Loch Moidart - 29th August 2015

We'd travelled up from Macclesfield the night before and found an excellent B&B near Roshven on Loch Ailort. We were en route to Skye via the Mallaig ferry, originally planning to stop over in Fort William, but sunshine on the Corran lighthouse tempted us to take the ferry and the scenic route around Ardgour/Moidart/Sunart. We stopped off in the Glenuig Inn for something to eat, and sought advice for a sheltered place for a paddle in the morning hoping to get out of the blustery SW wind.

Glen Coe in dramatic light on the drive up

Corran lighthouse

So based on the info received, we launched into the outgoing tide at the small roadside jetty on Loch Moidart. Paddling leisurely, we made our way down the loch admiring the wooded banks and the numerous herons. We didn't particularly have any objectives apart from visiting the ruins of Castle Tioram. Once we had passed the castle we decided to have a look up the River Shiel estuary towards the rapid that marks the end of the tidal section.

Castle Tioram

Conditions were overcast and not that warm when caught in the wind, so we called it a day and started making our way back to the jetty. The tide was still going out, so now we were trying to avoid the main flow, but this was complicated by the fact that large parts of the loch were now drying out, and a few times we thought we might be walking. Luckily we managed to pick a route with just enough water and packed up to head on up to the Mallaig ferry and our accommodation on Skye.

Macclesfield Canal - 23rd August 2015

K1 session from the boathouse to Higher Poynton Marina and back again. About 53 minutes each way at a steady pace.

Brereton Rolling Sessions - August 2015

Spent another couple of thursday nights greenland rolling (13th & 20th). Made some progress on the left hand rolls, slowing them down and improving the technique. Right hand side pry roll becoming more reliable, but still not making much progress on any form of forward finishing sweep roll.

Mono Lake - 31st July 2015

I had an unexpected opportunity to get a short kayaking trip in during our recent family holiday to the U.S. We were travelling up from Las Vegas, via Death Valley then up the Owen's Valley to enter Yosemite over the Tioga pass.

I've been to Mono Lake a few times before, and we planned to stop there again this trip. While having a pizza in Lone Pine, we noticed a leaflet advertising kayak trips on Mono Lake. We thought this would be a different way to see the lake and with the benefit of a guide we might learn something too.

So for the first time ever, I managed to get the whole family into kayaks! Nancy, being the least experienced, was put in a double with me in the back. The boys had their own sea kayaks.

We brought the Manchester weather with us, so despite California having a severe drought, we set off in light rain. Given the fact that the day before we had been in 110 degrees F, this was actually quite pleasant.

Mono Lake is 6378 feet (1946 meters) above sea level, so it is also the highest I've kayaked. With no exit stream/river to drain it, Mono Lake's level only reduces through evaporation. This causes concentration of minerals and makes the lake extremely saline - with a pH of 10, it is 3 times saltier than the ocean.

Streams bubbling into the lake carrying minerals have built tufa towers that now protrude above the surface of the lake (the lake is lower than its natural level due to feeder streams having been diverted as water supplies. This diversion has now stopped, and the lake has partly recovered to a higher level again). These tufa towers are one of the main sights of the lake, and soon after launching we were paddling in amongst them.

The lake does not support fish, but instead has a massive population of Brine Shrimp and Alkali Flies. These flies are so abundant that they were a source of protein for the indigenous 'indian' people, and a derivative of their name for the flies gives Mono Lake its name. The shrimp and flies support a wide range of bird species and we saw many gulls, waders and a couple of pairs of Osprey nesting on top of tufa towers. (Strangely, the Ospreys nest here despite the lack of fish, and fly off elsewhere to feed).

After paddling through the tufa towers and then giving a wide berth to the nesting Ospreys we carried on down the lakeshore to a beach were we met another group and we stopped for a rest and a bite to eat. One of our guides read an entertaining description of the lake written by Mark Twain, Once suitably refreshed we retraced our steps back to Naval Beach where we had launched.

Throughout our paddle we were told about the natural history of the lake and the local geology by our excellent guide. If you are passing that way and fancy a paddle, their can be contact information is on their Caldera Kayaks website. The standard tour that we did is only a few miles and a couple of hours paddling - suitable for novices.

 

Brereton Lake Rolling Sessions - July 2015

I went to Brereton for 3 of the Thursday night club sessions and worked on my rolling to various degrees. As I improve my right-sided rolls, my left-sided rolls still do not get any better. On my right I have done the traditional lay-back roll, storm roll, butterfly roll and pry roll. Still struggling on the forward finishing rolls, but having a few successful attempts at the pry roll on my last session was encouraging.

Macclesfield Hasler Race - 12th July 2015

Last year I did all the electronic entry and results for this race, so I wasn't able to paddle. This year my services weren't required, so I had no excuse.

There were 11 boats in my class, so I decided to hang around at the back of the start to avoid the mayhem of everyone trying to get through the narrow gap at the first bridge. This strategy seemed to pay-off as a I gradually then picked off my competitors one-by-one. As I got nearer the front this started to prove to be a bit harder, and I settled down in fourth place.

The canal was quite busy with barges that caused us to wait at a few of the bridges which broke the race up a bit. When you know you are going to have to wait, it's not very sporting to overtake as people are slowing down, but then once the blockage has passed the people in front get away first and can establish a bit of a gap again. And so it carried on for the return leg (the race was 4 miles in total, 2 miles out, turnaround, 2 miles back) when I got close, the boats in front would get away again at the next restriction. I got into 3rd place, but run out of time to improve on that position.

So my tactics were too cautious - I should have partaken in the sprint at the start and hopefully got to the front. Oh well, maybe next year.

Coquet Island Race - 28th June 2015

Race bibs drying after the event

After our exploits on the Farnes, we set off early to make our way down to Amble where the annual Coquest Island canoe race takes place. On our arrival we were suitably impressed with the new clubhouse, fully equipped with kitchen, showers and toilets that means the event is a lot more civilised now - no more peeing in the hedgerow!

The conditions for the race were a moderate breeze that created some small waves, but nothing too desperate.

I was paddling my Xplore rather than my Epic, so I wasn't expecting to be too competitive, but so long as I beat Jim I didn't mind!

As we headed out from the harbour into the more open water the surf skis and a couple of the faster kayaks started pulling away, but I was having my own race with a few other boats nearby. As we approached the island we were greeted by a large number of seals plus the entertainment of one of the skis struggling with the conditions.

On rounding the southern end of the island there were waves breaking on the reefs and I tried to cut it as close as I could without getting caught in the break. Having not learnt my lesson from 24 hours previously, just as I paddled over the reefs, a bigger set of waves came in and I found myself bongo-sliding towards the rocks again. I managed to pull myself off the wave, but had to paddle backwards to get out of the area of breaking water. By this time I had lost about 6 places, and also provided some laughs to those that saw my misfortune.

The return leg back to the harbour was just off being downwind, so I could surf some of the waves and I managed to regain all the places I lost from my excursion onto the island. I was 9th boat back, 2nd "traditional" sea kayak. Interesting to note all the first 4 places were taken by over 55s... where are all the youngsters?

Oh, and I beat Jim.