Damsel in distress?

 

We were recently lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work with the crew from Kinghorn Lifeboat on an evening exercise.

Young Trevor as a Thespian in training?

 

Getting acting reviews?

 We ended up working on radio protocol, getting feedback on our kit , how clearly they could see us in the dimming light and different ways they could rescue us and hopefully our boats as well.

Young Trevor tried to steal the show by fairly hamming up his "injuries" worthy of an Oscar!

Do I look suitably distressed?

Getting back in with the second crew

Phil getting "rescued"

Easy Easdale? I don't think so!

Rainbow over Mull

 We set off with a mad dash up the road in order to get to the Oyster Bar in Ellenabeich before we were too late for supper. Andy, Alan and Moira were already there, with Alice and Ansgar arriving just behind us.

Setting off for our night paddle!

Good food and a great natter was the start to the weekend, it was now time for our night time, open crossing all the way over to Easedale. We set off in the pitch dark and headed for a light ( thought it was possibly the light from the pub drawing us in), a bit closer to the island and after Alice had managed to bump into the only thing between the 2 patches of land, a big buoy, we found out the light was Alan blinding us with a big torch.

Safely ashore, we set off for Andy's to stay the night.

 

 

Hubby dear collecting juicy Brambles

Next morning the weather was mingin', it was blowing a hooley!

We opted for a wee walk up the hill on Easdale to have a better look. As we looked at all the whitehorses, it was decided if we could get over to Cuan Sound, we'd then get a bit of shelter. After a bit more humming and hawing, the sudden gust that nearly blew us off the top of the hill decided for us, that another cup of coffee was needed before we made any rash decisions like going out paddling!

Back down at Andy's, after watching a yacht struggle to get from Easdale down to Cuan, we thought we could do a shuttle down to Cuan and launch from there. Decision made, we set about loading the boats to get back over to the other side to where the cars were. Once in our boats, we reckoned we were just as well keeking round the corner to see how it was. It had calmed down a bit, so we decided just to head down and through Cuan Sound. The waves were fairly big, but really more swell than breakers.

 

Ansgar catching a lift in Andy's back hatch!

 

We stopped for a bite of lunch in the shelter of Ardinamir Bay before we headed down between Luing and Shuna. Another quick stop before battling into the wind again and across to Scarba, where yet another wee stretch of the legs was required.

Down by Luing

Crossing to Scarba

Sssstrettttccchhhhh!!!!

Next we headed north and past the opening of the Grey Dogs, not somewhere to get sucked into, it was boiling mad! We carried on up the side of Lunga and on towards Belnahua with it's crazy currents. Just as we were a few meters from landing, I realised I was paddling like blazes and still going backwards! I wasn't quite sure where I would end up or whether I would just paddle right round the island and come in from the other side, somehow I don't think it would be that easy. A last minute burst of energy gave me the oomph to cross the current and safely land.

Grey Dogs from a distance

Heading to Belnahua

Once there, tents up, we went off for a wee chat with the owners of the island who were busy working on one of the houses. They were quite happy with us taking bushes from the pile they had accumulated for our fire, really friendly folks. At least the breeze was keeping the midges at bay!

Next morning, Alan and Moira decided to head back home whilst the rest of us set off for the Garvellachs. We paddled down the outside of the chain as we hadn't managed the year before due to bumpy waters.

Hubby dear with a Mull behind

2 posers!

Bubble baths

The way through

Ansgar on the other side

Me, made it!

We cut through the rocks at the bottom of the chain, where the water was fairly lumpy once again. We rounded the corner and were back in the shelter of the bay below the monastery.

After lunch, we set back off with a gentle swell pushing us back towards the Grey Dogs, but not before we spotted a couple of dolphins. Thankfully the Grey Dogs were in a better mood today, more like little puppies!

Approaching the Grey Dogs again

Once again we headed back up the side of Lunga, deciding to have a wee visit to Fladda.

 When we arrived, there was another small group of kayakers there. We had a wee wander around and met and had a nice chat with a young gentleman, who, it seems was staying on the island doing a bit of work. We were enjoying a seat in the sunshine and another blether, when the gentleman's brother appeared (not the owner of the island), asking us quite brusquely to leave the island. There were no signs to say anywhere was private, we hadn't even realise anyone actually stayed on the island until we spoke to the first brother. We explained we were just having a rest before heading on and wouldn't be long. Off he went to tell the other group to move, coming back to us to ask why we were still there!

Belnahua

 We were only a few hundred meters from where we had started out that morning. On Belnahua, the reception was completely different, very friendly and chatty, unlike the nasty, unreasonable bloke on Fladda!

Heading back to Easdale

A fairly speedy paddle / surf back up to Easdale finished off yet another excellent weekends paddling, with as usual, great company and a great laugh as well!

A huge thanks to Andy once again.

Lots of women and a handful of blokes!

Way back in August, I headed over to Bute for the Women's Sea Kayak Paddling Festival. Lots of women, lots of kayaks, lots of paddling and a handful of blokes (the Man Creche!)

Sweetie Time

Saturday morning saw lots of kayaks being put on lots of cars by the handful of blokes before heading off for our trips for the day. Our trip was for "A Challenging Day Paddle".  Marion, Alice, Anna, Julie and I set off from  Kilchatten Bay with Justine leading us over to Little Cumbrae , stopping on the way for our compulsory sweetie stop!

Millport

According to the map, the icecream shop should be here!

The whole point of paddling!

So far the trip isn't proving to be too challenging, that is until we reached Millport on Great Cumbrae, where we had to choose our flavour of ice cream, any flavour with the exception of Irn Bru was loverly. After lunch, we were planning on heading up the side of Great Cumbrae, however the wind had picked up considerably, so Justine decided to head back a bit sooner. There were times Kilchatten Bay never seemed to be getting closer. Just as it was, 2 porpoises appeared swimming between the boats. The trip did eventually turn into "A Challenging Day Paddle" after all.

Stuck in the wrong direction

Afterwards a lovely meal supplied by Ettrick Bay Tea room was quickly scoffed before heading round to the big tent to be given a talk by Justine on her recent trip (she only returned the previous Tuesday)along the Aleutian Islands.

Ettrick Bay

Esther limbering up!

 

Next day our choice was "Loving The Wet Stuff". Boats were unloaded, reloaded, humphed across beaches by the handful of blokes. Off everyone went in their various directions to their various choice of activities. Loving the wet stuff was being run by Lesley . We started off by getting in, out and round about our boats, getting used to balancing. We were working up to having a try at Greenland rolls. Lesley then gave us a wonderful demo of what we could aspire to with lots of work and yoga to keep flexible.

Lesley making it look very elegant

Bathtime!

Kit rinsing

Whilst all our paddling was going on, the handful of blokes were allowed time off to do their own bit of paddling - just not with us!

Blokes challenging day paddle

Next day the wind had really picked up. Everyone was going to have challenging paddling whether they liked it or not! We headed over to Port Bannatyne to have a session on turning in the wind - well, we certainly had the wind!

Wind? What wind?

 It was a great weekend, learnt lots and made lots of new friends.