All afloat on Brodick Bay

My next series of posts will record of our adventures paddling round Arran over a period of five glorious days at the end of March. For reasons too complicated to explain, the party on day one was not the same as on days 2 to 5!

 Phil David, Tony, Andrew and I convened at the...

 ...Ardrossan Ferry Terminal and loaded our kayaks onto MV Caledonian Isles.

After the full trucker's breakfast we disembarked at Brodick and watched as the Caledonian Isles quickly disappeared into the mist.

Andrew will shortly be sitting his 3* and wanted to get some experience of open crossings. Today would be ideal. We would be doing two crossings of about 10km on our way back to Ayrshire via Bute. The mist would also mean that we would be setting off into a featureless horizon with no sign of the other side until about two thirds of the way across. The spring tides would add to the mix!

 Phil was beaming from ear to ear as we set off across Brodick Bay.

Tony hasn't been out for a while and was catching up with several episodes of David's stories!

Brodick Castle was just visible through the haze and the Scots pines that now surround it.

End of another glorious day.

 From the Little Cumbrae we sped back across the Hunterston Channel...

 ...on a broad reach towards Portencross Castle...

...where the tide was fully out. Phil and Tony helped me with the kayak over the rough stuff and we kept the sails up to assist the haul up the beach.

Packing the gear into the car we enjoyed another view across to Arran bringing another fantastic day on the water to a close.

Who let the dogs out?

After our mad dash down the Sound of Bute, we swung round the east side of Little Cumbrae to take a break at its castle.

No sooner had we spread our light luncheon victuals than the islands pack of dogs raced up to investigate our arrival with much barking.

As soon as they realized that sandwiches were available the barking stopped.

They then hung round with the most pitifully hungry hang dog expressions. This despite looking like some of the best fed dogs in all of those many isles that lie scattered furth the mainland of Scotland.

Long after the sandwiches had disappeared, much snuffling round the rocks ensured that not even the smallest crumb was missed.

Time for a light luncheon in the lee of Little Cumbrae.

We paddled out into the Sound of Bute and unleashed the sails, ready for a 12 km downwind blast back to Portencross.

 At first the wind was light but even so...

 ...paddle sailing proved faster than yachting.

 The wind increased as we approached Garroch Head...

 ...and we virtually flew across the Firth of Clyde  Channel towards Little Cumbrae island.

 It was big smiles all round as...

 ...we made our final approach below the Stevenson lighthouse...

 ...leaving the island of Bute far in our wakes.

It was time to break out into the lee of Little Cumbrae for a light luncheon.

Playtime before some action at Dunagoil.

We landed in a tiny inlet to the north of Garroch Head with an amazing view over to the Glen Sannox mountains of Arran.

The bed rock at the side of the bay had eroded into weird pedestals, some had a tiny basin of water in the top.

As we lay basking in the unexpected sunshine...

...we developed a new pastime, trying to throw pebbles into the bowls of water on top of the rocky pinnacles.

 After our leisurely luncheon, we continued NW up the coast of Bute.

 Looking back we could even see as far as Holy Island on the east of Arran.

We arrived at the rocky Port Dornach which is situated under the overhanging site of the vitrified Dunagoil Iron Age hill fort.

We were just pondering whether to land for a second luncheon when a yacht in the Sound of Bute began hoisting its sails. The wind had arrived and it was time for some action.

Caught ebbing on the Clyde.

The crossing from Little Cumbrae was glorious. Our attention kept being dragged to port and the magnificent rocky ridges of Arran.

There was so little wind that the Garroch Head tide race was like a mill pond. Indeed so little attention were we paying to tides and transits that we found ourself carried almost a kilometre out of our way by the ebbing spring tide which was further fuelled by a lot of recent rain.. 

This was quite a lot out of our way, considering the crossing was only 5km!

Anyway we eventually found ourselves in a little bay on the SW coast of Bute. It had a a small beach and a marvellous view of the Arran mountains. It was time for first luncheon and a nap!

Only a moment's hesitation on the Firth of Clyde.

Phil, Tony and I convened at Portencross Castle on the Firth of Clyde.

Although it was a windless morning, you will notice we still took sails. We were expecting a F4 NW wind to get up later in the afternoon. Our plan was to paddle up the west coast of Bute, take some luncheon, wait for the wind then have a blast back with the sails.

 Phil's kayak was wearing its new Skippy badge.

It wasn't long before we crossed the Hunterston Channel on our way to...

 ...Gull Point on the Little Cumbrae Island.

 The rumble of a heavy diesel from the direction of Arran announced the arrival of...

 ...the MV Seaprincess, a tanker with a  a DeadWeight of some 115,949 tons travelling at 11.6knots. She was heading up the Firth of Clyde Channel to the oil terminal at Finnart on Loch Long, a further 46km up the Firth of Clyde.

We engaged in a debate about whether to nip across the channel in front of her, a debate which lasted all of 2 seconds...

...before we slowed to let her pass. She also slowed at the south end of Bute as the Clydeport pilot vessel, MV Mount Stewart, raced in to drop the pilot off.

Flat Earth Kayak Sails Code Zero 0.8 long term test.

For the last six months I have been extensively testing the, soon to be released in UK, Flat Earth Kayak Sails Code Zero 0.8 m2 sail. I love it! Basically it comes along every time we go out.

Choice of sail size.
The Code Zero sails are available in 0.75, 0.8  and 1.0 m2. In the UK they are available from Karitek. We have used the 0.8  in winds up to the top of Force 5 and I think that 0.8m2 is the perfect size for NW Europe. The 1 m2 size is popular in Australia but there are differences in the wind there. We tend to get gusty low pressure winds while nearer the tropics, steady trade winds predominate. Also the density of the air is greater in cold dry conditions. When the above photo was taken the air temp was 5C and the humidity was 10% and the air density was 1.265kg/m3. 12 hours later, my brother in Melbourne experienced 38C and a humidity of 85% and the air density was 1.107, some 13% less. Since the force on a sail is directly proportional to the denisty of air and the square of the wind speed, for a given wind speed the force on the sail will be greater in cold dry air. In lochs and lakes the wind speed will be less than the open sea but as it will be gustier, I still think the 0.8 m2 is the most suitable size for NW Europe kayak sailing mostly in winds of Force 2 to 5.

The Code Zero has been tested  alongside FEKS classic line sails, both the Standard 0.8sqm with 18 degrees of twist in the head and...

...the later standard 0.8sqm with 12 degrees of twist. Comparative testing has been carried out on pairs of P&H Quest and P&H Cetus kayaks. 

I have also used it extensively on a Nordkapp LV and also the P&H Delphin, which has proved to be a particularly potent kayak sailer.

Design and construction.

The Code Zero 0.8 is made of a dacron, spectra scrim, mylar laminate that is resistant to stretching and has low water adsorption . It is only available in white. The cut is fuller than previous sails, with a further reduction in twist in the head. The outline shape of the Code Zero 0.8 has also hanged from the Standard 0.8 design. Basically the inverted triangle formed by the mast and the main batten remains the same but the boom is now angled more steeply up. The leech between the boom and the main batten has been extended to form a roach. This extra area is supported by two mini battens, which are sewn into the leech. Overall this has reduced the area low down on the sail and increased the area higher up. The longer chord provided by the roach has increased the power of this sail for the same sized mast and boom. It has also moved it higher up into cleaner air where the sail can be more efficient.

Choice of mast length.
Several people in Scotland and Australia have shortened the mast and brought the tack of the sail down to nearly deck level (a cut out in the luff is then necessary to attach the stays to the mast). The idea of this is to reduce the tipping force of the sail in stronger wind. In practice, this doesn't work efficiently as the sail is working in slower, disturbed wind near the waves. My friend John altered his Standard 0.8 rig in this way and last summer, we spent an interesting afternoon comparing his modified rig with my unmodified Standard 0.8 rig on a pair of Nordkapp LV's in lively force 4 to 5 conditions on the Solway.

Swapping between kayaks, we could not detect any difference in stability between the two rigs. Secondly, the higher rig performed significantly better on all points of sailing but especially when close reaching. John has now changed his rig back to the higher standard arrangement. (Another drawback of mounting the sail lower and attaching the stays through a cut out in the sail is that you cannot let the sheet right out and let the boom swing in front of the mast if you are overpowered on a run.)

Performance.
Launching the new Code Zero sail you are immediately aware of the increase in power. In a F4 wind the Code Zero goes up with a Whumph rather than the more gentle Whuffffff of the standard sail. If you are launching downwind in lively conditions it is definitely worthwhile paddling hard to reduce the apparent wind before launching. I also find it easier to launch on a broad reach rather than dead down wind in stronger winds.

The Code Zero 0.8 takes a nice three dimensional aerofoil shape even in light winds. It definitly gets going quicker than the Standard sail in very light winds. However, rather surprisingly it does not point so high into the wind as the Standard sail in F2-3 winds. However, as the wind increases to F3-5, the Code Zero points significantly higher and travels faster than the standard sail when going up wind. Note the progressive twist in the sail from the clew to the head. The sail will point to about 68 degrees off the wind direction.

Here you can see the greater degree of twist in an early Standard sail. This does give a nice soft forgiving feeling and Phil's first experience of any sailing was with this sail in a F4 wind! He survived intact and was hooked! In a way I hope the standard sails will still be available for those that like colours and a softer more forgiving feel.

Expedition use.
I have also used the Code Zero on a fully loaded Cetus MV on a three day winter bothy expedition and a five day spring camping expedition. The loaded kayak obviously does not accelerate under sail power to the same extent as when day paddling. However, the help given by the sail at the end of a 44km day, when its getting dark and cold, has to be experienced to be fully appreciated!

Day use.

Last Sunday we paddled 14.5 km out to Ailsa Craig, an isolated island in the mouth of the Firth of Clyde. We paddled straight into a F3-4 wind and while we were on the island the wind increased to F4-5. I was using the Code Zero on a Cetus MV. We took off like scalded cats and the Code Zero behaved impecably even in the gusty conditions in the lee of Ailsa Craig. What followed was some of the finest sea kayaking fun we have ever had. Some 14km of exposure, the wind and the swell all added to the fun. The sails regularly allowed us to surf faster than the waves. Slicing up the back of a wave then surfing its front is incredible fun. We were regularly hitting 13km/hr and my maximum run was 18km/hr. At these speeds group control becomes more critical than our usual spread, so we paddled 3 abreast in tight formation and had our VHFs ready on channel 6 in case one needed to call for assistance from the others.

Finally, if you remain to be convinced, this short video shows the Code Zero 0.8 kayak sail in F4-5 winds along the cliffs of the south Ayrshire coast.

Wear and Tear.
The white material does show the dirt so it is worth keeping it clean. I have removed stains with a dilute solution of cold water and a few soap flakes. My sail has no signs of wear or delamination of the mylar backed material. The shape of the sail has not distorted with fairly extensive use. This has resolved my one quibble with the Standard sail. After extended use, the leech material can stretch a little and flutter.

Conclusion.
After testing the standard sail, I said I was blown away by it. After testing the Code Zero, it would take a hurricane to get it out of my hands. It has become such an integral part of my paddling, I cannot now imagine sea kayaking without it.

See also.
Flat Earth Kayak Sails Code Zero 0.8, first review
Flat Earth Kayak Sails preview
Flat Earth Kayak Sails fitting instructions
Is it worth tacking upwind with a Flat Earth kayak Sail?
Sea kayak sailing for non sailors
Flat Earth Kayak Sailing Code Zero 0.8 production version test and review.

Conflict of interest statement.
I was the first person to import a FEKS into the UK. I have bought two Flat Earth Kayak Sails as a normal customer but I have also been given two sails free of charge by Mick MacRobb (the designer) for testing purposes (I had to pay UK import duty on the first). I have since given the first test sail (FoC) to a friend but I still have the use of the test Code Zero sail and lend it to others, such as Mike in the first photo above.