The flooded quarries of Easdale

We left from the village of Ellenabeich on the island of Seil in the Firth of Lorne.


Mist hung lowout in the Sound of Luing to the south so we thoug w had eter check our maps. We also duoble checked our tide times as we were heading for the fearsome Gulf of Corryvreckan.


A short crossing took us to the island of Easdale. As it was high tide we were able to us the swells to carry us over the lip of the flooded quarry to enter the deep calm water within.


Photo by Jennifer Wilcox showing the surge of the swell.


After a little drift about the mist began to lift and we had a tide to catch!

10/05/2008

Went visiting...

I didn't go sea kayaking today. I went visiting instead.

U2 can Bono Rock

U2 can Bono Rock in the Sound of Luing, if you have a sea kayak!


But you had better look for it 750m to the NE of where the chart says it is!

A wee trip to the Garvellachs

The Garvellachs (Rough Islands or Isles of the Sea) are a chain of magnificent small islands which lie at the mouth of the Firth of Lorn, where they are exposed to westerly Atlantic swells.

This is travelling SW down Eileach an Naoimh, Isle of the Saints.


On Sunday we had a fabulous day circumnavigating these islands. This is at the SW corner of Garbh Eileach, travelling NE.


Some of the swells made an impression on us.

I must apologise for the grainy quality of these photos. I was using my Canon 5D but every so often I would need to put it away in a hurry. In my fumbling, I reset the sensor speed to 1600 ASA and did not notice....


Of course we did not go directly to the Garvellachs! Oh no, we went via the tide races of the Sound of Luing, the Gulf of Corryvreckan and the Grey Dogs. What a great part of the world to be a sea kayaker!

11/05/2008

Busy night at Troon

We met last night at 8pm on the Ballast Bank at Troon Harbour on the Firth of Clyde.


Our destination was Lady Isle, a nature reserve to the SW.


Just as we set off the high speed ferry Express left for Larne in Northern Ireland. Her gross weight is 5902 tons and her maximum speed is 41 knots. She passes by Ailsa Craig and on our recent trip there we set off an hour later than we originally intended. This was to make sure she was well past the Craig before we arrived.


Those 4 diesels sure make some smoke as she warms up.


As she left the fishing fleet was returning to Troon. We had seen them scooping huge loads of fish from the waters round Ailsa Craig. I hope they have left enough for the gannets.

There are too many people on this Earth. Maybe we had all better become vegetarians before the food runs out but on the other hand, maybe its already too late.

08/05/2008

Half way across...

Half way across, after 7km, the detail on Ailsa Craig begins to emerge from the morning sea fog.

05/05/2008

Logistics of sea kayaking to Ailsa Craig

It has to be said that the staff of seakayakphoto.com are not the greatest exponents of open crossings. This is not wholly due to our well developed senses of self preservation. Out on the open briny there is not a great deal to photograph, which kind of defeats being a seakayakphoto.comer.

Ailsa Craig is worth the effort to get to. It is one of the World's great sea stacks. Like a sentinel of the sea, its great monolith rises at the entrance to the Firth of Clyde. Unlike many sea stacks, which are hidden away in remote places, Ailsa Craig is visible to anyone who visits the populous Ayrshire coast. Its dramatic outline rises to 338m and, for much of its 3.7km circumference, the first 100 meters rise sheer out of the sea. Despite its arresting appearance, the current island is but a shadow of its former self. Some 61.5 million years ago it was a giant volcano 3.5km high! Then, during the Ice Ages, the huge glaciers that swept south from the Scottish Highlands carved out the softer rocks of the Firth of Clyde basin and carried away the volcano’s ash cone. It left only the hard micro-granite rock of its volcanic plug. Fragments of this were carried by the ice as far south as Wales, where they can be found today, as erratic boulders.

Ailsa Craig lies 14km off the Ayrshire coast and the spring tide rate is only about 0.6kn so it just requires some repetitive paddling movements to get there and then, hopefully, about the same number to get back.

However, the weather round these parts tends to change quite quickly so there is a degree of commitment in making this trip. 24 hours before this photo was taken, there was a force 6 SE wind.

The BBC coastal forecast was for:

2008-05-05 0600 - 1159Pressure - 1025 mB RTemp max/min - 16/7 degrees CWind speed - F1-3 becoming F0-3Wind direction - EMax gust in knots - 17 becoming 18Sea state - Wavelets Visibility - Moderate becoming Good
Sig weather -

2008-05-05 1200 - 1759Pressure - 1027 mB RTemp max/min - 19/7 degrees CWind speed - F1-3 becoming F0-3Wind direction - SMax gust in knots - 18 becoming 18Sea state - Wavelets Visibility - Good

Fortunately the forecast was pretty accurate.....

Thanks to Steve (Ceegee) for help with the right age of Ailsa.

05/05/2008