Cold out west

I spent last weekend on a 5 star training course with Gordon Brown on Skye. Ken and Sarah, also FCAG members came along too. I don't have many pictures, as my hands were both very occupied and frozen solid. The one I've posted has the Pentax Optio blur, but demonstrates one of the difficult landing scenarios.
Skye was literally freezing with snow lying at low altitude. The temperature added to my anxieties about the course, though as usual it was just extremities which were cold.
The course mixed both navigation training and paddling. Skye has a fantastic range of venues, with something suitable in any conditions. We had a day off Armadale, landing and manoeuvring in the skerries there, followed by a big towing session at Kyleakin. The latter merged into a night paddle, with a lot of work on group management.
The last day was at Kylerhea. Our tidal calculations suggested a flow of 9.5 knots. I find it hard to judge speed from appearances, but it was certainly fast, and with wind against tide gave a roller coaster surging wave train- the highlight of the trip.
Having done the course I'm now questioning whether I really want to do the assessment. It's clearly tough, more so than I thought. The main tip for development was to "get out there in Force 8". My previous approach to trip planning was to avoid Force 8 at all costs!
There would be a marginal benefit for our club in having 5 star leaders, but I suppose the greater motive for doing this is the personal challenge. I think I like having targets to aim for. The next step is probably to go along as a guinea pig on a real assessment, before deciding whether to step up to the mark. Food for thought.
We were being filmed throughout. Simon Willis is working with Gordon on his next coaching DVD. They had spent the week on this, and the final version should have some of us trainees on it. Simon has posted a video of one of our towing sessions on his blog.. He's the only person who is on my iPod who I have ever met, and a thoroughly nice bloke.

The Misty Isle

Looking to the Red Cuillin

I'm just back from 5 days of instruction and guiding with Gordon Brown at Skyak adventures. Gordon is a great coach, probably one of the most experienced in the world. Three of us spent all week with him, with a view to obtaining our 4 star certificate. We learned a lot- new strokes, navigation and rescue skills, weather lore and kayak design, and even how to take better kayaking photographs.
The weather, true to Skye's reputation, was mostly misty. Winds varied from negligible up to just about force 5. This is a fine level to fine tune skills without involving too much terror. On exposed seas the wave height was around 3 feet. This is a level which isn't too unsettling- it was still possible to see other paddlers all the time- but was enough to leave me slightly sea sick in the evenings.
Most of our time was spent paddling on the west coast of the Sleat peninsula. This was suitably exposed to the mostly westerly wind.
Other trips took us round the Skye bridge looking for tidal eddies. The tides in this area have been significantly changed by the bridge construction, and our carefully worked out planning simply didn't work.

Under the Skye Bridge

The main journey of the week was from Elgol to Loch Coruisk, with a return via Soay. The weather was damp, but I enjoyed my first visit to the heart of the Cuillins for 20 years. Curiously there wasn't a lot of marine life to be seen on the trip, bit we did spot Soay sheep, grazing on the seaweed of the island.

Setting off for the Cuillins

Gordon runs Skayak adventures with his wife, Morag. It's a great setup. They have an office and gathering point in a bothy in the garden. There are lots of boats to try out, and any equipment needed can be borrowed. In the garden is a hot tub- a great way to end the paddling day. I'm pretty sure I'll be back for more!