A grey Gigha day.

We woke on Cara to the rumble of the heavy diesel engine of this work boat. it was a grey cold day and...

...we put warm thermals and cags on.

Ceanothus UL72 from Oban set off out through the Sound of Cara as did...

...we as we were going to paddle clockwise round Gigha.

 It did not take long to approach Slocan Leim at the south end of Gigha, beyond which...

 ...we entered Grob Bagh where for a moment we thought that...

 ...the sun might break through the clouds but it did not quite manage,

 In Grob Bagh there is a striking quartzite dyke called Rubha Ban which extends well into the bay.

 The Gigha community wind farm had a fourth and larger wind turbine added in 2014.

 From Grob Bagh we paddled north through...

 ...the Gigha skerries until...

 ...we entered Poll Mor.

 Ahead heads of various sizes appeared in the pool.

 We saw several otters and seals and curiously...

 ...they seemed to be quite oblivious to each other and indeed...

 ...to us. Sammy the otter was quite happy munching crabs on his back before...

...diving down for some more.

The correct protocol required when greeting the Brownie of Cara

 From Gigalum we crossed to the south end of Gigha before heading across the Sound of Cara to...

 ...Port an Stoir  at the north end of Cara where we intended to camp.

The east beach was occupied by some resident goats. I immediately thought of goat bhuna but we decided to land on the west beach instead.

 If one lands on Cara (and especially so, if one intends to stay the night) it is a wise sea kayaker who knows the correct protocol for greeting The Brownie. It is vital to do this before doing anything else. One needs to raise one's cap then doff it in a suitably deferential manner while at the same time saying in a clear voice "Good Evening Mr. Brownie". The only acceptable variation to this protocol is to change the greeting to suit the time of day of one's arrival.

Failure to satisfy The Brownie on this matter will result in him interpreting your arrival as a serious diplomatic faux pas. All manner of mischief may then be unleashed upon your party by this unhappy spirit. Campbells need to be particularly careful as The Brownie is the spirit of a MacDonald who was murdered by a Campbell. Best advice would be to never disclose your surname on Cara. If your first name is Campbell then you must use a nickname or visit Gigha instead. The annals of Scottish sea kayaking are full of tales of The Brownie's mischief; kayaks floating away in the night, paddles being hidden in the bramble bushes, full bottles of malt whisky being emptied during the night and much, much worse.

 We found a little driftwood but were glad of the barbecue coals and logs we had brought with us and soon...

 ...had an excellent fire going on the white shell sands of Cara. previous visitors had burned multiple fire rings in the machair.. hope the Brownie got them!

 Anyway we were just thinking that life did not get better than baked sweet potatoes when...

...this amazing moon rose out of the fog on the Sound of Gigha.