The Sound of Tomorrow, Islay.

Port Askaig on the Sound of Islay is one of the best places to set off sea kayaking. The Sound is only 0.75km wide so you can really only go north or south. However you don't even need to make that decision as the tide will make it for you (5 knots at springs can be somewhat persuasive).

The scenery on the Sound is stunning with the Paps of Jura being the high point on the horizon.

A number of lighthouses guard the salient points...

...but the strong tides still catch the unwary.

There are two distilleries situated on the Sound.

It is not just kayakers that use Port Askaig...

...it is one of Islay's two ferry terminals and after the introduction of the new ferry MV Finlaggan for the summer 2011 season, it will be the only one until Port Ellen is upgraded.

There is also a small fishing fleet, which use the port as a base for their lobster boats.

The south end of the Sound, towards McArthur's Head lighthouse is equally dramatic and...

 has Scotland's best bothy right by the shore!

The waters of the Sound are pretty sheltered from the storms that sweep across Islay...

...but you never get away from the power of the tide.

Today the Scottish Government approved plans to build an array of 10 tidal generators mounted on the sea bed. These will  generate enough electricity to power several thousand homes and Islay's energy hungry distilleries.

Scottish Power Renewables are going to install 1 megawatt versions of the turbine developed by Hammerfest Strom tidal turbines in Norway.

Two of the turbines will go in just offshore from Port Askaig  with the other 8 going in further south. Apparently the blades will rotate slowly enough not to harm migrating whales and...

...will be deep enough not to interfere with ships or kayaks.

It sounds pretty good. The tides are a lot more reliable than the wind! The only downside is that no fishing will be allowed in the vicinity of the turbines. Just imagine a spot of kayak fishing and catching a turbine with a mackerel line!

Sea kayaking round Burrow Head.

A 32km day paddle from Port William round Burrow Head to Garlieston, Solway Firth,  January 2011.

Approaching Burrow Head near slack water.

Tides

Well off Burrow Head: 

The east going flood starts -0600 HW Liverpool (-0545 HW Dover). 

The west going ebb starts at HW Liverpool (+0015 HW Dover) 

The spring rate is about 3 knots. 

Close in to Burrow Head:

Strong counter eddies become established in the last 2 hours of the flood and the ebb, so close in, the tidal flows turn two hours earlier than the above times: 

The east going flood starts +0430/-0800 HW Liverpool (+0415/-0745 HW Dover). 

The west going ebb starts at -0200 HW Liverpool (-0145 HW Dover) 

Close in the spring rate is about 4-5 knots and there is turbulence at the eddy line. This means that "slack water" close under the rocks occurs when the main race is still stonking off shore. If there is any wind against tide, the main race will look quite scary and the eddy line will create very confused water. As you are approaching the head, to take advantage of the inshore slack, you will see great lumps of water from the main race heaving on the horizon and you can have a bit of a dry mouth before you round the corner and actually see what it is like.

We were so far south that  there was almost a whiff of civilisation in the air.

A peculiarly cold form of burnishment, in Port William.

Less fond of basking sharks than otters.

Touching the past on the way to Burrow Head.

The Devil's bridge of Burrow Head.

Navigational aids: #7 The luncheon beacon.

Home to roost in Garlieston.

All that the sea has taken.

Hokusai, 'Under the Wave, off Kanagawa'

I have felt disinclined to write anything about recreation on the sea for the last few days. The sea gives but it also takes away and we are all linked by the sea. The television images of the complete devastation of whole communities and individual's  lives by the tsunami in Japan have been numbing.  I wish the people of Japan the strength and fortitude to rebuild their lives and send condolences for all they have lost.

Image  © Trustees of the British Museum

Home to roost in Garlieston.

We had enjoyed our sojourn in the Isle Whithorn so much that, by the time we left, the whitewashed houses had a pink glow from a sun that was already sinking in the west.

On leaving the harbour we turned our backs to the sun and turned east...

...into the broad expanse of Wigtown Bay.

We made for Cruggleton Point...

...which is topped by the remains of Cruggleton Castle.

By now the sun was setting and a cold sundowner got up from the east.

Rigg Bay, with its large tidal range, has some similarities to the Normandy coast and was the site chosen to develop the Mulberry harbour modules used in the D Day landings in WW2. Several modules are sunk in the bay.

We landed at Garlieston as the last pink glow of the day left the sky. We witnessed a magnificent display  by a huge flock of starlings coming into roost. Now we had to find our way back to Port William in the dark!

Navigational aids: #7 The luncheon beacon.

Leaving Burrow Head, we paddled past the rather grandly named...

...Isles of Burrow.

Eventually (and remember we were still quite without luncheon) we noticed a white beacon above the line of apparently unbroken rock. Jim was new to the south west but immediately understood its meaning. This was a luncheon beacon!

Through a gap in the rocks, we slipped into Isle of Whithorn harbour.

We landed beside the outer harbour wall and prepared our well deserved victuals. It is not often we paddle non stop for 20km before first luncheon.

The Devil's bridge of Burrow Head.

Due to lost time on the shuttle, we had started a little later than planned. We still needed to meet the tidal window at Burrow Head and so we skipped first luncheon,  carrying on towards the Head.

Close to the head, a strong counter eddy forms in the last 2 hours of both the flood and the ebb, particularly so at springs. This means that "slack water" close under the rocks occurs when the main race is still stonking off shore. If there is any wind against tide the main race will look quite scary and the eddy line will create very confused water. As you are approaching the head to take advantage of the inshore slack, you will see great lumps of water from the main race heaving on the horizon and you can have a bit of a dry mouth before you round the corner and actually see what it is like.

Our missed luncheon allowed a calm passage at just about slack water. The tide was only moving at 1 knot.

The rock architecture at Burrow Head really is quite superb.

After our non stop dash to the Head, it was a great joy to drift in the tide...

...beneath upended layers of Silurian Greywacke.

All too soon we had rounded the Head and slipped under...

...the Devil's Bridge.

Touching the past on the way to Burrow Head.

At Bloody Neuk, about 4km short of Burrow Head, we came across the wreck of the SV Chile, which came to grief here in WW1.

Although she was a sailing vessel, she had steam powered winches...

to work her rigging.

There is nothing quite like touching the wreck of a once great ship...

...as mental preparation for rounding a distant headland, with a notorious tide race.