Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Bag, a deer.



Kinloch Castle on Rum was built as a shooting lodge. It is full of stuffed things that once flew, ran, crawled or swam.



Its shooting books record days of hunting. On September the third 1925, Sir George Bullough killed a 7 point stag weighing 14 stone and 4 lbs on Kilmory hill with a 0.303 inch rifle. He was assisted by his stalker MacLeod.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

In search of the monkey eating eagle of Rum.



The island of Rum is a rum old place. Most people associate it with the sea eagle but there are other eagles to be found on the island. On one of his trips on his yacht, SY Rhouma, George Bullough visited Japan and became friends with the Emperor. The Emperor gifted him this bronze monkey eating eagle with two matching incense burners, each topped by lesser eagles. George packed them away in a nook somewhere on Rhouma and brought them back to Kinloch Castle as souvenirs of his Far Eastern travels.



They now fight for attention with his other amazing collection of bric-a-brac and gegaws in the castle's Edwardian front room.

PS several people have emailed asking why I have stopped posting about weekend trips. Unfortunately since I spent some time working in the Children's Hospital in Pakistan I have been bothered by recurrent chest infections. I have not been out for three weekends now and I had to cancel a trip to Skye this weekend. So you will just need to put up with shots from the back catalogue for a little longer. :o)

Saturday, March 17, 2007

SY Rhouma



George Bullough, who built Kinloch Castle on Rum (or Rhum as he called it), also owned the Clyde built, 221 foot, twin deck, sailing yacht Rhouma. The name is supposed to be the feminine of Rhum. He sailed round the world in Rhouma. During a visit to Japan he became friendly with the Emperor.



He liked to fish for tarpon from the Rhouma and several adorn the walls of the corridors in the castle.



He gave the SY Rhouma to the British government to use as a hospital ship in the Boer War. He also paid for it to staffed by doctors and nurses. Her magnificent sixteen piece dining suite was removed to the castle. You can see the swivel points where the chairs were secured to Rhouma's deck but allowed diners to rotate the chairs for easy entry and exit.



The Rhouma's bell now sits silently on a table in the hall of the castle.

I thought sea kayaking was expensive....

Friday, March 16, 2007

Kinloch Castle, Rum


Kinloch Castle with a sea kayaker in front for scale.

Yesterday I posted an item about a red sandstone castle on Arran. Here is another one. It is Kinloch Castle on the Island of Rum in the Inner Hebrides. It is situated in a sheltered position under the Rum Cuillin at the head of Loch Scresort on the east coast of the island.


It is not an ancient Scottish castle but was built as an Edwardian shooting lodge by a wealthy Lancashire industrialist called George Bullough. There is no suitable sandstone for building on Rum so all the stone was imported from Annan in Dumfriesshire and brought here in small west coast puffers. It was completed in 1901 and was the first private building in Scotland to have elictric lighting. The electricity was supplied by a small hydro electric dam in the mountains behind.



You can camp near the Castle, but the gas powered midge eating machines can hardly cope with the particularly voracious breed of midge which is to be found in these parts. I therefore recommend staying in the hostel which is situated in the castle's servant quarters. No four posters for us plebians then!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Brodick Castle


Seakayaking past Brodick Castle.

On our recent seakayaking trip to Arran in the Firth of Clyde we paddled across Brodick Bay. This gave us a wonderful view of the Caledonian pine forest that hugs its northern shore and the castle grounds. Brodick Castle is built on a lofty position and its red sandstone walls rise in magnificently splendour amidst the red barked pines. It has a similar island and mountain situation to Kinloch Castle on Rum, which is also built from red sandstone. It was reputedly built from the same quarry on Arran as Brodick Castle however, its stones came from Dumfriesshire.



On a long summer’s day, the castle would have been an essential stop. It was built on a site that has been fortified since at least the fifth century. The original stone keep was built about 1266 but it has been extended and modified many times since then as it played an important part in the Wars of Independence first from the Vikings then from the English. It was extensively rebuilt in the nineteenth century as a shooting lodge.

It was in the Hamilton family’s hands for nearly five hundred years but following the marriage of the last male Hamilton’s daughter; it passed to the Montrose family in 1906. Their descendants bequeathed, it in lieu of death duties, to the National Trust for Scotland in 1958 and now any one can enjoy its buildings and gardens. Look out for the summer house which has an interior is covered with pine cones.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Dove Cave



Wigtown Bay on the Solway Firth not only has a rock arch it has several decent caves as well. This one is Dove Cave.



It does not look much from the outside, but even a Valley Aleut Sea II was dwarfed inside. I will post a review of this excellent double shortly.



The back of Dove Cave and yes there were resident rock doves.

Ravenshall Arch



Time for another arch. This one is Ravenshall Arch in Wigton Bay, Solway Firth. And yes, there were ravens about!

Monday, March 12, 2007

Signs of spring..



Our Canadian and American friends have been posting pictures of freezing and snowy conditions on their side of the Atlantic. Well, we do get snow over here too. This was exactly one year ago. The boat is a polyethylene Point 65 Crunch, a super-fast boat. I will post a review of it, which I did for Paddles mag, sometime soon.

As for today, there was no snow here in Glasgow, instead the plum blossom came out! Rather sadly I found the male blackbird, which has nested in the same place in our garden for the last 12 years, lying dead. He had started his dawn chorus about 3 weeks ago but I had not heard him for the last three days.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

A grey day on Floday!



Really getting into this grey business now!

The remote island of Floday lies at the mouth of Loch Roag on the north west coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. On a wet, grey day our sea kayaks slid into the lagoon on its southern shore. The subtle colours of these Lewisian gneiss boulders stood out from the greyness. These rocks were formed 3,000 million years ago. They seem to have faded quite slowly.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Stornoway Grey



Yesterday I sang the praises of the subtle shades of grey that make the landscape of the Outer Hebrides so appealing.

Quote "I loved the contrast of the dazzling white shell sand against the many greys of the rocks, hills, sea and sky. They say the Inuit have a hundred words for snow. Well, the Gaels have a hundred words for grey."

It would appear that one of them is not Stornoway grey, or rather Stornaway (sic) grey, which is a paint shade available on the new and well received LandRover Freelander2


Photo credit LandRover

Councillor Angus Nicolson, writing in his weblog, has been truly insulted and is concerned that the name, Stornoway grey, will give potential visitors the wrong impression of the islands.

Well, although I love the islands' greys, the light changes five minutes later and there is a blaze of colour, especially the machair in the summer.



I do not think Angus should be too concerned about Stornaway Grey Freelander2s cluttering the streets of Chelsea. However, can you imagine the glorious sight of 181 wind turbines, all finished in sparkling Stornoway grey?


Photo montage by Lewis Wind Farm


Map of proposed Lewis Wind Farm showing position of turbines. The M25 round London is overlaid at the same scale.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Castaway



From 1/1/2000 to 1/1/2001 the BBC ran a TV series, Castaway 2000, which followed the lives of 36 adults and children who were castawayed on Taransay off the west coast of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. As you might guess from this blog, I do not watch a great deal of television but I did watch this programme for the glimpses of wonderful Hebridean seascapes, skyscapes and landscapes.

Billy and I landed and camped there in July 2005. I loved the contrast of the dazzling white shell sand against the many greys of the rocks, hills, sea and sky. They say the Inuit have a hundred words for snow. Well, the Gaels have a hundred words for grey. We made two attempts to return in 2006.



In June 2006 we were on MV Dundarg but a force 7 prevented us getting near Taransay and we sought shelter behind Scarp further to the north.



We tried again in July 2006. You can just about make out Taransay through the mist.



Unfortunately there was a little shore break to negotiate and I have to report that we (fair weather paddlers) wimped out at this opportunity to display our kayaking prowess. It can be quite a challenge to become a castaway on Taransay.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

In search of a Stone Age Queen.



The north east tip of the lovely isle of Inchmarnock in the Firth of Clyde is a great bank of stones. At the end of the Neolithic Age and the start of the Bronze Age, some 4,000 years ago, the stones on this beach attracted a group of people who built a large cairn just above the shore.


Jennifer and Tony explore the cairn.

Their efforts were sustained by the fertility of Inchmarnock which at that time was covered with oak and hazel forests which were teeming with wildlife. Nearby an ancient deposit of hazel shells, three feet deep, has been uncovered. Beside the cairn these people buried the body of an important female member of their tribe.



She was buried with a magnificent jet necklace inside a grooved and rebated cist. The cairn and the cist were excavated by Dorothy Marshall in 1960. The skeleton became known as the "Queen of the Inch". Her necklace is now on display in the Bute Museum. It was originally thought to have been made from local lignite but it after being studied by the National Museums Scotland (using X ray fluorescence spectrometry) it has been discovered that it is composed of at least five older necklaces made from Whitby jet. This and the style of the cist suggest a link between the West of Scotland and Wessex (and in turn to Brittany).


Looking north west from the cairn to the mouth of Loch Fyne.

After being excavated and carbon dated the skeleton was returned to the cist in its original site and a glass lid was fitted. Which sea kayakers could resist exploring for such a find? Not us! Hamish Haswell-Smith in The Scottish Islands gives the position of the glass covered cist as 80m to the SSW of the cairn. We searched very carefully but could not find it. The stone slabs below were in about the right position.


Was this the site of the cist?

As you can see the ground is heavily trampled by a herd of organic highland cows. We wondered if the stone slabs might be over the cist to protect it or whether it had been removed and the slabs now marked its original position. I decided to write to the owner and his wife replied as follows:

"Dear Douglas

thank you very much indeed for your email. As you can see I am out of the country at the moment. I have a lot to tell you but if it can wait until my return to the UK I will give you a full brief. Everything is in safe hands and all will be explained."


Perhaps it will still be possible to see the Queen of the Inch in her glass covered cist.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Arduaine, gateway to the Isles



This sunset behind Scarba was taken from the pier at Arduaine (Ardoonie) in Argyll. The name means green point. This winter sunset was taken three years ago but in the summer, there is nothing more exciting than setting off from here as the sun is setting on a Friday night. Where will we end up? There are so many possibilities! Luing, Shuna, Seil, Kerrera, Mull, the Garvellachs, the Black Islands, Lunga, Scarba and Jura are all within a weekend's paddle and the waters to get to them include the tidal Cuan Sound, the Grey Dogs and the mighty Corryvreckan! You could embark from here 25 times and return having covered a new route each time. This variaty of possible routes is one of the reasons why I like sea kayaking on the west coast so much. This is not an A to B linear coastline!

For many years John Rintoul ran a campsite at Arduaine which was a favourite with sea kayakers. It closed before I took up sea kayaking but myself and friends used to camp here on the way north or south on motorbike touring holidays. Many years ago I watched three German kayakers carry their boats to the waters edge. There was a north east wind blowing and I was amazed when they each pulled a little rope and each kayak sprouted a mast and sail. They soon disappeared in the direction of Shuna.

The Arduaine pier was built to service the island of Shuna and we often leave cars on the broad approach to the pier overnight. There has never been any problem with this. However there are plans to build a new private house here. Its entrance will use the pier road. I do hope it will not restrict access to this valuable launching site which is our gateway to so many Isles..

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Rockpool Alaw and Alaw Bach test.


Rockpool Alaw Bach at Coldingham, Cailean.

This test is based on a test which first appeared in UK Paddles magazine in September 2005. I owned a Rockpool Alaw from April 2005 until February 2006 and have owned a Rockpool Alaw Bach since September 2005.


Alaw Bachs on the Solway, Richard and Kenny.

Introduction
Although “Rockpool Kayaks” are relatively new to the kayaking world, the boats are designed and built in Wales by two of the most respected people in UK sea kayaking - Aled Williams and Mike Webb. At first sight their kayaks stand out for two reasons: the originality of the design and the quality of construction and finish.


Alaw Bach with Alaw behind, on the Solway.

The Rockpool Alaw and Alaw Bach are designed as mid volume touring boats, to be fast, comfortable, manoeuvrable and seaworthy in rough water. The two designs share the same hull shape but have different deck and cockpit profiles. The Alaw is for larger paddlers, with longer legs or thicker thighs. It has a raised cockpit rim, which allows extremely comfortable, knees up, paddling position. This gives excellent control over edging (tilting the boat laterally to assist manoeuvrability and turning). The Alaw Bach has a more conventional, lower cockpit rim for smaller paddlers, but shares the same hull as the Alaw. The edge of the cockpit rim is rather sharp and I have now cut through two neoprene spray decks, at the front near the handle. Both Rockpools have relatively aggressive thigh braces and a choice of two seat widths is available.


Alaw Bach cockpit and thigh braces. Note optional skeg control.


Alaw in the MacCormaig Islands, Sound of Jura.


Emily disengages the Alaw's "skeg" and shortens waterline length by edging.

Both boats have chines or edges in the cockpit area. The flattish bottom gives good surfing performance; it also gives good primary and secondary stability and allows radical edging for manoeuvrability. At the bow the edges run out into a more rounded bow section, which carries its volume fairly far forward then finishes in a V section. This reduces nose-diving in following seas and pitching in head seas. The stern tapers into a thin skeg shaped keel. This increases waterline length for speed and tracking, but as it can come out of the water, with forward weight distribution and edging, it does not hinder manoeuvrability. The hull shape and snug cockpits mean these boats are designed to give excellent control of edging.


An Alaw's perfect moulding reflects the waves.


Alaw in the Inner Sound, Skye, Harvey.

The Alaw and Alaw Bach are designed primarily for experienced kayakers, to be used in rough water. However, due to their stability they are also good for novices in calm conditions.


Alaw Bachs in Loch Nevis, Mike.

My GPS shows I have now covered over 300km in the Alaw and Alaw Bach, from the Summer Isles in the North, to the Skye symposium, to Arisaig, to the Garvellachs area, to the Clyde and to the Solway further south. It has been loaded with gear for four nights camping and used unloaded. Paddled in flat water and confused water, from no wind up to force 6. (Since this test was written in late June 2005 I have covered a further 1700km in both Rockpools.)


Alaw Bach and Valley Skerray in the Sound of Jura, Jennifer and Billy.

Other testers’ weights ranged from 55 to 90kg and experience levels ranged from novices to 5 star and aspirant level 5 sea paddlers and coach.

Both kayaks were paddled alongside and compared with 2004 and 2005 P&H Quests, a 2004 P&H Sirius, a 2005 Valley Nordkapp Jubilee, a mid 1980’s Nordkapp HM, a Valley Avocet, and an older Valley composite Skerray, Since the test was published I have paddled both Alaw and Alaw Bach extensively alongside both the Valley Nordkapp LV and the P&H Quest LV

Construction and finish.


Glitter finish and trademark starfish.


Close up of glitter.

Both Rockpool kayaks have a better quality of finish than either the 2005 Quest or the 2005 Nordkapp Jubilee. This applied particularly to the hull moulding. In a low sun the Rockpool hulls had a ripple free finish. The Quest and Jubilee both had ripples across the hull where different sections of glass matting had been overlaid. Other details such as the gel coats on the Rockpool boats were outstanding. A glitter finish with a clear gel coat is available in the standard price. Without wanting to sound too sexist, I think this may well be the thing that attracts more women and girls into sea kayaking than anything else! In comparison, the 2005 Quest had a defect in the deck gel coat, which had been filled at the factory and the 2005 Jubilee deck looked dull and as if it had uneven pigment. The fittings on the Rockpool boats were accurately located. The seat in the 2005 Quest was mounted three centimetres too far forward on one side. In the Jubilee, one side of the seat was one centimetre further forward than the other. (Both P&H and Valley changed ownership in 2005 and since this test was written I have had the opportunity to paddle a number of 2006 P&H and Valley kayaks and their finish and outfitting has been faultless.) Unlike Valley and P&H boats, the Rockpool is not available with a compass recess.


Recessed deck fittings for deck lines.

The Rockpool deck lines are retained by flush plates bonded over the deck recesses with a high tech adhesive. This is a very nice original design, though as with any new solution, only time will prove reliability. (Since this test was first published, some of the original composite plates, which matched the deck colour, have come off. The cause was delamination of the composite plate rather than the adhesive failing. Current boats have a plastic plate and as far as I have heard, none have failed.) Although the deck lines appear the same as P&H and Valley lines, they stretch more when wet. The deck elastics that retain paddle shafts are adjustable with a plastic clamp that slides over a generous loop of elastic. In contrast the tiny piece of elastic on a Valley Nordkapp LV was cut so short that it had insufficient stretch to accommodate a paddle shaft!


Deck elastics with adjuster, deck line fittings and heavy duty KayakSport rubber hatch cover. This boat has been fitted with an aftermarket Kari-Tek Hydro Skeg.


Adjustable foot plate and rack. Note the Rule 500 gallons/hour electric pump which I have fitted to my own Alaw Bach.


The combination of seat, thigh grips and footplate in the Alaw must make this THE most ergonomic cockpit!

The Rockpools have an adjustable footplate. This is anatomically angled for the most comfortable ankle position and is cut away at the heels to allow stretching of the legs. It is very easy to adjust, works faultlessly and more boats should have one. It was superior to the Yakima style peg footrests fitted by P&H and Valley.


An Alaw fitted with the wide seatpan.

The seat has the lowest fitting I have seen in any kayak, this gives a low centre of gravity, which aids stability. I wish more kayak seats were like this. The seat is available in two widths and has neoprene pockets at the sides into which foam shims can be placed to quickly customise the fit for different paddlers. One of the foam pockets on the test Alaw became unstuck but was easily refitted with contact adhesive. The seat is mounted far forward in the cockpit with a lot of dead space behind it. It makes it easy to layback but I wonder if it would not have been better to minimise the cockpit volume by making it end just behind the seat.


Jennifer takes a rest on the Alaw's aft deck.

(Since the test was published Rockpool now supply the seat on two aluminium slider bars. Holes drilled in these locate on the two bolts which also secure the footrest adjustment bars. This allows the seat to be moved forward and back. I have found moving the seat to near the back of its adjustment gives me the best level trim, without sinking the tail. ) The bolts for the seat/footrest adjustment bars are moulded into the hull with no holes drilled through the hull as in P&H and Valley boats. However, I know one owner whose bolt became detached. It was promptly fixed by Rockpool.

The backrest is a simple affair, supported by a lot of thin elastic cord. It provides perfect back support and encourages a forward stance. It tends to fold under your bum when doing re-entry rolls and the cord was showing serious signs of wear after a few months. As it is threaded through the seat back, it did not look easy to replace. In comparison, both the new style high back (plastic seat) and traditional low back Quest (GRP seat) seat backs are less comfortable, and the high back severely restricts wet re-entries. The Quest seat back is not supported by elastics, but by a tab that fits in a slot in the seat base. These have broken off on several Quests fitted with the GRP seat. The Valley seat back was substantial, comfortable and had no signs of wear.

The hatch covers are the new lightweight, floating KayakSport design with plastic centres. They were easy to fit and remove and all three compartments on both boats remained totally dry, even after extensive “wet work”. The 2005 Quest had the heavier KayakSport all rubber covers, which proved easy to use. The Jubilee had heavy VCP covers, which were extremely awkward to fit properly, even with warm hands. Both the Quest and Jubilee had a small dribble of water in the rear compartments, possibly from where the skeg wire enters the box. The Rockpool boats have round hatch covers front and rear, which makes loading large items awkward. We had to remove the poles from a tent bag. However, the stern compartments are surprisingly commodious due to the lack of skeg boxes. As expedition boats, the Jubilee has oval front and rear hatches and the Quest has an oval rear hatch, which makes loading bulky items much easier. Until late 2006, bulkheads were cut from GRP sheet then laminated into place with GRP. Unlike P&H there is no small air hole drilled in the bulkhead. Several owners of dark coloured boats have lost their hatch covers when the boats have been on car roof racks on sunny days and air inside the compartment has expanded. (From 2006 Rockpool supply heavy rubber fore and rear hatch covers but the lightweight one is still supplied for the day hatch.)

As the Alaw and the Alaw Bach are mid size boats, targeted at day trips (and the Alaw Bach is recommended for small to mid size paddlers), I expected them to be light. However, although the quoted weight is 22kg, the dry weight of the Alaw was 26.5kg and that of the Alaw Bach was 26.0kg. Both were measured on Salter medical scales. In comparison, a Quest with Kevlar keel strip, compass, towing hardware, built in electric bilge pulp and lead acid battery was only slightly heavier at 28.5kg. So if you are having difficulty lifting boats onto a roof rack, check that you can lift a Rockpool boat as part of your demo. Rockpool do not fit exterior keel strips but if you examine the hull in strong sunlight you can see extra internal reinforcement along the keel line. If you press the hull of a P&H or Valley boat in the cockpit area the hull flexes considerably. This does not happen in a Rockpool. (From October 2006 Rockpool are fitting their new lightweight plastic bulkheads. These are dished at the edges and have a layer of foam between the edge and the hull and deck. On the cockpit side, there is an additional Sikaflex seal. These bulkheads cut 0.75kg weight and should also solve the problem of gel coat crazing which can affect many older boats (from all manufacturers) with traditional bulkheads.)


Alaw Bach demonstrating robust construction in the Cuan Sound, Richard.

Performance.


Alaw Bach in the Cuan Sound, Kenny.

Given their identical hull shapes, the majority of comments relate equally to both the Alaw and Alaw Bach,. The Alaw’s paddling position is superb, giving all day comfort, but maintaining positive control for edging and balance. If you look at the shading on the bow photographs, you will see that the Rockpools carry their volume well forward. This is good for paddling into short steep waves and unlike the Quest (which has a very fine bow) it does not dip its bow. However, unlike an unladen Nordkapp Jubilee, it does not throw its bow high in these conditions. A highlight of its performance was in a spring ebb tide against a force 5 wind with standing waves in a Solway tidal channel. Fantastic stuff! It picks up following waves more easily than any other boat I have paddled. It can be steered on a wave by using edging or stern rudder strokes. It is less likely to broach or nose dive than a Quest or Nordkapp/ Nordkapp LV. However, at the limit of my ability in the surf, I ultimately found the round hull of the Nordkapp LV more forgiving. On several occasions I caught an edge in the Rockpool and capsized. Paddlers crossing into sea kayaks from river boats designs with edges should not find this a problem. I also found the Nordkapp LV easier to straighten up from a broached position as the surf reformed when it approached the shore after crossing a bar.


Alaw Bach at Coldingham, Cailean.

Edging shortens waterline length and disengages the skeg part of the keel. This increases manoeuvrability. It was more responsive to steering by edging than the Nordkapp Jubilee and the Sirius and much more so than the Quest. Unlike the Quest, which is unstable when edged enough to turn, the Alaw (also Alaw Bach) remains stable while edging. Recent converts from white-water paddling felt right at home in these boats. At the other end of the scale, several beginners also liked the boat. Indeed, learning to steer by edging is so easy that it gives novices a real sense of achievement in their first days of paddling. They also appreciated its primary stability as I did, for photography. I could take good photos from the Alaw (also Alaw Bach) but as it slowed, it tended to veer to one side due to lack of a skeg.

At first I thought the narrow extension at the stern was designed to be a skeg to control weather cocking, but at rest, when not loaded with camping gear, it barely sits in the water. As you build up speed the boat squats back and it engages slightly in the water, not enough to act as a skeg but enough to increase the waterline length for good boat speed.

On a windless day at slack water, the following boats’ maximum sprint speeds were measured using a Garmin GPSmap76cs (with WAAS/EGNOS enabled giving 2m accuracy: Alaw Bach: 10.1km/hr, Quest LV: 10.6km/hr, Quest: 10.6km/hr, Nordkapp RM 9.9km/hr, Nordkapp LV: 11.5km/hr.

All sea boats roll well, but the Rockpools and Nordkapp LV rolled more easily and quickly than either a Nordkapp Jubilee or a Quest. With its low rear cockpit rim, the Alaw Bach particularly lends itself to back deck rolls. After a re-entry roll, surprisingly little water enters the Rockpool cockpit but several Rockpool owners have further reduced cockpit volume by putting airbags in front of the footplate and either an airbag or minicell foam block in the space behind the seat. A flooded Rockpool is more difficult to paddle than a flooded Quest after a self rescue. The Alaw Bach is slightly more difficult to wet exit than the others if you have bulky thighs but a re-entry roll is easier due to the firm fit in the cockpit.

Although primarily a day boat design, both Rockpools continue to perform well when loaded for camping trips. The feeling of stability on rough water when loaded is very reassuring. Due to the shape and rocker of the bow, a loaded Rockpool is more difficult for a rescuer to turn upside down to drain in a T rescue than a Nordkapp LV. 85kg+ paddlers do not have a great deal of free board when fully loaded so they need to have a well fitting spraydeck. Several lighter paddlers felt the tendency to weathercock was less when loaded.


Alaw, Alaw Bach and Nordkapp LV on camping trip to Gigha.


Performance in difficult conditions.
The Rockpool Alaw Bach is a great rough water play boat and in that role does not need a skeg. However, if you are using it on longer crossings, with the wind from the rear quarter, then it does weather cock. A skilled paddler will compensate by edging, using intermittent stern rudder strokes and sliding the paddle shaft to the upwind side for more leverage. Up to force 3-4 you can control it by edging but after seven km or so this gets rather tiring, especially if you have bad joints like me. As most of the built in "skeg" remains above the water, its windage may contribute to this performance characteristic. At the top end of force 4 into force 5 it sometimes responds to edging the wrong way. I did not notice weather cocking in rough water.


Rockpool optional skeg was introduced in late 2006.

Rockpool now offer a small skeg as an option and Kari-tek can supply and fit their Hydro Skeg as an aftermarket fitment. The Hydro Skeg has transformed the Alaw Bach for my wife (who paddles it most) but I also benefit from it. The Rockpool can be trimmed to paddle straight using varying amounts of skeg, regardless of wind strength or direction. I have never had to use the standard Hydro Skeg in the fully down position in the Rockpool.


Kari-Tek's Hydro Skeg in fully down position. I have never had to use the Hydro Skeg in this position in the Alaw Bach.


This is as much of the Hydro Skeg you ever need to use on a Rockpool.

In force 6 winds and above both Rockpools have a tendency to lee cock and like some other boats (eg the Point 65 XP) may be easier to turn by pointing the bow downwind rather than bringing the bow round through the wind. At the mouths of Scottish sea lochs you get steep waves on an ebb tide against the wind. Paddling into wind and waves in these conditions the bows of the Rockpool and the Valley Nordkapp Jubilee tended to throw up high and get blown downwind. The Nordkapp LV does this to a much lesser extent and the Quest tends to keep its bow low in waves, often dipping into them. It seems to be less affected by lee cocking in these conditions than the other boats.

The Rockpools are outstanding boats on moving water in tidal channels, races and overfalls. As long as you lift your upstream edge when leaving an eddy and entering a tidal flow, this boat will look after you. It gives a very secure feeling in overfalls when those nasty pyramids of water leap up at you, with little warning.


Alaw Bach in a 23km/hr race, Kenny.


Alaw Bach in the Corryvreckan at slack water, Mike. This did not last long!

The clincher!
On a recent paddle back from the west coast of Scarba, through the Grey Dogs, in a force 6 north easterly, the gusts were more than 30mph. The water conditions were confused. The west flowing flood, jetting out of the Grey Dogs, was against us along the north of Scarba. It was steepening up the Atlantic swells, which were coming from behind. The wind blown chop was coming from the port fore quarter and the clapotis was coming at us from every angle to starboard. I have never been in a boat that handled such difficult conditions as well as the Alaw. I put a lot of this down to the superb ergonomic positioning of the seat, the footplate and the very positive grip of the thigh braces. After the test I bought an Alaw, not to replace my Quest expedition boat but to compliment it. Lots of river paddlers have more than one boat. Will this also become a trend for sea paddlers?

The Alaw Bach.


Alaw Bach in the Solway, Douglas.

The hull shape is the same as the Alaw, but with a more conventional cockpit arrangement. I found the lower cockpit a bit snug for my large diameter thighs but it gave a very secure paddling position While I managed whole day paddles in the Alaw with absolutely no discomfort, I found I was getting a bit stiff after a half day in the Alaw Bach. I did have to consciously “wet exit” by doing one leg at a time. I found it even easier to do a re-entry roll than in the Alaw. It was like having the security of an ocean cockpit in a Nordkapp HM but was much easier to get in and out of. Rockpool recommend the Alaw for paddlers above 5’8” and the Alaw Bach for paddlers below that height. However, two paddlers both taller (but thinner than myself), preferred the Bach to the Alaw, so it would be wise to try both. In other respects, performance was identical to the Alaw. My wife also tried it and found the cockpit just perfect for her. For the first time, she managed to steer by edging. The Alaw Bach has a lowered cockpit rim, at the rear, it is recessed into the deck moulding and on some boats there is very little space to fit a heavy duty neoprene spray deck. Mike Webb is aware of this and current boats have more space but it is something to watch out for if buying a second hand boat.

Dimensions.
As measured rather than quoted: Length 518cm, breadth 53.5cm, cockpit 82.5cm x 36.5cm, height of cockpit front Alaw 36cm Alaw Bach 31cm, weight standard construction Alaw 26.5kg, Alaw Bach 26.0kg.


Hull plan shapes.

Conclusions.
The Rockpool Alaw and Alaw Bach are truly outstanding day boats for intermediate and advanced paddlers who are looking for manoeuvrability and control in testing conditions. Though not primarily expedition boats, they can also be used loaded for multi-day trips. They are also suited for beginners to intermediates who will appreciate their manoeuvrability and stability but they may wish to consider ordering one with a skeg. These must be just about the easiest boats in which to learn about edge control. I cannot think of a better boat to be out in rough water conditions. The build quality is unsurpassed and although the standard lay-up is quite heavy, it has proven to be robust.

Postscript.
I bought an Alaw after this test to use for myself as a rough water day boat and for my wife to use as a day boat. Unfortunately the high cockpit of the Alaw which I liked did not really suit my wife and so I bought an Alaw Bach which has proved ideal for her. The Alaw Bach is just a bit neat for my thighs and I get cramp after a half day paddle. I have since bought a Valley Nordkapp LV as my own day boat. Although it is a superb performer and has just enough space for my thighs (after I lowered its seat), its cockpit ergonomics are inferior to the Rockpool.

At the beginning of 2007 Aled Williams and Mike Webb announced they were going their separate ways. Aled has created In-Uit Kayaks to concentrate on new designs. Mike will continue to manufacture the Alaw and Alaw Bach. I wish them both well.