Club Expedition to Skye 2020 “Team Alaska go on a Skye #staycation!” Day 12 (Wednesday) 19th August – Camas na Geadaig (Scalpay) to Balmacara We were up and the forecast was for gale force winds coming in that night slightly ahead of schedule. It was a midge-tastic morning, so we raced onto the water in our head nets and quickly paddled offshore in hope of some wind – nothing! Once we had out paddled the midges we made a plan. There was a fog bank over the Crowlin Islands, it wasn’t that thick but with no wind it might not have been moving soon. We went with plan B to make sure we were safely off the water and not caught out crossing the sound in fog or high winds if they came in early. Getting storm bound for a couple of days only an hour from the cars wouldn’t have been much fun. We did 17.6 miles round the tree lined west and south of Scalpay and over to Pabay for a bite to eat before heading through the bridge back to the cars. The heat of the day increased, the fog lifted and atmospheric clouds were left hanging round the mountain tops. As we went under Skye bridge Jenny was melting in her midge safety suit (cool weather paddling kit). Just passed the jetty on the Skye side was a massive sand crab and another castle. We crossed back to the Scottish mainland – no naked Yoga man this time – then got to the cars at low water. Vic went for 10 victory rolls and we started to carry the kit over the seaweeds and rocks to the cars. Ian and Keith set off for home ahead of the wind while Vic, Chris and Jenny stopped for lunch […]

Club Expedition to Skye 2020 “Team Alaska go on a Skye #staycation!” Day 11 (Tuesday) 18th August – Manish Point to Camas na Geadaig (Scalpay) We launched at 7:30am (Keith was still in his tent!), packing the boats the night before knowing we would be setting off at high water where we’d left the boats tied up. There was a bit of a swell on the water surging up the rocks and making a splash. As we came south level with Portree the wind dropped, and the sea became flat. There was a  fab “Skye line” in front of us as we paddled. There were lots of caves and rock formations to potter around with seals and sea eagles. We had had 9’s on a beach with a stream to refill our bottles. We paddled on through huge swarms of jellyfish – oddly enough no one fancied doing any rolling practice! Next stop was lunch just round the west side of the Rassay Ferry terminal. We found a perfectly positioned bench with a grassy verge and watched the ferry come and go. Lots of Urchins and fish around the jetty. The breeze returned as we crossed to Scalpay to camp on a sandy beach with grass backing and 2 streams, one either side of the bay. The gravel on the upper beach had an orangey purple stripe. It was a slightly shorter day – covering 13.5 miles. Vic went out fishing again while Chris estimated that the circumnavigation of Skye would have been about 150miles – so we’d ended up doing a greater distance island hopping. The strong winds were still on the forecast for Thursday evening. Plan A was still an option, but the mornings forecast would have to be checked to make the final call. We went to bed […]

Club Expedition to Skye 2020 “Team Alaska go on a Skye #staycation!” Day 10 (Monday) 17th August –Brochel Bay (Rassay) to Manish Point (Via Rona) Another long day on the water – 20.4 miles. We were up and packed by 7:40am to find a toad hiding under the kayaks. Today we were off to Rona with plenty of seals and sea birds on the way. Ian spotted a dear and a whale. We had elevenses at an MOD site on the northern tip of the island under the lighthouse. There was a nice breeze and a slight swell behind us as we started to paddle south. There was storm winds on the forecast later in the week so we were coming up with a Plan A (paddle to the Crowlin Islands, camp at Uags and head to the cars Thursday morning) and Plan B (head along the Skye coast sheltering from the SW winds and straight to the cars early afternoon Wed) to make sure we were in a good position to respond as the forecast updated. We paddled past the small islands of Eilean Tigh and Eilean Fladday stopping in caves and navigating through cracks in the cliffs off Raasay. The views of Skye where fabulous along the Skye cliffs and out to Lewis on the horizon. The breeze started to die so it was time to find a camp before the midges came out. We found a cobbled beach at Manish Point with a stream, pitched and made drinks before quickly taking cover from the midges in our tents. In Jenny’s case head net and full paddling kit seemed the most effective protection – even if a little hot! A short rain shower was very welcome, but not quite enough to fully clear the midges. As the evening sun returned we […]

Club Expedition to Skye 2020 “Team Alaska go on a Skye #staycation!” Day 9 (Friday) 16th August – Kyle of Lochalsh to Brochel Bay (Rassay) We woke up to find a fog bank bridging the sound. Annoyingly, as Chris and Jenny opened their tent another tent pole snapped under the tension. It was a mirror image of theother tent pole breakage so they remained with only 1 porch for the rest of the trip, but plenty of spare poles if anything else broke. Off we went to have “nineses” on Pabay the fog coming in around us from both directions. We saw porpoise as we set off to Longay noting the compass bearing of 320 degrees. We carried on past the Skerries rocks (Sgeir Dhearg and Sgeir Thraid) and went north up the east coast of Raasay. There were loads of sea birds, 2 circling us looking for food. We had elevenses in the fog before finding a waterfall with a freezing cold down draft for a freshen-up. Jenny got to test her hood finally! There were no sign of any submarines training, but Ian was adamant there could have been. We soon popped out the other side of the fog bank to find sea eagles and rock climbers on the landslides and cliff falls. After 16.6 miles we stopped on a gravel beach of purple brown pebbles (Brochel Bay) to camp with great views towards Appleby and the NW with many seals watching us. After dinner, a pod of bottle nosed dolphins were observed in the distance some jumping fully out of the water as if being chased or playing. Jenny had a swim while Keith got Ian to refold his maps once again. After dinner, a singing seal could be heard from around the corner. It was a very […]

Club Expedition to Skye 2020 “Team Alaska go on a Skye #staycation!” Day 8 (Friday) 15th August – Loch Hourn to Kyle of Lochalsh With good weather and the tide with us this was our longest day at 21.7 miles. It was also the longest day as at 3.10am a few of us were woken by the sound of the tide getting rather close to the tents. A mini rock pyramid was built at the waterline as a marker and by 4.10am Jenny was happy the tide was finally dropping and went back to sleep. We packed up in a midge-free breeze and Chris and Jenny’s tent was caught in a gust and tumble turned towards the sea where thankfully it was saved. We paddled off at 8am along the northern shore of Loch Hourn with the wind behind us, wildlife spotting for birds, otters and seals. The sea was clear and deep with large shells, urchins and a variety of seaweeds on the bottom. Small fish flitted about the rocks. We had elevenses in the shelter of the Sandaig Islands as the wind dropped and the sun shone. A few boats were moored with snorkelers splashing about. We were thinking about stopping before the narrows, but we had made good time, the tide was racing along with us so we decided to push on to the other side of the Bridge of Skye. The heather on the mountains was starting to come out creating a purple tinge, which then got stronger through the next week. As we went through the narrows there was some frisky seals making a good splash and a head wind picked up. We crossed Loch Alsh to go along the north coast to shelter from the wind. We all had a snigger at someone doing naked […]

Demonstration of how to get into a sea kayak at our compound to reduce to stop unnecessary wear and tear on the the skeg area. https://youtu.be/tLJ8X-UJArI https://youtu.be/BW467eeQz-8

  Club Expedition to Skye 2020 “Team Alaska go on a Skye #staycation!”   Day 7 (Friday) 14th August – Teangus (Castle Ruin) to Loch Hourn A lazy start as the wind dropped. 10am and we went straight for the crossing over to the white houses at Airor. The wind was force 3 making a fair chop on the sea. The tide was still low, so it was quite a carry to get on the water. The team were now so efficient we were on the water before Keith! We stopped for elevenses at Airor as the wind started to drop then paddled around the coast into Loch Hourn. As we got to the headland there was a rock covered in seals with their pups. They all launched into the water on our arrival. Lots more trees along this coastline and fish farms with jumping salmon in. Vic got his line out again and caught dinner while we paddled with the wind now behind us. After 13.3 miles we found a Tombolo (a beach joining an island to the mainland) to camp on and enjoyed the afternoon watching the seals and someone flying a kite further up the loch. There was a lot of mica in the rocks that sparkled in the sun. Vic hiked off for water from a nearby waterfall and Jenny was pleased to have got to Knoydart, this had been on her to do list for a few years. Ian and Vic enjoyed a swim and another paddler stopped to say hello. Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Club Expedition to Skye 2020 “Team Alaska go on a Skye #staycation!” Day 6 (Thursday) 13th August –Point of Sleat to Teangus (Castle Ruin) As we were expert at packing boats by now, we were on the water by 7:40am. There was nice breeze and no midges. A strong wind was building, so plan A to go to Knoydart was turned into a plan B to stay safe and camp on Skye again. We hugged the coastline to stay out of the wind. The Scottish coast looked impressive with the mountains engulfed in low cloud. After an hour or so we found a beach with a stream and hammock for elevenses. Great to refill water, have a wash and a quick swing/snooze. The rock pools had a great selection of anemone and shellfish in the crystal-clear water. The beach had grey and pink stripy cobbles. We continued along the rocky shore where there was a sea Eagle chasing some seagulls. As we passed the Armadale ferry terminal it was a quick dash against the headwind and waves to clear the terminal as we realised the boat was coming in. White horses were growing out in the sound as the winds increased to a force 5. The crossing to Knoydart wouldn’t have been much fun so we took shelter after 10.5 miles behind a headland where there was a castle ruin. On arrival, a swordsman practising his moves against the castle skyline – aka Brave Heart. There was a selection of 3 beaches so we picked the one with the easiest carry, but still decided tomorrow would be a 10am start to let the tide come in over the rocks and allow the wind to drop if it followed the forecast. An otter was spotted while we scouted out the beaches before […]

Day 5 (Wednesday) 12th  August – Soay to Point of Sleat Not a bad morning for midges this morning! Or so we thought, but then they descended just as we started to pack the boats. That sped us up and we were on the water for 7:40am. The weather was overcast, but the clouds over the Cuillins and Rhum looked spectacular while we paddled along on glassy water. There was a mist on the horizon as we made our crossing back to the Point of Sleat. Ian took the bearing as SSE just in case the mist came in. Mid-way the wind started to pick up and the waves grew. The spray on the rocky shore made a nice change in sea state, but we were all pleased not to be under the high cliffs exposed to the growing waves. Later the sun returned, and the mist went. There was another whale sighting and lots of ferries out crossing to the smaller islands. As we went round the headland we landed on a white sand and gravel tombolo beach – spectacular! We’d done 12.8 miles, and this was going to be our camp site for the night. A great view and gentle wind to keep the midges away. A few sheep came to watch us as we pitched on their grazing area. We spent the afternoon enjoying the sun and said hello to some other paddlers that had landed for lunch. Ian and Keith made a driftwood bench, while Vic went out fishing for Mackerel – success! He enjoyed a late fish and limpet lunch. We all had a walk to the lighthouse to enjoy the views and see where we’d paddled before bed. Jenny Brown     More Photos……….