Not quite the Galapagos but natural selection is alive and well in the Isles of Fleet.

 Leaving the verdant pastures of Ardwall Isle, we set off to round...

 ...its seaward coastline.

 From this viewpoint there was little to suggest...

 ...that there was any green vegetation on the island at all. Indeed, the coastline was so primeval that we half expected to see basking iguanas round every corner.

From Ardwall we crossed to Murray's Isles. We landed on the larger isle for another break, though this little sandy beach  is covered after about half tide. We were amused to see two separate paddlers on sit on top kayaks paddle by. We thought they must be members of the DKC* as their only safety items were a pair of gloves and a cotton T shirt.

 We left the Murray's Isles through this little gap...

 ...at their western end and...

...arrived safely back a little early. Tony and Jennifer kindly carried my kayak up the beach. Tony brought his trolley back for his own kayak and was ably assisted by his daughter.

Another great trip in the Solway.

*DKC Darwin Kayak Club.

Apples are not the only fruit in the Eden of Ardwall Isle.

We landed on Barlocco reef at low tide so we had three hours to wait until the flood tide would fill Fleet Bay sufficiently to return to our launch site. The reef is seldom visited and the ground is very rough with no paths. It is interesting to explore Barlocco as there is a lot of flotsam and jetsam. There is also a very lush green mound under which lies the remains of a fin whale, not a good place for Little Miss Muffet! For someone with knees like mine, Barlocco was not an option so with Knockbrex House in the background, we set sail for...

...Ardwall, which is a verdant isle with a network of paths. Leaving Jennifer by the kayaks, Tony and I enjoyed a gentle walk to the summit of the isle and took in the panorama.

To the SE, in the lee of distant Ringdoo Point, lay Barlocco reef from where we had just come. On the horizon, the flood tide was rushing eastwards up the Solway Firth, kicking up an uncomfortable sea in the SE wind. We were glad we had retreated to more sheltered waters.

To the NW lay the Murray's Isles. The cottage on the larger isle is very interesting. Like many Scottish cottages in exposed locations, its gable end faces SW into the prevailing wind. This one is unusual in having a window in the SW gable. This was so the occupant could keep an eye on approaching ships. The cottage was used by pilots who were waiting to escort ships up the Fleet canal to Port Macadam in Gatehouse of Fleet. It was also used by customs officers who were on the lookout for smugglers.

 This was the view north to the Carrick coast and...

...this is a telephoto view to the ESE and Knockbrex beach where we had stopped for first luncheon. There are two follies or as they say in Galloway "Coo Palaces" in this photo. The fortification behind the beach was a boathouse and beach changing house for Knockbrex House. The castle on the horizon is a water tower! There is also a cave, reputed to have been a Smugglers cave, hidden in bushes to the left of the beach.

 Eventually the winding path took us to Ardwall cottage. Near the path at this spot are a couple of underground chambers covered with flat stones. They were used by smugglers to conceal contrabrand.

It is stll used as a holiday home but the owners were not in residence. There is no water supply barrainwater which is collected from the gutters.

 Hedges round the cottage are abundant with fuschias and escalonias which thrive in the mild climate.

 Tony spied an apple tree...

...which had a heavy crop of small but perfectly formed fruit. He picked a rosy specimen and bit into it with relish. Unfortunately it was a bitter crab apple!

Fortunately the flood tide was now beginning to fill the bay again. Time to go...

...so we made our way down to the beach through a hay meadow that was alive with butterflies. Near the beach we passed ta pile of stones covered with brambles. It is all that remains of an early Christian chapel. Ardwall is truly an Eden and well worth exploring.

SECURITE on the Solway.

It was a neap tide down on the Solway. There was no time to waste as this meant that the tide would soon be out, exposing the sands of Fleet Bay for most of the day...

...so Tony, Jennifer and I set off early to catch the the ebb tide before the bay emptied. We planned to stay out on the open Solway for about 6-8 hours until the flood filled the Fleet again. A force three NE wind sped us on our way as we crossed the tidal bar that connects Ardwall Isle to the mainland and...

 ...made our way out towards Barlocco reef beyond.

We took a break on Knockbrex beach for our first luncheon. Jennifer did well in the Delphin to keep up with the kayak sailors. We did not stay long as the reef that connects Barlocco to the mainland was rapidly drying.

As we approached Meikle Pinnacle Jennifer pointed out a flock of gannets diving on a shoal of fish.

The swell began to increase as we rounded Ringdoo Point. We had planned to paddle round to Kirkudbright Bay as we should have been in the lee of the land in the forecast 3-4 NE winds. The winds were due to veer SE and increase in the evening so we should have had plenty of time to get there and back.

As we left the shelter of Wigtown Bay the wind increased and veered SE and the swell began to increase. The ebb tide runs to the SE out of Wigtown Bay but as you approach the entrance it joins the ebb from the Solway which runs to the west. We were therefore paddling in glorious sunny wind with tide conditions with nice smooth swell.

All of a sudden the VHF crackled into life "SECURITE,  SECURITE ,  SECURITE ." It was Liverpool Coastguard with a strong wind warning for small craft.. Winds were to veer to the SE and increase to force 6 imminently. This put us in a difficult position. Imminent means within 6 hours but the wind had already veered and increased and we were enjoying ourselves now. However, the tide would turn and start running east long before we would get back from Kircudbright Bay. Wind against tide in the shallow waters of the Solway creates the "White Steeds of the Solway" which are best avoided so we decided to
turn back towards...

 ...the now distant Ringdoo Point. We made rapid progress towards...

 ...the point in the following seas.

 Soon we were in the shelter of the cliffs and all appeared to be calm again.

We paddled round the seaward side of Barlocco and landed in a sheltered cove on its lee side. We arrived at low water so we had plenty of time for a leisurely second luncheon until the tide came in sufficiently to kayak back into Fleet Bay. It was a different world in here as we sat in the shelter of the reef looking towards the Islands of Fleet and the distant Galloway Hills. For a moment we wondered if we had done the right thing in turning back. However, when the tide turned, out at sea the Solway horizon had become very lumpy...

Flat Earth Kayak Sails Code Zero 0.8 production version test and review.

Flat Earth Kayak Sails Code Zero 0.8 production version.

Flat Earth Kayak Sails Code Zero 0.8 prototype.

I have previously reported on my findings of the Code Zero prototype, which I was testing for Mick McRobb of Flat Earth Kayak Sails. Just in case anyone thinks that bias may have crept in because I was part of Mick's test team, or because it was a "special" made to a higher standard than available to buy... I went out and bought one of my own, back in May from the European distributor Kari-tek. I bought the sail and the mast but supplied my own fitting kit. Kari-tek are to be congratulated for supplying all components separately.

The shaping, materials and construction of the retail version is identical with the exception that the two small leach battens have been dropped. As my traditional FEKS had developed some looseness on the leach after I had used it for some time, I was interested to see if this omission might have some performance issues.

I have used the production version extensively over the last 3 months and tested it against both the Code Zero prototype and the traditional FEKS. I have used the Code Zero both day sailing and when fully loaded on a camping trip and have sailed it in winds up to the top of force 5/ bottom of force 6 (18 to 23 knots as measured by a hand held anemometer).

I am delighted to say that the performance of the Code Zero retail version feels identical to the prototype. It is a superb sail and a real step forward from the traditional sail (which itself was already one of the best solutions for kayak sailing).

photo Mike Connor.

In this photo, taken on the west coast of Bute, you can see that the Code Zero on the left has a vertical cut and the traditional on the right has a horizontal cut. For a full comparison of the Code Zero prototype versus the traditional sail please see here for my original review.

Two final points. First, the new colour strips have attracted favourable comment. Mike really fancied my white/blue combination to go with his new blue Cetus MV and has since bought one and given his traditional sail to his daughter. However, I am a bit sorry that the all white sail is not available in the UK as I particularly like the sail that way!

Secondly, I have tried the Code Zero sail on a carbon fibre mast. I used the outer end of a tapered tubular carbon fibre batten from an old 8.5m windsurfing racing sail. I cut a length that had the same overall stiffness (bend) as the FE aluminium mast (but due to the taper, it was stiffer at the bottom and softer at the top). I thought the sail with the carbon fibre mast performed well on its own but when sailing alongside a Code Zero on an aluminium mast, I thought the carbon fibre mast allowed too much twist in force 4-5 off the wind and force 3-4 upwind. Those that tried it preferred the feeling of extra power in the aluminium mast.

A sail really needs to be cut for a specific mast (windsurfers will appreciate how critical matching a sail to a mast is). I doubt that it would be worthwhile for Mick to introduce a carbon fibre option due to the expense. The weight saving was only 105grams. So I have stuck the carbon fibre mast back into my pile of broken windsurfing gear and gone back to using the standard aluminium mast.

PS although most of the comparison testing was done on Cetus MVs, the new Code Zero sail works well on a wide range of kayaks, I have used it on P&H Quest LV, P&H Cetus MV, P&H Delphin, Rockpool Alaw Bach and Valley Nordkapp LV.

The White Steeds of the Solway #2.

It has been a windy summer and I haven't done much sea kayaking as my knees have been a bit knackered. I can't even lift a kayak onto the car roof rack any more. However, I have been based on the Solway, where I just leave a kayak on the beach. The Wheeleez Kayak Cart mini has been a real boon. The effort of pulling my previous KCS trolley (with conventional wheels) up the soft sand has caused my left knee to dislocate several times. I can't carry a kayak on my own any more either, so I was on the point of giving up (unless I had someone to help) but the low pressure ballon tyres of the Wheeleez trolley just float over the top of the soft stuff. Problem solved. The Wheeleez is made of real high quality materials. Thick walled anodised aluminium and stainless steel fittings are used on the frame and it comes with two straps.  The only down side is that the stainless steel retaining pins that hold the wheels on have a habit of flying off, if you tow the trolley through something like marram grass to get to the beach.

Unfortunately it is not very easy to find in the UK but if you can find one, I recommend it highly!

Anyway there was a good breeze on August the first, so I headed out for some fun, photographed by my cousin John Black. Thank you for the great photos John!

 It was hard work battering out through the steep waves and...

 ...the wind. The tide was ebbing against the wind...

 ...which made for some great conditions.

The inverted V on the bow of the P&H Delphin is not just good for resurfacing after submarining when riding the waves back to the shore. It is also great for shedding a wave that dumps on the deck on the way out.

 This is the view from the water on the way out.

 Time to turn tail and catch some waves. Lean forward and PLF.

A quick stern rudder and outside edge to correct the inevitable broach...

 ...then back on line at...

 up to 19km/hr.

Then repeat...

 ...until...

 ...well and truly done.

I have been amazed by the versatility of the Delphin. It's obviously designed for this sort of thing but my wife and I have also been using it as a day boat to pootle out to the islands on a calm day for a picnic and a swim.

 I only managed 3km and I was knackered!

What a great day!