5* conditions - not!

Some folks will park anywhere!

Iain on his private island. That red buoy is his camera float!

A nice wee jaunt out in our usual spot last weekend. In at North Queensferry, up to the new bridge, well the bit of island that has been created for the bridge legs. A nice paddle down under the road bridge, then under the Forth bridge to Inchgarvie.

Huey, Dewey & Louie

Me under the bridge

Iain and Niall

Little boat, big boat, massive bridge.

 It was then a long paddle down to Inchmickery. Then it was an even longer paddle for Hubby dear who towed Iain and Niall all the way over to Oxcars lighthouse. His face matched his red boat beautifully by the time he got there. This was in preparation for his 5* sea assessment next week. As you can probably see, it was hardly 5* conditions.

Inchmickery

Has the radio active particles at Dalgety Bay affected the wildlife

Oxcars

 We then cut round by Car Craig and over to Hawkesmuir, where it was time for a bit of rolling, self rescue practise. The sun may have shone brightly, but the water was still bitterly cold. After that, we headed back into Silver Sands Bay for some very welcome hot soup.

Self rescues

Loch Rannoch

Bumpy waters

Hubby dear and I have just had our annual week up at Loch Rannoch. First day up there, we decided to go for a quick paddle down on the loch. From high up in our room we could see the water was rough. The wind was blowing hard, but it was just a quick jaunt we wanted, a bit of fresh air. Once down on the loch, the rough water was even rougher! Once in our boats, we paddled hard for about 20 mins and had managed to travel the grand distance of approximately 100yards. We couldn't even get much distance to play on the waves, so we about turned, headed back in and had a trip into Aberfeldy instead.

Same water, different day!

Our twisty river

Later in the week, we had a wee trip up to Loch Eigheach, next to Rannoch station. We followed a small river up the side of the loch, twisting and turning round increasingly tight corners, til we ended up in a forest opening for lunch. We decided to call a halt here as we were practically doing a three point turn trying to manoeuvre round the bends.
Each morning we would waken up to see Schiehallion , more often than not sitting with a large cloud on the top and also getting seriously buffeted with the wind. On our last day, the mountain was clear and the wind had died down, so a walk to the top was the days exercise. Just after we started, we spotted a couple of large birds, which after we'd enlarged the photos, discovered they were Red Kites. The tags on their wings showed they had been tagged near Stirling and were now 10 years old.
 The week before, Schiehallion was covered in thick snow, but was now almost completely cleared apart from a very small patch of snow large enough to make snow angels on. By the time we got to the top, the cloud had come down again. The view we got was non existent. On our way back down we watched a young Golden eagle being chased by a couple of Buzzards.
I'm already looking forward to next year.
On the Saturday, we eventually got a little bit of long awaited surf up at St Andrews to try out the surf kayaks. We've now at last decided which boats we want. Now to pray for a few more wavy days to play with them.

A day of firsts and hopefully a last.

Heather at Leven

Sunday morning started out in it's usual beautiful freezing cold way. We arrived at Leven to paddle round to St Monance. This was Heather's first sea trip having done a fair bit of paddling in sea kayaks on the loch in some pretty bumpy conditions. The "boys" headed off in the cars to St Monance for the shuttle, whilst Heather and I carted the boats down the beach. When you're the ones left to look after the kit, shuttles always seem to take forever and while waiting for the others to return, we had to haul the boats back up the beach a couple of times.

Passing Silverburn

STILL in Largo bay

 We eventually got out on the water, which was up until now lovely, flat calm. We headed round Largo Bay which seems a never ending one. The wind and the waves were by now picking up with some of the waves hitting us sideways on. This should have told me to stop daydreaming and pay attention, but I had plenty on my mind. What happened next is still a mystery to me (and everyone who was with me). One minute I was upright, away in a wee world of my own, the next I was sharing the wee world of the fishes. My attempt at a roll can only be described as pants! In all my years sea kayaking, other than rescue sessions and surfing, this was only my 3rd swim (rivers are a different story completely), but I still managed to beat myself up about it the rest of the day.

Shell bay

Definate yellow glow here

We paddled on round to Shell bay for a stretch of the legs before carrying on past the Chain walk caves for a bit of a play, then arriving at Earlsferry for lunch. On our way, I spotted a bottle which Hubby dear hauled out. Inside there was a rolled up bit of paper which I thought might just say "bring more beer". We did spread it out later to find a map of "Treasure Island " showing where Pirate city is and a cross presumably marking where the treasure is buried. Another piece of paper listed what we would need to bring with us, including a bottle of rum, parret (optional), shirt (no button) and a bunch of you maties.

X marks the treasure

List of requirements

While having lunch, there was a call over the radios from a RIB supporting divers. Their "starter string" had burst, so they were stranded and couldn't get to the divers who were now in a bit of a current. It was really interesting to see and hear the rescue taking place and certainly makes you appreciate the coastguard with lifeboat crews involved from Kinghorn, Anstruther and Leven.

Arriving at St Monance

Back home, tired after our paddle, I was running a hot bath, chatting to No 3 son when the radio crackled into life. No 3 son thought it was a bit much getting a coastguard weather report for a bath. Hubby dear had forgotten to switch the radio off!

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!




Time for the Tay

It seems ages since I was last out in a boat. Things such as work and flu has kept me off the water, that and going away for Hubby dear's 50th birthday.

Sea kayaker, river kayaker

Surf kayaker



Old kayaker

We did get out for a very quick stint with two surf kayaks we've been trying. When I say very quick, there really were no waves, so it wasn't much fun.

Iain in his crumbly tower

Ken nabbing Iain's boat

So last weekend, we decided a wee jaunt up to the Tay would be in order. We've paddled the Tay further up with river boats plenty of times, but considering the Tay borders Fife to the north, we don't really paddle this area very much, not sure why not, possibly because we have good paddling on the Forth.

Iain's next climbing tower?

Ken, Iain and Niall heading for Dundee

Iain under the road bridge

Niall eyeing up the Discovery

We carried on over to Broughty Ferry, then up the coast to Dundee. After passing underneath the road bridge, we passed the Discovery, but it was blocked in so couldn't pinch it to take it for a wee spin. We then arrived at the rail bridge where we crossed back over to Fife. It was pleasant having a cheery bit of banter with the workmen on the bridge, who I think were a bit surprised to see us, unlike when we were near the Forth rail bridge a couple of years back, where we got chased by an extremely fast boat keeping everyone from stopping underneath.

Ken under the rail bridge

Iain keeping his distance (he really didn't smell of bird poo!)

Back in Fife, it was definitely lunch time (tummy rumbles told me this), although it was a quick stop as the day was still really cold. After lunch, we sped back down with the tide and slight breeze behind us helping us along.

It was great being up on the Tay, I've no doubt we'll be up there more often.

New Year's Day, not quite the paddle we aimed for

Our New Year's Day paddle is another day which is becoming a tradition. Usually a nice wee paddle across and round to Inchcolm for a spot of lunch, then back to Silver Sands. This year we were planning on doing the usual, but the forecast said a breezy force 6 to gale force 8 and with us having a couple of very flat water paddlers with us, we decided to have a wee loch trip instead. This was possibly just as well as Hubby-dear was suffering from man-flu. Being the wee trouper he is, he still wanted to come out for a paddle, probably so he didn't feel as though he was missing out on anything. We got him filled with paracetamol and chocolate. He's decided chocolate is good for a cold. He obviously doesn't listen to me. I've been saying for years that chocolate is good for anything including a cold.

Grabbing a bit of shelter

The sun did still manage to make an appearance

Kevin, Sarah T, Heather, Hubby-dear and my good self met up at Lochore where it was still a bit refreshingly breezy. We headed up the side of the loch, then up the other side of the island hoping for a bit of shelter, then up to the river. We've been up here before with playboats when the water wasn't so high and we could limbo under the bridge, however the water was too high to do that today so we had a short portage here. The good thing about the higher water was there is a small weir and we could paddle straight up it without scratching our bottoms! Once we fought past a few overgrown branches, (very few boats go up here) we were into another small loch, part of the nature reserve. It was nice and sheltered here. We never got any further as the farmer had a gate across the river. Last time we were there, we kept paddling and ended up paddling up a small burn surrounded by big cows (they are big when you're sitting low in a wee boat). There had only just been enough room to turn a playboat in it, just as well we hadn't taken the sea boats that far.

A bit overgrown

This is the closest Hubby-dear is likely to get to gardening

A lovely sheltered stretch

Heading back

It didn't take long going back the length of the loch with the wind behind us. It was quite a short paddle, but long enough for Hubby-dear who by now was needing to get back home for a hot toddy and more chocolate.
Here's hoping we get lots more paddling again this year on both rivers and sea.

Lower Largo 27/12/11









Our post Christmas Turkey basher (Brussel basher for the vegetarians out there) is now becoming a tradition.

Hubby-dear, Kev, Niall and my good self met up in Lower Largo carpark on a beautiful morning. The few days before, the weather had been pretty miserable and generally blowing a hooly, but not today. After our shuttle, we set off round the bay. Largo Bay itself is fairly featureless and takes a while to cross, especially when there is no breeze helping you along. Is it only me that finds paddling in such calm conditions when the water is glass like fairly tiring or possibly it was just the extra portions of turkey washed down with too much Baileys that was causing the problems! We eventually made it round to Shell Bay and the start of the chain walk. We could have done with the tide being a bit higher as the caves were all dry, however we still got a wee play in amongst the rocks.

 We stopped for lunch at Elie before the last stint past St Monans and Pittenweem then round to Anstruther. A quick change in the car park then over to The Ship for a wee pint, purely to rehydrate us you understand.

Hard to believe this is stormy December