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.

At the south end of Pladda "I wonder where they think they are going?"

We set off across the Sound of Pladda at a surprisingly high ferry angle. It was approching 3 hours into the ebb and the tide was running through the shallow sound like a river.

 Pladda jetty is on the sheltered NE side of the island though...

...in the northerly winds of our last visit (on the 23rd of May 2014), it was far from sheltered getting out of the harbour!

On this occasion we did not have time to explore this fascinating island. Unlike several small Scottish islands there are no "No Landing" signs. Pladda was bought by the Morten family over 20 years ago and their faith in human nature seems to have paid off as I have never seen signs of vandalism or littering there. Mind you, Pladda is in a remote location and the Sound of Pladda does form a significant barrier to those of a littering persuasion..

The flat nature of Pladda is due to it being composed largely of a volcanic sill of tertiary basalt. Indeed Pladda is connected to the mainland by a submarine basalt dyke, one of a swarm of dykes that radiate out from the Kildonan shore.

Pladda was one of the first lighthouses to be built by Robert Smith, the founder of the Stevenson dynasty, and the light was first lit in 1790. In those days flashing lanterns had not been developed so to distinguish Pladda from the other Clyde approach lights the lower second tower was built in 1801. The two steady lights shone for over one hundred years until a flashing light was installed in the main tower in the early 20th century. In 1870 Pladda lighthouse was one of the first in the world to be converted to paraffin and the great tanks still stand behind the lighthouse.

At the South end of Pladda we caught sight of a rather distant looking Ailsa Craig.As we left Pladda for the Craig, we passed a local fishing boat. I quite clearly heard one of the fishermen say "I wonder where they think they are going?"