Threading through the 2011 Oban Sailing Club Round Mull Race.

Gradually we left the Isles of the Sea a long way behind but as we approached the coast of Mull we came across the third day of the 2011 Oban Yacht Club Round Mull Race....nearly two score of them! They made a wonderful sight, broad reaching up the Firth of Lorn in close, line astern formation as they came round Malcolm's Point on the Ross of Mull. However, they posed an almost impenetrable barrier to our progress, as we were travelling at right angles to the fleet.

We were completely knackered by our long, hot day, so we paused for some sustenance (with the distant Paps of Jura behind) before summoning the energy to sprint in tight formation...

...through one of the more sizeable gaps before the finishing line off Frank Lockwood's island.. We felt a bit like Drake sailing into the Armada but fortunately we squeezed through without anyone having to alter course or fire a broadside. I drew breath to admire the fine set of the spinnaker on this lovely yacht. Vaila is a Borresen BB10  which, as her type suggests, is 10m (32 feet) long. We have passed her several times in various places on the west coast, from Loch Fyne to Loch Linnhe, over the last 10 years or so. We have seen her most often in Loch Leven, which I think is her home water.

I used to be a sailor before I took up sea kayaking. What you don't see is what is fluttering away in a yacht's wake. Modern yachts are made up of a composite of resins and special hydrocarbon laminates. Out with yachting circles, these laminates are better known as £50 notes and unfortunately for yachties, the composite resin is partially water soluble. This explains why yachts have somewhat expensive wakes.

 Anyway I digress, we now had open water between us and the entrance to...

 ...lovely Loch Buie where we...

...landed and set up camp in the late evening.

A blessed relief to leave the Isle of the Saints.

After the exertion and sweating of manhandling loaded boats to the low tide mark in the heat of the day, it was a blessed relief to be on the cool water again as we rounded the SW corner of Eileach an Naoimh.

Our destination was Loch Buie in Mull, some 16km away across the Firth of Lorn. The first time I did this crossing was in the dark in the middle of February, so it made a very pleasant change to repeat it at the height of a midsummer day!

 As we paddled under the small lighthouse...

 ...the NW coast of Eileach an Naoimh slowly revealed itself followed by...

 ...Garbh Eileach and soon...

...the Isles of the Sea were little more than memories in our wakes.

As idle as a painted ship, Upon a painted ocean.

Leaving Carradale Point on Kintyre a lovely NE breeze soon had us on our way across the Kilbrannan Sound towards...

...the dark wooded slopes of Tor Righ Beag on Arran. At 9km distant, this was just about the only landmark visible on Arran due to the haze. At first we made good progress: "The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free" until...

... "The bloody Sun, at noon, Right up above the mast did stand" Then the wind dropped and we were...

 "As idle as a painted ship,... 

...Upon a painted ocean".


With some apology to Coleridge.

The finest scenic sea kayak crossing in Scotland?

 The crossing of the Sound of Bute from Garroch Head on Bute...

...to Sannox on Arran...

...is probably one of the most scenic in Scotland and at 10.6km requires just a little commitment.

I (and very many others) also like the crossing of Loch Scavaig from Elgol to Loch na Cuilce on Skye but it lacks the commitment of an open crossing, as you can keep to the shore.

So I would like to propose the Garroch Head to Sannox crossing as the finest scenic sea kayak crossing in Scotland.

The Carradale trawler FV Caledonia (TT34) was still trawling her nets...

 ...as we reached mid channel.

Gradually, the mountains of Glen Sannox on Arran began to dominate the horizon to the SW.

 We were entertained..

...by an ever changing vista...

...as the low cloud...

...drifted and swirled round the corries and peaks.

Then, when we paddled under the clouds,...

...we too were  alternately in their shade then...

 ...back in the sunshine as we made our final approach to Sannox.

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.