Why bother with shipping channels!!!!

Leaving Kinghorn

A couple of weeks back, we decided to organise an evening island paddle - sounds nice and romantic!
We met up with Niall and Aline at the boat shed before heading down to Pettycur Bay to launch. It was getting on in time as after Aline had double checked she had everything, announced in the carpark that the spraydeck she thought she had was sitting in her living room at home! After a frantic few calls to whoever we could think of in the area that would have a deck we could use, it was our Number 3 son who came to the rescue - they do come in useful sometimes- by that I mean Sons, spraydecks are always useful!

Aline

Niall and Aline

We set off for what always looks like a short distance over to Inchkeith. Aline was having a bit of a wobbly day and about half way across "jumped" in for a swim! We got her back in, but she wasn't desperately happy. We were nearly at the island when Hubby dear suggested we head back to Kinghorn as it was getting a bit late. We had hoped to get a quick breather on the beach first, but after a quick look, discovered that the area was covered in young Grey seal pups, so that was out of the question.

Niall, glad to be back on the water!

Aline was still not her usual happy self, so we put her on a tow with me keeping her going with my usual constant nattering. After a bit with her still on tow, over she went again. I got her back in, tried to comfort her by explaining what a pants time I had up on Skye and that we are all here just between swims!

Hubbydear heading for Inchkeith

As we were paddling along, we were keeping an eye on a container ship heading out from under the bridges. We were still on the island side of the red marker as this boat was coming closer. We headed straight for the red marker, reckoning this would be about our safest area. The boat was going well outside of the shipping channel, travelling between the marker and the island - just where Aline had been having swim 2. This massive ship with a full load of containers wouldn't even have had the decency to go bump had it hit us! We have been out to Inchkeith three times now. Twice this has happened while out on the water and happened again whilst we were watching from the safety of dry land. Why bother having a shipping lane marked off if it's going to be ignored. I always feel a quick shipping channel crossing is essential, but in this case, having a daunder in this particular channel would have been OK, whereas outside the channel should be our "safe" area - not this time!

Getting back to Kinghorn, I'm glad to say Aline hasn't been put off paddling, instead is more determined to get her support strokes worked on.

Thunderbirds are go!

Leaving Kinghorn

A wee Inchkeith in the background

Tracy Island (not)

In all our trips out on the Forth, we had never got out to Inchkeith. Hubby dear coming from Kinghorn has spent the last 50 years looking at Inchkeith. I'm from the next town along and always thought (as did No. 1,2 and 3 sons) that it looked like Tracy Island from the Thunderbirds. So on Saturday evening at the last moment we decided that would be our trip for the next day. The weather said there was little wind, cloudy then sunny - perfect. Next morning we looked outside to see just about everything had vanished, the fog was like pea soup! Our next task was to contact our local forecaster, the mother-in-law who still stays in Kinghorn. She could just make out the island, the trip was still on. We didn't rush too much and by the time we arrived at Kinghorn harbour the tide was out and the fog had turned into a nice haze. We leapt (as you do with boats) over the wall and launched down a loading slip. This area isn't here when the tide is in. We started out towards the island watching for big boat movements. There were a number anchored further out, but not going anywhere.

Helloooo

You're being followed

We got across the shipping channel and were greeted by some very friendly playful seals. They followed us for quite a distance before one decided it would swim along between our two boats. When we stopped for a bit, it was still with us, bobbing around Hubby dear's boat. At one point, it came up and Hubby dear was almost able to tickle it under the chin. It then followed right round to the Island landing. Inchkeith may look like Tracy Island for afar, but up close, my illusions were shattered. Although a very interesting  island, also a very rubbish strewn island. There are lots of old war buildings, but everything bar the lighthouse has been left to rot away.

At last, a lighthouse to match your wellies

The only cave we found

What was interesting was seeing the shipping channel from so high up and also seeing the line the ferry to Brugge took using the island and red marker as their points, way out of the shipping channel and right where we were watching the seals playing not that long ago! Had we still been there we would have been well flattened! Back in the boats, we carried on round to the east where we saw the pilot boat going out to one of the ships sitting further out in the Forth. Remembering the line the ferry took, we weren't in much of a hurry to be anywhere near this monster that was about to come up the river, however, the pilot did thankfully stick to the channel this time.

Tough paddling conditions

Back in Kinghorn

It was an absolutely lovely day, with lots of folks enjoying the sun by the time we turned into Kinghorn harbour. The temp in the car even read 10 Celsius, it could have been summer!