The Pharos and the Pole Star

The first ships we came to as we entered Oban harbour...


... had some seriously heavy lifting gear on board.


These fine vessels were the Northern Lighthouse Board ships NLV Pharos and NLV Pole Star. They are designed for maintaining lighthouses and navigation buoys and can accurately hold position while laying moorings for buoys.


We often see Pharos and Pole Star on our trips...


...but apart from this time in Oban harbour, I doubt they have ever seen us!

GearPods review

Here is an interesting gadget. In its nylon sleeve it can be strapped on to a BA kept on deck...


...or it just the right size to push up into the wasted space beside a skeg box. Its called GearPods, basically a modular series of different length tubes with single and double ended screw caps so that a series may be screwed together. The little Pod on the end is ideal for electronic car keys though I prefer to carry these in a waterproof bag on my person.


Here it is in comparison with some other things I use to carry odds and ends. The Nalgene bottle has a pretty narrow mouth in comparison.


It comes either as the bare Pod or including a variety of contents such as a first aid kit (some rubber gloves might be a useful addition) but it even includes a little pair of tweezers.


This is the outdoor survival kit. It even includes a little anodised aluminium stove that either burns solid fuel "metamine" tablets or has a little burner for meths. the aluminium windshield makes it effective in a breeze.


Other contents include waterproof matches, LED torch, whistle, signalling mirror, fishing hooks, water purification tablets and a little stand up poly bag for the purification, (though you could also use the pod or the stove cup) etc. etc!


Talking of waterproof, is it? Well my jet wash turned up full, could not manage to get even a drop inside! I think it passed the test!

It's an ideal present for Father's Day then! Either the bare Pods or with the included kits. A very well designed product. More info over at the GearPods web site.

Conflict of interest statement: I did not purchase the GearPods. Sammy from Adventure Gear Systems kindly sent me a commercial sample for review.

Arrival in Oban

A rumble of engines coming down the Sound roused us from our reverie in the Tolkienesque landscape of Lorn. It was the MV Isle of Mull, en route from Oban to Scalasaig on Colonsay.


We were soon back on the water and Jim B got some edging practice in...


...below the grounds of Gallanach House.


It was not long before we were approaching the north end of the island of Kerrera.


We then turned a corner and there we were, right in the midst of the hubbub of Oban harbour, round which the town nestles below McCaig's Folly, which is perched on the hill above.

Luncheon below a volcano.

We turned north east from the mouth of Loch Feochan and entered the Sound of Kerrera which would take us to Oban harbour.


The steep rocks that rise from the shore of the sound show much evidence of volcanic activity.


Indeed we could see that Dun Ormidale is a former volcanic vent. There is an Iron Age fort on its summit, which takes advantage of its natural defensive structure.


We decided to stop for luncheon on the beach at Port Lathaich below the fort.


A variety of post-prandial malts were sampled on the shore.

A cottage and a castle at Loch Feochan

We took a diversion into a little bay near the north shore of the mouth of Loch Feochan.


At its head stood a delightful cottage with a wisp of smoke rising from its chimney. Access is only by a footpath rising over the hills. There was no sign of a boat. This cottage was used in the 1969 film "Ring of Bright Water" to represent Gavin Maxwell's house Camusfearna (bay of the alders). Other filming took place nearby at the islands of Easdale and Seil. Camusfearna was actually located near the Sandaig Islands much further to the north.


Our first stop was to investigate the ancient fort An dunan, which is the grassy mound at the left of this photo. We landed and launched at the delightful cove of Port an t-Sruthain. I don't know who had most difficulty getting back into their kayak, myself with my bad knee or Jim W with his tiny ocean cockpit.


As the sun began to rise, we made our way into the Firth of Lorn.


We were all looking forward to another fantastic day on the water. None more so than our good friend Jim B.

Stopped in his tracks in Loch Feochan

Despite the ice round the shores of Loch Feochan, we were not the only ones on the water that cold March day.


This mallard duck was being courted by five drakes!


Jim W and Phil turned their bows to wards the narrow entrance channel to Loch Feochan.


It was low tide and the bar at narrow entrance channel was just deep enough to kayak across.


As he turned the corner, I heard Phil gasp...


...he only managed another few strokes...


...before he was stopped in his tracks, by the beauty of the view across the Firth of Lorn to the mountains of Mull.

An icy start at Loch Feochan.

Back at the beginning of March, we took the long road north for another adventure. We left one car at Taynuilt on the southern shore of Loch Etive.


We then drove 32 km SW to the southern shore of Loch Feochan. The top 3km of the loch was frozen so we had to launch on the sea sea side of the inner narrows. Our plan was to paddle out into the Firth of Lorn then NE by Oban before entering Loch Etive and back to the shuttle car. You do need to get the tides right for this one, as at certain states of the tide, the ebb flows out of Loch Etive over a rock lip known as the Falls of Lora.


From the layby we could see clearer weather to the north and the snow on the distictive peak of Ben Cruachan (1126m) was glinting in the sun. It rises above Taynuilt on the southern shore of Loch Etive.


Back at Lock Feochan, even the seaweed was hiding under a crust of ice.


Phill, Jim B and Jim W joined me in preparing the kayaks.


True gentlemen, they carried my kayak and launched me first as I hobbled down the shore on crutches, trying to avoid ice patches. It's great to have good friends! It is so sad, but this was to be the start of our last adventure with Jim B.