Good news for Saturn.

This time last year, three and a half months after my last knee operation, my first paddle took me to the Gareloch. At the Rosneath breakers yard we came across MV Saturn which had been laid up since 2011. It looked like she was doomed.

Saturn was the last of three Streaker class CalMac ferries that ran on the Clyde. She was launched at Ailsa Shipyard in Troon in 1977. Her sister ships Juno and Jupiter were scrapped in 2011 at Rosneath and Denmark.

The Orcadian newspaper has carried some good news for Saturn. She has been sold to Pentland Ferries and will be refurbished and used to carry freight traffic across the Pentland Firth and round the Orkney Islands.

Big boats and little boats in Brodick Bay.

As we paddled into Brodick Bay in the sunset, we were not alone. A Royal Navy type 23 frigate was exercising in the Firth. She is possibly HMS Somerset who has been involved in tracking a Russian submarine in the approaches to the Firth of Clyde.

 Next we came across two tankers. Askholmen and...

 ...Bro Deliverer. Both were waiting to go up to the terminal at Finnart on Loch Long.

 We slipped unnoticed along the hull of Bro Deliverer from stern past...

 ...midships...

...to her bow. From her anchorage it was only a short distance to the...
 

 Brodick ferry terminal. We did not have long to wait until our ferry home, MV Caledonian Isles, arrived at her berth.

It had been a fantastic winter day during which we had covered 30km and introduced another paddler, Maurice, to paddle sailing. It could not get much better, or colder...or could it?

Sea kayaking desktop wallpaper calendar 2015.

Welcome to the 11th annual sea kayaking desktop calendar from seakayakphoto.com! Like 2013, my 2014 has had somewhat restricted paddling. Recovering from several major health problems, caring for my mother in her final illness and then being executor to her estate have all taken their toll on my paddling time. However, what paddling I was able to do was of the finest order and with the best of friends and so quality has made up for quantity. This year all the photos are taken in local waters, all a short drive from home. You can follow the links to Dropbox and download  high resolution photos for your computer or tablet desktop wallpaper in either 4x3 or 8x5 format.

January.

Leaving Portencross Castle before mid winter dawn. Short winter days in Scotland mean an early start and we often launch and land in the dark. From Portencross, we have set off for the islands of the Firth of Clyde: the Great and Little Cumbraes, Bute, Inchmarnock and Arran. Each is a unique adventure.

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February.

Paddle sailing on a winter crossing to Arran. Our 30km route took us via Garroch Head on Bute then on this fabulous 11 km crossing to Sannox at the north end of Arran. This must be one of the most scenic rossings in Scotland. In winter we arrive in Brodick after sunset then get the ferry back to Ardrossan.

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March.

Setting off from the reefs of Lendalfoot on the 14km crossing to the isolated and uninhabited granite island of Ailsa Craig. It lies in an exposed position and the nearest point of land is Lendalfoot. Weather conditions can change rapidly here and we had wind against tide conditions on our return. I capsized while paddle sailing across the Bennane Head tide race about a kilometre offshore. Even though it was sunny and I was back paddle sailing in only a few minutes, I was glad I was wearing a dry suit as the water temperature was only 9C. Anyway it did not put me off returning to Ailsa Craig a further two times (three times in all) in 2014.

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April.

We set off across the Kilbrannan Sound from Kintyre to Arran in thick, gloomy fog. It unexpectedly began to clear when we were about 3/4 of the way across. It was like paddling between a day of two halves.

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May.

Pinks and plantains at Pladda. The delightful island of Pladda lies off the southern tip of its much larger neighbour Arran. It is protected by swirling tides but with its Stevenson lighthouse and teeming bird life, is a joy to visit. There are so many nesting birds covering the ground (and the lighthouse cottages are a private residence) that it would not be easy to camp there in the nesting season. We usually camp at nearby Kildonan on Arran

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June.

The heather growing on Brown Head on Arran means that it is indeed usually brown. However, in early summer, fresh fronds of bracken add a splash of green. The waters are delightfully clear and on this June day warm enough for swimming in a little bay beyond the head. We passed this way twice this year. Once on a clockwise circumnavigation of Arran in March and once en route from Kintyre to Ailsa Craig in June.

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July.

Ailsa Craig is a haven for breeding birds the SW and W cliffs soar steeply from the sea and their high ledges are host to tens of thousands of gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars. Lower down there are colonies of puffins, shags and cormorants. This congregation of cormorants had gathered at Ashydoo Church. No visitor to Ailsa Craig should forget to bring a broad brimmed hat.

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August.

Cleats Shore on Arran enjoys some fine views like this one to Ailsa Craig, some 23 km to the SE. It is also one of the few naturist beaches in Scotland. There was no one there on our visit so Ailsa got our full and undivided attention.

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September.

We often see the PS Waveley on our travels. She was built in Glasgow in 1947 for the Craigendorran to Arrochar run but was retired in 1974. Since 1975 she has been operated as a tourist attraction and is now the last sea going paddle steamer in the World. We saw her to the north of Arran in the Sound of Bute in the evening calm that followed a very windy and wet paddle up the Kilbrannan Sound. She is one of our larger fellow paddlers!

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October.

Back in October I paddled out into Wigtown Bay beyond the Islands of Fleet. The wind steadily dropped to nothing but these strange clouds bubbled up from the Machars peninsula and drifted over distant Burrow Head at the mouth of the Bay.

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November.

Paddle sailing is a whole heap of fun. This is going through the tide race off the south end of Pladda. If you only make one sea kayaking resolution in 2015, it should be to give paddle sailing a try!

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December.

As the winter sun set behind Great Cumbrae and Arran, Duncan Winning and I enjoyed a long chat about kayaking history. At last we went our separate ways as darkness fell. In 1964 Duncan made the first accurate drawings of the kayak Ken Taylor brought to Scotland in 1960 from Illorsuit in West Greenland. This kayak which was made by Emanuele Korniliussen in 1959 is now in the Kelvingrove museum in Glasgow, Scotland. Duncan's drawings were used to create the Anas Acuta, which was a great influence in what was to become the British style of recreational touring sea kayak.

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I wish all readers of seakayakphoto.com a great paddling year in 2015 and thank you for visiting.
Douglas Wilcox.

It was not so much elbow grease that was required... more a dose of rollock grease.

We regrouped for third luncheon in the shelter of the Eileans in the middle of Millport Bay. We were joined by Matt from the east coast. He had spent the day on a solo exploration of Wee Cumbrae and its three lighthouses.

 As we enjoyed a convivial chat, our attention was drawn to the loud creak of oars. It was the Cumbrae coastal rowing club out in their beautiful St Ayles skiff "Cumbrae"

As they creaked off round the Eileans it occurred to me that it was not so much elbow grease that was required... more a dose of rollock grease.

 We set off again from the Eileans round...

 ...Farland Point at the south end of Great Cumbrae and entered...

 ...the Hunterston Channel where we passed the 292m bulk carrier Genco London. She was offloading a cargo of coal and making almost as much noise as the skiffie "Cumbrae's" creacky rowlocks.. When empty, she was due to travel to Narvick to load a cargo of Swedish iron ore.

Andrew stopped to look back and this...

 was what he saw. The sun was setting over the Little and Great Cumbraes and the mountains of Arran beyond.

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.

A dawn start on Ailsa Craig.

On Ailsa Craig the sun was well clear of the north eastern horizon by 04:55 am. It was impossible to sleep due to the racket made by assorted gulls so...

 ...it was time for an early first breakfast.

We were not the only ones to be up and about early. On the horizon, the general cargo boat MS Fri Stream was making her way up the Clyde.

As we were on the water by 06:53 am, we decided we had time for a second circumnavigation of the island.

The  south eastern cliffs were in full sun due to the early time of day. It is usually about midday when we arrive on the rock and they are in shade.

 As we approached the south foghorn a line of clouds came in and...

 ... we were cast into the shade by the towering cliffs above...

...the isolated rock known as Little Ailsa.

 Offshore FV Rejoice BH220 was still in the sun as she trawled for scallops. Registered in Blyth Rejoice has been based in Girvan forb a few years but was sold in October 2014.

The skies above us began to fill with gannets.

Uneasy moments and movements on the crossing to Ailsa Craig.

When we left Pladda for Ailsa Craig there was no wind but the ebb tide was running in its third hour and the water had an uneasy movement..

 This looking back at Pladda from 1.7km  to the south of the lighthouse. A shallow ridge runs out here from Arran in line with Pladda and kicks up a nasty tide race if there is any wind. The Ardrossan Campbeltown ferry keeps well off Pladda for this reason.

Ahead lay Ailsa Craig and at 08:47 the 07:45 Larne Troon high speed catamaran ferry crossed our path but safely well ahead.

We continued in a southerly direction on our long crossing to Ailsa Craig until a rumble of engines from behind...

broke the monotony. The MV Ingunn is a Dutch registered 3000Gt general cargo vessel. Compared with the HSC Express's 40 knots, she was travelling at a leisurely 11 knots. We did not pay her much attention but...

...she kicked up a really dirty, steep breaking wake. I shouted a warning to Tony and we both swung our heavily loaded bouts round to meet the wake. I just got my camera away in time as the wake broke over our bows to chest height and we both had to brace.

 The Ingunn motored on oblivious to her wake and our presence.

A little breeze got up and we hoisted our sails. At last we began to make out detail on Ailsa Craig. Then we heard the roar of HSC Express's engines starting at 11am as she left Troon some 36km away to the NE. We kept looking over our shoulders but...

...fortunately due to our early start, she crossed our path well behind us. We breathed a great sigh of relief as another uneasy moment had passed. At least we had suffered no uneasy involuntary movements.