The economics of going on a safari adventure.

25/03/2017

After our first luncheon it was time to return to the boats. This is the P&H Scorpio HV Mk2 in CoreLite X. It is very large but supremely comfortable and as can be seen from the previous post, made an excellent stable platform for photographing bottlenose dolphins. Talking of which...

...no sooner had we launched than we were pounced upon by the pod which had been lying in ambush just offshore.

The tide had turned and the wind had got up, creating some wonderful kayaking conditions off the headlands. The flying spray, the sunshine the motion of the boats and leaping dolphins made for a simply unforgettable experience.

Unfortunately I did not risk taking my SLR out  and my little Olympus TG4 camera had so much shutter lag that I  ended up with a lot of photos of splashes where the dolphins had been. Despite the lack of photos this was an even more intense experience as the dolphins were also revelling in the rough water. They would suddenly appear out of our wave and flash across our bows before reappearing just ahead of us. It seemed that they were leading us to the shelter...

...of Port nam Murrach. Once we were safe in the calm of the bay, the dolphins disappeared for good.

Back on dry land we could hardly believe how lucky we had been to experience such a wild life safari and spectacle. You could spend thousands of pounds travelling across the world for such experiences. We had woken in our own beds that morning and so far it had just cost 13 litres of diesel fuel (£17) on the drive up. Donald had spent maybe another £2 to put petrol in his 6hp outboard.

Pleased with our economical adventuring, we wandered round this delightful spot at the edge of the Sound of Arisaig. I have in the past travelled the World and been lucky to get to many amazing places off the beaten tourist track but sometimes you do not need to go far, especially if you live on the west coast of Scotland. Another factor for me is the cost of health insurance to travel out with the UK. Last year it was £1,100!

In the distance the long finger of Ardnamurchan stretched away to the west, beyond the sparkling waters of the Sound of Arisaig to the Sea of the Hebrides beyond.

 It was with some reluctance that we made our way back to the turquoise waters of the bay but...

 ..our friends would be shortly arriving and so we set off...

 ...across the Sound of Arisaig again with the ...

...sun rapidly dipping in the west.

Bottlenose dolphins in the Sound of Arisaig.

25/03/2017

At first Mike was oblivious to the pod of...

 ...bottlenose dolphins which had been playing in Donald's wake.

 What a spectacle they made against the backdrop of the Eigg and Rum mountains.

They were much more interested in Donald's boat than the kayaks but he obliged us by motoring back...

...and forward across...

...our bows, with the pod in tow, so that we could get a better view of their antics.

 It is difficult to resist being anthropomorphic but these guys...

 ...were having a whale of a time (if that is not an oxymoron) as they alternately lolled in the water beside us before...

 ...exploding into action again.

 They only let us be when we paddled into shallow water to take a break...

 ..on the shell sand beach of Port Eilean a' Ghaill for a delayed first luncheon.

After the excitement Donald and I reviewed our photos and could hardly believe that we had managed to capture the action. I even went for a quick swim which rather quickly pulled me back to reality!

Looks like trouble at the Isle of Tears, Sound of Arisaig.

25/03/2017

Last March Mike, Donald (AKA The Gurnard) and I arrived at the Glenuig Inn on the south coast of the Sound of Arisaig. Our friends were not due to arrive until the evening but as we had arrived at midday, we wasted no time on getting on the water. I was keen to try out the new P&H Scorpio HV mk2 in CoreLite X.

Donald soon had the little F-RIB 275 on the plane and he disappeared towards the north side of the Sound...

 Leaving Mike and I to make the crossing at a more relaxed pace. As we left Glenuig Bay the mountains of Rum lay ahead while we left...

 ...the bulk of mighty Roshven 882m in our wakes.

 Soon we were alone in the silence of the middle of the Sound but as we...

..approached the lonely isles and reefs of Eilean an t-Snidhe (Isle of tears) we heard the sound of Donald's...

 ...outboard approaching at speed. He zoomed past us...

...and circled right round us gesticulating madly at the water.

 Mike and I really did not know what was going on but suspected there must be trouble ahead.

In the wake of the dead: a sea kayaking pilgrimage to Oronsay and Colonsay via Jura.

For those who would like to follow the thread of this great trip to Oronsay and Colonsay via Jura from start to finish, I hope this index will be useful. We launched from Carsaig Bay NR735877. We paddled 136km over four days. On the outward trip we portaged the 2km over the Jura isthmus from Tarbert Bay in the east to Loch Tarbert in the west. We returned through the Corryvreckan.

Read Ian's trip summary here.

Day 1 Carsaig Bay, Argyll mainland to Glenbatrick Bay, Jura: 26km

Blog 1 Paddling and portaging in the wake of the dead.

Blog 2 Enchanted again by the remote west coast of Jura.

Day 2 Glenbatrick Bay, Jura to Kiloran Bay, Colonsay: 41km.

Blog 3 You may rue the day you meet the giant bothy rat and adders of Ruantallain.

Blog 4 Landfall in an Oronsay midden.

Blog 5 Why sea kayakers should consider carrying a PLB, unless they are full sibling to an ostrich.

Blog 6 Our sea kayaking pilgrimage comes to a peaceful end in Oronsay Priory.

Blog 7 Between a rock and a hard place on the wild west cost of Colonsay.

Blog 8 Breaking the spell of the Cailleach Uragaig on the NW coast of Colonsay.

Blog 9 Two schools of seakayaking campers, a tattie howkin' stick and a Colonsay sunset.

Day 3 Kiloran Bay, Colondsay to Shian Bay Jura: 30km.

Blog 10 A washed up whale and an adequate supply of washed up wood on the machair of north Colonsay.

Blog 11 Absolute consensus, armadas, wrecks and goats all end up at Balnahard Beach.

Blog 12 A cuckoo in every cove, flapping sails and giant wings on the NE coast of Colonsay.

Blog 13 Cake, beer and wind in Scalasaig harbour, Colonsay.

Blog 14 Perfect paddle sailing past the Paps of Jura.

Blog 15 Hebridean boules on the machair of Jura.

Blog 16 Baked Bramley apples at a Shian Bay Sunset.

Day 4 Shian Bay, Jura to Carsaig Bay, Argyll mainland: 40km.

Blog 17 A cold second breakfast at dead end beach, Jura

Blog 18 Waiting for the Corryvreckan tide at Glengarrisdale.

Blog 19 The skulls of Glengarrisdale, Jura.

Blog 20 A traverse of the Gulf of Corryvreckan disturbed only by a shoal of fish.

Blog 21 Taking a break at Red Rock.

Blog 22 End of day in Carsaig Bay.

Postscript

If you would prefer not to paddle the Corryvreckan in the conditions in this photo, you can time your traverse for slack water:

The west going flood begins +0430 HW Oban (-0100 HW Dover)  at 7 to 8 knots at springs and +0515 HW Oban (-0015 HW Dover) at neaps.

The east going ebb begins -0145 HW Oban (+0515 HW Dover) up to 8 knots at springs and -0100 HW Oban (+0600 HW Dover) at neaps.

The time changes by 6.5 minutes each day between springs and neaps. The constant between HW Dover and HW Oban does vary, so most accurate times are calculated by using HW Oban times (though not if you have calculated HW Oban indirectly from HW Dover!!).

Slack water lasts up to 30 minutes at neaps. At springs there is no real slack, there is always water moving about somewhere in the Corry. These times are pretty good as long as there is high pressure. Low pressure and wind can alter timing considerably.