Heading for Greenan.

Although it was not a particularly strong wind we made very good speed and soon left the Carrick coast behind us.

 We now approached the Heads of Ayr and soon we were in both...

 ...the lee of the wind and the shade of the sun. Dark basalt ridges soared from the shore to the top of the...

 ....long line of cliffs and it was a relief when we left their shade and got back into the sunlight..

 Greenan Castle sits precariously on the very edge...

 ...of the next headland.

 We were still in the lee of the Heads of Ayr but...

...despite the light wind we soon left the ancient walls of Greenan behind.

Waterfalls and a chinwag at Carlandcheek.

 Phil and I enjoyed paddle sailing up the Carrick coast but we broke out into...

 ...the lee of Bracken Bay where we enjoyed a...

 ...second luncheon and chinwag while we sheltered from the biting cold wind.

 Blustery squalls continued to roll in across the Firth of Clyde so it was soon time to...

...paddle on, under the cliffs of Carlandcheek where the Lagg burn tumbled to the sea.

Desktop kayak paddle sailing.

I was delighted to spend yesterday evening with Richard Cree and the crew from West Coast Paddlers. As a club, they have decided to take up kayak paddle sailing. It was a busy night and teenagers Greg and Thomas really got stuck in with drills, screwdrivers and spanners and knot tying. They can now tie fisherman's knot, bowline and adjustable grip hitch! They had ten of the new P&H sea kayaks  branded Flat Earth Code Zero sails to fit to members and club boats. These will be available for the Flatwater Symposium to be held on the last weekend in March. I will be delivering two kayak sailing sessions assisted by my regular paddle sailing friend Phil.

As I was the first person to import a Flat Earth sail into the Northern Hemisphere it gives me very great pleasure to see a kayak club take it up so enthusiastically. I was originally delighted that accessory maestros Kari-Tek had become European distributors for Flat Earth sails but is wonderful to see that P&H, a mainstream kayak manufacturer, has now  got behind paddle sailing. The P&H sail comes with a Kari-Tek supplied mast and modified fitting kit. P&H sea kayaks now come with fore decks reinforced for mast bases.If you are thinking of fitting a Flat Earth sail to your kayak you can find some fitting tips here.

 What better way to finish the night off than with some desktop paddle sailing!

A fair wind past the castles and coves of Carrick.

 Phil and I emerged from the pub in Dunure to find that...

 ...the wind had dropped. Nevertheless it was still a...

 ...fair wind and so we hoisted our sails and...

 ...started paddling north again...

 ...along the headlands and...

...coves of the Carrick coast.

Psychedelia and intoxication at Dunure.

From the south shore at Dunure we...

 ...made our way up to  Dunure Harbour. There were only two fishing boats Tern BA187 and..

 ...Kittyfisher OB134 in the water.

 Others were still in their winter refit but...

 ...it would take some doing to beat Sea Hunter's

...psychedelic paint job which was somewhat more intoxicating than...

...the Guinness in the excellent Dunure Inn. Maybe the boat's owner has been spending a little too much time in the pub?

Swell time at Dunure.

 The skies to the west began to clear as...

 ...we paddled south towards...

 ...the fishing village of Dunure.

We managed to get the sails up as the wind freed a little allowing us to just make the rocks off the harbour mouth on a beat. Note how the sail is well sheeted in but not too tight! The luff (leading edge) of the sail is just collapsing as the bow of the kayak has swung into the wind (luffed) when I stopped paddling.

Once free of the rocks we eased our sails and broad reached into the harbour but...

 ...we were unable to land due to it being high tide with a surprising swell.

So we paddled south towards Dunure castle. It was easier to land here as the beach was protected by a number of offshore reefs.

Rain squalls over Ailsa Craig.

As Phil and I approached Drumbain Point there was no sign of Ailsa Craig. It was completely...

...obscured by a heavy rain squall. At first we thought it was going to catch us out too but...

 ......the squall gradually cleared and we continued south under lightening skies.

Ailsa Craig normally dominates the views of the mouth of the Firth of Clyde and it was good to have it back again. I hope to paddle there again soon but as it is 16km from the nearest part of the mainland it is an exposed paddle. You need to be quite fit in case unexpected squalls blow in so Phil and I pressed on into the southerly wind. Each stroke was another step on the road to recovery of paddling fitness.