Loch Bracadale, Skye, overheard rescue up north on VHF.

[Douglas Wilcox]

[

Douglas :o)

[Zoe Newsam]

South end of Skye, looking towards Rhum??

Great photos- looks like a top trip!
We paddled round Anglesey- great weather there too but I can't post the photos as I don't own a digital camera!!

Zoe

[Douglas Wilcox]

Hello Zoe,

All the way round Anglesey sounds good!


Good suggestion but no the mountains are not Rum and it's not the south end of Skye. The Vikings named Anglesey and we also camped on an island with a Viking name. If you know old Norse then the 4th pic from the top holds the clue.

Douglas :o)

[Douglas Wilcox]

Conditions were quite lively over the Easter weekend. There was a heavy swell coming in from the SW and the F4 to F5 NE winds were holding up the faces and blowing the spray back off the lips.

Not so many on the water photos due to wind and waves but here is a headland shot (on the sheltered leeward side).



On the VHF I picked up one-sided (Stornoway Coastguard side) bits of a rescue involving sea kayakers off the Summer Isles. They were talking to the RNLI, Calmac, Coastgard Helicopter and local fishing boats. I know Jim's party and a NESKY party were going there this weekend, anyone got any news?

As Zoe said, I have never seen so many sea kayaks heading North on the roads. I chose where we paddled to avoid crowds and saw no one.


Douglas.

[MikeB]

Raasay / Rona ?

Concerned to hear of "rescues" - dont know anything.

Our weekend in Sound of Sleat / Sandaigs / Loch Hourn was fantastic albeit with rather more headwind than we would have liked! The return thro Kyle Rhea was fine although running up the loch back to Dornie was "interesting" for those of us who opted for the overfalls route. Fast though.

According to a camp-fire conversation, one of the northern retailers is reporing a massive increase in the number of sea-boats sold and also in hires from people travelling to Scotland from places like London.

That said, we saw no other paddlers either.

Mike.

[Zoe Newsam]

Hmmm. I know someone else (Bolton Canoe Club, I think) who was going there this weekend. I'll email & try to find out more.

We heard Holyhead Coastguard calling 'Sea Kayak Nottingham' on the VHF 4 times with no response, and the Treaddur Bay RNLI chap said that one of the Anglesey units had a page out. Don't know any more though.

We were later informed there was a wreck lying off Llandwyn Island, so hopefully no sea kayakers involved in any rescue.

Zoe

[Niall Duncanson]

The hills are certainly Skye, and I think from the North.
The headlands look suspiciously like the Talisker - Macleods Maidens area
Your Norse name is probably Wiay or Skye itself.

Am I close?

Cheers
Niall Duncanson

[Douglas Wilcox]

This is from The Herald.

I have no idea of the detailed circumstances of this rescue but in general the water at this time of year is 8 degrees centigrade. At that temerature you are unlikely to be able to do anything to help yourself after about 5 minutes, unless you have thermal protection. cCgs and trosers without seals will let the cold water straight in and, once, wet your fleece or whatever will conduct body heat sraight away.

I use a dry suit with buffalo pile/pertex underneath in winter and this weekend I had dry trousers (latex boots) dry cag and underneath I was wearing polartec aquashell which is fleece with a waterproof breathable membrane which on its own is like a 3mm wetsuit.

I am amazed that a large proportion of kayakers do not take thermal protection very seriously. There seems to be a macho, "I'm too good to ever fall in" attitude.

Coming from a windsurfing background I am used to spending time in cold water (I have surfer's nodules in my ears to prove it!). Having seriously chilled myself until I started to use the right gear, I now do not have to think twice about dressing for the water temperature.

Douglas

[CaileanMac]

Douglas,

Would agree whole heartly with you, the water is mighty cold at this time of year and spending any time in it is a serious matter if your not properly dressed. Spent over an hour in the water on Saturday dressed in a drysuit + good thermals but still was numbed for about half hour afterwards (running canoe safety test). The ocean takes no prisoners.

See link below to article on Kokatat website (one page is about their products but the other page is a article about 'dressing for the swim'. Found a few weeks ago and it might be of some interest to folks:

http://www.kokatat.com/images/2004Catalog/4_5.pdf

It explains really clearly the ways in which we lose heat whilst kayaking.

CaileanMac :-)

[El Pres]

Yes Bolton Canoe Club are around the Summer Isles and were camping on Taneara Beg at the weekend. Acording to Merlot on our forum Geoff and Alex ( aka Ted ) Seddon were involved in a rescue of a swimmer ? ( not a kayaker) then taken by helicopter to Stornoway. They heard about it on the VHF. I dont know anymore details, may give them a ring to find out.

Was thinking of going on the trip myself but I am recoving from Leptospirosis, that I think I may have caught 5 weeks ago, on either the Upper Warfe or the Twin Bridges on the upper Ribble. Had 9 days in hospital with Liver and Kidney failure, but thats another story.

Jim Wallis is on the club trip so expect a full report on his return ;-)

Chris Foster

[Zoe Newsam]

That's a relief. Whoever the casualty was is hopefully recovering ok. Don't think we should jump to conclusions about the circumstances though, until we know more. They obviously had a flare & a VHF (shouted Mayday), and after an hour in the water at this time of year almost anyone would be at least mildly hypothermic no matter what commercially available paddling gear they were wearing.

There but for the grace of god, and all that... Everyone makes mistakes.

So anyway, back to the original point, Douglas's trip.

Wiay?

Or maybe closer to Torridon? (not sure where, but the mountains look Torridonian!)

Zoe :0)

[JHMAC]

Hi Douglas,
Like you I try to dress for the water temp, with that in mind what (buffalo pile/pertex) products do you find suitable for under a dry suit and do you need any further layers eg base layer etc.

Kind Regards
Howard

[Alan nli]

HELLO Douglas what size of wave is that behind the kayaker on the bottom pic,
Ta.

[mitchmix99]

Zoe,

Looks like Loch Bracadale to me, the picture of the beach with canoes looks like Camas na Cille on Wiay.

Going there in the summer hopefully in an open :) - nice

ian

[Douglas Wilcox]

Raasay / Rona ?

Yes Mike that would have been sensible given the NE wind. But we went west. I saw several cars with J bars at Sconser jetty early Sun morning. Anyone here?

Loch Bracadale: The headlands look suspiciously like the Talisker - Macleods Maidens area , Wiay?

Wiay? Or maybe closer to Torridon? (not sure where, but the mountains look Torridonian!)

Spot on with Loch Bracadale, Skye!

Wiay is actually a mix of Gaelic and Norse roots which means yellow Island. Zoe, Torridon???? Those are the most distinctive mountains in the UK: The Skye Cuillin!!!!

The picture with the fire and rocks in the foreground was an obscure clue to Harlosh Island which is Norse for fire rocks and when seen close up you know these islands were created by fire!

We had originally intended leaving Portnalong and going to Talisker Bay then up to McLeods Maidens and the Idrigal caves and arches before camping on Harlosh. Then return via Wiay and its cave. However, it was clear once we passed Oronsay, (pic 7 above) that that might not be a good idea. As it was I had a sack of logs in front of my feet and my bow was perling as we surfed down the waves.

what size of wave is that behind the kayaker on the bottom pic

Hi Alan, we passed Oronsay at Spring low tide. it was a 5.1m tide so if you look at the rocks below the rocky pinnacle you will see two bands about equal thickness, an upper dark band and a lower grey band. The grey band shows the tidal range ie 5 metres. Not counting the spray, crest to trough looks like about 10 metres. The camera has a fixed 20mm focal length lens so farther away things look smaller than they are. We did not investigate further. Below and left of the pinnacle you can see the previous wave draining off the top of the cliff.

We decided to curtail our plans and head for Harlosh between Wiay and Tarner. That night the wind got up to force 7, our bail out plan was a short relatively sheltered paddle to Camas Ban, Balmore then phone for a Dunvegan taxi to get back to the car. In the morning it was still force 4-5 so we had a long hard paddle back to Ardtreck point. David is 10 years older than me! so found it quite tiring. I stuck my nose round Ardtreck into a force 6 and even the sheltered waters of Loch Haraport were a mass of white horses. Paddling as hard as I could I was only making 1km/hr so I turned back and we landed in a bay to the West of the point and had a rest then climbed to the summit past an abandoned settlement to scout vwhat lay ahead. We could hardly stand on the ridge but fortunately after lunch the squall had passed over.

Given the offshore winds, I had my sea anchor on deck and had two large rockets and the VHF!

what (buffalo pile/pertex) products do you find suitable for under a dry suit and do you need any further layers eg base layer etc.

Hi Howard I use the special 6 trousers and belay jacket (with a full length front zip. no base layer is necessary. (Mail order from Cotswold with 15% off for BCU/SCA membership). My dry suit is not breathable but sweat wicks through the pile outside the pertex leaving the pile dry. When you take the suit off the outside of the pertex is damp but it soon dries with body heat round camp.

I also slept in them and was toasty warm (I did wipe my sweaty bits with a wet tissue). Most people with drysuits make the mistake of just using a base layer but as only the arms on a breathable suit are exposed the sweat still builds up inside and you have a wet base layer next to the skin which conducts heat away through the dry suit to the outside. Polartec Aquashell garments are also good under a drysuit as the sweat goes though the pile then through the membrane keeping the skin dry.

Douglas :o)

[Zoe Newsam]

Yeah, I know. Been away from Scotland too long... :0(
Obviously losing my 'mountain spotter' touch! ;0)

Zoe

[Speciman]

I'm the proud owner of a Kokatat goretex dry suit. Very impressed with it so far -- went for a paddle & 'swim' in Poole Harbour yesterday. The goretex 'immersion' is breathable even under water.

This time of year I am wearing a thin coolmax baselayer, kokatat polertec 'bear suit' for thermal protection and dry suit as outerlayer. After paddling for a good hour or so I had minor patches of perspiration on the outer layer of the polartec.. both the base and thermal layer had done their job of wicking sweat to their outer layers. Wearing this suit, even my cotton socks were dry after swimming (cotton being one of the least suitable materials I could have worn!).

With the current water temps my thermal layer should have been a bit warmer (had polartec 100 but should have been 200) or even an extra layer such as polatec power stretch instead.

[Douglas Wilcox]

I'm the proud owner of a Kokatat goretex dry suit.

Hello Speciman, thats a great looking bit of kit you have there. I normally like buying top of the range kit but I baulked at paying £675 plus more for base layers! My Dam suit and buffalo combination cost less than half your kit and I have used it Jan Feb March on long and short paddles some with substantial in the water time with cold northerly winds. I have never been cold and by your account you could "have been a bit warmer".

The Kokotat looks fantastic, the Dam is functional but unstylish (particularly draped over my frame) black.

Does the Kokotat still breath through a BA?

I am still unsure I could bear to part with so much, even for such a desirable looking piece of kit!

Douglas :o)

[Speciman]

Hi Douglas

By buying from the US I paid £500 for my Kokatat and that included a free Kotatat polartec fleece suit and import/duty/handling charges.

Since I bought this suit I have found it even cheaper.. http://www.outdoorplay.com/Store/depart ... eptCode=DS

25% off -- a very good time to buy even after import charges.

When I mentioned I could have been warmer I was referring more to dressing for the water temp. I never felt cold or cool in the suit.. in fact it was about right for the ambient air temp.. but dressing for extended periods in the water I could have been dressed warmer hence a thicker or extra thermal layer (but then I may have been too warm for paddling - hence trying to get the right balance between paddling and water temp). I'm new to this so am exploring base and thermal layer clothing options at the moment. I once wore neoprene long johns under my dry suit which kept me very warm at the expense of having sweat trapped by the neoprene even when worn under the goretex. Won't make that mistake again!

I am pleased the suit itself offers little in terms of thermal protection & I shouldnt overheat during more mild conditions if I have the right choice of layer/s underneath the suit. The suit breathed fine worn under the bouyancy aid. There was no sweat in this area when I removed the suit - my clothing was dry.

Before buying this suit I had spoken to a number of people with the nylon based suits who complained about sweat build up and non breathablility despite manufacturers claims. For me the choice came down to a goretex suit or none at all & no extended season paddling especially if I was paddling alone.

It sounds like you have got on fine with your suit though? -- although sweat was retained it was wicked up to the outer base layer & you have been paddling during these colder months.

[tpage]

Hi Douglas, I was the owner of one of those cars parked at Sconser. I went up on Friday, circumnavigated Raasay and Rona and headed back on Sunday. Saturday PM and sunday AM were a bit blustery but otherwise nice and sunny. Looks like I broke all the rules though- I didnt wear my dry suit and I paddled solo.. but I wouldnt say that Im too macho to fall in.. I regularly fall in when surfing which I do minus a dry suit and right through the winter. Still I like the look of those gortex dry suits but would probably rather spend the money on another boat for the fleet. Tony

PS. I saw 2 Kayaks disappear into a sea loch on Rona on saturday afternoon and a big group of kayakers sunbathing on the South end of Raasay on Sunday- otherwise perfect solitide, so I was surprised to see all the cars with roofbars on Sunday afternoon.

[Zoe Newsam]

Wow, Raasay & Rona solo! Sounds great.

I went round the West side of R & R then across to Skye & down past Portree back to Sconser over 3 days last summer with 2 others. Definitely a classic paddle. Do you prefer solo paddling to going with others, Tony? I find it much more of a 'head game', and find I'm less happy doing multi-day trips solo. I do envy people who have the guts for it though- I guess I like the idea of solo stuff more than the reality!

Zoe

[tpage]

Wow, Raasay & Rona solo! Sounds great.

I went round the West side of R & R then across to Skye & down past Portree back to Sconser over 3 days last summer with 2 others. Definitely a classic paddle. Do you prefer solo paddling to going with others, Tony? I find it much more of a 'head game', and find I'm less happy doing multi-day trips solo. I do envy people who have the guts for it though- I guess I like the idea of solo stuff more than the reality!

Zoe

It is indeed a nice trip- the North of Raasay and the whole of Rona are particularly stunning with the folded pink Lewesian Gneiss. I like both solo paddling and going in small (2-3) groups. My usual kayaking buddy was busy with chores this weekend so the decision was made. Solo paddling has its pro and cons but I must say I really enjoy it and there are no debates about where to camp, when to stop, what pace to paddle at etc. The down side is you have to pack everything- no splitting the food, tent stoves etc. The fires-side chat can be a bit slow as well..Tony

[MikeB]

But no snoring to keep you awake!

[tpage]

But no snoring to keep you awake!

Ah Mike- so you've paddled with my pal Gav then!

[MikeB]

Hmmm - there's always someone who wakes me up with his snoring. As soon as I'm awake to see who it is, the snoring stops!

Now I'm not saying my friends are anti-social, but I've been told I can't share a bothy with 2 mates on Raasay and last weekend, Dave & Helen and I were nicely set up by the beach on the Sandaigs and the other three pitched about 100 meters away, muttering somethign about "noise" / wanting to sleep etc.

Mike.

[Douglas Wilcox]

Hi Tony,glad you had a good time, although I have done a fair bit of solo day paddling I have not done an overnighter.

How did you get on with the spring tides and getting your boat up past the high water mark? Fortunately the HW was evening rather than night this weekend.

Did you empty the boat then lift or drag it?

My Quest has a lot of scratches after this weekend as we had some rough landings due to swell and lack of sand out west.

I very nearly didn't go paddling this weekend due to lack of partners. Iactually went windsurfing down to the Solway Fri/St then managed to persuade David C (a vet from Ayr, you might know him) though he had never camped so early in the year before.

We must keep in touch!

Douglas :o)

[Douglas Wilcox]

Ruari Campbell has posted this on the private North East Sea Kayakers discussion board:

Just a quick re-assurance email, some of you may have seen on the news that a sea kayaker was picked up out of the water by the coastguard in the summer isles at the weekend, just to let you know that it was NOT one of our party.

We were however involved in the coastguard shout, and picked up the other two members of the rescued mans group. The Nesky VHF has now been used in anger and I can only say it was very exciting to be involved in a real live rescue operation involving the Calmac ferry, lochinver lifeboat, the coastguard helicopter, a couple of other paddlers who were camping on the same island, me and two others from our group.

Last heard was that the man pulled from the water was suffering from hypothermia and in the Western Isles Hospital. A more detailed story will follow on the website.

See you on the water soon,

Ruari

Douglas

[tpage]

How did you get on with the spring tides and getting your boat up past the high water mark? Fortunately the HW was evening rather than night this weekend.

Did you empty the boat then lift or drag it?




I very nearly didn't go paddling this weekend due to lack of partners. Iactually went windsurfing down to the Solway Fri/St then managed to persuade David C (a vet from Ayr, you might know him) though he had never camped so early in the year before.
We must keep in touch!

Douglas :o)

Hi Douglas, The advantage of maintaining a large fleet.. I decided to keep the plastic capella for this very reason- extended solo paddling. That boat can take abuse and I dont mind getting it scratched. It dosnt paddle as well as the Quest and dosnt hold as much, so I have to paddle faster and bungee the beer to the deck;-). But I had forgotten how much the loaded plastic boat flexes in rough water- the pros and cons of plastic.
I part emptied the boat, made a seaweed skid and part lifted/ part dragged up to the grass.
I also bought an ekla trolley- maybe Im missing the point but these are useless. I attached the trolly under the cockpit, strapped it in place, loaded the boat in the Sconser car park, and tried to lower it down the small ramp (low tide)- I got 5 feet and the boat decided it didnt like the trolley. Am I missing the point- any tips on how to use these things?

I dont think I know David C, is he at the vet school? Ive seen a camper van with a boat on top in the car park.
Ill email you my number give me a call sometime- Im on a mission to get alot of paddling done this year (I havnt told my wife yet though!). Do you still fancy Ailsa Craig sometime- the gannets are back already.Cheers Tony

[Zoe Newsam]

I use one of these & have had no problems at all- it performed much better than my friend's Karitec 'all terrain' trolley on some rough ground & shingly beaches this weekend.

Maybe it's not strapped on tight enough???

Zoe

[MikeB]

Generally trollies need strapping round the boat and a second strap to stop the trolly slipping / rotating backwards - ususally a strap between the trolly and the front of the cockpit.

Tell more - - -

Mike.