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28 June 2023

2023-06-Mull

Mull

A Mull non-circumnavigation. The Si's trip to Mull to circumnavigate Mull by sea kayak, cut short by appalling weather and other unlikely events.

After a long spell of fine weather, you may ask why were we going now? Well it's all to do with holidays of one "Si", the OT and the OTM, read on.

The photos below say it all.

24th June - Drive to Oban and across to Mull

A quick Oban supermarket shop

Heading down to Carnage Corner (Aptly named by the Oban Sea Kayak Race following some rather choppy conditions one year decimating the field)

The stunning Sound of Kerrera (when the suns out)

An evening crossing to Mull

Heading west towards Mull - Into the Sun — Heading west towards Mull – Into the Sun

We've arrived - Port Donain. It's been a long day! 400 mile drive via Stockport to pick up Si and a two hour paddle. I slept very well that night. — We’ve arrived – Port Donain. It’s been a long day! 400 mile drive via Stockport to pick up Si and a two hour paddle. I slept very well that night.

Campsite for the night.. sleep tight!

Electronic Red Distress ODEO Flare MK3

Valley Deck Towline

PainsWessex Compact Distress Signals Multiflare Mk8

Howard Jeffs Sea Kayak Navigation Aid (SKANA)

Why not have a Go at Sea Kayaking?

Tidal Planning

Incident Management

Coaching

Loading my Sea Kayak onto the roof of my Van

Valley Gemini SP

25th June - Port Donain to Calve Island

We had some big seas to contend with from Port Donain and into a very strong headwind. This shot was taken whilst taking a break from the big swell in the entrance of Loch Don, pointing into the wind. The direction we were heading!

It started off quite windy!

Having rounded Duart Point in fairly big conditions I was finally able to get the camera out and take some photos! For some reason, just before this moment things were a little busy and photography was just not possible.

Looking up Loch Linnhe

And its raining... — And its raining…

A cloudy day with... — A cloudy day with…

At times heavy showers.

The clouds were swirling around the interior of Mull in the rain

It was beginning to brighten up. A glimpse of Tobermory

Tobermory through the gap between Calve Island and Mull

Having virtually circumnavigated Calve Island looking for a suitable landing/camp spot, we ended up pretty much at our start point of our Calve Island circumnavigation. We couldn't spot anywhere else to land/camp, so this was it. It wasn't the greatest camp spot but did the job and was very quiet. Pretty too in the sun. — Having virtually circumnavigated Calve Island looking for a suitable landing/camp spot, we ended up pretty much at our start point of our Calve Island circumnavigation. We couldn’t spot anywhere else to land/camp, so this was it. It wasn’t the greatest camp spot but did the job and was very quiet. Pretty too in the sun.

Looking back down the sound of Mull - The Suns out now! — Looking back down the sound of Mull – The Suns out now!

Looking towards Tobermory and beyond

Tobermory and across to Ardnamurchan in the distance

Morvern/Ardnamurchan

2023-09-12 Arran – Lamlash Bay – A quick fish and pootle (downwind fun)

2023-09-10 A trip around Holy Island (Arran)

2023-05-05 Helensburgh Sugar Boat in very windy conditions

2023-06-12 Surprise Skerries

2023-04-04 Bull Bay to Camaes

2023-01-29 Trearddur Bay

2023-04-05 Menai Straits

2023-01-28 Stacks Again

2023-09-16 A Windy Maiden

2023-06-11 Silver Bay Stacks foggy

26th June - Tobermory Retreat

Setting off to Tobermory in the morning. Today was looking good weatherise, but storms with rain and high winds were due for tomorrow and what looked like most of the rest of the week, so we decided to call a halt to the circumnavigation of Mull and make our retreat. If we had carried on with the plan, we would have a very bad time of it on the more exposed side of Mull ie. The Treshnish Islands, Staffa and down to Iona. It just was not worth the risk.

The Vikings are coming!

With medium tides, we realised we could have camped on the beach in the centre of town, rather than on Calve Island. Sandy pitch though, but very handy for the curry house! Maybe next time.

We headed back across to the Morvern peninsular.

Super views

choppy in places

Hugging the coastline

Storms were beginning to build up.

The Ferry at Lochaline

Campsite for the night. Beneath the village of Lochaline

Shadow and ferry

Bliss

Superb views

The Ferry making its crossing between Mull and Lochaline

The ferry Lochinvar

Much needed rehydration

Perhaps the first Viking raid for over a 1000 years. Maybe...

Sunny Lochaline Campsite. Nighty night

2013-08-24 Oban Sea Kayak Race

2016-08-27 Oban Sea Kayak Race 2016

2013-08-25/26 Eigg

2015-10-28 Kerrera – Gylen Castle

2015-08-30/31 Paddling into the wind and tide… Arisaig

2014-08-23 Oban Sea Kayak Race 2014

2015-08-29 Oban Sea Kayak Race 2015

27th June - Wind and Rain stops play - Lochaline

The weather forecast (met office) was not wrong. The view greeting us in the morning. — The weather forecast (met office) was not wrong. The view greeting us in the morning. F5 occassional F7, coming right at us. It would rain too, pretty much most of the day!

It blew and rained all day until about 18:00. But we had fallen on a bit of luck with Lochaline. Not only had we found a good place to camp, we found there were public toilets nearby, a shop and a cafe. There was even a takeaway hut in the car park for the ferry across to Mull.

Having sat in the cafe most of the morning eaking out coffee's and then lunch, we decided to catch the ferry across to Mull for something to do. It would be somewhat drier riding on the ferry and also beat hands down hanging about outside in a bus shelter to kill some time. — Having sat in the cafe most of the morning eaking out coffee’s and then lunch, we decided to catch the ferry across to Mull for something to do. It would be somewhat drier riding on the ferry and also beat hands down hanging about outside in a bus shelter to kill some time.

The campsite beach from the ferry.

We were even invited up onto the bridge of the ferry to meet the captain and have a chat. The ferry crew realised we'd been stranded by the weather and were lovely to us. — We were even invited up onto the bridge of the ferry to meet the captain and have a chat. The ferry crew realised we’d been stranded by the weather and were lovely to us.

My wife's cruise ship, which my wife and her mother should have been on, if her mother hadn't fallen the day before boarding and ended up in hospital! — My wife’s cruise ship, which my wife and her mother should have been on, if her mother hadn’t fallen the day before boarding and ended up in hospital!

Probably a blessing in disguise really as they would not have seen much of Scotland apart from grey shapes emerging out of the gloom. Wind and rain was the weather forecast for for the rest of the week/month. We knew this was likely to happen from the long range forecast, but we had our allotted time frame for our Mull circumnavigation, so thought we'd give it a try just in case. — Probably a blessing in disguise really as they would not have seen much of Scotland apart from grey shapes emerging out of the gloom. Wind and rain was the weather forecast for for the rest of the week/month. We knew this was likely to happen from the long range forecast, but we had our allotted time frame for our Mull circumnavigation, so thought we’d give it a try just in case.

And the MV Borealis was the reason why Si and I were here. I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to go sea kayaking whilst the OT (Old Trout) and OTM (Old Trouts mother) were off on a cruise around Scotland. — And the MV Borealis was the reason why Si and I were here. I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to go sea kayaking whilst the OT (Old Trout) and OTM (Old Trouts mother) were off on a cruise around Scotland.

But of course they weren't on board... hmmm — But of course they weren’t on board… hmmm

When it finally stopped raining we took some pictures of our campsite.

Damp Si

Drying Tents

Old bloke B&W Selfie

Lovely beach

Me taking a photo of the beach, but had chosen the rear camera lens by mistake. Doh!

The beach photo I was intending to take... — The beach photo I was intending to take…

Rock pooling

Views

Don't mess with the Si's! — Don’t mess with the Si’s!

Tidal Planning (Part 3) – Lundy

Tidal Planning (Part 2) – Bamburgh Castle beach to Megstone

Tidal Planning (Part 1) – Point of Ayre (IOM) to Isle of Whithorn (Scot)

Tidal Planning

28th June - Lochaline to Oban and drive home

Having repeatedly checked the weather forecast for the morning, it looked like there would be a weather window coinciding with the ebbing tide early in the morning. So a 5am start was required to pack up and be on the water for 6 am before the wind and rain arrived later on. At least the sea was nice and flat first thing.

A few small boats came past.

The sea state was pan flat down the sound of Mull. Approaching Duart Castle. There were loads and loads of Jellyfish. Predominately Moon's, but lions mane and blues too. — The sea state was pan flat down the sound of Mull. Approaching Duart Castle. There were loads and loads of Jellyfish. Predominately Moon’s, but lions mane and blues too.

Lochaline to Oban Drive home — Passing the ferry with Lismore light in the background

Lochaline to Oban Drive home — The Ferry and light with waving passengers

Lochaline to Oban Drive home — Duart Castle – a very prominent landmark

Lochaline to Oban Drive home — Si and the castle

Lochaline to Oban Drive home — The crossing across to Kerrara was once again quite lumpy, hence no photos, but of course by now the wind had picked up and there was some wind against tide movement going on. It wasn’t too long before we were back at the Puffin Dive Centre. All that was needed was to pack up and drive the 400 or so miles home.

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← Previous Post

2023-06-12 Surprise Skerries

2023-09-01 An Aborted Anglesey Circumnavigation Attempt

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