friends passing

 internet friends, kayaking friends. after a long period of fighting cancer Bonnie passed away http://frogma.blogspot.com/

reposting from 1.4.2006....Saltheart Foamfollower

This is Saltheart Foamfollower(the name comes from a character who is a sea-faring giant in a novel by Stephen Donaldson) a Valley Nordkapp original, I think they are now calling it 'heritage' instead of original, ha. The beach looks a bit messy as they are doing some building on this island, its a National Trust island I think. This trip to Loch Lomond today being the first I have been on this year! A Scottish Canoeing Association trip run by Mike Thomson, well attended and great weather. I ran out of steam towards the end though so tomorrow I am going to be more than a bit sore!Ben Lomond still showing snow, a seagull obligingly flew into shot just as I pressed the shutter, a good photo moment by accident as usual!
I came home to find this crocus I bought last week had flowered. It is called Barr's Purple and I couldn't find it in any books so I had no idea what it looked like until today, and I like it! It is quite small so I suspect it is an alpine kind of thing. 'Stuff'is germinating away in the greenhouse, veggies and flowers but I am too tired out to make a list- I can do that tomorrow when I am so stiff I can hardly move, great!!

beauty

I unfortunately don't understand a word.... and don't have to, just look at the fabulous photographs.

http://ekokayak.wordpress.com/

things happen for a reason?

so I put the kayak on e-bay. its bound to sell on e-bay.
however they just sent me this
"We appreciate that you chose eBay to list the following auction-style listing:: Valley Nordkapp sea kayak, compass, tow rope, However, your listing was in breach of eBay's Inappropriate Links policy and has been removed from eBay. All fees related to this listing have been credited to your account. We also notified members who placed bids on the item that the listing has been canceled."
I had decided if it didn't sell then more effort to regain fitness was in order as I would then keep it.
next week I start a Saturday job mucking out eight competition horses. that'll increase fitness.
right, back onto e-bay to look for a roof rack for the Fiesta.
see you on the water next year then.

monday evening

Julia very kindly forwarded this picture of me she took on Monday nights club paddle. we were out on the Clyde, beautiful sunshine in the late evening, fabulous!!

of boats

I offered to help at a scout jamboree and spent all day assisting(floating about) the instructor, nice little plastic boats to play in, I was paddling the rather nice blue one, lots of scouts taken out and no capsizes amazingly!
this is the model tug Frances, and she can pull too! variously single or rafted kaykakers, a blow up dingy and a canoe full of scouts!
men who play with boats have lunch, and discuss boats
I thought the 'smoke' on this one was quite fetching, it was produced by an incense stick stuck down the chimney. I dont remeber this ones name but its a copy of an edwardian ramming naval vessel.

gathering dust

a quick visit to the kayak shed yesterday reveals all is ok and gathering dust, sure it doesn't show up much on the yellow anyway. (and nowI am wondering if thats a bit strange? to visit your kayak to make sure its ok?)

my new years paddle

a grand day out, lots of bright paddlers on a somewhat grey day
Greenock to Kilcreggan, not a huge paddle but a nice day out
this is the first time I have been out this year, nice to blow away the cobwebs and get the dust off the boat.

new backrest

See one of the important things about kayaking is to look good , and the Nordkapp(origional mold thankyou, none of this modern altered stuff) helps in that department a lot. Yes, it is very yellow.

new backrest fitted, thankyou Forbes!! it has been fitted 'upside down' but I need it that way as its an ocean cockpit(wee) and I have to slide in off the back deck(big bum!)

I recently took the kayak to work, put it down in the car park and sat in it while one of the chiropractors stuck her hand down the back of my trousers to see what the old backrest(a 2" web strap) was doing. You need not get embarassed easily!! She decided it pressed too hard onto two particular vertabrae and was a large part of the 'sore back' thing that was happening at that time. The new backrest covers a much larger area(that'll be the big bum again) and is quite padded so its spreading the 'load'. I found it very comfortable today, I paddled by myself( which I dont usually do) along the splash(big wall along the esplanade in Greenock) and back, enough for a stretch and some fresh air. Very nice it was too.

No friends available to paddle with as they have all gone off to Loch Etive for the weekend, I have to stay at home as Kirsty's wee girl Kelsey is being christened tomorrow. I have been 'booked' to take lots of pictures so I better get my batteries and spares on charge before I forget.

links for swim OR more pictures of me

photograph from Inverclyde Now, me on the left, Frankie in the middle and 'unknown boy'(sorry)
another IN photograph, this is our Forbes escorting his swimmer, good picture.

reporting on last weeks swim Inverclyde Now , and the Greenock Telegraph which has a nice picture of Rory , I am in the background behind his head.

clyde swim

swimmers and kayakers at Kilgregan, each swimmer has a kayak partner for safety, they can hold onto the end of the kayak if they need to stop. there are rescue boats out and the kayaker can call on them if they need to. the swimmers are all raising money for charity and they swim just over a mile across the Clyde to Greenock.
swimmers and kayakers head towards Greenock. the sea was a bit lumpy in a couple of places, wind causing waves, all the swimmers finished in good style.
there were a few demo boats to try , I tried the Greenlander, and the Greenlander Pro, my friend Maggie tried the Romany HV, really liked it and then used it for the whole day and now is choosing which colour she would like to order.

fun paddling

out tonight on the Clyde at Greenock, nice and bumpy but not overly so. I usually paddle my Nordkapp and tonight had a quick paddle in the club Anas Acuta, I own one of these but it is awaiting outer surface refurbishment; the club boat has had gel coat applied to reseal the surface, it is approximatley the same age as mine(over 30 years, they made em good!). I was planning to 'Marine Cut' the surface on mine and try to polish the existing lay, the expert of the gel coat says my surface won't polish, any opinions??

me

thanks Bruce

Tayvallich

this is the life! out on beautiful Loch Sween, we paddled about 12 miles, mostly sheltered from the wind by its nooks and crannys. we saw an osprey flying out from its nest, unfortunatley no photo as my camera is kept securely in a dry bag inside the boat. this photograph was taken on the lunch stop, there were 23 people on this trip and 60 at the weekend in total,( three other groups away doing harder more macho things.) thats the most kayaks I have ever seen in one place at one time! I loved this little boat with its flags and cd's, unfortunatley the photgraph does not show how they were flashing as they moved in the wind. very jolly.
an old jetty, it's probably been left to disintegrate as there is a shiny new concrete effort at the end of the village. I might try to lighten this photograph up with an effects program, its not something I ususally do but this looks a bit dull.
thats my holiday over then. I came home today and cut the grass, and thanked Billy for looking after the greenhouse, the garden managed itself and the cats are a bitt huffy from being abandoned for two days( three bowls of water, four bowls of food and a full cat litter! not good enough according to them!!)

photo update

Kilcreggan looking over to Greenock on the River Clyde(photo not taken last night but showing equally idyllic conditions) a hard paddle back then. . . .
photograph taken late evening sunday, as the sun hit the tree you could see the clouds building up behind the hills. also showing the 'rhubarb bed' edged in paving stones, just at the moment the rhubarb is about 6inches across, it'll grow!

Loch Lomond

I had a great paddle today as a guest of the Garnock KC, what a nice group of people. The weather was windy with gusts, rain and glimpses of sunshine. The wind got a bit much for me just at the end and I came of the water a ten minute walk from the launch point. We saw swallows, swifts, canada geese, swans, oyster catchers, seaguls and ducks. You could smell the bluebells from across the water, they were flowering on hillsides and islands, I saw a wild violet at the lunch stop but the rain prevented me from getting the camera out.
bluebells on Inchcailloch Island, there are old oak trees and holly all round the island.
view from the top of the island showing Ben Lomond hiding its head in the clouds. I think you can see the 'texture' on the water and it blew up more than this on the way back, I am a big scardy!!

Saturday

water with 'texture'

I am going to contemplate the garden in my minds eye, but not necessarily do any gardening. I had to work this morning and I hate working a Saturday! I did post a while back about how I thought I had pulled a muscle in my belly button, well you may laugh! I have indeed pulled some obscure muscle/fascia connecting my hip/thigh/abdomen , sort of that area, and it is sore!! A kinesiology initiall reading(I have to get a full consultation still) indicates taking vitamin E, so I am. The chiropractors have manipulated me and advised using ice packs, so I am. On Tuesday I am going for this, honestly I am such a crock. . . but the chiropractor did say a day of gardening after an evening of kayaking and something about it being my own fault?

totally different subject, this is interesting.
Through choices private and public, our children’s future is in our hands

and Patty's My life and Times has this site too.

Back on the water

Monday night, lovely paddle from the club house round the corner to the next bay, (Frankie and Maria in photo).

25 miles from the sea

Wildside you mentioned sea-kayaking!
I have been paddling for about 15 years, these pictures are from last year. the first picture taken by my friend Tom from his boat, is off Oban, with the island of Kerrera in the distance. the second is with Dave on the River Clyde at Greenock. twice a year there they have a sponsored swim at the narrowest point which is just over a mile, every swimmer has a sea-kayak for company, it helps them keep going in the right direction and to hold onto for a rest or if they need taking out of the water they can hang on till the safety boat gets there. my boat is a Valley Knordkapp, an old design but still considered one of the best, my paddle is a cranked Lendal composite. we often go away with the boats loaded up with gear and we will camp somewhere isolated that you cant get to except by boat, its great I love it, I only wish I was nearer.