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With Gare Loch looking nice and calm, I thought I might as well do another training run in the Taran to Kilcreggan. All was nice and calm until I passed Rosneath Point, at which point I was, as per usual, slap bang into the wind and swell. The nearer I came to Kilcreggan, the...
Another training run in the Taran to Kilcreggan, this time without cake and coffee! On rounding Rosneath Point, I nearly didn’t bother. The wind was blowing strongly from the west, with occasional gusts. Not only that, but the swell was rather large and, along with the wind, was coming directly at me. I decided...
A good friend of mine, Dave, is looking at buying a sea kayak. He asked me what he should buy, to which I replied, “You really need to try as many boats as you can for yourself.” Having established that he is looking for a general-purpose sea kayak, one that will do for one...
I finally managed to get a lap of Bute in last Friday/Saturday, 21st/22nd August, paddling my fully laden Taran, “Disco Boy”. I also managed two laps of the Perch Beacon: one on the way to Bute and another on the return journey. For some crazy reason, I set off from the slipway near where...
It was raining when I left home to travel the 6 miles to the "A Frames Dive Site" at the now-disused Finnart Oil Terminal on Loch Long. By the time I reached the car park, the rain had eased off a bit, but it was all a bit misty. At least it was nice...
Having spent the morning with my chainsaw and chipper, chopping trees and processing the branches, I decided to take the afternoon off and head out in the Taran. It was a beautiful day, after all. With no particular plan in mind, I headed across to Clynder to gain some shelter from the wind blowing...
Russ was keen for another paddle the following evening. I nearly said no, but I was so glad I didn't! This evening we decided to head around Loch Scridain in a different direction. It was a gorgeous evening. The ever present wind was still blowing though, creating a choppy swell with hard going into...
We were having a lovely relaxing afternoon on the Port Nan Gael campsite, when I saw another camper van with a Rockpool Taran on its roof come into the campsite. This is not something you see every day, so I went to say hello to the owner, explaining I also own a Taran, but...
With the passing of our Greyhound Gemma, we decided to get away from it all and headed for a short break on Mull. We stopped for a couple of nights in our campervan at the rather excellent Port Nan Gael campsite on the Ross of Mull, next to Loch Scridain. The weather was brilliant,...
A flat calm and very wet training paddle out in the Taran, from the Kirk Brae slipway on Gare Loch to Helensburgh and return. 7.8nm (9.3 miles) 1 hour 46 minutes (Average speed = 5.3 mph) GPS track...
It was one of those days when you seem to be constantly battling into the wind and swell, regardless of the direction you are travelling. Setting off from the Kirk Brae slipway, I headed into the wind and swell. By the time I'd reached Rhu narrows, the wind was coming at me from the...
Another training paddle out in the Taran. it was a lovely sunny morning for it. I had the wind, tide and swell, all the way to Helensburgh, which made for quick progress. Met the lifeboat setting off for a training exercise. They were being reprimanded on channel 73 by KHM for exceeding the speed...
I rather fancied a long'ish paddle for Saturday and decided I would paddle my Rockpool Taran "Disco Boy". With the Taran being a fast sea kayak, even with my poor forward paddle flailing technique, it is a great boat for handling distances. The weather forecast was for it to be overcast, but with light...
The 6 mile trip to Kilcreggan from Shandon is always a nice trip, with the added bonus of having a coffee and cake at the cafe. With clear blue skies and next to no wind it was certainly a lovely day. Before setting off I telephoned the Kings Harbour Master (KHM Clyde 01436 674321...
The weather forecast for Saturday morning was looking not too bad, despite gale force winds of 50-80mph forecast for later on Saturday evening into Sunday. Storm "Dave" would be making itself felt across much of Scotland. Looking at the various forecasts, I knew if I was going to get a paddle in, I needed...
Tuesday 17th March 2026, was a very windy stormy day. Looking out at the sea from my kitchen window it seemed improbable the forecast weather of light winds, rising temperatures and sunshine for Wednesday 18th March was very likely. I dillydallied all day about paddling on Wednesday, about where I should go, and indeed...
During the Loch Lomond Helensburgh Canoe Club trip on 27th December, we bumped into another kayaker, Phil Smith, who had driven to Scotland, all the way from Portsmouth. Phil was desperately trying to bag the Loch Lomond Islands to rack up as many points for the 2025 "Performance Sea Kayak 1000 Island challenge". Coming...
First trip out in my new boat “Irn-Bru”. A Romany Surf with an orange deck and blue trim, as per the IRN-BRU colours. I have to say I am quite pleased with it. Especially seeing as I have never paddled one of these boats before, even before buying it! Thankfully, and as expected it’s...
My plan was to paddle across Gareloch to the house, opposite my house, and then head south towards Rhu Narrows, around to Kilcreggan, across to Helensburgh and return. Except, once on the loch I realised the wind was somewhat stronger than forecast and heading south for me was not going to be a good...
A week on from moving into my new house, I finally managed to get out on the water. It was most odd kitting up in my driveway, before walking with my trolley a few meters to the slipway to get access to the loch. I guess I am so used to packing the car...
