lazy roll in the ocean.


We were headed down the Sound of Luing with the ebb tide.


Gradually the pace picked up and we fairly whizzed past Belnahua, Fladda (with its lighthouse) and little Ormsa. (Photo Jennifer Wilcox)


At the north end of Lunga the GPS hit 22.4 km/hr and where the tides from the west and the north east of the island converged, there was a very impressive whirlpool about 15m in diameter with a bright green eye


The current only backed off once we were south of the Grey Dogs. (Photo Jennifer Wilcox)


We were soon under the wooded slopes of eastern Scarba and Kilmory Lodge.


In the lee of Scarba all was calm again as the tides died away.


To the south east corner of Scarba from Belnahua is 10 km and we had averaged 12 km/hr. Now, as we turned the corner, we could see the great Gulf of Coryvreckan ahead. We would need to wait till the last of the ebb before we forced a way through.

10/05/2008

A wee trip to the Garvellachs

The Garvellachs (Rough Islands or Isles of the Sea) are a chain of magnificent small islands which lie at the mouth of the Firth of Lorn, where they are exposed to westerly Atlantic swells.

This is travelling SW down Eileach an Naoimh, Isle of the Saints.


On Sunday we had a fabulous day circumnavigating these islands. This is at the SW corner of Garbh Eileach, travelling NE.


Some of the swells made an impression on us.

I must apologise for the grainy quality of these photos. I was using my Canon 5D but every so often I would need to put it away in a hurry. In my fumbling, I reset the sensor speed to 1600 ASA and did not notice....


Of course we did not go directly to the Garvellachs! Oh no, we went via the tide races of the Sound of Luing, the Gulf of Corryvreckan and the Grey Dogs. What a great part of the world to be a sea kayaker!

11/05/2008

"A weekend at the races." Ocean Paddler # 6.

Issue six of the renowned sea kayaking organ, Ocean Paddler, carries an article entitled "A weekend at the races." It was composed by myself and carries a selection of photographs like the one above. In it Tony is contemplating on the view from Lunga across Eilean Dubh Mor to the distant mountains of Mull beyond. Rich Parkin and the editorial team chose several accompanying photographs. All depict scenes of calm waters and serenity amongst the islands of Lorn. Regular readers of Ocean Paddler will realize that my articles complement tales of great circumnavigations and crossings that some sea kayakers would rather only read about. My articles are designed to inspire average recreational paddlers to get out and explore their local waters. As a result, the choice of photos in the articles tend to show calm seas and blue skies!

However, these are the pictures that Rich, the editor, would rather you did not see! Do not be fooled by photographs like the above, the Grey Dogs can bite!

The Grey Dogs, two hours into a spring flood tide.


The race extends about two miles out to sea.

A 22m RIB shows the scale of the standing waves.

25/26/08/2007

Sea dogs #1

Rory, the Border terrier, likes the Aleut Sea II. He can come along.


He keeps a sharp lookout. He barks 3 times if he spots a picnic beach to port and 4 times for one to starboard. If he spots a sea kayaking pub he barks seven times, regardless whether it lies to port or starboard. He enjoys a small bowl of Guinness with his biscuits. So far he likes the Solway but has not been through the Grey Dogs yet.


31/07/07 one of the many faces of sea kayaking!

Grey Dogs tide race

I recently described an intoxicating brew called Grey Dogs strong ale. We felt reasonably justified in its consumption because we had just come through the Grey Dogs tide race (or Bealach a'Choin Ghlais in the Gaelic). There was a force 4 wind from the west and we approached at the end of the second hour of a spring flood which runs towards the west. We felt it prudent to land and inspect the exit.


Gannets and seals were having a feeding frenzy on fish that were being swept through the narrows.


The mist gave the Grey Dogs a foreboding atmosphere. From our seat high on the rocks, the whole place had the appearance of an amphitheatre in which primeval forces were the star act and we perhaps would become part of the entertainment.


Then the spell of the place was broken, a RIB came through at high speed. The tourists looked very damp.


The race runs at about 18km per hour through the narrows between Scarba and Lunga and then extends 4km out into the Atlantic.


Well if the tourists can do it so can we!


It started deceptively calmly.

There now follows a short intermission as no photographs were taken for some reason.

Intermission.


Nearly through, looking back at Tony.


Now through the Dogs, Tony is satisfied but thirsty.


Once we cleared the race, there was a little swell on the Atlantic side of the Grey Dogs but then the sun came out!

The Oyster Brewery Bar, Seil

Tony and I are just back from a two day trip through the tide races of the Grey Dogs, Sound of Luing and Cuan Sound. It was incredibly thirsty work and our palates were dry as a bone by the time we reached sanctuary in one of the flooded slate quarries of the village of Ellenabeich on the Island of Seil. High above us, we spotted what could be an oasis of refreshment.


We scrambled out of our boats, leaving them moored as there was no beach, and made our way up to street level through a nice old lady's back garden (there are easier ways!). We came across not only a pub but The Oyster Brewery Bar which has an attached brewery; no wonder Tony is licking his lips!


The staff did not bat an eye lid as they took an order from two salty sea dogs dripping brine on the floor. We usually ask for Guinness but given that the brewery was next door, we thought it would be churlish not to order a pint of their finest. Our chosen brew was "Grey Dogs strong ale" in celebration of our recent passage through said tidal race. This race is very accurately depicted on the beer tap label.


We supped this delicious brew on the beer terrace which overlooks the Sound of Luing and brooding Scarba (to the north of which lies the Grey Dogs.) At this point I should issue a sea kayaking health warning. Grey Dogs is a highly intoxicating substance which only just avoids classification under the Dangerous Drugs Act. Our delicate constitutions are used to the mild effects of Guinness and I am not surprised that the establishment displays a safety notice about climbing on the balcony. Tony and I had visions of packs, of those driven barking mad by overindulgence, throwing themselves over the edge.

We decided to forego a hair of the dog and limit ourselves to one pint. So after a most enjoyable visit to this fine sea kayaking pub, we made our way very carefully back to the boats.


The water on the approach to the Cuan Sound was particularly rough and Tony and I were glad that we enjoyed our "Grey Dogs strong ale" in such moderation.

Through the Grey Dogs to the Garvellachs.

11th May 2006. Heading out from the Grey Dogs into the Firth of Lorn with Scarba on the port bow.



Crossing to Eileach an Naoimh (Isle of the Saints), the most southerly of the Garvellachs. We followed the great circle route used by trans Atlantic jets. We decided to stop before we got to Newfoundland.



The west side of Eileach an Naoimh under the new Garvellachs light. The light was established in 1904 and this one bas built in 2003. It has a white flash every 6 seconds. My friend Clark Fenton, who is a fully card carrying geologist, informs me that the rocks are composed of a Precambrian age [approx 1 billion years old] tillite (a metamorphosed glacial boulder clay) that contains large blocks of marble. The marble is a dolomite (a magnesium rather than calcium rich limestone) that has been recrystallised by heat and pressure.



Shadow and light under Precambrian cliffs of tillite.