RNLB Grace Ritchie 70-002

Just as we set off from Largs, the former RNLI lifeboat, Grace Ritchie 70-002, left her berth at the marina. She is a steel hulled Clyde class lifeboat and was built by Yarrows on the Clyde in 1965. She is 70 feet long and weighs 85 tons. She is powered by two 230 BHP Gardner diesel engines giving her a top speed of just over 11knots. She is now privately owned but has a very interesting service history.

In the winter of 1988/69 she was based in Kirkwall, Orkney for winter trials. On the tragic night of 17/3/1969 she launched together with the Longhope lifeboat, TGB, to help the Liberian steamer Irene, which was drifting out of control in the Pentland Firth. The two lifeboats entered the Firth, south of Ronaldsay, at the worst possible time. The race was running at 9 knots against a force 9 wind. At one point Grace Ritchie climbed a huge wave, broke through the crest then fell for nine seconds. Waves that night were estimated to be 60 to 120 feet high. She survived the giant waves but sadly the TGB did not and all eight aboard her died. Seven bodies were recovered the next day and their coffins were returned to the grief stricken community at Longhope aboard the Grace Ritchie.

TGB has been restored and can be seen at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine.

As a water user I am pleased to be an RNLI supporter. The volunteer crews are prepared to risk their own lives to assist those at peril on the sea. In the UK and Republic of Ireland the RNLI operate a lifeboat service that is a charity, dependant on public donations. It is not a government organisation.

Thank you to the brave volunteers.

Close encounter with the RNLI lifeboat at Islay.

We were travelling north on the Sound of Islay at an ever increasing speed. We were not paddling particularly energetically but by the time we passed the Carraig Mhor light, we were fair belting along!

These buoys were submerged by the strength of the current going our way...

...so it was not surprising we arrived back in Port Askaig in plenty of time for the ferry. We spent the spare time visiting the RNLI lifeboat station  and talking to cox David McLennan and mechanic David McArthur. They gave us huge mugs of coffee while they modestly explained how they had helped in some of the rescues round Islay's exposed and tidal coast. We told them where we had paddled and how we had found the inshore tides to turn about an hour before the times given in the pilots. Straight away David agreed and said that in his (and the local fishermen's experience), the inshore tides turned 45 minutes before the published times.

Given Islay's exposed and tidal conditions it is unsurprising that the RNLB ‘Helmut Schroder of Dunlossit ll’ is a Severn class, which at 17m is one of the RNLI's most capable all weather boats. She has a range of 250 nautical miles and a maximum speed of 25 knots. She carries a crew of 6. Needless to say, both Tony and I are supporters of the RNLI.

We could have stayed all day chatting to the lifeboat crew but the ferry was fast approaching, bringing our five day trip to Islay to an end.

Sails on the Shetland Bus

BBC Scotland had an interesting piece on tonight's television news.

Mick Berwick, Patrick Winterton and Olly Hicks have set off from Shetland on an epic unsupported crossing of the North Sea to Norway by sea kayak. The crossing is to highlight the importance of the Shetland Bus: small fishing boats that linked these two communities in the dark days of WW2. They are also raising money for Make a Wish and the RNLI. You can support their fund raising by making a donation here.

I was delighted to see they were using Flat Earth kayak sails. They had been having some problems with the rigging of the sails and I gave Patrick some tips before they departed. I hope that the other's will be able to tighten up Mick's (yellow sail) starboard stay. His sail is sagging to leeward a bit! I hope their energy levels and spirits don't sag on their 4day/3night crossing!

Good luck guys! :o)

19/07/2011
Sadly, it looks like they have had to turn back.

A house on the hill in the Kyles of Bute.

 Just north of Kames in the Kyles of Bute lies the delightful village of Tighnabruaich. Its Gaelic name means "house on the hill". Nowadays many houses tumble down the steep hill, almost on top of one another, right down to the shore. We wondered if this was a secret waterside entrance to the Burnside Bistro!

Tignabruaich has long been famed as a sailing centre. There are so many water users in the Kyles that the RNLI have an Inshore Rescue Boat stationed in the village. This is the modern lifeboat station and slipway.

It was near the end of the season and most of the yachts were now lifted from the water and lined up on their winter standing. However, a few hardy souls were still enjoying the short, late autumn days on the water. It was not just yachtsmen and us sea kayakers. We had a very pleasant chat with a chap in a rowing shell. He had spotted it languishing under weeds at Otter Ferry and made an offer!

North of Tignabruaich we stopped for afternoon tea at Rubha Ban. In the distance we could see the wooded isle of Eilein Dubh. This would be our next destination in the delightful waters of the Kyles of Bute.

A barren point and fateful decision.

We set off from Tobermory, past the RNLI Severn class lifeboat Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsay, to cross the Sound of Mull for the second time that day. We were bound for Auliston Point, the NW tip of Morvern.

Rubha nan Gall lighthouse stands at the  NW entrance to the Sound of Mull with the Ardnamurchan peninsula behind.The lighthouse was built in 1857 by David and Thomas Stevenson. It flashes once every three seconds and was automated in 1960.

I hoped to camp at Auliston Point, perhaps on its summit where the breeze would keep the midges away.

 The sun was now setting quickly, behind Ardnamurchan Point with the open sea behind.

We pressed on in the hope of getting the tents up in daylight.

However, after the creature comforts of Tobermory, David and Phil thought Auliston Point a somewhat barrenlooking place for gentlemen sea kayakers to camp at. We now left the Sound of Mull and paddled into Loch Sunart and the approaching night. They would soon learn the error of their ways....

Better days for some in Oban harbour.

Leaving the NLV Pharos and Pole Star, the next vessel we came upon in Oban harbour was the RNLI lifeboat. She is the RNLB "Mora Edith MacDonald". The number 14 on her hull tells she is a 14m long Trent class and 23 that she is the 23rd of the class. She is capable of speeds of up to 25 knots. She entered service at Oban in 1997 and since then has been called out on over emergencies saving almost 100 lives.


At the next jetty we found the CalMac ferry MV Isle of Cumbrae. She was built in Troon in 1976. Currently during the summer she is on the Tarbert-Portavadie route across the mouth of Loch Fyne. During the winter she is a relief vessel and I think she might have been on the Oban - Lismore run, when we saw her back in March.


We continued past the main CalMac terminal which was empty and arrived at the head of Oban Bay under McCaig's folly. It was constructed between 1897 and 1902 by a wealthy banker John Stuart McCaig, to create work at a time of high unemployment in the area. It is built from granite from the Bonawe quarry on the shores of Loch Etive, (opposite where we had left a shuttle car).


This is a good spot to land if you want a break ashore...


...but we carried on round the Bay, leaving Pharos and Pole Star far behind, until...


...we came across this sad old fishing boat, hidden away at the north side of the north pier. Sadly, she had seen better days.

Night time in Troon harbour

In the darkness we swung round the outer harbour wall at Troon. The moon and constellation Plaedes could be seen behind the lighthouse.


From far out at sea, we had heard a strange roaring noise. It turned out to be a huge shredder which was chipping logs. This grab crane was feeding about 20 logs at a time into this tree slaughter-house. There was no fine end as bedroom furniture for these pine trees!


Recently we had seen a huge pile of logs on Portavadie pier. Perhaps it was these ones which were now being chipped. By shipping logs to Troon, the west coast roads are spared a lot of heavy timber lorry traffic.


We made paddled past the High Speed Ferry terminal and made our way into the inner harbour where the fishing fleet was unloading.


The welcoming lights of the Wee Hurry fish and chip shop can be seen on the quay. Fresh fish is cooked to order, it is well worth a visit. They serve a variety of seafood dishes including things like cullen skink soup, squat lobster-tails in spring rolls, battered langoustines and of course haddock and chips! For those with a more sophisticated palate, McCallum's Oyster Bar is right next door.


We then explored the rest of the harbour. At low tide a series of tunnels, linking the inner and outer harbour, are big enough to paddle through but do so on a falling tide! We then paddled past the Trent class RNLI lifeboat. In the distance multi coloured containers under floodlights marked the RORO freight ferry terminal for Ireland. This opened in 2001. In the 1960's this was a ship breaking quay and I remember destroyers and submarines meeting their end here.


Finally it was time to go home and we paddled round from the harbour back to the Ballast Bank. The lights of the rest of the returning fishing fleet stretched away into the darkness of the Firth of Clyde.

Please note this is a busy working harbour, even at night. Look up the P&O ferry timetable before you come and avoid ferry arrival and departure times. Fishing boats and yachts can arrive or leave at any time so keep a sharp lookout and have a bright white light on each kayak.

01/04/2009

Tragedy in the Sound of Islay

The BBC Scotland News has just reported a tragic accident in the Sound of Islay. Yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, a sea angler was swept away by strong spring tide currents in the Sound of Islay. The RNLI Lifeboat from Port Askaig and a helicopter were in action within minutes and the man was rescued. He was airlifted to hospital in Oban but very sadly he died later.

My heart goes out to his bereaved relatives.

It just emphasises the power of the sea. We had enjoyed kayaking in these strong currents just a few days before on our holiday. Now someone else on holiday, in the same place, has lost their life.

We cut our holiday short and stayed on the sheltered side of the island due to the wind conditions, which made kayaking difficult. I am glad we did. We are fortunate, we will be able to return to Islay.

Over the sea to the fair isle of Islay

As we crossed the Sound of Jura, towards the Sound of Islay, a force 5 wind was blowing from the north west. The air was very clear and to the north the Paps of Jura heaved above the horizon. However, the wind meant that we would need to plan our sea kayaking adventure carefully. Initial plans to paddle against the tide and head north towards the island of Colonsay were put to one side.


Mair and Billy had met David and myself at Kennacraig, on the west coast of the Mull of Kintyre. We had promised ourselves a trip to Islay for too long, now it was a reality! We were to meet Tony on Islay at Port Askaig. He had already enjoyed a family holiday for a week on the island.


The MV Hebridean Isles docked right on time as we were putting the final bags into the kayaks.


We used trolleys to wheel them onto the car deck. The kayaks travel for £10 return on any Caledonian Macbrayne crossing. Note the strap restraining the kayaks for a windy crossing. Normally they do not bother.


Our excitement mounted as we approached the tiny Port Askaig. It lies at the foot of steep cliffs. Rather I should say lay at the foot of steep cliffs. The port is midway through a 13 million pound redevelopment that has carved a new approach and waiting area from the cliffs (destroying two of the villages few houses) and constructed a new roll on roll off jetty.

Also noticeable is the Islay Severn class lifeboat Helmut Schroder of Dunlossit II. This has been on station since 1997. On 18 December 1991, the previous Thames class boat, Helmut Schroder of Dunlossit, was involved in the dramatic of nearly 50 souls from the Russian fish factory vessel Kartli.


Port Askaig is one of Islay's two ferry terminals. The other is on the south of the island at Port Ellen. Port Askaig is also the terminal for the MV Eilean Dhiura which crosses 0.9km of the Sound of Isla to Feolin on Jura.

We had arrived on Islay!

12/07/2008

Better Days: the wreck of the Spinningdale

As we left the Cuma, on the start of our great St Kilda adventure, we were so excited. As we left Dun behind us and headed across Village Bay the wind dropped to nothing .


Our first destination was not to be some geological wonder but a rather poorly parked fishing boat, the FV Spinningdale.


Over the night of 31/1/08 and 1/2/08 she sought shelter in Village Bay in a NW gale. The sea conditions meant she could not anchor and she motored slowly against the wind trying to maintain her position throughout the night. Unfortunately vicious down draughts from the mountains above slewed her onto the rocks at the edge of Village Bay. The conditions were so violent that the crew could not launch the life rafts and she put out a Mayday.

At first the Stornoway Coastguard S92 helicopter and the Stornoway lifeboat were both launched. Remarkably, the helicopter managed to winch all 14 crew to safety and the lifeboat turned back.

The picture of the Spinningdale in the shore break is by an MCA coastguard photographer and given to me by Murdy Campbell, cox of the Stornoway lifeboat.


It was humbling to paddle round the sad remains of the Spinningdale and realize that we were now in some of the wildest and remote waters in the UK.

02/06/2008

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.)

The National Life Boat "David Hay".

The Tower, Balcary point.

During gales, the seas off Balcary point in the Solway Firth can be violent due to the strong tides and shallow water. The shelter provided in Auchencairn Bay has been welcomed by generations of Solway seafarers. After the wildness of the cliffs, home to tens of thousands of sea birds, the Tower is the first and most prominent sign of human habitation.


The Boathouse, Balcary Point.

But hidden away in the trees behind a narrow break in the rocks is the Boathouse. Although now a private house it was originally a lifeboat station. In the days before the RNLI, this was where the National Life Boat the "David Hay" was stationed between 1884 and 1914. She was a 35 foot self righting and self draining rowing boat. She was usually manned by a coxswain and 12 oarsmen. Eight rowed at a time while 4 rested. After she was replaced in 1914 the station remained open until 1928 when a motorised lifeboat was stationed at Kirkcudbright and the station finally closed.


The courageous crew of the NLB David Hay.

The David Hay's most notable action took place between the evening of Friday 16th November and the afternoon of Sunday 18th November 1888. A transcript of a contemporary newspaper report is condensed below.

Friday afternoon
A telegraph alarm was received from Kirkbean from where a large ship was spotted flying distress signals out in the middle of the Firth. A gale had been blowing for 24 hours.

Friday evening.
The David Hay was finally launched after nightfall after the tide came in to the slipway. She was manned by Captain Black and 11 men. She left the shelter of Balcary Point in clear moonlight and almost immediately she was nearly engulfed by steep breaking seas in the shallow water. During the night they rowed out into the middle of the Solway towards where the ship had been seen.

Friday 10:00pm
They found the 240 ton Glendalough with her rudder smashed and her sails in tatters. There were 5 men aboard and during the night Captain Black made several attempts to come alongside and get them off. Each time the waves threatened to smash the David Hay into the Glendalough.

Friday midnight
The David Hay stood off until dawn.

Saturday dawn.
In the daylight Captain Black made a further two unsuccessful attempts to come alongside. The gale was not abating and, as the tide was now coming back into the upper Solway ports, Captain Black decided to race downwind to Carsethorn and use the telegraph to summon a steam paddle tug from the docks at Silloth on the English side of the Solway. The crew of the David Hay rested for a few hours.

Saturday afternoon.
The steam tug reached the Glendalough but in huge seas was unable to get a line aboard. The captain decided to steam to Carsethorn and tow the lifeboat out to the Glendalough.

Saturday night.
The tug with the lifeboat in tow finally arrived back at the Glendalough. The tug to windward gave some protection to the David Hay and finally the lifeboat got a line aboard the Glendalogh.

Saturday midnight.
The steam tug with the Glendalough in tow headed back to Silloth. Captain Black and his men started the long row back upwind to the shelter of Balcary. The gale continued throughout the night and in the darkness she was twice rolled onto her beam ends.

Sunday morning.
The men stood by their oars and battled their way over countless Solway rollers until the dawn and long into the day.

Sunday afternoon.
The David Hay finally limped back the shelter of Balcarry. A huge crowd had gathered to recover the lifeboat and carry the exhausted volunteers to the Commercial Inn in Auchencairn.

What a heroic story. What seamanship. What bravery. What service to one's fellow man.

A perfect day to end up in 2000 Acres of Sky.

On Saturday we paddled to Port Logan, which featured in the BBC series "2000 Acres of Sky". The series was based on a fictional and remote island community called Ronansay which lay off the west coast of Skye.

Port Logan was originally called Port Nessock and in the 17th century attempts were made by the McDouall family to establish it as a ferry port for Ireland. They also built the Port Logan Inn which now makes a fine sea kayaking pub. (See here for what makes a good sea kayaking pub.)

The quay and Port Logan Light were built in 1830 by Colonel Andrew McDouall. The light is a conical stone tower with a platform for a lantern. It is not known when it was last lit but for sometime after that it had a bell, which was rung to guide local boats back in foggy conditions. A decent road to the village was not constructed until the early 20th century, so most of the village's trade and traffic depended upon the sea. A life boat station was built at Port Logan in 1866. It closed in 1932 as the RNLI lifeboat at Portpatrick, 18km to the north west, was motorised by then. The boat house is now the village hall which you can find near the quay.



We set off from Drummore and so had to pass one of the great headlands on mainland Britain. The Mull of Galloway is the most southerly point on Scotland. It juts into the Irish sea separating the Solway Firth from the North Channel between Scotland and Ireland. We were prepared for the strong tides and magnificent caves. What we were not prepared for was the stunning cliff coastline north west to Port Logan.

17/04/2007 lv asked "Do you have a panoramic photo of Port Logan?"

I do but it was shot in pretty flat light so it is not the best. Here it is...



I do not know where you stay but if you get the chance, you should visit Galloway. It is a wonderfully unspoilt region.

How is it? It's as bad as it gets.

West coast of Scarp

June 2006 was stormy off the west coast of the Outer Hebrides. We were out there in a 70 foot fishing boat and had to run for "shelter" in Loch Reasort.


Loch Reasort

At times like that I always think of the RNLI. Have a look at John's blog for details of their work. I have been a supporter of the RNLI for many years and I would urge all UK and Irish seakayakers to give their support. Today I received my copy of "The Lifeboat" the RNLI journal.

It tells of a dramatic rescue (a few days later than my photos above) which involved a Dutch 12m racing yacht. She was pitch-poled and flattened by a monster wave in winds exceeding force 9 about 25km to the north west of Barra at the south end of the Outer Hebrides. The skipper was injured, the shroud plates were damaged, her standing rigging loosened, the mast mounted electronics were damaged and the keel bolts loosened. He put out a PAN PAN call on the VHF requesting urgent assistance.

Stornoway coastguard picked up the call and requested the launch of the Barra lifeboat. She is the Edna Windsor a Severn class and Coxswain Donald MacLeod took command. He was really worried that the yacht would attempt to reach shelter through the treacherous Sound of Barra to the north but could not make contact with her. He decided he would need to take a shortcut up the east of Barra and through the Sound to head the yacht off. There are three routes through this sound and the best would depend on many factors. Donald called his father and asked if he could go over and advise which route he should take.

"Caimer a tha i?" (How is it?)

"Tha i cho dona 's chi thu I" (It's as bad as it gets.)

The lifeboat had to reduce speed from 25 to 5 knots as it slammed into 10 to 11m swells. Eventually they cleared the sound and were heading for the yacht's position at 12 knots when they realised their electronic navigation equipment had been damaged by the pounding and it was too rough to use paper charts.

Once they found the yacht, they guided her for the Sound of Sandray to the south of Barra. The treacherous nature of this channel is only exceed by that of its northern neighbour and it was vital the yacht followed the lifeboat closely. She was making 6 knots under her storm rig so the lifeboat had to slow to a speed that put her in danger. A monstrous wave slammed her over by 100 degrees plunging the wheelhouse under water and damaging her.

Recovering, she led the yacht to safety.


Sound of Sandray

Coxswain: Donald MacLeod, volunteer shellfish fisherman
Deputy 2nd Coxsawain: Ranald MacLean, volunteer tug boat captain
Mechanic: Angus MacNeil, RNLI full time
2nd mechanic: Lachlan Douglas, volunteer fisherman and builder
Crew: Iain Boyd, volunteer fishernan
Crew: Michael MacNeil, volunteer oil rig worker

Thanks guys!