Yesterday at 6am I woke up. Like ‘ping’ super awake. My head was swimming with ideas. I couldn’t get back to sleep so as it approached 7am I caved in and hit the shed to get my kit together. I had a bowl of cereal and a lemsip to keep the lingering cold at bay. Miriam woke up just when I was about to leave so I gave her a wee tickle and told her she was bonkers before passing Jill all parental responsibilities.
I grabbed two satsumas and mini flask of hot juice, scraped the vans windows clear and hopped in.
Well after I took this picture that is!
I got on the water and started paddling at 8.15am. The shore-front lights were still lit, maintaining the last glimmers of mid-winter festive cheer as the days light was just starting over the hills to the south-east of Largs. I set off fully expecting to be back in Largs well before lunchtime. Crazy fool.
I made great time round past Lion Rock and on to Farland Point where there was a definite disturbance in the water. The wind was light and variable, there was a gentle wave motion from the south but round the headland the water was surprisingly unsettled to the eye with a definite calm are on the western side of the rocks. I paddled through here backwards, for no other reason than conditioning the shoulders. If you click this link, watch the surface of the water as it changes.
I was still in thinking mode as I watched the sun come up over Hunterston, here we had a huge ball of fusing nuclei shining through some wind turbines next to two active and two decommissioned fission reactors.
Once I got round the back of Cumbrae, approaching Fintray Bay my phone rang. It was Jill asking whether I’d like to go to Arran to visit our pals. I was even more surprised when she suggested I paddle there. I got myself the inshore waters forecast on my phone (3G rocks), variable 3 or 4, decreasing 2 then North-East 4 or 5.
Perfect, if it does blow, it’ll blow me there. We’re off to Arran.
I hadn’t got very far from Cumbrae when a big old tanker, the ‘Euro Swan’, was heading my way. I stopped at the Portachur buoy near to a wee fishing boat to let the ‘Euro Swan’ pass.
Although by the rules man powered has right of way there are two things to remember. It was a lot bigger than I am and it probably hadn’t seen me either.
I crossed to the southern end of Bute and pulled into Glencallum Bay. It was all a bit lumpy on the approach into here as well, though no doubt stirred up by the big tanker that had come through the channel not long before.
I ate half my rations in the shelter of the bay, yes, one satsuma. Round the corner for another stop, a wee comfort break, a leg stretch and a listen to the Clyde Coastguard’s weather report on channel 86 then I was off again. This time though, just me, the sea and a stunning panorama.
I played around with the panorama function on the camera, which is quite difficult to get right when your bobbing up and down, but if you click the following links you should get a feeling for it. Arran 1 – Arran 2
The weather window worked out well, the wind did die while I was crossing but the sea was still a wee bit messy the whole way down the east of Arran from Sannox past Corrie to Brodick. When I got past Corrie my pal Calum called me up on the VHF. He’d come out on the water to meet and finish off the journey. We paddled back to Brodick to go and meet up with our families. But not without stopping to eat the rest of my lavish rations (the other satsuma) and for Calum to claim salvage on a loose mooring buoy.
The route I took is shown below, including the wee detour up the west of Cumbrae.
View Two satsumas and wee flask of juice in a larger map
