St Kilda, 47 years on, again ?

[mikeybarvas]

Two members of Stornoway Canoe Club {Christine Stewart and Dolina Swanson} will be attempting in June, to re-create the first crossing to St Kilda made by kayak in 1965. Hamish and Ann Gow originally paddled there in a canvas ,ply double. Members of the club will help a local boat builder build a replica double and then attempt to cover the original route in real time during the first weeks of June this year. The whole project will be filmed by MacTV for BBC Alba for a program called “Trusadh” http://www.mactv.co.uk/ We are hoping to use as much original equipment as possible but also balance this against more modern health and safety issues!!
If you have any old equipment from that era or stuff that may be useful for us to borrow, that would be great [especially maybe a mast and sail for a kayak of that era]. We are also wondering if it in fact would be the first double crossing to St Kilda by two women, I have been recording some of the crossings made and I don’t have a record of this being done by two women as yet. So if you know otherwise let me know, as well as any crossings done in the last five years that folk know about.
We are getting help from Duncan Winning re boat plans etc and also from Reed Chillcheater who are sponsoring us through the provision of paddle gear and bankside clothing; because of their ability to custom make garments and decks to order from a range of technical fabrics, they were the natural choice!!.
Please PM me if you have anything that may be of assistance.
We hope to have a face book page up and running to let folk know about progress and also hopefully updates on the day.

[MikeB]

Fabulous idea!

[mikeybarvas]

Just a short update to let any folk on fb to go to this link to keep up with progress and would appreciate friends and likes etc to keep their morale up !
http://www.facebook.com/StKilda47YearsOn

[Douglas Wilcox]

High Mike,

David got the material to recover his Tyne from a chap called Frank Stephenson in England. It came in two weights of grey coloured PVC backed canvas. The lighter was for the deck. He will try and get the contact number tomorrow.

David still has one original wooden paddle that came with the Tyne double in 1960 and can probably lay his hands on a similar, as Jock Young's (the surf kayaker) father also had a double from that era (with a wooden deck but a GRP hull). David will contact Jock if you would be interested in borrowing paddles. David's spray deck wouldn't be any good as the Tyne double just had one huge cockpit rather than the two cockpits that Hamish Gow's double had.

Douglas

[mikeybarvas]

thanks for this, will follow up re covers and we are sorted for paddles now thanks to Duncan Winning !

[Canoe-Cowal]

You may want to get in contact with Duncan WINNING via the SCA. He is a knowledgeable kayak builder [old school] and historian on all things kayaking.

[mikeybarvas]

Hi, thanks for that and yes,he has been recruited to the cause and may even come out there with us !

[mikeybarvas]

The preparation is going well,please keep upto date on the fb page..http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 557&type=1 where you can see some pics of the latest progress on the clyde double...we have got the canvas ready to put on,and the training is going well with a recent 20 mile trip up the west coast of Lewis. Just one more big one before the trip for real in June.

[mikeybarvas]

need some rudder stuff !!!!! the boat is coming along well,but we are looking out for some rudder parts that may fit on to the double,foot control,wires etc etc..we have a road sign for a rudder but any other fittings would be greatly appreciated. the build time is getting tighter so any help for stuff already made would be great.
my phone number is 07887727014 if you want to contact
Mike

[mikeybarvas]

So, the training is over and we are about to set off on Wednesday to Leverburgh to attempt the crossing,one wee problem is the boat isnt ready yet,two days left to get the canvas on and rudder in place then Christine and Dolina have 24 hrs to have one try in the sea with it before they set off!!!The weather is looking good for an attempt on Thursday so touch wood etc etc. The boat is looking amazing and really light and Reed have made some cags and decks for us which look and perform superbly, so keep us in your thoughts this week.We are hoping to use a SPOT to track progressso will post a link when we get this sorted.In the meantime follow their progress on fb

http://www.facebook.com/StKilda47YearsOn

[mikeybarvas]

It was at 10.35 last night that Dolina and Christine paddled into village bay in worsening weather from the north,it took them just over 14 hours and really tough paddling for the last 3 hours with the light breeze and sun changing to stronger wind,swell and grey skies, the sea state got much worse but the boat handles really well and they felt confident in the conditions....amazingly Dave Clements who has been training with them made it too !¬!!! he was only due to paddle with them for the first four hours...but he decided to give it a try,so well done to all !and thanks readers for your support.

[Douglas Wilcox]

What a great trip!

Douglas :o)

[Mark R]

I didn't realise there was going to be a support boat - were they making a film or suchlike? Would be interesting to see.

[sleepybubble]

I didn't realise there was going to be a support boat - were they making a film or suchlike? Would be interesting to see.

Yes BBC Alba have documented the whole thing, including training, boat building, and the trip. Mixed in with archive footage etc. It will most certainly be an interesting program to watch. It will also be subtitled too fortunately.

[mikeybarvas]

A wee date and time for some more armchair kayak enjoyment !monday Sep 17th 21.00 BBc Alba..freeview and Satellite channel...
see below(also repeated on the tues night)
Trusadh : Hiort agus Clann-nighean nan Curach
( St Kilda and the Kayak Girls )


THE AMBITIOUS RECREATION OF ONE OF SCOTLAND’S TRULY GREAT HISTORIC SEA CROSSINGS
B’ e là eachdraidheil a bh’ ann ann an 1965 nuair a rinn Hamish Gow agus a bhean Anne a’ chùis air a’ chuairt chuain chunnartach de chòrr is ceathrad mìle eadar na h-Eileanan an Iar agus eileanan iongantach Hiort ann an curach – a’ chiad turas ann an curach a-riamh.
47 bliadhna as dèidh sin anns an Ògmhios 2012, bha dithis bhoireannach à Club Churach Steòrnabhaigh air eilean Leòdhais ag amas air a’ chuairt eachdraidheil seo a dhèanamh as ùr.
A’ cleachdadh nam planaichean tùsail bhon chiad bhàta, chuir an Club air dòigh gun tèid mac-samhail mionaideach den churach dhùbailte fhiodha is chanabhais a thogail le Aonghas Mac a’ Ghobhainn à Leòdhas a th’ air iomadh bàta a thogail. Ach leis an togail a’ tòiseachadh anns a’ Chèitean bha an ùine gann.
Hiort agus Clann-nighean nan Curach - sgeulachd iongantach mu sgioba a tha ag amas air dàn-chuairt chuain eachdraidheil a dhèanamh as ùr, agus an sgeulachd thùsail air a h-innse tro agallamh, agus seann dheilbh is film.

trans

In 1965 Scottish couple, Hamish and Anne Gow, created history when they became the first kayakers to make the treacherous 40 plus mile sea journey from the Western Isles to the mystical islands of St. Kilda.
47 years later, and in June 2012, 2 women from the Stornoway Canoe Club on the Isle of Lewis, Dolina Swanson and Christine Stewart, attempted to re-create this historic voyage.
Armed with the original boat plans, the club commissioned the experienced Lewis boat builder, Angus Smith, to re-create the original plywood and canvas Clyde double kayak – a far cry from the modern kayaks of today. With the build starting in May though time wasn’t on their side.
St Kilda and the Kayak Girls - the story of the ambitious recreation of one of Scotland’s truly great historic sea crossings, and the original pioneering journey told through interview, and classic cine and stills archive.

[Canoe-Cowal]

Been out of synch and missed it.

What is the title of program and I will search. BBC Alba usually do a couple of repeats and will look outfor it I will also troll i-player too.

J

[mikeybarvas]

Hi, not on I player yet,will post when there are some repeats
thanks

[maryinoxford]

Mike, I caught the programme, after your previous post, so thanks for letting us know. Alba is not on my regular watch list, but I can get it on Sky. Interesting film.

The first kayak I ever paddled was a Clyde double - used by the SYHA for their paddling holidays on Loch Lomond in the Sixties.

Mary

[mikeybarvas]

Mary,theres one up here now if you ever want a shot !

[maryinoxford]

Mary,theres one up here now if you ever want a shot !

THE one, I presume! It ought to have a St Kilda sticker on it, or something.

Thanks for the offer, but I'm not likely to make it to Lewis this year or next year. After that, who knows?

Mary

[blackgold]

Did not see the programme, I have spent many a hour listening to Hamish recounting the past. There use to be a hard core who gave up their jobs in the summer wheeled their boats to the nearest river and then paddled the whole of the summer around the coast and then worked the winter till spring came round again. I am glad that piece of paddling history is not being forgotten.

[mikeybarvas]

There is a repeat of the programme on BBC Alba tonight at 10.00 pm http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01msnfk
if you missed it first time round. Only available on freeview in Scotland but available on Sky {and cable I think } as well, hope you enjoy it !
Mike

[SeaSkye]

Cheers for that missed it the first time around.

[John N]

Is this available on I-Player? I can't seem to find it anywhere and if it is time is running out to download and view it. I have tried to e-mail the I-Player people but get as far as a continue button and seem unable to go any further. Any help much appreciatted.

[Taran Tyla]

It said not available when I checked last night though I was able to watch it live on I-player.

Was a fab program (sorry John) ;D

[tommfuller]

That was a great programme, what likeable characters too. If Lewis and Harris had a drought like that every summer, I think we'd all move there!

Cheers,

Tom.

[John N]

Well, I e-mailed the I-Player people and just got a rather long winded stock reply that hinted that for any one (or more) of many reasons it was not currently on the I-Player catch up service. I'd appreciate it if someone could let me know how it all ended.

thanks.

[Canoe-Cowal]

missed it both times now how annoying

J