Sitting it out in Port nam Furm while waiting for the tide in the Corryvreckan

As we made our way up the coast of NE Jura a southerly breeze began to pick up and...

 ...it was strong enough to take an occasional rest to admire the local inhabitants.

Goats and particularly deer greatly outnumber the human inhabitants. Indeed Jura is one of the least densely populated areas in Scotland.

 We made great speed up to the prominent house at...

 ...Barnhill. This remote spot was chosen by George Orwell (real name Eric Blair) to recover his health after the war. He rented Barnhill from the Fletcher family (who still own and rent it) from 1946 until he died in 1950. He wrote the novel "1984" here between 1946 and 1948.

Beyond Barnhill, the current in the Sound of Jura really picked up and it accelerated us up to 14.5km/hr and...

 ...on towards the eastern end of the Gulf of Corryvreckan which separates jura from Scarba.

Great boils of water rose from the inky black depths of the Gulf and given the swell we expected to meet at the western end, it would have been foolish to continue through the Gulf until the flood tide had eased.

 I knew of an eddy within the eastern end of the Gulf which is backed by...

 ...a tiny bay called Port nam Furm (Port of the Chair). I had told the others that this was Gaelic for Last Chance Saloon! I had camped here with Tony in 2007 and stopped here with Jennifer, Phil and Tony in 2010.

When Tony and I camped we had time to climb to the N end of Jura to watch the flood which was at neaps, on this occasion it was almost springs.

It was rather frustrating sitting in the shelter not being able to see round the corner to the dreaded west end of the Corry. We wanted to arrive there at slack water which was at 16:10 (see here for how to calculate slack in the Corryvreckan) so we decided to wait.

 Fortunately this otter provided...

 ...plenty of entertainment while...

...we sat it out in Port nam Furm.

Landfall on Jura

 Ian, Mike and myself met at Carsaig Bay on the west coast of Argyll on the morning of Tuesday 19th April 2016. Our original intention had been to set off on the preceding weekend but we are not masochists and it was so windy that many of the ferries were not operating on the Monday.

You can follow Ian's account starting here for the full sea kayaking stereovision experience.

 We set off as the tide was flooding northwards.

The Paps of Jura (27km away to the SW) rose above the headland guarding the south side of Carsaig Bay.

As we emerged from Carsaig Bay we caught sight of the low north end of Jura stretching away to the bulk of its northern neighbour the isle of Scarba. Our destination was the Gulf of Corryvreckan which lies between the two.

A very light breeze got up which...

...filled our sails as we paddle sailed straight across the Sound. In the hour of the crossing the tide carried us 5km up the coast of Jura where we...

...made landfall at Port Ban Mhic-a-Phi.  After our keels kissed the pale cobbles of the beach we stepped onto the ground of the hallowed isle of Jura, spiritual and actual home of the Jura Superstition which we carried in case of emergencies.

Replacing the downhaul elastic on a P&H kayak rope skeg.

 If you have had your kayak for a while, the chances are that the skeg is not deploying fully. The elastic is retained by a stopper ball which slots behind some raised bars at the rear of the skeg box. Initially it is worth shortening the elastic by tying another knot in it. I have already done this twice so time for a new elastic.

Put the skeg into the down position and give the blade a good tug straight out of the skeg box to release the red axle hexagons from the slot at the front of the box. You do not need to untie the blue dyneema uphaul cord. Pull the old elastic out and...

 ...replace with new elastic. Clean out all sands, bits of shell, stick etc. before reassembling. I have added an extra small cable tie but watch your ties do not stick in the box. The blue uphaul rope should run between the two ends of the elastic which run back to the stopper. I have used 4mm elastic. This Delphin was originally fitted with the mark 1 adjustment slider which could be very stiff to operate. P&H fitted 2mm elastic to these boats to reduce resistance. I retrofitted a mark 2 slider to this Delphin and this is smoother and lighter to operate. I have found 4mm elastic to work well with the mark 2 slider and it also means the skeg stays down when paddle sailing at high speed. Push the axle nuts back into the slot. Check the skeg operates freely. If it sticks, unscrew the two halves of the red axle bit by bit until it swivels freely.

Finally tie a knot so that the elastic still has a reasonable amount of tension when in...

...the fully down position and push the elastic stopper ball right into the skeg box. If the skeg comes too far down or not down far enough you can untie the blue uphaul cord and shorten it or lengthen it. It is tricky untying the blue dyneena cord and then retying in the restricted space but it is not often necessary to have to do this.

Finally hose down the skeg box and slider and when dry apply a little silicone spray to the slider.

Kayak Carrier Systems Easy Haul kayak trolley portage strap long term test and review.

I am a great believer in using a kayak trolley, not just for short getting to and from the water but for longer portages of isthmuses that enable round trips that would not otherwise be possible due to time or geographical constraints. This photo was a portage over the 1.2km Tarbert on Jura but our shoulders arms and hands were really sore at the end of it. Just look how Tony is twisted round, trying to share the load between both arms.

Trolleys are also great on ferries but don't underestimate the distance you need to trolley the kayaks round the terminal, the length of the car deck and then the off ramp to wherever you can launch from.

I have been testing a new custom made trolley portage strap from KCS called the Easy Haul since October 2015. It has been used on the Solway, the Clyde and the NW coast of Scotland. It has been used on tarmac, rough tracks, ferry decks, sand and shingle. The test has now covered over 13km and 220m of ascent and descent.

The Easy Haul consists of a broad shoulder strap, shoulder pad an adjustable short towing strap and a carabiner.

On the Scottish west coast one of the most notorious portages is that at the Tarbert between salt Loch Nevis to freshwater Loch Morar. The track is 1.2km long rises to about 100m from Nevis and falls about 90 to Morar.

Despite being in the middle of an asthma attack which required multiple stops for puffs of my inhaler...

...I made it to the top first and Maurice and Mike were nowhere in sight. I even went back and towed Maurice's kayak 1/3 of the way up the hill. The Easy Haul is a stunning success and with both arms free you could even use two walking poles for extra drive. One thing to watch for, if you are attached to a loaded kayak, do not go too near the edge of any drops!!

Alternatively...

You could make your own from an existing kayak portage strap (for carrying the kayak on the beach), a piece of rope and a carabiner (perhaps use your kayak short tow line) BUT kayak portage straps get soaking wet if you use them to get the boat to and from the water . I would not like to put a soaking wet strap over my paddling under suit or land clothes. (Portaging is such hot work, you will not be using your waterproofs!)