Welcome to our sea kayaking trip blog: our own, personal views of the trips we paddle and the experiences we have.

Flexibility went out of the window on March 7th, when we layered up under the dry-suits to swim around just outside Oban harbour for “Mora Edith MacDonald”.

Two hats, gloves under pogies and buffs over dry-suit neck seals were discussed and applied as ten of Oban Canoe Clubs most wrapped up paddlers prepared to go swimming.

Gill and I had been contacted by the Mora Edith MacDonald’s Skipper and asked if anyone in the club would like to go swimming... In the cold.

The exercise was a great success with the paddlers gaining as much from the being-pulled-out experience as the Life Boat Crew gained from handling sea kayaks and paddlers alike as various rescue scenario’s were worked through.

Various bods were winched out of the water, out of their kayaks and, after being fixed to submersible stretchers. There’s an interesting picture of a yellow dressed swimmer and a blue dressed swimmer down below. Which do you think was the easiest to see from the Coxswain’s upper station on the day? You may be surprised at the answer, even though it looks obvious from the water.

All goes to show why you should be carrying your flares where you can get at them and use them from the water, as well as in your boat.

Click images below to see a larger version.

The desperately cold weather during January and February this year made for wrapped up paddling. Paddling in the shade was a pretty masochistic exercise; very few people choose to be on the water after 3:30pm as the sun begins to drop.

But, and it’s quite a big But... The clear days with sun and snow on the hills are more than worth the extra thermal layer.

These images were taken 19th Feb 2010. Just remember, as well as knowing when and where to go... You gotta know when to stay warm and cosy at home: see this news item from the RNLI website

It was so cold out there in December that I went looking for some of my favourite images from 2009 to keep me warm on the inside. Hover your mouse over the images to see where they are; click to see a larger version of each.

Wishing you Happy Paddling in 2010!

Congratulations to local paddlers Gill Barnsley and Adam Richards. The two of them have successfully completed British Canoe Union Coach Level 3 Sea Kayak Assessments with Glenmore Lodge (Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre) this month. They should both have their certificates tucked into log books as confirmation by now.

Despite already holding the old BCU 4 Star Sea award, Gill completed the new BCU 4 Star Leadership Award (training & assessment) in preparation for her Level 3 Coaching Assessment.

Gill Barnsley in the mist
BCU Coach Level 3 Sea

Adam Richards in the middle
BCU Coach Level 3 Sea

Adam works as an instructor at the local outdoor education centre Kilbowie and can be seen above right (centre of the picture) as the first person in a line tow heading back to Port Appin. With a bit of luck I’ll be able to get a picture of him facing the camera by the end of the year.

As for me, I’ve now completed the intensive training schedule that allows me to work towards BCU Coach Level 5 Assessment. The picture below shows me using fingers and thumbs in an attempt to count that high (it’ll be an interesting journey).

Colin McWilliams in no particular hurry
BCU Coach Aspirant Level 5 Sea
Image courtesy Mike Ortiz

If you’re in the Oban area in 2010 you’ll more than likely see the three of us out on that water at some point. Gill and Adam are easily recognised by their incorrigible smiles; me I tend to be the one squinting and frowning into the sun.

Happy training and assessing... wherever you choose to paddle.