Skating about Skate Island: a baby basking shark.

 From Portavadie, we set off down Loch Fyne to Sgat Mor, big skate island.

 The little lighthouse used to be powered by propane and is almost all gas tank. It looked like a rocket. Nowadays it is solar powered.

Between the island and the mainland something skating about at high speed on the water surface caught our eye.

What on earth was it?

It was a baby basking shark, less than two meters long. I had never seen one before and I cant even remember seeing basking sharks in mid October in Scotland before. It was feeding on a rich plankton bloom. The speed it was swimming at was definitely skating speed rather than basking speed. It is great to see basking sharks back in the Clyde.

All this watching an other creature feeding had its effect on us...

...it was time for second breakfast and where finer to enjoy it than on the delightful sands of remote Asgog Bay.

Morning mist in the Kyles of Bute

Early on an October morning, Phil and I drove over the high pass above the Kyles of Bute. The Burnt Islands were caught in a momentary blink of sunshine that managed to break through the thick mist.

We had left one car at Colintraive which is the mainland terminal for the ferry which runs over the Kyles to Bute...

...and drove  over the narrow roads to Portavadie on the west coast of the Cowal peninsula which is on the shores of Loch Fyne. The new marina here serves breakfast and morning coffee.

We paddled round some of the modest boats in the marina before heading off on another adventure...

Large white navigational aids on Islay

I am sorry seakayakphoto.com has been unavailable since last Saturday. Apparently there were many other blogs affected as a result of spammers stealing content from genuine blogs (splogs) to cloak themselves then the Blogger spam detection software deleted the lot, spammers and genuine bloggers together. Thank you to Blogger staff, Brett, Gatzby and nitecruzr for sorting the problem :o).

I was extremely touched by the many emails I received expressing concern in case the disappearance of the blog meant I was unwell. Thank you all and I am delighted to say that I am very well indeed and certainly hadn't lost my way.

That brings me to today's photo. It was taken on Islay, which is one of my favourite places in Scotland (the World!).  The coastline of Islay is unique. At regular intervals there are large white navigational aids round the coast. It would be very difficult to loose your way on Islay!

Common sense prevails in Wigtown Bay.

This wonderful, wild seascape in Wigtown Bay has been under threat of industrialisation by the installation of 90 giant windmills. All would be situated within the confines of the bay, with the nearest being only 4.5km from the shore. Fortunately, for those that do not put natural beauty above greed for energy, the BBC Scottish News today announced that the Scottish Government turned down the application to develop this sensitive site. I am not a NIMBY, as I live just 5km from the largest onshore wind farm in Europe. I quite like it, though its rotors hardly turned during the last two record, cold winters.

Rather more surprisingly, they have also turned down the application to extend the Robin Rigg wind farm, further up the Solway, from its current 60 turbines to 160. This farm is further offshore, at 9km, but apparently its power output is much less than predicted and it would not survive economically without a massive subsidy paid for by UK electricity consumers.

I am glad that these particular proposals have not gone ahead. I particularly like Wigtown Bay and I would have hated to see it spoiled, just so I could leave my computers at home and at work running overnight. Thank goodness the Scottish Parliament has made a common sense decision. Of course the forthcoming election, on the 5th of May, has no doubt helped them come to their decision!

The Sound of Tomorrow, Islay.

Port Askaig on the Sound of Islay is one of the best places to set off sea kayaking. The Sound is only 0.75km wide so you can really only go north or south. However you don't even need to make that decision as the tide will make it for you (5 knots at springs can be somewhat persuasive).

The scenery on the Sound is stunning with the Paps of Jura being the high point on the horizon.

A number of lighthouses guard the salient points...

...but the strong tides still catch the unwary.

There are two distilleries situated on the Sound.

It is not just kayakers that use Port Askaig...

...it is one of Islay's two ferry terminals and after the introduction of the new ferry MV Finlaggan for the summer 2011 season, it will be the only one until Port Ellen is upgraded.

There is also a small fishing fleet, which use the port as a base for their lobster boats.

The south end of the Sound, towards McArthur's Head lighthouse is equally dramatic and...

 has Scotland's best bothy right by the shore!

The waters of the Sound are pretty sheltered from the storms that sweep across Islay...

...but you never get away from the power of the tide.

Today the Scottish Government approved plans to build an array of 10 tidal generators mounted on the sea bed. These will  generate enough electricity to power several thousand homes and Islay's energy hungry distilleries.

Scottish Power Renewables are going to install 1 megawatt versions of the turbine developed by Hammerfest Strom tidal turbines in Norway.

Two of the turbines will go in just offshore from Port Askaig  with the other 8 going in further south. Apparently the blades will rotate slowly enough not to harm migrating whales and...

...will be deep enough not to interfere with ships or kayaks.

It sounds pretty good. The tides are a lot more reliable than the wind! The only downside is that no fishing will be allowed in the vicinity of the turbines. Just imagine a spot of kayak fishing and catching a turbine with a mackerel line!

Sea kayaking round Burrow Head.

A 32km day paddle from Port William round Burrow Head to Garlieston, Solway Firth,  January 2011.

Approaching Burrow Head near slack water.

Tides

Well off Burrow Head: 

The east going flood starts -0600 HW Liverpool (-0545 HW Dover). 

The west going ebb starts at HW Liverpool (+0015 HW Dover) 

The spring rate is about 3 knots. 

Close in to Burrow Head:

Strong counter eddies become established in the last 2 hours of the flood and the ebb, so close in, the tidal flows turn two hours earlier than the above times: 

The east going flood starts +0430/-0800 HW Liverpool (+0415/-0745 HW Dover). 

The west going ebb starts at -0200 HW Liverpool (-0145 HW Dover) 

Close in the spring rate is about 4-5 knots and there is turbulence at the eddy line. This means that "slack water" close under the rocks occurs when the main race is still stonking off shore. If there is any wind against tide, the main race will look quite scary and the eddy line will create very confused water. As you are approaching the head, to take advantage of the inshore slack, you will see great lumps of water from the main race heaving on the horizon and you can have a bit of a dry mouth before you round the corner and actually see what it is like.

We were so far south that  there was almost a whiff of civilisation in the air.

A peculiarly cold form of burnishment, in Port William.

Less fond of basking sharks than otters.

Touching the past on the way to Burrow Head.

The Devil's bridge of Burrow Head.

Navigational aids: #7 The luncheon beacon.

Home to roost in Garlieston.

All that the sea has taken.

Hokusai, 'Under the Wave, off Kanagawa'

I have felt disinclined to write anything about recreation on the sea for the last few days. The sea gives but it also takes away and we are all linked by the sea. The television images of the complete devastation of whole communities and individual's  lives by the tsunami in Japan have been numbing.  I wish the people of Japan the strength and fortitude to rebuild their lives and send condolences for all they have lost.

Image  © Trustees of the British Museum