The follies of Knockbrex and a convenient cave.

 From the three priapic pillars of Knockbrex we set off along the...

...rocky Solway coast until we arrived...

 ...at a delightful stretch of shell sand backed by a castellated folly.

We stopped for a second time to...

 ...explore what was an early 20th century bathing house. A folly in Galloway is known as a "coo (cow) palace" and this was a good example with...

 ...the remains of a stone and iron pier extending into the Solway.

 The folly has a beautiful view over to Barlocco Isle and the distant mountains of the Isle of Man. It was built by James Brown who was a wealthy Manchester merchant. He retired to nearby Knockbrex House  in 1895. Until he died in 1920, he spent much of his fortune building a series of gardens, walls, buildings and follies around the estate.

The jagged reefs of this coastline were the scene of many shipwrecks but it was also used by smugglers who would have found...

...this to be a most convenient cave for concealing contraband from the customs cutters. For many years the entrance was concealed by a thick growth of ivy but a storm a few years ago tore it away.

The cave has a dry level floor and would make excellent shelter in a storm.

This part of the Solway was a lawless place not only frequented by smugglers but also by pirates. We decided to reenact walking the plank. Was this to be a folly on Ian's part?

Time was pressing on and the ebb tide was now in full swing so we made our way back to the boats to continue our exploration of the Solway by sea kayak.

Prospects at the three priapic pillars of Knockbrex.

 From Ardwall Isle we left the confines of...

 ...Fleet Bay and started to make our way out...

 ...towards the more open waters of the Solway Firth until we were stopped in our tracks by...

 ...the priapic pillars of Knockbrex. There are three pillars and they...

 ...lead into the recesses of...

...Knockbrex Harbour.

Whatever their provenance, the priapic pillars provide plenty of perpendicular photographic prospects whatever the weather.

These photos were taken exactly 2 years before our visit and show more typical October weather.

Whatever, if you come to this part of the Solway do remember to visit the three priapic pillars of Knockbrex.

Read more about these erections here on Ian's blog.

Setting off with a fair wind and tide on the Solway Firth.

The day dawned fair on Fleet Bay in the Solway Firth and as the line of clouds drew back to the SE we enjoyed some warm October sunshine.

Ian, Mike and I soon had our kayaks packed and at the water's edge. It had been our intention to paddle east to Sandyhills stopping at Little Ross Island and Hestan Island on the way. Unfortunately the firing range at Dundrennan was in use so we would not be able to pass. So we intended to do a there and back paddle as far as Kirkcudbright.

 It was a most marvellous start with a fresh tailwind and paddling...

 ...straight into the sun.

 The ebb tide was also with us and it seemed like no time at all until...

 ...we landed on Ardwall Isle for first luncheon.

We decided to climb to the top by way of the farm track which leads up from the beach. The farmer drives over from the mainland at low tide several times a year to cut the grass and bale it.

As we gained height we enjoyed a great view over the recently cut meadow to Murray's Isles Ravenshall Point and to Wigtown on the far side of Wigtown bay.

 There were plenty of brambles but almost no sloes.

From the summit we had a clear view back across Fleet Bay to where we had come from, the cluster of caravans under Ben John.

 The simple cairn at the summit of Ardwall Isle overlooks the grand...

 ...house at Knockbrex with its fields extending down to a little harbour.

Beyond Barlocco reef our way lay away to the SE, beyond distant Ringdoo Point.

For the full kayak stereovision experience follow Ian's blog which starts here.

Securing a furled Flat Earth kayak sail when launching in surf.

One of the beauties of the Flat Earth Kayak Sails rig is its simplicity. Apart from the stays (the forestay act as the uphaul) and the sheet there are no other lines such as kicking strap (vang) between mast and boom or Cunningham (tack) downhaul line which are found in more complex rigs. However, this does mean that there is not a lot holding the sail and boom down on the mast. The boom gooseneck is not fixed to the mast  but slides over and is free to rotate round it.

Many people are worried that launching in surf with a furled sail on deck will result in a wave washing the sail and boom clean off the top of the mast. There are various solutions on the internet. Some advocate a large quick release cable tie round the boom just above the gooseneck. Well I tried that and there is not enough friction it just slides up.

Others have devised a number of complex ties that hold the boom down but these can get tangled up and interfere with boom rotation.

My solution is very simple.  Once the sail is furled I just tighten the sheet and cleat it. This prevents the sail from sliding up the mast. In this photo the bow is at the right and the sheet is the thick red line which is tight and leads back to the cockpit cleat on the left. Just remember to let the sheet off before launching the sail.

If the wind is off or cross off shore, there is an even better solution. Keep the sail up in the wind and out of the surf and use it to power out, great fun!

P&H Skudder, a long term test of a sea kayak skeg/rudder system

Introduction

I have been testing the new P&H Scorpio mk2 MV since early summer for a test that will appear in the next issue of  Ocean Paddler magazine. During that time I have covered over 700km in all weathers, sea and tide states that this summer threw at us. The boat came with the optional P&H skudder which costs an extra £100. A lot of people have been asking what I thought of it so here goes. The only review I saw before I tried it was based on a few minutes paddling on a small lake. The tester was not particularly enamoured with it so perhaps I was not expecting too much from the Skudder. Sometimes that is a very good way to go into a test!

Design and construction

The Skudder is a combined rudder and skeg mounted in the usual skeg position. It has a decent sized blade to aid control. It is also considerably stiffer than the standard P&H skeg. This is it deployed in skeg mode.

On the Scorpio mk2 the skeg/Skudder adjustment has been moved to the top of the cockpit. The Skudder acts as a skeg if you deploy the slider to just over half way back. 

If you pull the adjuster right to the back the blade fully deploys and is free to turn in rudder mode.

It is turned using the excellent self adjusting SmartTrack pedal system which is found on many ruddered boats these days.

All the control cables are contained within the boat and the rear control lever over the rudder is covered by a flush plastic cover on the rear deck.  For a ruddered kayak the Skudder gives very clean and uncluttered lines.

The cover protects the adjustment lever and cables from snagging. The rear hatch looses a little room compared with a simple skeg box but long thin items can still go up either side and had no trouble packing the boat for camping.

In use
I was not expecting a great deal from the Skudder in rudder mode. I was wrong and as the months on test went by, I found I was using the rudder mode more and more, even without the sail! It is not a panacea for manoeuvring a kayak but unlike some systems I have tried, it does have a big enough blade to be effective, even when paddling at 45 degrees to the wind (when some rudder systems are better lifted as they cause lee cocking if you cannot paddle fast enough). The 5* paddler felt there was no need for the rudder as the Scorpio MV was so manoeuvrable when edged. Initially I agreed but then I discovered that the Skudder works remarkably well for more advanced paddlers when used with edging and steering strokes. Then I noticed that two of the early intermediate paddlers had started to automatically edge the kayak when they were using the Skudder! The beginners loved it.

Paddle sailing

Photo Ian Johnton

When travelling fast downwind with the sail up, you need to be light footed with the Skudder. It is easy to steer too far one way then overcorrect the other. When paddle sailing downwind on an 11km crossing in F4 conditions with two paddle sailors in Cetus MVs, I found I was actually faster using the Skudder in skeg mode than rudder mode. In F4 winds the Skudder is big and effective enough to tack the Scorpio MV through the wind. Most other over stern ruddered kayaks I have used for paddle sailing in such winds are easier to tack if you lift the rudder first.
 
Any snags?
Well first of all it proved incredibly reliable and  It did not need any adjustment during the test. Unlike the more expensive Kar-itek skeg/rudder (which I have used over many years) it does not self centre as you lift it. This means you need to centre it with your feet first. Until you get used to this, do not leave it till the last minute before landing!

The only downside is that the pivot pin for the Skudder is in an exposed position at the front of the skeg box. The hinge is unaffected by pebbles, shingle, mud, or fine sand but some coarse shell sands (as found on the Outer Solway) can jam it and If the boat has been sitting on such sand you should make sure it is clear after launching but before getting into the boat.

Conclusions
Overall the Skudder grew on me to the extent that over the months on test I ended up using it most of the time! I got so used to it that when I first got back in my Aries 155 I was pushing the bulkhead with my toes every time I turned, trying to get the rudder to turn!  The Skudder is incredibly well designed and engineered, especially given the price of the boat it is fitted to. It works well in either skeg or rudder mode, indeed it is stiffer than the standard P&H skeg. Given the small price premium being asked I suggest that anyone buying a P&H boat that the Skudder is offered with would be mad not to give it a try.

The Old Man of the Mull of Logan.

At the Mull of Logan there are a number of hidden inlets which lead to the great rock arch called the Devil's Bridge. Phil, Tony and I had been before but as Maurice had not been before (and we had said nothing to him) he amazed when he found it.

 Those entering the recesses and passing under bthe arch do so under the baleful stone gaze of the Old Man of the Mull of Logan.

 We dallied for some time in this wonderful spot but the tide was still rushing north and we were now going to head south to Port Logan...

 ...against the tide.  There was no eddy on the SE side of the Mull but close in the tide was only running at 4km/hr compared with 9km/hr just a few meters out.

 Soon we were in quiter waters and the coast here has a maze of gullies many of them interconnecting. This arch is called Little Bridge.

 Further along we came to this old cabin before we arrived...

 ...in Port Logan Bay which is backed by the fertile fields of the Rhins of Galloway.

Our final obstacle was clearing the lines of the many fishermen who lined the old pier. Port Logan was originally called Port Nessock and in the 1
7th century attempts were made by the McDouall family to establish it as a ferry port for Ireland. They also built the Port Logan Inn which is sadly closed at the moment.

The quay and Port Logan Light were built in 1830 by Colonel Andrew McDouall. The light is a conical stone tower with a platform for a lantern. It is not known when it was last lit but for sometime after that it had a bell, which was rung to guide local boats back in foggy conditions. A decent road to the village was not constructed until the early 20th century, so most of the village's trade and traffic depended upon the sea. A life boat station was built at Port Logan in 1866. It closed in 1932 as the RNLI lifeboat at Portpatrick, 18km to the north west, was motorised by then. The boat house is now the village hall which you can find near the quay.

Our 24km trip from the East Tarbet round the Mull of Galloway, Crammag Head and the Mull of Logan is one of the finest paddles in Scotland. However, due to the tides it can be very serious if there is any wind.