Sandpipers on the Sugar Boat.

Before we left the wreck of the MV Captayannis (the Sugar Boat)  we spotted a number of ...

...sandpipers hopping round the barnacles on the wreck's stern.

When we got closer we realised there were two separate species. We saw dunlin in their winter plumage and...

...they were accompanied by purple sandpipers.

The wreck of MV Captayannis, the Sugar Boat, and the sweet waters of the Clyde.

We had arrived at the wreck of the MV Captayannis. She was a Greek merchantman and on the night of 27/28th January 1974 she was anchored at the Tail of the Bank off Greenock. She was waiting to enter the James Watt dock to offload a cargo of raw sugar from Portuguese East Africa for Greenock's Tate and Lyle sugar refinery. I was staying in Glasgow at the time and I well remember the violence of the storm that got up that night. I could hardly walk from Hillhead underground station in Byres Road to Glasgow University's Dalrymple Hall, off the Great Western Road.

ShipSpotting.com

© Paul Strathdee

Paul Strathdee has posted this photo taken by Robin Wilson of MV Captayannis in 1973 over on ShipSpotting.com. It shows the Captyannis entering the James Watt dock in Greenock to discharge a load of sugar on one of her previous voyages to the port

During that wild night, the Captayannis broke free from her anchor and the storm drove her downwind towards the BP tanker, British Light, which was also lying at anchor. Before she hit the bow of the tanker the Capytayannis's hull hit the tanker's anchor chains, which gashed her hull beneath the waterline. The Captayaniss drifted on, leaving the tanker unscathed, but she was already sinking.

Captain Theodorakis Ionnis started the Capytyaniss's engines with the initial intention of running north to the shelter of the Gare Loch but the ship was sinking fast, so he ran her aground on a sandbank to the east of the deep water channel. Fortunately there was no loss of life.The tug Labrador and ferry MV Rover came alongside and all 29 on board were saved. The Capytayannis settled with a heel to port before tipping right over onto her port side. Due to an ownership/insurance dispute, no one claimed responsibility for the ship and she has lain on the sand bank ever since. Fortunately Captain Ionnis had run her well away from the shipping channels  and she does not pose a risk to shipping. Even at high tide she is still above water and her outline is now a familiar part of the Clyde seascape, where she is universally known as "the Sugar Boat".

This photo (from another day) shows the bulk carrier MV SeaLand Performance (on the right) anchored at the Tail of the Bank. You can see the hull of the Captayannis in the distance, beyond her port side.

It was a strange feeling to be paddling along the deck of  ship from stern to bow. She is in surprisingly good condition as her hull points into the direction of the worst of the weather. However, her thinner deck plates have started to rust through. This hole leads down to the engine room and there was still a slight whiff of oil even after 40 years!

 Moving forward we came to her wooden decking which was...

 ...still in remarkable condition. The MV Captayannis was originally called the MV Norden and was built in Denmark in 1946. Sad though her wreck is, at least the Captayannis is still relatively intact. It is almost certain that her contemporaries have long since been broken up.

ShipSpotting.com

© PWR

Photographer PWR has posted this photo of her as MV Norden over on ShipSpotting.com.

We slowly worked our way forwards along her aft deck  and under the remaining shroud for her aft mast towards her...

...midships superstructure.

This windlass would originally have lifted cargo via the derricks attached to the mast.

This hatch's cover has long gone.

Near horizontal ladders lead up to what was once the upper decks of her superstructure.

Forward of the superstructure we came to the long foredeck. The submerged fore mast was still supported by three shrouds on her upper, starboard side.

At low tide it is possible to paddle inside her forecastle which is still topped...

...by mooring bollards.

At last we reached the bow where...

...the fine lines of the Captayannis's...

...stem could still be seen stretching away to her...

...stern some 127.4m away. She looked like a dead, beached whale from this angle but there was no sign of the fatal rips in her hull. These are deep under water on her port side. Her beam was 17.1m and she was about 2/3 submerged when we were there, so there was about 11m of water. However even at chart datum, there is still 7m of water.

As the tide swirled the brown waters of the Clyde round the Sugar Boat's  hull, we thought of that stormy night when the Clyde's waters had never been sweeter.

A grim, grey day off Greenock.

As we made our way out into the Firth of Clyde we were heading for the container terminal at Greenock, which is one of the major ports on the Clyde. The day was looking pretty grim with a dark grey sky hanging low over the grey streets in the distance. The MV Uos Liberty, an anchor handling tug, was moored below the two cranes and...

 ...the MV Lady Hester, a Dutch general cargo ship, was taking on cargo for Montrose at the single crane. Then we came to this west cardinal marker buoy. What would we find...

...to its east?

Afloat again, by Rosneath on the Clyde

Due to a shoulder operation in July and a knee operation in November, I have been confined to shore for the last 7 months. However months of intensive physiotherapy are beginning to pay off and today was my first day afloat. I wanted a nice calm day for a first paddle and also fairly sheltered waters so we set off from Helensburgh on the north shore of the Inner Firth of Clyde.

 I was joined by Mike in his new P&H Aries and ..

 ...Phil. It was good to be on the water with them.  The last time we had been together was back in the beginning of June last year when we paddled round the Mull of Kintyre. The weather on that day was very similar to today's with low glowering clouds threatening the forecast rain. In contrast to the raw unspoiled nature of that trip, we were now surrounded by the towns of the Clyde; Helensburgh, Gourock, Greenock and Port Glasgow.

One relatively unspoilt stretch of this predominantly urban coast was that of the Rosneath peninsula. The only sign of building was the mast of the naval degaussing station which rose out of the trees. Its purpose is to demagnetise the hulls of ships and submarines. It is all that remains of a huge WW2 naval base that housed up to 6,000 British and American servicemen. It had workshops, fuel and ammunition dumps, accommodation blocks and even a 600 bed hospital.

As we cleared Rosneath Point, the clouds lifted a little and the ferry town of Gourock on the far side of the firth brightened.

Remember to take your tide tables to Seil.

Gradually we crossed the Firth of Lorn and the Isle of Seil began to dominate the view ahead.  However, we were so enjoying the fine weather that we had not...

 ...been keeping a close enough eye on our transits and the big spring ebb carried us down the Firth of Lorn past the island of Easdale. It was now approaching midday and the forecast SSE F4 to F5 wind arrived. By now we were in the lee of the former slate worker's cottages on Easdale. The wind whipped across the flat water in Easdale Sound but we were not concerned. However, out in the open Firth of Lorn a steep wind against tide sea soon  built up. Our early start had been well worthwhile.

All too soon we landed on a slate beach at Ellenabeich and loaded the boats onto the trailer for the journey home. This corner is a recognised launch spot but whatever you do don't leave your car here or drive it on the grass. This will upset one of the local residents. There is plenty of parking just a short walk away.

This is a great part of the world for an overnight trip but it is equally suited to everything from day to multi week trips. The strong tides and variety of islands in the area (not to mention large car park) makes Ellenabeich on Seil one of premier sea kayaking embarkation points on the West Coast. Just don't forget your timetables.

We used the height of the spring ebb tide to take us SW down to the Garvellachs. We then ferry glided across the NE going flood, using it to carry us NNW to Loch Buie on Mull. The following morning we left Mull on the last of the NE going flood but were caught by an increasing SW going ebb as we approached Seil, which explains our "S" shaped course. In the area HW is morning and evenings at springs and midday and midnight at neaps.

Gentle undulations on an otherwise empty sea.

 In the middle of the Firth of Lorn the wind had dropped to nothing as we paddled east towards Seil. Away to the south lay...

 ...the Garvellachs upon which we had stood the previous day. Behind them the brooding bulk of Scarba lay between the two tide races of Corryvreckan and Grey Dogs.

The Isle of Seil lay before us with the mountains of the mainland rising beyond, some 41 kilometers distant.

As we admired the undulating ridge of Ben Cruachan (1126m), we were paddling over gentle undulations on an otherwise empty sea.

Not properly attired for the Firth of Lorn.

 As we paddled away from the cliffs of Mull's Laggan peninsula the wind gradually dropped. We had expected a rough crossing and so we had put our cags on. The salty sweat from our foreheads stung our eyes and it became difficult to see in the glare of the midsummer sun.

 As the heat of the day built on the long crossing, it was therefore with great relief...

 ...that we took off our cags and stashed them away.

As the sun rose high in the sky and the cliffs slipped away behind us, a glassy calm settled on the Firth of Lorn. there was not a breath of wind and not a sound disturbed the still air.