Friday was a bit of a wild day so there was no way I was going to paddle across to Hoy on my own. The wind was gusting westerly about 60mph - too strong for me!
Instead we took the passenger ferry from Stromness to Moaness. It went to the east and south of Graemsay, which is good because I didn’t fancy going through the tiderace in that weather! Although folk still headed over to see the film, Dave McLeod himself got stuck in Thurso because the Hamnavoe got a broken window and couldn’t cross the Firth. The film was really good and it was particularly moving to watch Ed Drummond, who made the first ascent in 1970, return to the island. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you do so now! You can get it from Dave’s website here.
The climbing club had arranged for folk to go over and see the film, stay the night in the Hoy Centre and have a day out on the hills today. Because of the weather, only 5 of us decided to stay overnight and 3 of us had a long walk today (the other 2 were on their mountain bikes). Hoy is completely different to any other part of Orkney so it is nice to get away from it all over there!
I have only seen the Old Man of Hoy from the ferry so was keen to see it from land, while, having watched the film the night before, I was keen to see St John’s Head too. It is also the highest sea cliff in Britain so certainly worthy of a visit. Off we set just before 10am, into the teeth of the wind and rain. I was confident (ha ha) that the weather would improve as the day went on and that by going the way round we were going, that we would have the wind behind us when on the exposed ridge.
A peedie bit driech in the glen.
My companions set off at a hell of a speed and I was practically running to keep up! We were conscious that we had a ferry to catch at 4.30pm so didn’t do much hanging around! After a couple of hours we made it to the Old Man, where the wind was coming straight off the sea at a horrific speed. We hunkered down for a few minutes and ate our pieces before setting off again.
The Old Man of Hoy (camera shake due to high wins!)
We carried on towards St John’s Head climbing all the time. The head is essentially a ridge that has had the end chopped off to give the high cliffs. Stopping for a breath now and again afforded us some lovely views of the Old Man. The sun was also beginning to appear.
Looking down on the Old Man
It was too windy to venture out onto St John’s Head when we got there, but it was great to be there and see the highest sea cliff in Britain. There is a stone that the climbers have carved their initials onto and I would like to see that one day. As we set off from St John’s Head to go up and over Cuilags, the mist descended rapidly. A bit of map and compass work was required but by the time we got to the col before the climb up to Cuilags the mist had lifted again and we were afforded a fine view from the top.
Looking down at Graemsay and Mainland beyond
Climbing club members on Cuilags
The way down into the glen is really steep and hard on the joints. I was feeling my age and was a little saddened that I haven’t done more with my life. To distract myself from the sore hips and knees, I took in the view back down to Rackwick. It really is a stunning place.
Looking back towards Rackwick.
Ward Hill and Sandy Loch
Safely back on the flat, we had time for a sit down at the hostel before making our way to the ferry. I wasn’t sure what way he was going to go, but he headed up through Burra Sound. Right through the tiderace.
Graemsay comes in to Moaness
At the time, I reckoned the tide was on the ebb, and given how low the tide seemed to be, it shouldn’t have been running that fast…. I have just found out that the boat left about 20 minutes before low tide but there was nothing slack about Burra Sound when we went through it! I’d have liked to have seen it 2 hours earlier (or maybe not!).
Lovely wave in the tiderace
Smacking through the waves
We ploughed through the race and at one point I was clinging on for dear life for fear of being thrown over board as we pitched and rolled. I HAVE to visit Burra Sound in my sea kayak one day!
As we sailed away from Hoy, we were all knackered, but in the end we’d had a lovely day out and the weather was kind in the end. It’s sometimes easy to forget what you have just 30 minutes away on the ferry. This summer, I shall have to try to remember more often!
The sun shines down the glen between Ward Hill and Cuilag
By a process of elimination and inspection, I have deduced that there must be a hole somewhere in my boat. The back hatch is not supposed to fill with water at an alarming rate…… Investigations led me to a possible company here who could fix her but at the moment they are not answering their phone. This means that for the moment, I am on the sea without a boat. It struck me that I might have to use a different boat for my 4* assessment and that perhaps I should start practising for that eventuality.
Tonight was a KKC pool session and the vole keeper confirmed that he would be bringing some sea boats to the pool and this meant I could practise in a plastic Avocet.
Stand in boat
I wanted to practise the same things because I want to be able to do them in 4* assessment. I’m not sure I will succeed but if I practice as hard as I can, at least I will know I have done my best. Tonight my re-entry and rolls were poor but I managed a few.
Re-enter
Roll (successful despite the awful head position)
After my abject failure at the end of Sunday’s session, I was a little apprehensive about trying a self-rescue in a different boat. However, it seemed fine and I managed to get back in quickly and effectively.
Swing that leg…..
Bum in seat…
Success!!!
KKC sessions are always very busy so after 20 minutes or so, it was time to get out and let other people get in boats. I wandered down to the shallow end where most of the coaching in rolling and handrolling takes place and soon found myself coaching one of our younger members to roll. I like teaching the girls as it is always good to encourage other female paddlers. I wish I had gone to the canoe club at my school way back in 1992….. After some hard work from her, we had some very near screw rolls so there is plenty to build on next week.
My butterfly rolls in my sea boat have been unsuccessful since I went to Shetland (I blame the vet) so I thought I’d give them a whirl in a pool boat. Both sides were no trouble but I think I am rushing the roll too much. While I was doing this, another coach came over to chat. He wanted to know why I coached the screw roll upright, rather than with a back deck finish. That was a very good question. I suppose it is because I was taught that way and because at that time it was regarded as ‘the right way’ to do things. The other coach pointed out that teaching a back deck finish relates much better to other things that we do – handrolls, butterfly rolls etc etc etc. This has got me thinking as I see exactly what he is saying. I think, at the end of the day, there is no ‘right’ way to roll, as long as you keep yourself and your shoulders safe and it gets you upright!
Unlike my butterfly handrolls at the end of the night…. ah well…. something to work on next week (with Mackayak for help……)
Many people think that professional archaeologists just dig holes for a living, well, I don’t. By training I am an archaeological geophysicist which means I use lots of machines that go beep and lots of computer programs to make pretty pictures. When working on ‘proper’ archaeology, I spend my time using CAD, GIS, databases and all sorts of other bits of software, usually also to make pretty pictures (like these images of a topo survey). This means over the years, I have become just a tiny bit of a computer geek….
Kayakers doing 4* are supposed to have logbooks. I had lost mine (written in blue black Quink no less) so I asked the friend with gills for a copy of his template in Word. He happened to mention that he had always thought it would be good as a database…… A database did indeed sound like a mighty fine idea and my little geek tendencies started to fire up and I set to work. I am now on Version 3.0, having added pages and put the images in as linked files to reduce the DB file size. At the moment however, I am stuck at how to write the location of the image browsed to to one of the columns of a table. If anyone out there is a whizz with VB, please let me know.
So essentially, after a discussion with the tall one, deciding at about 8.30am that the weather was far too crap for paddling, I spent all of my Saturday in my PJs, drinking a LOT of tea and making tweaks to the database. Rock and roll. Oh and the cat helped himself to the meat meant for my sandwiches (greedy little……..).
Logbook Version 3.1
On Sunday, the weather seemed a bit better, in that although there was snow on the ground, it wasn’t actually blowing a complete hoolie, so another paddle was planned. Originally I had wanted to go out and lead a group in 4* conditions but by Sunday there weren’t any. I gave up on the idea of leading and just went for a paddle.
For a few weeks I have been planning to paddle to Hoy this Friday to go to a talk and film screening with climber Dave MacLeod. He recently free climbed St John’s Head in Hoy via the Longhope route and made a film about it.
Anyway, no one seems particularly keen to come with me, so I thought it would make a nice twilight solo trip. Initially I was going to leave from Stromness, but even I am not stupid enough to cross an 8kn tiderace, on my own, in the dark, at springs, so instead I am going to leave from Houton and cross the Flow to Moaness. Because I am going to go on my own, I needed to find a way to deal with my boat on my own…. On Sunday, while waiting for the tall one and the surfer, I thought I’d try to get the boats off the van in preparation for their arrival just to see if I could. It turns out I can. And it turns out the way not to do this is to take the back end off first. Phyllis DID NOT like this method……
“My ear hurts” said Phyllis Van
Having got ourselves organised, we set off from Dingieshowe on a pretty flat sea, although there was a bit more swell about than it initially seemed. We made our way down the coast exploring along the way, trying to remember where the infamous Y-Cave actually was. Eventually I found it and found that the entrance to the leg of the Y offered an opportunity to play on the swell.
Inside the Y-cave
We carried, mostly in sunshine but with the odd snow shower too.
SNOW!
After a spot of luncheon and tea, we carried on towards Roseness, realising that we were actually short of time to make our destination in South Ronaldsay at 1pm. At Roseness I spotted a gap. It was a bit of a gnarly gap but I reckoned it was passable with care on a smaller set when it filled. Well, I got half way through when the water left. My boat dropped into a hole where the water had been but now wasn’t (which was actually quite fun). The surge came in from the left and I braced and stayed up (still fun) but then, another wave took me out (not fun). Tried to roll but couldn’t, tried to roll again but realised there was a cliff in the way (really not fun). Hmmmmm I thought. I wasn’t entirely sure where the handle to my spraydeck was, especially with very cold hands but I found it and exited the boat forthwith. I popped up and found I was under a rock ledge in a sort of mini cave. Hmm I thought, this could get sticky. The tall one shouted at me to ‘get out of there’. I assure you I had every intention to do so, at that moment, however, another wave came in and pushed me backwards. Because I was under the rock ledge I couldn’t rise up with the swell and was under water for a couple of seconds. That was pretty scary. The tall one continued to shout instruction to swim out to him and abandon kit. However, because I was trying to swim against the surge, no matter what I did, I seemed to get pushed backwards. He said ‘leave the boat and swim’. I assure you I had and I was! Eventually, I managed to get myself to the side of the gap where there was a rock. I clung on and made away along to a point I could climb out. So at least I was OK.
The tall one then jumped out of his boat and swam to rock I was on. The words “GORDON BROWN DVD, VOLUME 2!” were shouted like a war cry…. He then got himself into the gap and swam out with my boat on a towline. With it now in calm waters, I was instructed to swim to it to be x rescued by the surfer. I didn’t really want to get back in the water but I did as I was told and was safely reunited with my craft.
Shalder gets an empty
My paddle was at this point still in the gap getting a good pounding. I love that paddle, but I love my friends more, so I could have lived without it. However, as the tall one is very kind, he decided he would retrieve that too. Unfortunately, he timed this with a bigger set and like me, struggled to swim against the surge. Via the rock clambering method, he made is way out again and was soon back in his boat. The surfer had also been watching Gordon Brown Volume 2 and was very good at instructing us to heel hook and roll!
My loveliest, lovely, lovely friend who rescued my lovely paddle which I dearly love. Thank you!!
So, what did we learn from that experience? My main thought is that we could have improvised a throwline of some sort so that no one but me had to be in the gap. I suppose I could have attached my towline to the boat, the tall one could have got an end of his to me and I could have been towed out with both of them remaining in safe water or on a rock. We could have left behind the boat and we could certainly have left behind the paddle. We probably all should have had towlines (we had 2 between 3) and we certainly should all have had radios. And perhaps I shouldn’t piss about quite the way I do….. Maybe.
Rolling
After all that excitement, we decided to return to Dingiehowe rather than continue to South Ronaldsay. I was paddling along and seemed to be struggling to keep up. At Dingieshowe we had a little bit of wet practice, with the non drysuited surfer doing some rolls and me doing the usual routine of roll, re-enter and self-rescue. My roll was OK, my re-enter took a few goes and I did my self-rescue OK. Then it started to snow, so we decided to go home.
The snow falls on Dingieshowe
After a quick bite to eat, it was time for climbing. I felt like I had improved a little, perhaps because I had had a good work out in the sea earlier!
Good turn out at the wall
Later, it was time for a sea boat pool session. I wanted to practice what I always practice but this time took in my tow line to practice doing self-rescues while wearing it. I made a startling discovery…. Rolling without towline easy peasy, rolling with towline not so easy at all. I don’t do a layback roll but the position of the towline must hamper me in some way. A few experiments suggested towline to the front for normal circumstances and pushed round the back for self rescue. I thought also about a deck-mounted system but the adventures of earlier had definitely shown the benefits of the paddler having it attached to them.
I managed to do everything I wanted in the pool but did not have the success rate of previous weeks. I finished up being unable to self-rescue at all and I wonder if something was catching and stopping me getting on the back deck. Perhaps I was just utterly and totally knackered. I (and the boat) certainly looked it by the end of the day!
The rinse and spin cycle on my washing machine had barely finished after our session on Sunday, when it was time to pack a bag once more and head for the pool again.
Of course I wanted to practice the same old same old, and I did, successfully. The most exciting thing, however, was the launch of Mackayak’s latest acquisition, The Black Beast.
Thinking about the Elbow Roll
Post-roll
I think she’s happy!
Phwoar, look at the chines on that!
Self rescue
After Mackayak had given it a go, I was instructed to have a shot. Having squeezed in with my shoes on, I was handed a Greenland paddle. I wasn’t quite sure what to do! After a roll or two, I hit upon a new plan – handrolling! Being a heathen, I handrolled the way I handroll a polo boat but it worked! So, I can now officially say, '”I can handroll a sea kayak!”. The boat seemed really nice, so I look forward to having a go in the sea and seeing how she handles in some conditions.
A confused paddler
Handrolling – GET IN!
With only 5 minutes of the session remaining, I decided to jump back in my boat and complete four tasks. Roll on left, roll on right, re-enter and roll and self-rescue. This I did, in quick succession, so that was a positive end to the session. Now I just have to get as slick in the sea!
Offside roll (you can tell it’s ok by my hair!)
Re-entry and roll
Self rescue
After all that fun, I’m more than ready for my bed….. yawn…….
The transportation of goods from sooth to home is always something of an issue. This weekend, however, the Orkney Voles were playing in Glenrothes so Mackayak made use of Silver Darling Delivery Services to get her new boat home.
There was great anticipation as the Hamnavoe was crossing the Firth and a small gathering of paddlers convened in her garage ready for the great reveal. It was worth waiting for……
Silver Darling Delivery Services arrive with the package
Like Christmas, only better
Rough finished areas
Her badge
“LOOK AT MY NEW BOAT!”
I think it might be love…..
“I think even I could manage a static brace in this, look at these connectivity points!”
“I don’t want to give it back!”
I have tried to suggest to Mackayak some Ninja paddling after work this week but I think we’ll have to wait until the weekend for the maiden voyage. As well as being great for Greenland skills, I also think that the boat will move rather quickly due to the length, lightness and keel line. A low volume, quick boat is what I dream of! Mackayak, I hope you have your garage well secured!!!
