From the title, it should be a long post. Thousands of pages long except that I don’t know how to fill them yet. The word ‘sea’ is ultimately superfluous when I’m just getting started with kayaks and have even less experience of, for instance, rivers and whitewater, but what I want to talk about because it’s where I’m currently wanting to go. So let’s start with what I’m learning so far and why what I still don’t know matters so much… (more…)
16 November 2021
1 November 2021
New ‘paddling’ category
No, this isn’t about walking through ankle-deep water, but about paddling boats!
Having tried kayaking many years ago and been actively considering buying a kayak for the past few years, I suddenly find myself with the prospect of owning several paddling boats not so long after getting my first in June. But how and why? (more…)
18 October 2021
Above Glensanda
I’ve been out on better days but, if you must go when the forecast says ‘thick cloud’…
Having recently spent two nights on Fly in anchorages from where you can hear the Glensanda super-quarry and discussed it on another (non-solo) sail down that way since, I was keen to get a look into this humungous hole in the hills. So I impatiently chose the worst day possible, but at least got most of what I went for, which was a Graham, a Graham Top and (not quite as successful here) that view into the quarry. Oh yes, and wet feet… very wet feet! (more…)
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8 October 2021
Spinnakers and anchors
Since Fly spent 2006–18 and 2020 ashore with just a short 2019 season afloat, there were two things I still hadn’t done with her since 2005 and just had to do this year, these being to fly a spinnaker (any spinnaker!) and spend one or more nights away at anchor. And it’s good to be able to report both these boxes now ticked… (more…)
5 September 2021
Sailing again
At last, the belated update to July’s Retiring to Fly post I’ve been wanting to make but unable to do sooner for various reasons including teething problems getting the new sails fitted and ready to go… (more…)
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30 August 2021
Above Corran
I could say lots but I’m not going to. Just (quoting this afternoon’s Facebook post):
Sgùrr na h-Eanchainne and Druim na Sgrìodain (or should that be the more evocatively named Meall Dearg Choire nam Muc?)… my first proper hills since October, and what joy that brings! :-)
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2 July 2021
Retiring to Fly!
Some 15 months ago I started to half-heartedly get back to a few wee jobs outstanding from Fly’s big refit as it became increasingly apparent that Covid-19 restrictions were likely to prevent me launching with enough of a season left to make it worthwhile, and wrote:
So I was looking forward so much to getting Fly in the water this spring after 13 full seasons ashore followed by that late, late, post-refit launch last year. But now we all know this year’s just not like other years, who knows what’s happening?
And, now we all know what happened, I’m aiming to catch up and get her back in the water again ASAP. But isn’t this July again, you might ask… why so late and what’s changed to make it worth it this time? (more…)
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19 January 2021
For John
Six blogless months since the world I knew was shattered by the sudden death of my mother and three more since my last blog before that, a tangible sense of loss finally compels me to write here again. But this isn’t about losing my sprightly and seemingly-immortal 85-year-old mother when I’m not sure I’ll ever want to write about that, but rather about my good friend John Kynaston, who was much closer to my own age at just 61… (more…)
8 April 2020
A Brief History of Fly
So I was looking forward so much to getting Fly in the water this spring after 13 full seasons ashore followed by that late, late, post-refit launch last year. But now we all know this year’s just not like other years, who knows what’s happening? Since she may or may not get to enjoy her 40th birthday afloat but I still have things to share, here’s what I know of her story so far… (more…)
29 September 2019
Fly refit final index
Having found myself frequently referring back to my own blog posts about Fly’s refit and knowing that many friends and fellow boat owners were following with interest, I saw an index of all the refit posts as a useful resource complementing the blog’s search function. So I made an interim version in April which I’m now replacing with this nominally final one when the refit never truly ends! (more…)
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