Eclipse in the Sound of Arisaig.

This morning dark low clouds obscured the skies above Glenuig. The fresh wind was blowing from the NW where the skies over Eigg and Rum appeared lighter. In order to try and see the eclipse we paddled out into the Sound of Arisaig. This photo was taken at was taken at 09:28. Unfortunately the clouds were too thick to see the sun and moon at maximum eclipse which was at 09:34.

But at 09:56 the clouds thinned, just for a moment. I whipped the 5D mk3 out and got three quick shots. It was a tad tricky getting a non waterproof full size DSLR out in the water conditions.

I now have three eclipses burned on my right retina, I just need to close my eye and I see them so clearly...who needs photos?

Kokatat GORE-TEX® Expedition Dry Suit, extended long term test and review.

My Kokatat GORE-TEX® Expedition Dry Suit is probably my most used bit of kayaking kit. In the West of Scotland I use it from October until June. I bought from Sea Kayak Oban in October 2008 so it is six and a half years old. Though since I was disabled for several months last winter, it has seen just over 6 years use. I bought it after owning three other dry suits which proved not breathable enough, too stiff to paddle in comfortably or leaked (or all three!). In a blog in December 2011 I did a 3+ year review and since I still use it I thought it was time for an update. I also did a long term review for the last issue of Ocean Paddler magazine (#45) but given publishing schedules, that was actually written some time ago. Since then I have returned the suit to System X for a service with interesting results and I now include those findings here.

Features.
The Kokatat Expedition has a front entry zip metal toothed zip which runs from right shoulder across and down to the left hip. I initially found it a bit awkward to start at the right shoulder but I soon got the hang of that. A friend bought a medium and found he could not do the zip himself and after several seasons gave it to his daughter and bought a large. He now has no trouble operating the zip himself, so this is something to bear in mind when choosing a size. The male relief zip is worth every penny spent on it. There is also a female drop seat version.

There are handy zipped pockets on either shoulder with a security loop inside each. These pockets will hold a small Aquapac and I keep my car remote key in one and a small mobile phone in the other. There is another small pocket high on the left chest. There is a spray skirt tunnel that I never bother to use when sea kayaking. The gaskets are protected from UV by being covered by cuffs at the wrists and neck.

There is a GORE-TEX PacLite hood which is very well articulated so you can turn round without losing vision. I don't use it often as I usually use a Lowe-Alpine Mountain cap in cold weather but it is really good in heavy rain or hail, even on top of the alpine cap! If the hood is rolled and secured by its velcro strap it does not get in the way of rolling (but I would not use a suit like this in a grade 3+ WW river environment). If the hood is unsecured it does not particularly impede a lay back roll but it does fill with water and make forward finishing rolls difficult.

The socks are also GORE-TEX and I get  changed on a foam mat to avoid puncturing them on sharp grit underfoot. I use Lomo Aquaboots with this dry suit as they have a gusset behind the zip which prevents sharp sand sand and fine grit (which might puncture the socks) from entering the boot. The body of the suit is made of GORE-TEX reinforced in places such as the seat, knees etc. with cordura. The GORE-TEX material is thinner, softer and much more flexible than breathable laminate materials I have used in other suits. It's even available in a choice of colours. You can have mango like mine or radish! A real feature of this suit is that it is not made in China in a factory powered by coal, it is made in the USA in an environmentally sound factory.

Maintenance
I rinse the suit, inside and outside, with fresh water after every use making sure I give the latex a good wipe then peg it upside down to drip dry in the shade. After about an hour I hang it up the right way in a well ventilated garage. I find that the suit is so breathable that I do not need to turn it inside out to let the inside dry like my other "breatheable" suits. About every 5 to 10 uses I cold machine wash the suit using Nikwax Tech Wash followed by Nikwax TX direct wash in proofer. I give the suit a cool iron (with a cotton cloth between the suit and the iron) to reactivate the water resistant finish. I then wipe the latex seals with 303 Aerospace protectant, as recommended by Kokatat. I keep the zip well lubed with zip lubricant.

Wear and tear.
The only fault this suit has developed is that the stitching on the little security loops in the shoulder pockets has become undone. The first loop parted company after 6 months, the second after four years. The only apparent wear points on the suit are two small abraded areas on the inside of the upper arms where the suit has been rubbing on my Kokatat MSFit Tour BA (I know this is the female version of the OutFit Tour but the latter has the radio pocket in the middle and I don't like the aerial up my nose).

The latex gaskets lasted 5 years before they began to show first signs of perishing. The rubber became sticky and stuck to itself especially at rolled edges. At 5.5 years old, I had the seals replaced by "The Rubberman". I sent him the suit on Tuesday and got it back on the Friday of the same week. He also pressure tested the suit and found only one small leak under one of the abraded areas on the inner arm. He fixed this with a small rubber patch on the inside.) The suit has faded a little but not as quickly as some of my other items of sea kayak clothing or my other dry suits.

At six and a half years old my suit was still bone dry in normal paddling but I did notice that if I waded into the water to take photos there was some localised dampness on the front of my thighs although my bum and feet remained dry. I returned my suit to System X for pressure testing.

System X found approximately 75 pin hole leaks most of which were clustered on the front of the thighs. Each leak is repaired with GORE-TEX approved patching material. They even removed and replaced the rubber patch which the Rubberman had used the year before. I suspect that The Rubberman had only repaired the largest leak and missed many of these smaller pinholes. System X charge £40 for pressure testing a suit, up to 100 patches and that even includes postage back to you!

I think that it is remarkable that a six and a half year old dry suit can be made completely waterproof again. It is a lot cheaper than buying a new suit! I fully expect to write an even longer term review of this suit in another three years and who knows after that...?. The only thing that System X could not do was replace the two missing security loops in the arm pockets of the dry suit.

It is interesting to see where the majority of pin hole leaks occurred  on this 2008 dry suit and also my 2005 Whirlpool bib, which I had serviced at the same time.

In both garments, they were clustered on the front of the upper thighs, above the area of cordura reinforcement at the knee. The pinholes have occurred  in the area where the suit is in contact with the thigh braces in my kayaks: Cetus MV, Aries 155, Delphin 155, Quest LV, Nordkapp LV and Rockpool Alaw Bach.

Perhaps Kokatat should consider extending the cordura further up the thigh?

On (and in!) the water.
The GORE-TEX material of the Kokatat suit is the most breathable I have worn on the water. This means that I can use it in warmer air conditions than friends who have non GORE-TEX suits. In fact, I even use it in rough conditions in the Scottish early summer, when the water temperature is still cold. In June 2011 we went for an evening paddle along the SW coast of Dun in the remote St Kilda archipelago. I wore the Kokatat, a friend wore a two piece and swam after a rogue swell broke over a reef. The water temperature was 9C and the resulting hypothermia drew that trip to an end. Interestingly, the paddler did have a dry suit on board the mother ship, a heavy non breathable suit, but did not wear it because it was too hot!

In the west of Scotland the sea temperature does not get much above 10-11C until the end of June...after the longest day!!! Falling into water that cold can kill so having a dry suit that you can continue to wear later in the season is a great safety benefit. Last year I accidental capsized on the way back from Ailsa Craig (which lies 14 kilometres offshore). It was the 21st of April, a lovely sunny spring day. On land the air temperature was 20C but the water temperature was only 7C. It was my first long paddle after my knee operation and my knee was agony. I put my paddle down and used my hands on the cockpit rim to lift my bum off the seat to stretch my leg out. A rogue wave came along and with my high centre of gravity... sploosh I was in! As I could not find the paddle I could not roll (and did I say I had the sail up?) Anyway a quick assisted recovery and I was on my way as if nothing had happened. That is what dressing for immersion means.

A week earlier on another sunny day with water temperature of 7C (but with a F4 wind) Mike and I met an "experienced" solo paddler wearing only a T shirt ( he was probably a member of the Darwin Kayaking Cub). We of course were wearing our Kokatat Expedition suits.

Paddling in winter a dry suit might keep you dry but it won't keep you warm on its own. You need to wear thermal insulation underneath. I use combinations of Kokatat merino and Fourth Element fleece of various thicknesses depending on the season. Even after energetic paddling this combination of fleece and GORE-TEX means that the fleece and socks never get wet with sweat. At the end of a session I can remove the suit and pack away my kayak and stuff just wearing the near dry fleece. I tend to use plain cotton boxer shorts under the fleece layers. At the end of a long day's paddle these are still dry. I could not use cotton shorts under the fleece in a non GORE-TEX suit as they would become soaked in sweat.

The cut of the Kokatat suit is so unrestrictive that I hardly notice I am wearing it, even when paddling hard. After practising rescues, my Kokatat is still bone dry. Because I have two very painful and unstable knee joints, which limit my mobility, I like having the added security of a dry suit. It might take me a bit longer to rescue/self rescue if I fluff a roll. Falling in to cold water is a real danger while sea kayaking and wearing a dry suit is a great backup if things go wrong.

In January this year we enjoyed a four day winter sea kayaking trip to Loch Leven, a sea loch that bites deep into the highest mountains in Scotland. In winter, the sun never rises above the mountains at the head of the loch. In the mornings the temperature was minus 12C and sea water was freezing to our paddle shafts. Despite the extreme cold, the Kokatat material remained flexible. Mike and I remained warm and dry in our Kokatat Expedition suits. Ian's non GORE-TEX suit was noticeably stiff and cumbersome in comparison and he was very cold. He had especially cold, wet feet caused by perspiration (not leaks as his suit was watertight if not breathable).

Ian ordered a new Kokatat Expedition on his return and as you can see, he is delighted with it.

Myself in a non Kokatat suit. Photo by Ian Johnston

On my most recent winter day on the water I was able to make a very useful comparison between the Kokatat and a popular competitor’s ‘breathable’ suit. I forgot my Kokatat drysuit but fortunately Ian still had his old suit in his car and lent it to me. I wore the same undersuit I usually do and although Ian's suit was not leaking, my undersuit and socks ended up wet with sweat and I felt very uncomfortable and cold, especially when we stopped. My feet were frozen. Unlike Ian who had never been more comfortable!

Myself in a non Kokatat suit. Photo by Ian Johnston

The borrowed suit was noticeably more restrictive than the Kokatat suit and I found it difficult reaching forward to my camera bag. Also, I could not plant my paddle blade as far forward as I usually do. I ended up with rashes under both arms. The suit I borrowed is very affordable but for serious winter paddling it just could not compete with the Kokatat for freedom of movement and comfort.

Value for money.
The Kokatat Expedition (currently £1,000) costs an arm and a leg but I think it has been one of the best sea kayaking purchases I have ever made. It represents true value for money and when it eventually wears out, which I do not think will be soon, I will replace it with another. That would hopefully last long enough to see me out! Two of my previous brands/models of drysuit currently cost in the order of £600. Both required replacement of panels within the the first twelve month guarantee period due to delamination. Each lasted three years until they became unusable due to extensive leaks caused by further delamination of the material at the seams. Both proved uneconomic to repair. I fully expect that my serviced six and a half year old Kokatat suit will last at least another 3 years for a current cost of £1000 + £40. I will let you do the sums and decide for yourself which represents better value for money. But it's not just about cost, the Kokatat's performance and comfort is noticeably superior to cheaper suits.

Summary.
The Kokatat Expedition dry suit is an unparalleled blend of freedom of movement, comfort, breatheability, dryness, durability and long term value for money.

Score 12/10. It would have been 13/10 but for the security loops in the pockets coming undone!

Review of System X repair service for Kokatat dry suits, cags and bibs in UK.

I really rate Kokatat GORE-TEX paddling gear. The combination of suppleness, breathability and longevity is hard to beat and though the purchase price is high, the annual cost ends up costing less than cheaper products. However, latex seals need replacing throughout the garment's lifetime and leaks do appear. Unlike non GORE-TEX breathable garments, I have never known GORE-TEX garments to delaminate. This is pretty terminal if more than one or two panels need replaced as repair costs quickly escalate. Previous leaks in my GORE-TEX paddling wear have been caused by pinholes. While you don't end up with soaking wet feet, pinholes definitely lead to localised dampness.

Recently System X, the UK Kokatat distributor have launched a Kokatat service department.

I have been unwell for the last 5 weeks so I decided to use my off the water time constructively and send  my paddling wear to System X for some maintenance. I have a 5 pieces of Kokatat GORE-TEX wear that all needed some TLC:

October 2005 Tec-Tour cag                 Damp Patches                   Pressure test, new wrist latex gaskets
October 2005 Whirlpool Bib               Damp patches, damp feet  Pressure test
October 2008 Expedition dry suit        Minor damp patches          Pressure test
February 2011 Tec-Tour cag               Apparently dry                  Pressure test
February 2011 Whirlpool Bib             Apparently dry                  Pressure test

I sent off a box from our local post office at 16:00 on Thursday 19/2/2015 and I received the items back at 11:00 on Wednesday 4th March I thought this was a very reasonable turn around, given the size of the job. The first thing I noticed was the very neat job of the wrist gasket replacement. The old ones had been completely removed rather than just cut off, leaving a ring of old latex stuck to the sleeve.

Patches on the inside of the 2005 Bib.

October 2005 Tec-Tour cag                         10 patches, new wrist gaskets
October 2005 Whirlpool Bib                     ~60 patches (photo above)
October 2008 Expedition dry suit              ~75 patches
February 2011 Tec-Tour cag                         0 patches
February 2011 Whirlpool Bib                       0 patches

In retrospect perhaps it was unnecessary to have the 2011 two piece tested as it was apparently dry. However, given I was already sending a large box and as I was not paddling, it seemed a good idea to get everything checked!

I think it is remarkable that a 4 year old 2 piece had no leaks. I also think that it is remarkable that a 10 year old suit can be made waterproof again. Now my daughter and I can look forward to having dry feet. What does this cost? To pressure test and patch a suit with up to 100 patches costs £40, (a cag or trousers cost £20) wrist gaskets are £30 per pair and a neck gasket is £30. All a lot cheaper than buying a new suit! The only thing that System X could not do was replace the two security loops in the arm pockets of the dry suit.

Previous repairs by other companies on my Kokatat gear have used rubber patches and never been so thorough at picking all the pinholes. Neck and wrist gasket replacements have not been so neat as System X, who also removed previous rubber repair patches. This is a superb service from System X. I will certainly use them for all my future Kokatak repairs. It definitely deserves 10/10!

Glenuig expedition cut short after last sunset over Ardnamurchan.

 From Moidart we still had 4km to go till we got back to our setting off point at Samalan Bay near Glenuig. It would have been lovely to watch the sunset over Ardnamurchan from the beach at Port Achadh an Aonaich but it was getting cold and I began to feel rather unwell. I thought it was because I was feeling sick about my camera not working but...

There are many skerries and submerged reefs on the coast up to Smirisary but the swell and wind had both died away and we reached the headland at...

 ...Rubha Ghead a' Leighe without incident. To the east, the peaks of Rois-Bheinn, 882m, rose into a cold winter sky above Samalaman Island. It was a lovely sight but I turned back...

...to get this view of Ian and the setting sun which was heading for  the open Atlantic, beyond the tip of the Ardnamurchan peninsula.

We arrived at Samalaman in the gathering darkness to find the ladies of the Mallaig and District Canoe Club loading up after their outing in these beautiful waters. They were also staying at the Glenuig Inn and told Steve Macfarlane of our arrival. Steve kindly drove along with his trailer which was much easier to load than our cars!

Unfortunately I became very ill that night and was not even able to finish a delicious plate of prawns. I had developed 'flu which is still hanging over me 4 weeks later! Unfortunately I was not able to join Ian and Allan on the next two days paddling so you will need to read about them over on Ian's blog.

I was actually too ill to be upset at missing more paddling, anyway I had just enjoyed one of the most varied and best winter days ever! We might only have covered 26.5km but the scenery was stunning.

Maritime conditions moderated but the 5D mainboard didn't much like the Moidart moisture.

It was not possible to take photos for some time after we left Ardtoe but as we paddled north we came into the lee of Eigg (some 18km away to the NW) and...

 ...the seas gradually became calmer. We took it slowly and steadily as submerged reefs were creating unexpected breaking boomers.

On several occasions we had to divert round particularly disturbed areas of water but as we passed the...

...south entrance to Loch Moidart the conditions moderated. You can  just see the sands of Shoe Bay hiding behind the skerries. Beyond Moidart, some seventeen kilometres to the SE, the snow flecked slopes of Beinn Resipol, 845m, rose above the lands of Sunart .

A watery sun appeared over Ardnamurchan when we were in the lee of Eilean a' Choire. I got a couple of nice photos of Allan...

...but I got caught out by a boomer coming over the reef and had to put my Canon 5D mk3 away very quickly. I did not have time to do my deck bag zip up before bracing and unfortunately sea water got in without me noticing. The next time I took the camera out it was dead. We stopped not long afterwards and I took the card and battery out. When I got home I sent the 5D off to Canon UK and they replaced a corroded main board for £256. I thought this was pretty reasonable.

The following photos are taken with my 2mp Sony U60 (2004 vintage!).

The wild west cost of Eilean Shona is always an enjoyable place to paddle especially as...

...there is a great place to stop just beyond the North Channel of Loch Moidart. The beach at Port Achadh an Aonaich is so nice that we were not going to pass it twice in one day without stopping.

The stop at Ardtoe could not really have been described as a luncheon as no malt whisky was consumed. So...

 ...this was our second luncheon and Alan dug deep into his bag  to find a most excellent Highland Park!

After a variety of home made soups and a dram were consumed, we stretched our legs and...

 ...enjoyed the view from the machair above the beach. The low sun was now slipping quickly towards the Ardnamurchan peninsula. All too soon, it was time to go.

A rough ride to Ardtoe.

West from Castle Tiorum, the south channel of Loch Moidart opens up but the loch is still...

...sheltered by a group of rocky islets at its mouth. A calm patch encouraged Ian to get his DSLR out and photograph some...

 ...seals that were all around us.

Soon the castle slipped astern and we found ourselves weaving...

...through the skerries and islands at the mouth of the loch. As we approached to open sea the wind increased to the top end of a F4 from the NW. It was a spring tide and the ebb from the loch was creating some wonderful wind over tide conditions. We went from the calm of the skerries straight into...
 

 ...a truly wonderful winter playground. Unfortunately I had not brought sails for Ian and myself as Allan didn't have one. Nonetheless, we enjoyed a wonderful 2km down wind blast through somewhat confused waters to the shelter of...

 ...the Ardtoe skerries where we...

 ...caught our breath for the 8km upwind slog back to the Sound of Arisaig

Ardtoe was a lovely spot to shelter from the wind, have a quick snack and rehydrate with water!

This is the sort of sea kayaking I really enjoy. Essentially it is the combination of a remote location, decent "conditions" in winter and being with a small group of trusted friends. We had not seen a soul or another boat since we left Glenuig.  North of Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly point of mainland Britain, the western horizon stretched away across the Atlantic for some 3,300km until Orton Island, off the coast of Labrador. We were dependent on our own resources. Indeed some years ago, Ian and I self rescued after a winter capsize on this very coast. Afterwards we carried on as if nothing had happened. When I started kayaking I joined a club but soon left because weekend after weekend all people wanted to do was practice "skills". Skills for what? I much preferred getting out and going sea kayaking!

Birlin about Castle Tioram with Julius Caesar in Loch Moidart.

When we rounded the north end of Shona Beag there was very little water left in Inner Loch Moidart. We had hoped to paddle round the east side of Eilean an Fheidh (deer island) but there were only inches of water left so...

...we paddled down its north side then...

...followed the deeper water along the south shore. It was here that we caught sight of Tioram (pron. cheerum) Castle. I always associate Tioram Castle with the birl of the bagpipes because on my first visit,  there was a piper playing at the foot of the castle wall. He was not a local, in fact he was on holiday from Nova Scotia! The sound of the pipes echoing from the castle walls and the misty cliffs round lonely Loch Moidart was spine tingling. I nearly expected to see the Young Pretender himself being carried up the loch in a birlinn.

Back to the present, the scenery was amazing which was just as well as our energy levels were seriously ebbing. This was unsurprising since we had replaced first luncheon with a stiff paddle against the tide.

The ebb tide pulled us steadily through the gap...

 ...between the shore and Sgeir Srath Luinga. It did birl us about a bit but in the most gentle way.

The ebb then carried us under the grey walls of Castle Tioram, which sits on a tidal island on the south shore of Loch Moidart. It was the ancestral home of  Clan Ranald from the 14th century. The family owned the castle until the early 20th century, though it has been a ruin since  the early 18th century. The castle currently belongs to a Scottish businessman, Lex Brown, who has been in a long battle with Historic Scotland to restore the building to a habitable state.

Unfortunately a 300 year battle with the elements means that the castle will need a bit of doing up!

We landed on a little beach to the NW of the castle island. No doubt it was from here that Clan Ranald birlinns set off to raid neighbouring clans. Celtic birlinns are similar to Viking longships but predate them by about 800 years. Julius Caeser described Celtic birlinns in detail and reported them as being superior to Roman galleys in his book the Gallic Wars Book 3 (56 B.C.E.).

Namque ipsorum naves ad hunc modum factae armataeque erant: carinae aliquanto planiores quam nostrarum navium, quo facilius vada ac decessum aestus excipere possent; prorae admodum erectae atque item puppes, ad magnitudinem fluctuum tempestatumque accommodatae; naves totae factae ex robore ad quamvis vim et contumeliam perferendam; transtra ex pedalibus in altitudinem trabibus, confixa clavis ferreis digiti pollicis crassitudine; ancorae pro funibus ferreis catenis revinctae; pelles pro velis alutaeque tenuiter confectae, [hae] sive propter inopiam lini atque eius usus inscientiam, sive eo, quod est magis veri simile, quod tantas tempestates Oceani tantosque impetus ventorum sustineri ac tanta onera navium regi velis non satis commode posse arbitrabantur. Cum his navibus nostrae classi eius modi congressus erat ut una celeritate et pulsu remorum praestaret, reliqua pro loci natura, pro vi tempestatum illis essent aptiora et accommodatiora. Neque enim iis nostrae rostro nocere poterant (tanta in iis erat firmitudo), neque propter altitudinem facile telum adigebatur, et eadem de causa minus commode copulis continebautur. Accedebat ut, cum [saevire ventus coepisset et] se vento dedissent, et tempestatem ferrent facilius et in vadis consisterent tutius et ab aestu relictae nihil saxa et cautes timerent; quarum rerum omnium nostris navibus casus erat extimescendus.

"For their ships were built and equipped after this manner. The keels were somewhat flatter than those of our ships, whereby they could more easily encounter the shallows and the ebbing of the tide: the prows were raised very high, and, in like manner the sterns were adapted to the force of the waves and storms [which they were formed to sustain]. The ships were built wholly of oak, and designed to endure any force and violence whatever; the benches which were made of planks a foot in breadth, were fastened by iron spikes of the thickness of a man's thumb; the anchors were secured fast by iron chains instead of cables, and for sails they used skins and thin dressed leather. These [were used] either through their want of canvas and their ignorance of its application, or for this reason, which is more probable, that they thought that such storms of the ocean, and such violent gales of wind could not be resisted by sails, nor ships of such great burden be conveniently enough managed by them. The encounter of our fleet with these ships' was of such a nature that our fleet excelled in speed alone, and the plying of the oars; other things, considering the nature of the place [and] the violence of the storms, were more suitable and better adapted on their side; for neither could our ships injure theirs with their beaks (so great was their strength), nor on account of their height was a weapon easily cast up to them; and for the same reason they were less readily locked in by rocks. To this was added, that whenever a storm began to rage and they ran before the wind, they both could weather the storm more easily and heave to securely in the shallows, and when left by the tide feared nothing from rocks and shelves: the risk of all which things was much to be dreaded by our ships."

This is a photo a a small, modern recreation of a birlinn. We saw it at Corrie in Arran in March 2008.

We enjoyed a combination of first and second luncheons under the castle walls and so we birled out an extra generous dram of Jura...

... before we birled our way...

...back to the boats.