Sea Kayaking Scotland: June 2018

Thursday, 28 June 2018

Silversands, Wednesday 27th June 2018

Wednesday Evening FSKC paddle. Foggy on the Forth, visibility closed in as we approached the W end of Inchcolm so we opted for a paddle up the coast. An ebbing spring tide and an easterly breeze threw up some lively conditions with a few white-caps and swell of about a metre. We dodged the rocks and shallows up to St. David's Harbour where the fog lifted for our return trip. We could hear a cruise ship making it's way down the Forth but it was invisible until it materialised out of the fog bank just before Inchcolm. With the tide slowing we had a very calm paddle back into Silversands bay under blue skies and sunshine.

Gordon in the fog

Royal Princess making an appearance

Blue skies, sunshine and calm seas to end the evening

Monday, 25 June 2018

Zavaroni's Ice-cream

Bute, June 2018

A day of sunshine on the Clyde. Paddling with Ali Forest across from Skelmorlie to Asgog Bay, Up to Rothesay for an Ice-cream then on to Port Bannatyne before crossing to Ardyne Point and back to Skelmorlie via Toward Point. Perfect visibility across to Bute as we set off on a very calm Clyde. We watched one of the Navy's new "Oilers" heading out on patrol before landing for a bit of lunch at Asgog. We headed back up round the Bute coast and had a quick wander around Rothesay before landing at the old pier in Kames Bay. A short crossing over to the old McAlpine Oil Platform Fabrication Yard at Ardyne Point for another bite to eat before heading down past the light at Toward Point then back to Skelmorlie with a brief pause to let the Wemyss Bay ferry slip past. Tide was out when we landed so it was a longer carry back up to the cars with a bit more haze over Bute than there had been in the morning. An excellent wee trip in perfect conditions.