Loch Roag to Taransay by MV Cuma

The MV Cuma left her berth at Miavaig on Loch Roag at 2pm on Saturday 31st May. She then motored south along the west coast of Lewis and Harris and arrived at Taransay at 6pm.


While the others are still sorting gear, Tony admires the shell sand beach of Riof in Loch Roag.


Leaving Loch Roag we rounded Gallan Head with its outlier Gallan Beag.


Further south we passed Eilean Molach which lies off the wild Mangurstadh coast which is backed by Mealaisbhal (574m).


Approaching the entrance to Loch Resort and the Kyles of Scarp, Murty begins to wonder how he will manage to get this lot of hopefuls round St Kilda!


Arriving at Taransay, Murdani drops anchor while being watched by a fascinated group of onlookers including Andy, Jennifer, Tony and Fiona F.

31/05/2008

Red rock at sunset

As the sun sank to the west of Loch Roag on the Isle of Lewis the grey rocks of Lewisian gneisss began to glow red.


Paddling under these great cliffs we basked in the radiated heat that had built up during the day.


The sun finally set on the western horizon, below which our destination, St Kilda, still glowed in the last of the day.

30/05/2008

Arrival at Loch Roag

The MV Cuma was due to leave for St Kilda on the afternoon of Saturday 31st May from Miavaig in Loch Roag on the west coast of Lewis. We were so excited that we did not want to miss the boat so we arrived on the Friday evening. We set off from Bhaltos to paddle round the many islands in the loch and find a camp site.


We paddled late into the summer night with an ever mounting sense of anticipation.

30/05/2008

Stornoway lifeboat is in good hands.

Murdo (Murdy) Campbell is not only a member of Stornoway Canoe Club, renowned for his unsupported open crossings to Hebridean outliers such as Sula Sgeir and North Rona, he is also cox of the Stornoway lifeboat. He and his stalwart crew brave some of the most extreme conditions in UK waters to rescue mariners in distress.


At the Stornoway Storm Gathering it was an honour to paddle with Murdy and a pleasure to watch him calmly manoeuvre his Nordkapp HM through the gnarliest white stuff, laced with rock, at the mouth of Loch Roag.


He has a modest, unassuming manner which belies his achievements but which inspires great confidence in those around him. His reputation has even spread to distant seas.


If I needed to be rescued I cannot think of a more welcome sight than to see the likes of Murdy and his crew. As a seafaring group, we sea kayakers should be grateful for and support the charitable work of the RNLI. (Photo by Clark Fenton.)

A sunbeam shines down on memory lane.

One of the great pleasures of paddling at the recent Stornoway Storm Gathering was to be able to paddle with Duncan Winning OBE. It was a nostalgic trip for Duncan as he had last visited Loch Roag over 40 years ago. He was very keen to find a particular shell sand beach which was hidden away in the fastnesses of Loch Roag. He and friends had been lucky to find shelter there and camped while a great storm blew over night. We stopped at many beautiful white sand Hebridean beaches but none was the right one. At last, just as the day was fading, we found Duncan's beach. It was a wonderful moment.


Jeff Allen and Duncan about to walk down a sandy memory lane.


I have known Duncan for four years. We have phoned, exchanged letters, visited each other's houses, attended symposia in Skye and Jersey but this was the first time I had had the great pleasure to actually paddle with him. He is a font of knowledge about KAY-ak-ing and as he has paddled in Greenland I suspect his is the right pronunciation.


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In 1965 Duncan surveyed and made drawings of a kayak that Ken Taylor brought back from Illorsuit (Igdlorssuit) in Greenland. It had been made for Ken by local kayak builder Emanuele Korniliussen. Geoff Blackford built a ply wood version from Duncan's drawing and called it the Anas Acuta. In 1972 Valley started to commercially build a GRP version of the Anas Acuta which is still in production today. By coincidence, I delivered a brand new all black Anas Acuta to Si (aka Sgian Dubh) on Harris on my journey to the Storm Gathering.


Ken Taylor in the Igdlorssuit kayak. Ken and Duncan were fellow members of Garnock Canoe Club.


Andy Spink's Valley Anas Acuta on Scarp.

Recently Duncan and Gordon Brown visited Greenland and managed to track down Emanuele's two sons, one of whom is still building kayaks. Unfortunately they are only scale models for tourists. Undoubtedly the current "British style" of sea kayak has its roots in the Igdlorssuit kayak drawings made by Duncan.


Duncan Winning OBE paddles a boat influenced by his drawings of 1965; an Island Kayaks Expedition. Listen to Duncan in one of Simon Willis's excellent podcasts.

Lewisian gneiss caves

At the Stornoway Storm Gathering there was considerably opportunity to explore caves.

Pabaigh pour over

Jeff Allen is remarkable unconcerned about the approaching pour over on a reef to the west of Pabaigh Mor.

Stornoway Storm Gathering 20/10/2007.

Dawn of the Storm Gathering

On the dawn of the storm gathering we awoke on the east coast of Skye. The distant mountains of Scotland were dark silhouettes against the pre-dawn sky.

"Red sky in the morning: shepherd's warning."

The Stornoway Storm Gathering lived up to this forecast with force five winds and big swell and surf conditions.

Tolastadh Surf at the Storm Gathering

Patrick Winterton does a forward and sets up for his roll in mid air.


Jordan Cree (age 14) shows the oldies some style.

Friday at the Stornoway Storm Gathering saw several groups on Tolastadh beach, Isle of Lewis. A force 5 southerly held the faces of the 5 foot NE swells.

Photos Richard Cree, (photomontage Douglas wilcox).

19/10/2007

Eye of the Storm Gathering

On the second day of the Stornoway Storm Gathering we left the shelter of Bhaltos and Caolas Pabaigh and emerged into the Atlantic swell. It was breaking over the rocks of the exposed point of Eala Sheadha and through its great arch. Murty Campbell from Stornoway Canoe Club(centre) and Jeff Allen from Sea Kayaking Cornwall (right) probed the white stuff at the entrance to the arch. Eleanor MacGregor (left) goes in for a good close look.


Murty wants some photos and calls for a photographer! Clark Fenton asks if anyone fancies going in but there seems to be some reluctance to volunteer as another huge swell pounds through the arch.


Photo Clark Fenton
At last, a reluctant photographer inched in towards the impact zone.


The photographer then turned his kayak to brave the surges within the arch. Jeff and Murty nonchalantly stood by in the worst of the breaking waters. Clark now moved forwards, waiting for his chance. More sensible kayakers hung well back. Note that big incoming roller behind Murty's head.....


After noting its approach, I calmly pressed the shutter then....


....fortunately I floated over unscathed.


Photo Clark Fenton
Seeing his chance, Clark now went past me through the arch to the outside and got his camera ready for a photo. Jeff went through next and again stood by while I attempted to turn my kayak between the sets crashing through the arch. Finally, I emerge and thankfully am still upright. I sprinted between the breakers surging into the wall of rock at the far side of the arch.

Water, water everywhere and my mouth was dry as dust.

A Bhacsaigh moment

Barry Shaw emerges from the white stuff on the north coast of Bhacsaigh at the Lewis Storm Gathering

Storm Gathering, Lewis 2007

Traditional clinker built wooden fishing boats hauled up on the beach for the winter. Kyle of Scarp, Harris.

Just arrived on the blustery isles of Harris and Lewis. Stornoway Canoe Club are hosting the second UK Storm Gathering. I am just heading for the first evening events and looking forward to some fine sea kayaking over the next few days.

A grey day on Floday!

Really getting into this grey business now!

The remote island of Floday lies at the mouth of Loch Roag on the north west coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. On a wet, grey day our sea kayaks slid into the lagoon on its southern shore. The subtle colours of these Lewisian gneiss boulders stood out from the greyness. These rocks were formed 3,000 million years ago. They seem to have faded quite slowly.

Stornoway Grey

Yesterday I sang the praises of the subtle shades of grey that make the landscape of the Outer Hebrides so appealing.

Quote "I loved the contrast of the dazzling white shell sand against the many greys of the rocks, hills, sea and sky. They say the Inuit have a hundred words for snow. Well, the Gaels have a hundred words for grey."

It would appear that one of them is not Stornoway grey, or rather Stornaway (sic) grey, which is a paint shade available on the new and well received LandRover Freelander2


Photo credit LandRover

Councillor Angus Nicolson, writing in his weblog, has been truly insulted and is concerned that the name, Stornoway grey, will give potential visitors the wrong impression of the islands.

Well, although I love the islands' greys, the light changes five minutes later and there is a blaze of colour, especially the machair in the summer.



I do not think Angus should be too concerned about Stornaway Grey Freelander2s cluttering the streets of Chelsea. However, can you imagine the glorious sight of 181 wind turbines, all finished in sparkling Stornoway grey?


Photo montage by Lewis Wind Farm


Map of proposed Lewis Wind Farm showing position of turbines. The M25 round London is overlaid at the same scale.

Sea kayaking desktop photo calendar 2007.

January
Looking northeast from Sgeir a'Ghail, Loch Nevis, to Knoydart.


February
Cailean Macleod at Coldingham Bay, Scottish Borders.


March
The distant Cuillin mountains of Skye are seen to the south west from Eilean Stacan, Loch Carron.


April
The Scarba shore of the Gulf of Corryvreckan at slack water. 15 minutes later we were doing 18km/hr without paddling!


May
No, it's not Scotland! It is the wonderful reef of Les Ecrehous 10.5km NE off the NE corner of Jersey in the Channel Islands.


June
Looking towards the grey hills of Lewis from Scarp.


July
The entrance of Loch Rog, Lewis.


August
The Sound of Harris from Bearnaraigh.


September
Sea stacks at Cliobh, Lewis.


October
Paddling out to Bearasaigh and Seana Chnoc, Lewis.


November
The tidal Clachan Sound runs under the "Bridge over the Atlantic", Nether Lorn.


December
Sunset down the Sound of Jura from Loch Caolisport, Knapdale.

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May 2007 be good to you.