Monday, June 01, 2009

Kayak Caledonia progress report #5


Day 10, 31st May 39km


Tony, 20:20 "Great to be going east now. The surf is dying down. Had an amazing day, just on the edge of the sun all day. We paddled into Smoo Cave. The cliffs and birdlife on Whitten Head were fantastic, superb I did not know what to expect, it's absolutely stunning. We are now safely on Naeve Island, which is beautiful. We have not had any camp fires as we are too tired at the end of the day. The golden steadying liquid is going down well, if rather fast. We are getting along the coast well and all is fine"


Day 11, 1st June 29km

Tony 19:55 "We left our camp on Naeve island to find a force 4 easterly against us all the way. We had the tide with us so the wind against tide at Strathy Point was mental. We had hoped to go further but stopped at Melvich in quite a tired state. The local laird in The Bighouse took pity on us when he found us lying there and let us camp on his front lawn just behind the dunes! Just off to find some licenced premises to replenish essential fluids."

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Kayak Caledonia progress report #4, round the Cape!


Day 8, 29th May 49km

Tony: "Awesome day, sun, swell, dolphins, whales! Round Point Stoer passed Handa to Oldshore More."



Day 9, 30th May 37km


Tony 21:30: "Round the Cape (Wrath). It was huge. There was no possibility of landing at Sandwood Bay. The swell was 4-5m and the impact zone was like a cauldron. We decided to give the Cape a wide berth of about a mile. Once we turned eastwards the following swells were buttock clenching which was really just as well as we had not been able to stop for a break. A wild ride but now safe in Balnakeil Bay. "

Thursday, May 28, 2009

The lonely sea and the Skye


On Saturday which was the first day of the 9th Scottish Sea Kayaking Symposium on Skye, Jim Weir and I took of group of really nice folk out onto Loch Eishort on the north west of Skye's Sleat peninsula. At first the wind was a gusty force 4 southerly but the arrival of torrential rain soon killed the wind. The outline of Bla Bheinn, an outlier of the Cuillin ridge, can just be seen behind Nigel.


We launched at Ord and made our way east up the loch...


...past the delightful coral sands of Eilean Gaineamhach an Arda.


We were lucky enough to spot a pair of white tailed sea eagles. One of them had at least one faded orange or red wing tag.


The hills were running with torrents of water...


which poured over the beaches and into the loch.


I don't think anywhere does rain as well as Skye!

23/05/2009

Kayak Caledonia progress report #3


Day 7, 28th May 22km

Tony 12:33 "Left Isle Ristol this morning, rough round Rhubha Coigach, now at Stoer will round Point of Stoer at slack 3pm. Oldany Island is destination tonite. Aiming to round Cape Wrath on Saturday. Force4 and rain today."

Tony 13:50 " Tried to get out of Stoer Bay but wind has picked up to top of 5 and very lumpy turned back. If u get chance txt eve 4cast to see if there is chance later. Othrwse will sit tight."

Tony 20:05 " Glad we turned back, wind n waves just kept getting up. Camping on the site at Clachtoll. Just hitched into Lochinver to top up supplies, phones and fluid levels. Now walking back to Clachtoll. Will try to get round Point of Stoer and up to Kinlochbervie tomorrow pm."

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Kayak Caledonia progress report #2



Day 5, 26th May: 33km
Tony 16:31 "Made it round Rubha Reid, camped on isle of Ewe. Wild scary ride f5-6, 3m swells-but fun. Well knackered!"

Day 6, 27th May: 32km
Tony 18:32 "Arrived art Isle Ristol.Windy day big swell on Greenstone Point. Tomorrow aiming for Rhuba Coigach then Achmelvich."

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

9th Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium.


Organised by Gordon and Morag Brown, Duncan Winning and Ken Nichol and a myriad of supporters, the 9th Scottish Symposium was a great success. The range of activities was incredible and went ahead despite some pretty windy and wet weather. The event was also well supported by the trade, with a variety of stands and a huge demo fleet. Geoff and Anne from Kari-tek had even brought along a mobile shop!

The opportunity to test boats back to back is a great reason to visit a symposium. I spent an afternoon with my Nordkapp LV against the Sea Kayaking UK Pilgrim (Romany LV), Rockpool GT, P&H Cetus and Cetus LV. I edged them to the point of no return and did about 50 rolls. The wind was a gusty 5 to 6 offshore with flat water. I am 5'8" and 200lbs.

Sea Kayaking UK Pilgrim (Romany LV)
This is a small version of the classic Romany. It is designed for paddlers up to about 150lbs so I had to squeeze inh and I am really too big for it but I liked it straight away, it was so manoeuvrable. It had a nice low rear deck and the only sea kayak I have tried that was as easy to roll is the Anas Acuta. With my weight it did seem to have a limited top speed but it accelerated up to that very quickly. The finish on this boat was superb but I have to say that a demo Greenlander, one of my friends borrowed earlier this year, was not well finished round the cockpit and one of the compartments leaked. Despite much rolling, this one was dry as a bone. Smaller paddlers should definitely try a Pilgrim!

Rockpool GT
The finish on this boat was stunning, the work of a master craftsman. It is a bigger hull than the Alaw/Alaw Bach but not so large as the Menai 18. The usual Rockpool cockpit ergonomics were superb. As you might expect, it felt faster than the Alaws but slower than the Menai 18. It edged superbly but it didn't feel quite as responsive to turning as my daughter's Alaw Bach. However, as a boat to do it all, including having decent space for camping trips, it is pretty much unbeatable and a welcome addition to the Rockpool fleet.

P&H Cetus
Amazingly, I had not yet tried one! I like my trusty Quest too much! This is a big boat and the wide point is behind the paddler. However, it has a low foredeck and I was surprised how snug it was on the thighs, despite its size. The cockpit feels much smaller than the Quest LV but for most people that would just mean less padding. The stability on flat water was amazing, I think it will make a great platform for photography. You can hold it right on edge with none of the feeling of instability you get from a Quest at that angle. The Menai 18, which is also a big boat is equally stable on edge, so I was not too surprised about this. However, what did surprise me was how much the Cetus turned when on edge. Even in windy conditions I was nearly doing 360's with a sweep and single bow rudder. It is more manoeuvrable than the Quest and considerably more so than the Menai 18. Although the Cetus is very stable on edge, once you push it to the point of no return it goes very quickly. It rolls pretty well for a big boat but in comparison with the SKUK Pilgrim, it was a bit sluggish. In an afternoon of 50 or so rolls it was the only boat that I failed a roll in. Mind you I was getting tired and cold by that time!

I would need more time in controlled conditions to be sure, but I think its maximum sprint speed is faster than the Quest but slower than the Menai 18. In the strong wind it tracked very well and responsively to adjusting the skeg at various paddling angles to the wind. I am not sure if I like the new locking ratchet skeg adjuster. In the gusts I do not think it was as directionally stable as the Menai 18. The only waves were the ferry's wash but the v bottom of the Cetus did not seem to slam as much as the flat bottom of the Menai 18. The construction and finish on the Cetus was impeccable.

I was not expecting to like the Cetus as much as I did but it was so manoeuvrable that I wonder if it might make both a camping boat and a day boat. P&H have very kindly offered me a loan of one for a long term test and I look forward very much to that.

P&H Cetus LV
Everything I have said about the Cetus applies to the Cetus LV except that the LV is much smaller. I could hardly squeeze in. Despite its smaller size, I didn’t find the Cetus LV any more manoeuvrable than the Cetus. I think the Cetus LV is really for smaller paddlers who want a decent fit, rather than for big paddlers wanting more manoeuvrability. I noticed a very small paddler having a great time in this boat and he did not seem undully affected by the strong wind.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Kayak Caledonia progress report #1


Due to being at the 9th Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium in Skye, I have not yet posted the progress of my pals, Tony and Gavin's Kayak Caledonia expedition to raise funds for McMillan Cancer Releif and Childline.

Day 1, 22nd May: 17km.
Embarked from Morar, south of Mallaig at 18:30 in beautiful spring sunshine and light winds and made camp on Knoydart peninsula.

Day 2, 23rd May: 38km
Heavy rain, wind Force 4-5 S veering N. Spring tides. Tony and Gavin made their way up through the narrows separating Skye from the mainland. They passed the Sandaig islands before entering the tide races of Kyle Rhea and then Kyle Akin. They had a rough crossing in a head wind to the south of Applecross where they spent the night in a bothy.

Day 3, 24th May:0km
Heavy rain Force 6-7 SW. Stormbound day, second night in bothy.

Day 4, 25th May: 47km
Heavy rain clearing up. Force 3 S dropping during the day. Applecross, across Loch Torridon, round Redpoint and into Gareloch.

Follow the rest of Tony and Gavin's trip on their blog.