Forth open water swim.

The annual cross the Forth swimming race was held yesterday. The Fife and Lothian kayak clubs act as safety boats shadowing the swimmers. This year we had a little drama, the race couldn't start until 16.30 after a large ship and a tanker had past. The swimmers got half way across when another very large tanker came down the Forth at high speed, it caused chaos.
The swimmer at the start on Hawes peir.

Two of the swimmers didn't make it across before the tide turned and they were sweeped out under the bridge. Still they didn't want to give in even though they were going backwards. In the end we had to pull them out of the water.

Big Eck.

My friend Alex Knox better known as Big Eck came paddling with Ray and I six weeks ago on Loch Tay. Although he'd been sea kayaking for over fifteen years that was his first time in an open canoe. He was so taken with it that he went out and brought a second hand canoe, a We-no-nah Aurora. For his maiden voyage a group of us meet up on Loch Voil for a warm up paddle half way down the Loch and back, before descending the river Balvag, which flows out of Loch Voil down to Loch Lubnaig. As always with Eck there was a really good banter flying.

"Eck I thought only lesbians wore dungarees".

First try at solo paddling.

On the river teamed up with Mike.

Not quite got the steering in flowing water off pat yet.

White water weekend.

No photo's this time, I did take my camera but was a bit preoccupied to take any pictures. On saturday we put in on the River Tay at Birnam near Dunkeld and paddled down to Meikleour at the confluence of the river Isla. Eck teamed up with Steve Croft in his Prospector, Nicky and Tony Credland (Tenboats) were in a brand spanking new Mad River reflection, while I was solo in the Pack.

It had pored down all night but by the time we started it had stopped and it turned into a fine sunny day. With all the rain the river was high and fast, so we really whizzed along. This section is mostly flat water with just a few little rapids, nothing over grade 1. We stopped for a picnic by a Roman Fort not far from Caputh a really nice spot in the sun.

Nicky, Tony and Eck had to return home but Steve and I camped at Grandtully. Ray came up on sunday. The three of us put in at Kenmore on the banks of Loch Tay. This time I teamed up with Ray in his "Charles River" and Steve paddled solo. The first rapid is under "chinese bridge" by Taymouth castle, a grade 2. The river bends sharply right just after the bridge and we had to be careful to avoid being sweeped into the left bank. Between here and Aberfeldy there were a few easier smaller rapids. We past a whole family of Red-breasted Mergansers but by the time I'd got my camera out we'd spee'd past them; we also saw some Goosanders.

At Aberfeldy there was a nice grade 1 rapid and then for the last mile or so into Gradtully was a string of grade 2's all bouncy and splashy and fun, but never too frighting. We got off the river just above the grade 3 slalom course, in the high water that looked really meaty.

Fire!!!

I haven't been out paddling for a few weeks but I have been out hill walking. As I've been walking I've been collecting anything I find that may act as tinder for starting a fire with a firesteel; Ray Mears style. I've been coming back with pockets full of dry bracken, birch bark, grass, twiggs anything that looks like it will burn easily. So far I've only found three things that catch fire with any degree of reliability. I videod the result, the first one is down from a large thistle head. The second is cotton grass seed heads which was very easy to light but you can't always find cotton grass when you've run out of matches. The third works a treat.

So, the conclusion of this little experiment is to always have plenty of fuel and keep your matches in a dry place when you head into the great outdoors. Because all this bush craft milarky just isn't gonna save you.

Back on the Road again.

Not been out on the water this weekend as I've been finishing off my new hatch; I had a few problems with it but it's all done now. I'll leave it a few days to really set hard before taking it out on the water again.

On Friday I did a shift, the first days work for five months. I've also got myself another car. It's only an old banger but should keep me mobile for a bit. So if you see a red Astra with an orange Anas Acuta or a green Old Town Pack on top, give me a wave.
Kayak sorted, car sorted, hopefully work sorted so money coming in again, life's looking up after being down in the dumps for a while.

Loch Tay.

Whilst the fibre glass resin is still green I can't use the Anas Acuta. So, today I continued my re-learning of the open canoe. My friend Ray is an old hand at this game, so he took Alex (AKA Eck) in his Old Town Charles River while I paddled the Pack solo. Eck has paddled sea kayaks for years but this was his first time in an open canoe. He seemed impressed by how agile such a large boat could be when handled rightly.

Ray, stopped for a blather on the banks of Loch Tay.

Filling the hole.

The bulkhead is now fitted; I very nearly did myself it glassing it into place. Lets just say that crawling in through an ocean cockpit to work it the resin wasn't clever. I was tasting styrene for days after. Yesterday I glued and bolted the disc into place and today I've started filling the gap.


The disc in place.
The back of the gap is filled with modeling clay.

The first layer of filler, it was too runny to do it in one go.