Arisaig again and the end of an epic

The thought of the campsite being just round the next island gave Douglas a new lease of life. In anticipation of a campfire and some real food for dinner, he started trolling his fishing line in the hope of catching a fresh mackerel.

There is nothing more satisfying for starters than a mackrerel BBQ’ed before rigor mortise has had time to stiffen the fish flesh.



We were now rounding Eilean a Ghaill which was the island we passed just before crossing the Sound of Arisaig the day before. What a difference a day makes to the ocean. The sea was flat calm and not a sign of swell anywhere. Although hardly 24 hours had passed since we made our way across to Moidart.. it felt like we had spent a few days in paradise. It really was an epic journey.



They say that two is company and three is a crowd, and perhaps its true for these cormorants sitting on the rocks just outside Port nam Murrach.

However I’m sure Douglas and myself would have happily shared the small camp ground at the port with another three, but we drew the line at sharing it with another dozen tents and a large Tepee. The camp ground was full !!



I debated with Douglas on our next move. Our choice was either to backtrack the way we had come, to a small pebble beach a mile or so back, or continue round the point and head for the campsite where we had left the cars.

I felt sorry for Douglas as he had to paddle whichever way we went and I could see the pain in his face when we decided to head back to the cars. It was another nine miles away and we were both starving. I then did something that I never thought I would ever do. I gave Douglas my last Mars bar. That is brotherly love at its best :-D

The only consolation ... it was a truly beautiful evening. There was not a breath of wind and the sea reflected everything around it.

The seals sat sleepily on their sea perches while the seagulls slept in silence. Douglas decided to paddle straight across the skerries of Loch Na Ceall to cut his distance down a little, while I chose to navigate the South Channel then out the North Channel. I needed the extra depth for the outboard.



Before we parted, I half joking said..

“Fancy going to Eigg instead..the crossing looks fine”

Douglas’s eyes lit up and I could see his initial thoughts were obviously ... “OK”

Then he remembered his injured foot and knee.. and he said..

”I would love to Donald ..but I better get my toe to hospital. I think it needs some stitches”

I guess that is when it really hit home to me how bad his foot was.

How could he turn down that offer of another adventure ?

We met up again on the other side of the skerries and both arrived back at the campsite and cars just as the sun set.



Douglas went home the next day and had his toe treated at the outpatients and Im glad to say its fine now.

Me ? ... well I was still up for more adventures.. so I went to Eigg myself .. stay tuned for that adventure very soon :-D


But first.. sincere thanks to my brother for taking me on that amazing journey. It really was an epic and I hope we can do some more together.

Thanks also for reliving it with me through the blogs.

If you have not seen the journey through Douglas’s eyes ..it worth reading it and you can catch it here on Seakakakphoto. http://seakayakphoto.blogspot.com

Loch nan Uamh and its Golden Galapegos

We could not have asked for a better crossing of Loch Nan Uamh. The swell was gone and the sea was quiet. So was Douglas and that worried me a little. I could sense the pain in his lower limbs as he paddled steadily but stiffly towards Eilean nan Caber.



Eilean nan Caber has a beautiful profile from the west. It looks almost round and almost perfectly pyramidal in shape. There are not many islands in Loch nan Uamh that are covered in trees. I wondered what made them grow so ?



We were now in the heart of the Galapagos of rocky islands in Loch nan Uamh



Douglas paddled on bravely. Even I was getting stiff from sitting in my boat for most of the day so stood up and stretched my legs. Alas, all Douglas could do was twiddle his toes in the narrow confines of his hull.



He put on a brave face when he met another party of kayakers in the shelter of Eilean an Sgurra. He took the opportunity to give his arms a rest and gently exercise his mouth. I took a break too and started to fish.



Some of the islands seemed to generate their own weather systems. This rocky outcrop had an almost identical cloud reflection in the sky.



The afternoon was wearing on and the sun was getting lower. It had been a strange summer.. I had hardly see any sun since June. It was now September and I could sense the darker days of winter drawing nigh already.



Some of the islands have huge rock towers on them, almost like ancient fortifications. It was in this area of Loch Nan Uamb that two French warships carrying troops and gold to support Bonnie Prince Charlie’s cause were attacked by the Royal Navy in 1746. Some of the French troops escaped along with the gold which was hidden in the area and subsequently lost. Its a pity we were too tired to look for it as I’m sure it is still on that island



I shouted across to Douglas as he started to lag behind a little.. “ Dont worry ..its only another three miles to Port nam Murrach ..and that’s where we planned to camp for the night .. I will get the dinner on when we land and you rest a bit”



I guestimated that Douglas had already paddled well over twenty miles since the morning, lost at least a pint of blood, sweated at least a couple of pints of water, and been cooped up in a kayak for ten hours... little did we know then ... there was more to come ....

Loch Ailort and the silence of Eilean a’ Chaolais

After passing Eilean nan Gobhar, it was only a skip and a jump to Eilean a’ Chaolais at the north entrance of Loch Ailort. I was still running on auxiliary outboard and was keen to see if I could spend a little time and get the main engine working before crossing the open waters of Loch nan Uamh. Douglas was keen to have a look at his bandage again, and we were both looking for an excuse to stop for another lunch, so agreed to land at the sandy beach on Ardnish headland.

Rounding the rocky point of Eilean a’ Chaolais, I could see just how far the tide drops here by the markings on the rocks. It was around ten feet in height. That is a lot of water to move out to sea between high and low tide, but I had not detected any significant tidal flow since leaving Loch Moidart.



I was now homing in on the landing beach at Ardnish. The fish finder still showed 40ft of water below my keel so I knew it wasn't far to go.



However Douglas had another idea. He had spied a different sandy beach on Eilean a’ Chaolais and was making his way towards it. It's normally under water at high tide as I didn’t recall seeing it the last time I passed this way.



I followed him ashore and we both rested for a while in another place I can only describe as paradise.



The water was calm and crystal clear. Sand eels darted in the shallows. There were sandy bays separated by steep rocks decorated with orange and black seaweed. The sun danced happily through the hillside chased by the shadows of the clouds. But best of all, was the stunning silence in the landscape around us.



It didn’t last for long though. I had brought the main engine ashore and ask Douglas if he could assist trying to start it. He suggested removing the plug again and checking for a spark. I removed the plug and carefully supported the engine with one hand while I held the starter chord with the other hand. I asked Douglas if he could hold the plug onto the metal casing so it would spark while I pulled the chord.

He agreed. I pulled. The silence was broken.

Not by the sound of the engine starting but by a noisy cough, then a splutter followed by a curse. Alas for poor Douglas, the cylinder had been flooded with fuel which was why the engine wouldn’t start. When I pulled the starter cord, the excess petrol spurted out the plug hole and caught Douglas full in the face.

The good news was that when I assembled everything, the engine started with no further problems. I thanked Douglas and called him a star .. he called me something else but I didn’t quite catch what it was. To make amends, I offered to help him change the bloody bandage on his foot, but he politely declined my offer of help.



Not long after, we were back in the Sound of Arisaig, having passed through the Caolas a’ Bhogadain, rounded the end of Ardnish and were now heading for the many islands on the far side of Loch nan uamh.




Silence again returned to Eilean a’ Chaolais... my main engine was now throbbing happily ... while Douglas's toe was just throbbing again :(

Moidart and crossing the Sound of Arisaig

In truth, crossing the open space of the Sound of Arisaig wasn’t as daunting as I first feared. The wind had dropped quite considerably and the waves had lost their white tops. Although I was crossing parallel to the waves, the rolling swells were far enough apart not to rock the boat to much.

As we left the headlands of Arisaig behind, Douglas scooped large paddles full of water in an effort to keep up with the outboard engine of my boat.



The sun broke though a hole in the cloud, briefly illuminating the hills on the northern shores of Loch Nan Uamh. Although the water looks grey and uninviting, it wasn’t a cold wind. I guessed Douglas would be sweating a bit with all the exercise. I felt as cool as a cucumber as the outboard warmed nicely on tickover.



Once we cleared the islands of Eilean an t-Snidhe, it was open water all the way to Moidart. There was no turning back now.



Douglas hauled up his sail and made the most of the wind. It certainly seemed to work well as he didn’t have to paddle so hard. The wind and waves hitting from behind pushed him quickly along.



The swell was quite big in the middle of the Sound. There is a kayak somewhere under this mound of moving water. At times I could only see the sail with a hat following behind it.



I wondered about the stability of a kayak at sea with a sail, but it was no problem. Douglas dug his paddle blade into the water to assist his balance during the gusts. I guess the kayak can handle rougher water than my small boat because the larger waves pass over the kayak and cant swamp it. If a large wave came over the side of my boat, it would be full of water and start to wallow in the waves very quickly.



As we approached the hamlet of Smirisary, on the exposed headlands of Moidart, the waved began to get bigger due to wind against tide and also the shallower water.



I was glad to see the sandy beach of Port Achadh an Aonaich come into sight. Our plan was to land here and set up camp for the night.



The port is sheltered a little by the offshore island of Eilean Coille. The landing approach was in much smoother water.