Blowing away the cobwebs with a chill wind from Valhalla and mulled wine.

Sunday dawned clear but with a 13 knot NW wind it was bitterly cold. We had intended launching at Seafield Ayr but the tide goes out a long way there and I have not been on the water  for 6 weeks because of continuing problems with my knees. So Tony and I continued south to Maidens for an easier launch. Unfortunately we missed Phil who was loading his kayak in the back garden and didn't hear our phone call. Arran's snow capped mountains were looking fantastic but that wind was coming straight from Valhalla.
              

From Maidens we turned south to round Turnberry Point. A north going spring tide against the wind meant some deliciously rough water off the lighthouse so there were no photos until we rounded the headland and were in the shelter of the reefs.

Turnberry beach, to the south of the lighthouse, proved an excellent sheltered spot for first luncheon washed down with warm mulled wine!

Kokatat GORE-TEX Expedition Dry Suit: long term test and review.

This is probably my most used bit of kayaking kit. My Kokatat GORE-TEX® Expedition Dry Suit is now entering its third winter, I bought it in October 2008. I own two other dry suits, a non breathable Dam X 3000 Series Kayaking Dry Suit,  which is very robust (ideal for WW kayaking, you can climb over barbed wire fences  and wade through thorn bushes on the way to the river in it) but for sea kayaking, it is too hot and inflexible to paddle any distance.  I also have a Palm Stikine, which is partially permeable to water vapour (breathable) but despite the best efforts of Palm's excellent warranty team, it is also partially permeable to water liquid (leaky).

Features.
The Kokatat has a front entry zip metal toothed zip which I initially found a bit awkward to start. Fully open, the zipper is high above your right shoulder. I keep the zip well lubed with zip lubricant and now have the knack to do it myself. The relief zip is worth every penny spent on it. There are handy zipped pockets on either shoulder with a security loop inside each. The only fault this suit has developed is that the stitching on one of these loops has become undone. These pockets will hold a small aquapac and I keep my car remote key in one and a small mobile phone in the other. There is another small pocket high on the left chest. There is a spray skirt tunnel that I never bother to use when sea kayaking. The latex gaskets show no sign of deterioration but I rinse the suit, inside and outside, with fresh water after every use making sure I give the latex a good wipe. Every few uses I wipe the latex with 303 Aerospace protectant, as recommended by Kokatat. The gaskets are protected from UV by being covered by cuffs at the wrists and neck. There is a GORE-TEX PacLite hood which is very well articulated so you can turn round without loosing vision. I don't use it often as I usually use a Lowe-Alpine Mountain cap in cold weather but it is really good in heavy rain or hail! The socks are also GORE-TEX and I get changed on a foam mat to avoid puncturing them on sharp grit underfoot. I use Lomo Aquaboots with this dry suit. The suit is reinforced on the seat, knees etc. and shows no sign of abrasion wear. A real feature of this suit is that it is not made in China in a factory powered by coal, it is made in the USA in an environmentally sound factory.

On the water.
The GORE-TEX material of the Kokatat suit is the most breathable I have worn on the water. This means that I can use it in warmer conditions than friends who have non GORE-TEX suits. In fact, I even use it in the Scottish early summer, when the water temperature is still cold. (I also use it in the Scottish late summer when the water has started to cool down again.) In June 2011 we went for an evening paddle along the SW coast of Dun in the St Kilda archipelago. I wore the Kokatat, a friend wore a two piece and swam after a swell broke over a reef. The resulting hypothermia drew that trip to an end. Interestingly, the paddler did have a dry suit on that trip, a Dam X, but did not wear it because it was too hot!

Paddling in winter a dry suit might keep you dry but it won't keep you warm on its own. You need to wear thermal insulation underneath. I use Fouth Element double layer Arctic fleece in the depths of winter. This will continue to keep you warm if it gets wet, after a suit tear for example. In spring and autumn I use Fourth Element single layer  Xerotherm fleece.

The cut of the Kokatat suit is so unrestrictive that I hardly notice I am wearing it, even when paddling hard. (A Kokatat Large is larger round the waist than a Palm Large.)

Even after practising rescues, my Kokatat is still bone dry in its third season. Because I have two very painful and unstable knee joints, which limit my mobility, I like having the added security of a dry suit. It might take me a bit longer to rescue/self rescue if I fluff a roll. Falling in to cold water is a real danger while sea kayaking. In spring especially, when the water is cold but the air temperature is higher, this Kokatat dry suit can still be worn comfortably in air temperatures in which other suits would have you boiling! It's even available in a choice of colours! You can have mango like mine or radish like my BA.

Just the weather for a dry suit, a cold NW wind with a wind chill of -7C.

Value for money.

It costs an arm and a leg but I think it has been one of my best sea kayaking purchases ever! In Scotland, you can get it from Sea Kayak Oban. SystemX have recently been appointed UK distributor.

Overall score.

Score 12/10. It would have been 13/10 but for that security loop in a pocket coming undone!

Winter sunset over the Heads of Ayr.

 As we left the Heads of Ayr...

...the Sun began to set and as it got lower in the sky...

 ...the wind gradually dropped away.

 One by one, we paddled steadily to shore, each of us, lost in our own thoughts.

 After we pulled the kayaks from the water...

...Ayr Bay was left empty and alone, to the darkness of the approaching night.

A time for reflection in Bracken Bay.

The Heads of Ayr are a major landmark on the Ayrshire coast and...

...are a well preserved lower carboniferous volcanic vent.

Bracken Bay is a wonderful place to stop...

...and catch the last of the sunshine on a winter day. The Cetus MV has really lovely lines.

We sat on an old tree trunk with hot soup and a warming malt whisky. The talk was of past expeditions and of those yet to come...

A convenient visit to the Heads.

When we left the pub at Dunure, the wind had moderated and was blowing at a pretty steady 10 knots, from the south.

Emerging from the windshadow of the cliffs and the castle, we launched the sails for an enjoyable run up to Ayr.

The great bulk of Ailsa Craig gradually...

 ...slipped astern as we...

... paddled and sailed our way up the Ayrshire coast.

 We were bound for the Heads of Ayr...

...which are situated some 4km north of Dunure.

This is a particularly scenic piece of coast and the beach below the Heads makes a very convenient stop, after a visit to Dunure.

A timely low brace at Carnage Corner.

At Carnage Corner the waves ramped up blocking our view of the way ahead. Even from the crests, I frequently lost sight of Jim in the troughs. As the wave length shortened, Jim and I saw an opportunity to catch the others and really started to paddle hard to catch the waves for some decent surfing.

Then it happened. Just as he was applying a power stroke, two closely spaced waves lifted the bow and stern of Jim's Taran, leaving free air in the trough beneath his keel. He went over in a flash and from the wave crest, all I saw was the underside of Jim's keel. I thought a rescue would be inevitable but before I could drop the sail, Jim came back up. He was leaning heavily on a low brace, as the wave at his stern now hurled him forward.

It was a magnificent demonstration of Jim's skill and seamanship and we carried on as if nothing had happened. At this point, Jim is completely hidden in the trough just ahead of me.

The seas gradually moderated as we approached  Dunure castle but I noticed that Jim was no longer sprinting to catch the waves...

We had arranged to rendevous at Dunure harbour...

...where Phil assisted our landing in a surprising size of surf that was getting into the harbour.

David pumped his boat. Not from water that had got in round Carnage Corner but from getting swamped while landing...

...at the harbour. Jim approached cautiously as it would be a shame to...

...scratch his new Taran.

In the pub, we swapped tales of monster waves and congratulated ourselves on such a fine paddle. Then Jim told everyone about his timely low brace but we were concerned to hear he had hurt his wrist.

Our approach to Carnage Corner.

As we approached the rocky coastline at the north end of Culzean Bay...

...Jim was really powering the Taran, catching every wave in order to nose ahead of the kayak sailors.

However, as we passed the point, the wind increased and Jim inevitably fell behind the kayak sailors.

One of the dangers in kayak sailing is that a mixed group can become very spread out. David, Phil and Tony were well ahead  so...

...I sprinted on and...

 ...told the others to blast ahead, while I stayed with Jim. Despite being without a spraydeck...

...David seemed quite unperturbed as we approached Carnage Corner.

  A wide angle lens always makes the water look flatter than it really is...

...but this is a notorious piece of coast for kayak carnage. I have written about a previous epic in these very waters: "Attrition on the Clyde" in which a party of 8 was reduced to 3.