Oa what a paradise!

After our long paddle round the Oa peninsula, it was a great relief to find this small sliver of sand in a gap between the unrelenting dark rocks below Lower Killeyan farm.


In this little piece of paradise, we enjoyed a well deserved luncheon on the flat rocks next to the kayaks. Misha and Jennifer then went off to explore the cliffs to the south of the beach. They found a lean-to bothy near the mouth of a cave. Unfortunately a goat had chosen it as its last resting place, which somewhat diminished its attractiveness as a shelter from the rain that started to fall. You can see more of Misha's B&W photos from this trip over on his blog.


I decided to stay where I was and hobbled round trying to get...


...a nice photo of this stunning beach on the west coast of the Mull of Oa.


Despite the clouds and rain I think this beach is one the best we have found anywhere on our travels.

The surf forecast for the day was 3.5 to 4 feet and I had been concerned, in case we were going to have a difficult landing here. Fortunately the bay is screened by many stacks and islands and the strong current that runs to the south, between them, stopped the swells entering the bay. Given the strong currents, this would not be the ideal bay for some sea swimming!

A glimpse of distant white shell sand promised a break.

Below the Mull of Oa the tide carried us at 11km/hr. It was pleasant not to be paddling but we needed to break out north along the west side of the Mull of Oa.


This was harder than it appeared as a significant eddy was running south down the west side against where we wanted to go. Where the two currents met, there were considerable overfalls but 2 or three minutes of stiff paddling (PLF) saw us through and on our way north. Our speed over the ground had dropped to 2km/hr so the adverse current north of the point was probably about 7km/hr. For the next 3.5 km we were to face an adverse current of about 3km/hr though it was significantly more off the headlands.


The dramatic pointed stack at the end of Rubha Leac nan Laogh is in the foreground with the bold headland of Rubha Leacan Banaig at the far side of the curving bay.


At Rubha Leacan Banaig the sedimentary nature of the rocks of the Mull of Oa can be clearly seen. These are of the Appin group of Dalriadan rocks. 260 million years ago Islay was part of a desert, which became flooded by a shallow tropical sea. These layers were then laid down in the sea bed and are formed of sediment washed into the sea in rivers from surrounding land.


The west side of the Oa is littered with a series of large and small sea stacks. The larger ones are big enough to be islands.


Those sea kayakers who like to circumnavigate Islay as quickly as possible, miss this out by taking the direct route to the Rhinns across the mouth of Loch Indaal. They really should make a point of returning as this is one of the finest pieces of coast I have seen on Scotland's west coast and Hebrides.


By now we had been paddling for 3 hours and 22 minutes without a stop.


We entered a bay sheltered by offshore stacks.


The line of cliffs to our right came to a temporary end being replaced by grassy slopes and a glimpse of distant white shell sand promised a break.

Sea kayaking desktop wallpaper calendar, May 2010

May. A tricky landing, Portandea, Firth of Clyde.

The seakayakphoto.com May desktop wallpaper calendar is now available for download here.

Going with the flow, round the Mull of Oa!

The dolphins eventually got bored with us and headed off to the main race, which was now a distance offshore. For the first time we saw the still distant Mull of Oa itself, capped by its prominent monument.


To the east of Sgeirean Buidhe there had been surprisingly little current but, as we approached the rocks at the foot of the point, our speed accelerated and we were blasted through a gap in the reef. Needless to say my camera was put away! The water was damming up on the east side and there was a distinct slope down to the west. By staying in close, we avoided the really confused part of the race that ran in a westerly direction from the point. We were here at 11:55, just 24 minutes after predicted slack water. I have no doubt that the flow inshore turns at least an hour before the main flow further offshore. If it was just a counter eddy, I would not have expected much movement so close to slack water.


Once beyond Sgeirean Buidhe we were again out of the main race.


The foot of this great blade of rock is riddled with caves and rock arches.


We were now approaching the Mull of Oa itself. Again, the current picked up on our approach.


We whistled past the rocks below the American Monument. It was erected in 1920 to commemorate American service men who had lost their lives when two troop ships sank off the Oa in WW1.

The inscription on the monument reads:

Sacred to the Immortal Memory of those American Soldiers and Sailors Who Gave Their Lives for Their Country in the Wrecks of the Transports 'Tuscania' and 'Otranto' February 5th 1918 - October 6th 1918

This Monument was Erected by The American National Red Cross near the spot where so many of The Victims of The Disasters Sleep in Everlasting Peace

On Fame's Eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread
While Glory keeps with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead



The race off the Mull of Oa was bouncy rather than confused and once through it, we entered a broad but smooth stream of water moving at 10km/hr towards the distant Rhinns of Islay race, on the other side of Loch Indaal. Our next task was to break out of this stream and start making our way up the incomparable west coast of the Oa peninsula.

Sea kayaking with dolphins at the Mull of Oa

Beneath the great rock fin of Sgeirean Bhuidhe at the Mull of Oa, a dorsal fin broke the surface of the sea.


In this wild place we were the sole witnesses...


...of an amazing display by a pair of bottlenose dolphins.


Sadly both were scarred...


...by small high rpm propellers. I have reported this siting to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. I hope they will be able to identify these individuals.


Their past experience did not put them off entertaining us.


Their party trick was bring up rocks with kelp roots in their beaks...


...tossing them in the air then whacking them with their tails.


They dived beneath each of us in turn and they surfaced so close that we could have touched them. Clearly they were very curious about sea kayaks. I don't suppose they see much mid week winter sea kayaking in these parts! I am pretty sure that we have seen these particular dolphins before, off the southern end of Shuna and to the east of Cara.


Just amazing!

PS there are more dolphin photos over on Misha Somerville's blog. In one of Misha's photos there are three dolphins though I thought there were only two!

The point of no return, Rubha an Leacan to Gob an Rubha Dhuibh, Oa, Islay

As we approached Rhuba nan Leacan at the SE corner of the Mull of Oa it was 11:19 and should have been slack water as the NW flow was not due to start until HW Dover i.e. 11:31. However, the flood was already established and we had to quickly decide whether to commit to rounding the Oa. I had to put my camera away as the point was pretty rough. The water was being squeezed through a gap between the headland and a reef and the water level was about two feet different on either side. We slid down the slope and wetted our faces in a series of standing waves beyond. There would be no return!


However, the action did not last long and in the bay beyond, there was only a gentle current.


We felt very isolated below the great cliffs of the Beinn Mhor which became higher and bolder with each paddle stroke.


Looking back towards Rubha nan Leacan, the horizon was empty until the distant coast of Jura.


The scale of the place was awesome and we felt very small...


and very alone as we passed under Gob an Rubha Dhuibh.


Then we realized, we were not quite alone...

We have lost our friend.

Our friend Jim Broadfoot died unexpectedly on Saturday. I can't begin to imagine how his mother Margaret, wife Dorothy and daughters, Pamela, Lorna and Alison are feeling at the moment and I send them my deepest condolences.


Some may think that this blog is about sea kayaking or the Scottish coastline but in truth it is about sharing these things with like minded, kindred spirits. David said you get to know someone better after a few days sea kayaking than after a lifetime of socialising. He is right because everyone's safety is dependent on their fellow paddlers. Jim was the perfect companion at sea. He was totally dependable and always considerate of others. Without his help my paddling would have been much more restricted after my accident on Coll last year.

On the night before we left Coll, I was literally rolling on the ground in agony beside the campfire, it put a real dampener on what should have been a great end to fantastic trip. Jim disappeared for a while then reappeared with a big grin, hotdogs in rolls with ketchup, followed by hot buttered scones, jam and whipped cream, followed by hot chocolate! He was always pulling surprises like that out of his kayak, just when people felt down.

He came to visit me last Wednesday and we reminisced about past adventures and planned our future ones. It was a really pleasant day together and I am grateful that Jim took the time to spend with an invalid.


Primarily Jim was a family man and he was so proud of his three daughters. This photo shows Jim and his youngest daughter Alison on the family's Easter holiday to Loch Leven. He also told me that he and his wife Dorothy had been paddling together on Loch Long last week and that this had meant a great deal to him. Jim and Dorothy spent his last day on a paddle in beautiful Loch Striven and shared a magical picnic together on its shores.
















My friends and I feel privileged that we have been able to share great times with a true gentleman.


So thank you Jim....there should have been so many more good times to share with your family and friends...but we will never forget those precious moments in your company.