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.

The clash of a Titan and the Olympians; a seakayaking tale.

In the shelter of Carrick Bay at the south end of Culzean all was calm but...

...beyond the reef a deliciously steady 14 knot cross off  wind was blowing.

Jim was in his awesomely fast new Rockpool Taran but he was the only one without a sail. Who would have the advantage..?

Tony and David were looking confident as the breeze picked up as we left the shore.

David was trying out my current favourite kayak, the Delphin, but his spray deck wouldn't fit. Was he bothered? Of course not. Back in the 50's and 60's, when David started kayaking, only a few Inuit people and nancy boy westerners used spray decks! But even then, David had a sail on his skin on frame Tyne double.

At first Jim in the Taran easily kept up and indeed, when he caught a wave, the Taran would come from behind and rocket ahead.

However, by the time we passed the castle (about a third of the way across Culzean Bay)...

...David, Tony and Phil started to really fly in the freer wind. Then, as their trio of sails rose and...

...fell in the swell, they powered ahead and Jim and I were left in their wakes...

On the dog and bone at barking Barwhin.

I was really keen to try the Cetus MV as soon as possible and Saturday's forecast looked ideal. The Met Office Inshore Forecast for the Firth of Clyde was for Force 5 to 7 SSW easing to F4-5. XC weather was more moderate.

 Whatever, conditions looked ideal for a downwind blast from Maidens to Ayr...

...so Jim, Phil David and I left shuttle cars at Seafield and were on the water at Maidens by 1015. From the shelter of Maidens Bay we looked out at windier conditions beyond.

We picked up Tony at the north end of Maidens Bay. His wife had dropped him off at the south end of Culzean Country Park while she went a walk with Bob the dog.

 The wind increased as we approached Barwhin Point, it was just as well I put the 5D Mk2 away...

 ...before we got to the Point as Jim and I braced as the waves steepened.

Tony got a phone call from his wife once we had rounded the Point. Bob the dog had slipped his leash and was bounding over the rocks and cliffs after us!

We decided to nip into Port Carrick...

 ...by taking the short cut inside Glasson rock.

Wild barking on the beach announced the arrival...

...of Bob before us!