The Best of the West ..250 miles of it anyhoo ...

[Steve509926]

Looks beautiful Donny, just beautiful

Hearing you mention Gigha took me back a bit, a few more years than I care to remember! Gigha is the only island I've ever canoed to from the mainland. When we landed on a beach, can't remember which, we hadn't been on it more than a couple of minutes before we got chased off it by a herrd of angry cows!

Love the video Donny, looking forward to part 4.

[The Gurnard]

Hi again guys ..apologies for not getting Part four made yet but the sea called my name again and I just had to follow the voice in my head.

I went back round Ardnamurchan point and made my way to Canna before returning via Rum Eigg and Muck. Weather was fantastic with sea conditions very varied .. We had to sit on Eigg until the conditions allowed us to go back round Ardnamurchan. It was still a bouncy journey but the two boats ..my Quicksilver and a friend’s Volaire ..had no issues in the bigger seas.

Heading for Ardnamurchan Point in a fresh breeze






The crossing from Rum to Eigg was interesting ..in 2 meter swells, strong tides and a fresh breeze.

The volaire on the crest of a wave ...



Hey..where did it go..ah ..I see ...it slide down the back of the wave out of sight ...



Now..he is back on top of things again..



Just as well as its another 4 miles to Eigg ... when we can see it. ..



There will be a Canna video eventually but I will do Part Four of this series to finish it off before starting on some other videos I also need to catch up on

Steve..the Campsite on Mull you ask about is Fidden Farm campsite

Brinormeg..I was lucky in some ways as I was a contractor and worked all over Scotland including mant of the Islands..so its a life time of getting to know the places.

Jeff..I will try to get our trip done after Part four ..it was anpther great adventure.

Thanks for looking at my posts guys.. stay safe and enjoy the boating season..its been a great one for me so far

[Steve509926]

Thanks for the site info Donny, looks like you and Jeff had quite a trip

[Fenlander]

Some great pics Donny, the 5th one is brilliant with him framed in your wake.

[The Gurnard]

Thanks for commenting guys ..its appreciated

Steve..to avoid confusion around the way I wrote the post.. I went round Canna with Kaman, I still have another adventure with Jeff to do. In fact I have quite a few fantastic videos to catch up on because Im having a ball at sea just now.

Fenlander ..you will really enjoy this Canna adventure.. some of the footage is the best I have taken this year.. we took the rough with the smooth and the rough footage is stunning and although the go pro flattens waves due it is wide angle lens ..it cant flatten 2m swells.

And the flat stuff is simply superb. I have a full circuit of Canna in unbelievable conditions which allowed close inshore footage.

Crossing to the Small Isles in a flat calm



Some of Canna’s delightfully remote coast line





A walk down Canna main street



Some of Rum at 6am in the morning ..trying to beat the approaching winds





Its not a trip for inexperienced folks in small boats due to the exposed nature of the route ..the time taken to do the open sea crossings ..strong tides and big swells..but its an adventurer’s paradise for those that do brave it is a small blow up boat

[The Gurnard]

We also had half a day of fog to deal with. Kaman has a lovely big screen chart plotter so headed off into it.

Fortunately I caught up with him before loosing sight of his boat as we could only see 50 yards. I advised him not to follow his plotter but to stick behind me. I was using compass bearings.

When I explained why he realised his mistake. His chart plotter route was leading him straight up the main shipping channel and the Mull Ferry’s are huge and plentiful. My compass bearing route kept well clear of the shipping lane. Something for those that think plotters will keep them safe in a fog. Electronic gadgets are only useful if you know what you are doing with them...and cant replace experience . (I do realise I could still meet another boat on my bearings, but it should be a smaller collision..nothing is guaranteed in a pea souper)

Kaman now safely in my tail and out the shipping lane ... you can just see his boat and only 30 yrds behind me



A map showing our route and where Canna is for those not familliar with the Scottish Islands

[Maximus]

Great pics/videos Mate! ...AND some Sage advice!.....

.....Standard "Gurnard post" I'd say!

[jeffstevens763@g]

Some nice pics there Donny looking forward to the videos mate cheers

[The Gurnard]

Its taken a while but I have finally finished Part 4 which is the last video in this adventure. In it I explore Loch Sween..the Corryvrekan and the Grey Dogs before heading for home. Hope you enjoy it..and thanks for watching the videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UHw7eyCl7Y

[Maximus]

Nice one Donny!!
I'll forgo instant gratification....and watch it later on the Big TV screen
....See you soon I hope

[The Gurnard]

Originally Posted by Maximus

....See you soon I hope

Yup..unfortunately the mackerel will be gone when you arrive ..but I have a freezer full of them so we can go after these bad boys as plenty of them all year round. Just gotta watch they don’t stab with them big spurs as they make my hand go the size of a football if I get stung..nasty brutes .. but better than blanking on a lovely calm winter day up the loch in the promised land.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Great box set Donny this last one I particularly like, loch Sween, especially the upper reaches which are beautiful, at about 9 mins there’s a varnished trawler which I have admired at Crinan for years that would be my top boat of all time loved this thanks for restoring my memories.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Maximus

Nice one Donny!!
I'll forgo instant gratification....and watch it later on the Big TV screen
....See you soon I hope

Like wise, I'll be watching them all when I get back off holiday.

Please excuse my ignorance Donny, but what's the ugly beast your holding?

[jeffstevens763@g]

Looks like a tope might be wrong or spur dog

[The Gurnard]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Like wise, I'll be watching them all when I get back off holiday.

Please excuse my ignorance Donny, but what's the ugly beast your holding?

Hi Steve..its a wee spur dog.. I get them in double figures at times but try to unhook them while still in the water.. that spur on the rear fin is deadly..one almost sliced through the PVC of the old Gurnard inflatable..it was scored right down to the webbing. It is poisonous too ..oh and they have a mouthfull of very sharp teeth... I dont know which I fear most..a big Spur Dog thrashing around the boat..trying to wrap its tail round everything.. or a big conger in the wee F Rib ..its a dangerous game at times

Thanks Jeff.

I know the exact boat one you mean and I have often admired it too. It was a converted fishing boat and after the conversion it was put up for sale. I cant remember the price as its so many years ago but I choked when I saw it. It is great to see it still in great nick. Its a crying shame to see so many other fishing boats rotting away..totally unloved.

You will be please to know..this is a snap from the video next on my cutting table ..some lovely footage in it too..as Im sure you will recall . Looking forward to our next adventure too.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

Hi Steve..its a wee spur dog.. I get them in double figures at times but try to unhook them while still in the water.. that spur on the rear fin is deadly..one almost sliced through the PVC of the old Gurnard inflatable..it was scored right down to the webbing. It is poisonous too ..oh and they have a mouthfull of very sharp teeth... I dont know which I fear most..a big Spur Dog thrashing around the boat..trying to wrap its tail round everything.. or a big conger in the wee F Rib ..its a dangerous game at times

Thanks Jeff.

I know the exact boat one you mean and I have often admired it too. It was a converted fishing boat and after the conversion it was put up for sale. I cant remember the price as its so many years ago but I choked when I saw it. It is great to see it still in great nick. Its a crying shame to see so many other fishing boats rotting away..totally unloved.

You will be please to know..this is a snap from the video next on my cutting table ..some lovely footage in it too..as Im sure you will recall . Looking forward to our next adventure too.

[The Gurnard]

I thought I had a photo of one with its gub open Steve..but this is the closest so you cant really see its teeth. It smiles as it tries to snap you..so a bit more dangerous than a mackerel. Got gills and tail like a shark too..nasty brutes..but they are a protected fish so I do put them back as carefully as I can.. even though they don’t give a dam about me. I suppose its understandable though as I haul them up from 400ft then slap them about the boat. Loch Etive is full of them and they shoal just like the mackerel and at all depths too.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Do they eat well Donny or a bit tough

[The Gurnard]

You guys south of the border like them..you used to get them in chip shops often called things like Rock Salmon ? But then you guys eat eels and all sorts of things. I only eat Haddock Mackerel or Place and occasionally Ling.. I have caught too many cod full of worms to eat them. The Chinese liked the Spur Dogs too..shark fin soup ..and that is why they were overfished and now protected species.

[The Gurnard]

I have finally managed to catch up on an adventure I have with Jeff..back in a wet windy spell in early July. However the weather proved better than forecast and we had a great time. We did chose to stick to sheltered waters though . Hope you enjoy the video.. and thanks to Jeff for his company

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAg6D6WIjpw