Kayak Caledonia progress #9

Day 15, 5th June 36km

17:30 Tony: " We are in Brora. We had big squalls coming over today and were up at 0530 to beat the wind. We got on the water at 0730 when it was still only 4 degrees. The coastline here is really lovely with stacks and cliffs covered with birdlife. The NE wind picked up to about a six as we were passing Helmsdale so we didn't land. The Quest is handling the following seas really well. We had a surf landing on Brora Beach. We carried our gear over the golf course to the campsite and had a hot shower, glorious! We will walk into Brora for something to eat later. It's to be windy overnight and tomorrow am, so we will probably have a late start and head to Embo before cutting across the Dornoch Firth to Tarbert Ness. Not quite sure where we will stop. It's probably a bit far to the Black Isle."

Kayak Caledonia progress report #8

Day 14, 4th June 47km

21:28 Tony:
"We are in Dunbeath. I thought the east coast would be downhill all the way but we hit some of the roughest water yet between Noss Head and Sarclet Head. The tide was against us and with the NE wind it was wind against tide all the way. Unfortunately we could not get in really close to all the caves geos and stacks. Once round Sarclet we were in the lee of the cliffs so it was a good bit easier and proved to be a most interesting stretch with great rock architecture. We climbed up the hill behind Dunbeath beach and staggered to the hotel, but it was shut. That was the low point of the trip. We walked up the A9 and fortunately found a pub.

At our last stop, yesterday evening, the pub proved to be a Grade 5 experience. It was really noisy but fell silent when we walked in and all eyes were on us. After 14 days we smell pretty bad but we sure sweetened the air in that place, it was the baddest smelling pub in all Scotland. After a while the noise started again as they all started talking about us. They spoke a different language, composed entirely of four letter, one syllable words. After a quick drink, we left the public bar to the locals and went into the lounge bar for something to eat. If anything it smelled even worse. I have no idea what it was we ate. We were glad to escape to the tents.

Given the force 7 forecast for tomorrow pm, we will get going about 5am and hopefully get down to Golspie before the wind hits us. The heavy rain will hopefully cleanse le eau de Keiss out our pores."

The three pillars of Knockbrex

On Sunday I set off at 06:30am and paddled round the Islands of Fleet before heading towards the Carrick Coast of Galloway near Knockbrex. I came across three mysterious pillars. On further investigation I discovered they led to a hidden channel in the rocks.


Round a bend at the head of this channel lay a secret harbour. It was probably built for a yacht owned by the residents of nearby Knockbrex house.


A splendid morning paddle of 12km.

31/05/2009 am

Kayak Caledonia progress report #7

Day 13, 3rd June 27km

14:15 Tony phoned for a weather update for Duncansby Head area.

"We are in John O' Groats. Its only about a f3 from the north but we wondered if there was any chance of the F5 round Orkney and Shetland coming this far south."

Hello Tony, North of Duncansby Head it is showing no more than f4 N, the Head is right on the F4/f3 borderline. To the south of Wick it is showing f3 N for late afternoon evening.

"I think we will go for it, in the last hour of the tide before the overfalls kick up."

20:28 Tony: "At Sinclairs Bay. Duncansby Head was benign but stunning, the birdlife was amazing. Heading south now, thanks for forecast."

Plumage and blossom on the Solway

This time of year is a great time to visit coastal islands.


I didn't land on Murray's Isles and the reefs because cormorants, herring gulls, common gulls, oyster catchers and sandwich terns were breeding.


I landed on Barlocco Isle at the mouth of Fleet Bay and enjoyed a very bracing swim in crystal clear water.


I dried myself on sun warmed rocks beside...


... bunches of thrift, sea campion and bird's foot trefoil. The offshore breeze carried a heady scent of sweet hawthorn blossom and the coconut of gorse blossom.


Only 13km but a wonderful evening paddle.

30/05/2009

Kayak Caledonia progress report #6

Day 12, 2nd June 52km
Tony 12:00

"Hi Douglas we are a few miles west of Thurso. It's really calm after the wind yesterday so we are thinking of pushing on round Dunnet Head (a 50km day) before the weather breaks. A fisherman has said he thinks its going to kick up again this afternoon. Could you get an update on the weather? Thanks Tony."

XC weather and BBC both show f3 northerly for 1300 - 1900 Good luck :o)

Tony 22:05

"Well Dunnet Head was pretty mental. The wind did pick up to about force 4 northerly but fortunately not as much as the fisherman thought. Once we got round the head we hit a huge eddy on the other side which was hard work. We pressed on and got through the Merry Men of May as well. The tidal race here was really fast with very disturbed eddy lines which were challenging to cross. We are camped in Scotland Haven bay, just to the SE of the race. We are now just walking up to overlook the tide race and get some photos."

Tomorrow there is a solid force 4 northerly followed by force 4 dropping to 2 on Thursday. Tony and Gavin will see what it's like and maybe take a rest day.

Feeling sorry for myself.

While Tony and Gavin are having great adventures sea kayaking round NW Scotland, I am stuck at home. Last night I had gone for a little 20km solo paddle down on the Solway at sunset.

Just as I took this photo, my phone rang. It was Tony calling from Naeve Island. He told me all about their adventures on the high seas round Cape Wrath and below Whitten Head. Despite being master of the understatement, he managed to cram "fantastic, superb and stunning" into one short sentence.

With Tony's words still in my ears, I drifted away with my thoughts on the ebb tide. Slowly the daylight slipped away and the sky turned to inky darkness. I felt really sorry for myself, just for a moment...

31/05/2009

Kayak Caledonia progress report #5

Day 10, 31st May 39km

Tony, 20:20 "Great to be going east now. The surf is dying down. Had an amazing day, just on the edge of the sun all day. We paddled into Smoo Cave. The cliffs and birdlife on Whitten Head were fantastic, superb I did not know what to expect, it's absolutely stunning. We are now safely on Naeve Island, which is beautiful. We have not had any camp fires as we are too tired at the end of the day. The golden steadying liquid is going down well, if rather fast. We are getting along the coast well and all is fine"

Day 11, 1st June 29km

Tony 19:55 "We left our camp on Naeve island to find a force 4 easterly against us all the way. We had the tide with us so the wind against tide at Strathy Point was mental. We had hoped to go further but stopped at Melvich in quite a tired state. The local laird in The Bighouse took pity on us when he found us lying there and let us camp on his front lawn just behind the dunes! Just off to find some licenced premises to replenish essential fluids."

Kayak Caledonia progress report #4, round the Cape!

Day 8, 29th May 49km

Tony: "Awesome day, sun, swell, dolphins, whales! Round Point Stoer passed Handa to Oldshore More."

Day 9, 30th May 37km

Tony 21:30: "Round the Cape (Wrath). It was huge. There was no possibility of landing at Sandwood Bay. The swell was 4-5m and the impact zone was like a cauldron. We decided to give the Cape a wide berth of about a mile. Once we turned eastwards the following swells were buttock clenching which was really just as well as we had not been able to stop for a break. A wild ride but now safe in Balnakeil Bay. "

The lonely sea and the Skye

On Saturday which was the first day of the 9th Scottish Sea Kayaking Symposium on Skye, Jim Weir and I took of group of really nice folk out onto Loch Eishort on the north west of Skye's Sleat peninsula. At first the wind was a gusty force 4 southerly but the arrival of torrential rain soon killed the wind. The outline of Bla Bheinn, an outlier of the Cuillin ridge, can just be seen behind Nigel.


We launched at Ord and made our way east up the loch...


...past the delightful coral sands of Eilean Gaineamhach an Arda.


We were lucky enough to spot a pair of white tailed sea eagles. One of them had at least one faded orange or red wing tag.


The hills were running with torrents of water...


which poured over the beaches and into the loch.


I don't think anywhere does rain as well as Skye!

23/05/2009

Kayak Caledonia progress report #3

Day 7, 28th May 22km

Tony 12:33 "Left Isle Ristol this morning, rough round Rhubha Coigach, now at Stoer will round Point of Stoer at slack 3pm. Oldany Island is destination tonite. Aiming to round Cape Wrath on Saturday. Force4 and rain today."

Tony 13:50 " Tried to get out of Stoer Bay but wind has picked up to top of 5 and very lumpy turned back. If u get chance txt eve 4cast to see if there is chance later. Othrwse will sit tight."

Tony 20:05 " Glad we turned back, wind n waves just kept getting up. Camping on the site at Clachtoll. Just hitched into Lochinver to top up supplies, phones and fluid levels. Now walking back to Clachtoll. Will try to get round Point of Stoer and up to Kinlochbervie tomorrow pm."

Kayak Caledonia progress report #2

Day 5, 26th May: 33km
Tony 16:31 "Made it round Rubha Reid, camped on isle of Ewe. Wild scary ride f5-6, 3m swells-but fun. Well knackered!"

Day 6, 27th May: 32km
Tony 18:32 "Arrived art Isle Ristol.Windy day big swell on Greenstone Point. Tomorrow aiming for Rhuba Coigach then Achmelvich."

9th Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium.

Organised by Gordon and Morag Brown, Duncan Winning and Ken Nichol and a myriad of supporters, the 9th Scottish Symposium was a great success. The range of activities was incredible and went ahead despite some pretty windy and wet weather. The event was also well supported by the trade, with a variety of stands and a huge demo fleet. Geoff and Anne from Kari-tek had even brought along a mobile shop!

The opportunity to test boats back to back is a great reason to visit a symposium. I spent an afternoon with my Nordkapp LV against the Sea Kayaking UK Pilgrim (Romany LV), Rockpool GT, P&H Cetus and Cetus LV. I edged them to the point of no return and did about 50 rolls. The wind was a gusty 5 to 6 offshore with flat water. I am 5'8" and 200lbs.

Sea Kayaking UK Pilgrim (Romany LV)
This is a small version of the classic Romany. It is designed for paddlers up to about 150lbs so I had to squeeze inh and I am really too big for it but I liked it straight away, it was so manoeuvrable. It had a nice low rear deck and the only sea kayak I have tried that was as easy to roll is the Anas Acuta. With my weight it did seem to have a limited top speed but it accelerated up to that very quickly. The finish on this boat was superb but I have to say that a demo Greenlander, one of my friends borrowed earlier this year, was not well finished round the cockpit and one of the compartments leaked. Despite much rolling, this one was dry as a bone. Smaller paddlers should definitely try a Pilgrim!

Rockpool GT
The finish on this boat was stunning, the work of a master craftsman. It is a bigger hull than the Alaw/Alaw Bach but not so large as the Menai 18. The usual Rockpool cockpit ergonomics were superb. As you might expect, it felt faster than the Alaws but slower than the Menai 18. It edged superbly but it didn't feel quite as responsive to turning as my daughter's Alaw Bach. However, as a boat to do it all, including having decent space for camping trips, it is pretty much unbeatable and a welcome addition to the Rockpool fleet.

P&H Cetus
Amazingly, I had not yet tried one! I like my trusty Quest too much! This is a big boat and the wide point is behind the paddler. However, it has a low foredeck and I was surprised how snug it was on the thighs, despite its size. The cockpit feels much smaller than the Quest LV but for most people that would just mean less padding. The stability on flat water was amazing, I think it will make a great platform for photography. You can hold it right on edge with none of the feeling of instability you get from a Quest at that angle. The Menai 18, which is also a big boat is equally stable on edge, so I was not too surprised about this. However, what did surprise me was how much the Cetus turned when on edge. Even in windy conditions I was nearly doing 360's with a sweep and single bow rudder. It is more manoeuvrable than the Quest and considerably more so than the Menai 18. Although the Cetus is very stable on edge, once you push it to the point of no return it goes very quickly. It rolls pretty well for a big boat but in comparison with the SKUK Pilgrim, it was a bit sluggish. In an afternoon of 50 or so rolls it was the only boat that I failed a roll in. Mind you I was getting tired and cold by that time!

I would need more time in controlled conditions to be sure, but I think its maximum sprint speed is faster than the Quest but slower than the Menai 18. In the strong wind it tracked very well and responsively to adjusting the skeg at various paddling angles to the wind. I am not sure if I like the new locking ratchet skeg adjuster. In the gusts I do not think it was as directionally stable as the Menai 18. The only waves were the ferry's wash but the v bottom of the Cetus did not seem to slam as much as the flat bottom of the Menai 18. The construction and finish on the Cetus was impeccable.

I was not expecting to like the Cetus as much as I did but it was so manoeuvrable that I wonder if it might make both a camping boat and a day boat. P&H have very kindly offered me a loan of one for a long term test and I look forward very much to that.

P&H Cetus LV
Everything I have said about the Cetus applies to the Cetus LV except that the LV is much smaller. I could hardly squeeze in. Despite its smaller size, I didn’t find the Cetus LV any more manoeuvrable than the Cetus. I think the Cetus LV is really for smaller paddlers who want a decent fit, rather than for big paddlers wanting more manoeuvrability. I noticed a very small paddler having a great time in this boat and he did not seem undully affected by the strong wind.

Kayak Caledonia progress report #1

Due to being at the 9th Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium in Skye, I have not yet posted the progress of my pals, Tony and Gavin's Kayak Caledonia expedition to raise funds for McMillan Cancer Releif and Childline.

Day 1, 22nd May: 17km.
Embarked from Morar, south of Mallaig at 18:30 in beautiful spring sunshine and light winds and made camp on Knoydart peninsula.

Day 2, 23rd May: 38km
Heavy rain, wind Force 4-5 S veering N. Spring tides. Tony and Gavin made their way up through the narrows separating Skye from the mainland. They passed the Sandaig islands before entering the tide races of Kyle Rhea and then Kyle Akin. They had a rough crossing in a head wind to the south of Applecross where they spent the night in a bothy.

Day 3, 24th May:0km
Heavy rain Force 6-7 SW. Stormbound day, second night in bothy.

Day 4, 25th May: 47km
Heavy rain clearing up. Force 3 S dropping during the day. Applecross, across Loch Torridon, round Redpoint and into Gareloch.

Follow the rest of Tony and Gavin's trip on their blog.

End of the day at end of the road, Ardnamurchan

It was a while after rounding Ardnamurchan Point before I felt safe enough to get the camera out again! Jim and I were really impressed with Phil's paddling round the Point, especially considering that he has only been paddling for six months (and most of that time was in a double).


Once we had left the disturbed waters of Ardnamurchan Point, the wind began to drop with the dying sun...


... until there was not a breath left as we paddled between the reefs on the north coast of Ardnamurchan.


Our keels finally kissed the sands of Portuairk again at 21:43 some 10.5 hours after we had launched.


We covered a total of 42km on the water. We packed up leisurely in the darkness and brewed up soup and coffee before leaving for the long drive home at 11pm. We arrived back in Glasgow at 03:30am on the Monday morning.

What a day! This is seakayaking!

10/05/2009

Rounding Ardnamurchan Point at sunset

If we had set off to round Ardnamurchan from Paradise Beach, we would have hit Ardnamurchan Point with a force 4 north wind against the peak flow of a north going spring tide. It would not have been particularly pleasant for Phil. By taking time out for an evening meal in Laorin Bay, the wind had dropped to force three and I reckoned that we would hit Ardnamurchan about 30 minutes after the tide had to to flow south again.

We decided to go for it and avoid that 7km walk from Kilchoan over to where we had left the car on the north of the peninsula! We set off for Ardnamurchan Point, 11km due north across the Sound of Mull.


On the way across the Sound of Mull, we spotted a familiar outline approaching. It was the Pharos, the Northern Lighthouse Board maintenance vessel.


We approached Ardnamurchan as the sun was setting. Muck, Rum, Skye and Eigg lay beyond the point.


Huge swells were coming in towards the point and the sun sank below the "horizon" several times before it finally disappeared. It was an incredible experience to be off the most westerly point of Britain at sunset.


Despite the favourable conditions, it proved to be quite lively round the point, particularly on its north side.

There is now a 20 minute gap in the photographs!

10/05/2009

The lochs and headlands of the north coast of Mull

Our return journey started by rounding Rhuba an Aird on Mull's north coast in perfect sea kayaking conditions.


We the entered Loch a' Chumhainn as we passed Port na Ba.


The Loch extends deep into the heart of Mull through a narrow tidal passage and ends at the planned village of Dervaig. The village has an excellent bunkhouse which would make an ideal refuge if stormbound on this coast. The fishing vessel Eilean Ban, OB998 has a sheltered anchorage near Croig. She is a lobster boat and was built in 2004.


Leaving the shelter of the loch we rounded Quinish Point and crossed Loch Mingarry before entering the delightful shelter of Laorin Bay. We decided to stop for a full cooked evening meal and the consumption of some golden steadying liquid (18 years old!). This was for Phil's benefit as he was not sure if he would make it back round Ardnamurchan Point. This would mean landing at Kilchoan on the south side of Ardnamurchan and a 7km walk back to the car. Not a pleasant prospect for a sea kayaker!


After a very pleasant meal, the spring tide had made its way right over the beach to the grass. This long stop now meant it would be slack water at Ardnamurchan by the time we would get there.

Had the golden steadying liquid had the desired effect....?

10/05/2009

Paradise found, on Mornish, Mull.

From Quinish we paddled SW across the mouth of Loch a' Chumhainn (Loch Cuin) and rounded Rhubha an Aird. The headlands on the north coast of Mull can be quite lively on a spring tide and we were not disappointed. As we explored further, we came across...


...this delightful cove which was hidden among the dark basalt cliffs and reefs of the Mornish coast.


This looked like an excellent spot to partake a second luncheon.


We made our way over white shell sands to the dunes at the back of the beach.


From here, the sea stretched away in shades of aquamarine, turquoise and finally ultramarine to distant Arnamurchan. Beyond the point, the islands of Muck, Rum Eigg and Skye crowded the horizon with soaring ridges. The lighthouse at Arnamurchan looked a long way away.

What a great spot this was to enjoy lunch with like minded friends. We felt we had escaped to Paradise!

10/05/2009

The fossil tree of Quinish, Mull

The rough black basalt rocks of the Quinish peninsula on the north coast of Mull make for a rough landing.


Fortunately we found a south facing cove protected by a reef. However the boulders were not just ankle breaking, they were knee breaking!


Looking south from Dun Ban to Dun Leathan on the shores of Loch Chumain, the red arrow points to the site (NM 40875,56026 ) of the Quinish fossil tree whose great trunk of basalt is lying just below the high water mark. It was discovered in 1984 by Peter MacNab. It is much less known than McCulloch's Fossil tree on Mull's Wilderness coast about which, I have posted previously.


From the top of Dun Ban, a natural defensive position, there was a fantastic view north to the Cuillin of Rum and Skye and Ardnamurchan Point.

10/05/2009