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Training Expedition to Skye By Lt R M Jameson and Lt Russ Abott
Location: Skye, Scotland
Dates: 12-18 August 2006
Steve Paris-Hunter
Arrival Day
The Team Explore the Local Area (Play in a Rock Pool)
Date Sat 12 Aug 06
During the summer leave period a group of Kayakers from EnduranceKayak went to Scotland to explore the isles of Skye, Eigg and Rum on Scotland’s west coast and prepare for the big expedition down in Antarctica. On arriving at the campsite we were met by amazing scenery and a wonderful location right next to the beach. This part of the country is stunning; there are so many undiscovered sandy beaches with miles of fantastic coastline. Whilst waiting for the kayaks and the rest of the group to arrive some of us decided to go and explore the rock pools. Little did we know what we would discover.
 The first rock pool we came to was very small. It had a few limpets and some sea weed in it but little else. We swiftly moved on to find a bigger pool with the hope of greater rewards. It was not long before we found a medium sized pool. Here we discovered more glories of the sea. This time we had some small sea urchins and star fish. These fascinated the children as we picked them up to show off their 5 tentacles with thousands of small suckers on each. They use these to stick to the rocks when the tide is in so they do not get swept out to sea. Lifted by our discoveries we moved across the beach to a larger section of rock nearer to the tide line. Here we found lots and lots of pools and as we moved near the sea we were able to lift up some large rocks to see what lay underneath. The first rock we lifted we found a small baby lobster which was little bigger than my thumb. It would soon grow to be the size of a dinner plate and would fit nicely onto mine when it was caught! Extremely tasty! After this discover we wondered what else we might find. Under the next rock we found a crab, in fact two and two very different types of crab as well. One was like a normal crab with claws and a shell but the other had no shell at all. It was a hermit crab, which means it has no shell of its own but instead lives in other sea animal shells. As it grows, it can no longer fit into the shell it has and so will find a larger shell for its home. Rock after rock we turned over to find ever more exciting discoveries. We found a long slender fish followed by an eel both of which were very hard to catch no matter how hard we tried. The tide had started to come back in by the time we finished so we had to make a retreat for the safety of higher ground. What a day we had had. No kayaking but an abundance of delights that we could treasure. We all got into our sleeping bags and readied ourselves for a good nights sleep in preparation for our first days paddle.
Training Day 1
The Team Gather Together
Date: Sun 13 Aug 06
Route: Camsdarach Beach - Sound of Arisaig - Camsdarach Beach 17 Km
 We rose early the next day to be greeted with splendid weather. It was quite windy but warm. After breakfast we all busied ourselves packing kit for the day and transporting the kayaks down to the beach. This was hard work but a good warm up for the day’s activities which were due to follow. We set off, at about midday and paddled with a following sea for about 2 half hours. It was a great paddle and we all managed it relatively easily. However it was harder for us to stay together. We did not have a group leader and so everyone tended to paddle at their own speed. It may sound easy but in a group of 7 everyone will paddle at different speeds and over long distances this can mean that large gaps appear which in poor weather can be dangerous especially if someone has a problem so team work would be important.
On the way back we appointed a leader for each part of the journey. His job would be to keep the group together and make sure that no one got left behind. This worked well and everyone managed to stay relatively close. When working as a team it is always important that someone has the responsibility for taking charge so that everyone can feed off of them. This can mean that throughout the day there are different leaders for different parts of the expedition as it can become mentally draining. However as long as everyone knows who the leader is and follows there instructions then the days paddle becomes much easier for all. We returned to base camp and settled down for the night. We had had a good first days paddle and were looking forward to the rest of the week.
Training Day 2
We Sharpen Some Silky Skills
Date: Mon 14 Aug 06
Route: Camsdarach Beach - Arisaig Harbour 10 Km
The next day we took things a bit easier and concentrated on practicing particular skills that we might need. The morning was spent with Mike giving a brief talk on the different sorts of kit that you would look to take on an expedition of this type and for the expedition we will be undertaking in the Antarctic. He also explained how to pack the kayak in order to fit everything in. Quite important as there isn’t a lot of space and you need to be able to get what you need when you want it. We then went for a paddle along the coast again and practised some capsize drills where we deliberately fell out of the kayaks, swam about a bit and then got back in. All without stepping foot on dry land and trickier than it sounds. After this we took the kayaks back by road to the campsite. We spent the rest of the day packing our kit and sorting everything we would need for the next three days away from base camp paddling around the Western Isles.
Morar – Skye Day 3
Oh That’s Why We Are All Here
Date: Tue 15 Aug 06
Route: Morar - Sleet of Skye - Loch Corish 38.7 Km
 So first thing Tuesday morning the 8 of us set out to paddle to Skye. It was a beautifully calm day with hardly any wind to hinder our progress. However, having said that it did not make the first crossing any less painful. It was total of 8 miles across the Sound of Sleet and I was very glad to reach the other side and be able to stop, stretch the legs and get a bite to eat. The first crossing is always the hardest. Until that base level of fatigue is reached the pain always seems worse. After a short break in a small cove we continued our paddle. We crossed another Loch and kept paddling until we reached a small fishing village. As luck would have it the village had a wonderful coffee shop at the top of the hill. We beached the kayaks and all set off with a new found urgency to the top of the hill. Luckily the coffee shop was still open otherwise our buoyant moods may well have been deflated very rapidly. We all had a hot chocolate and some shortcake. We were soon on our way again. By this time it was nearly 6pm and we calculated we had about another 1 half paddle to the base of the Cullin Hills which would be our camp for the night. We had not bargained on some ferocious local effects to the weather though. As soon as we started to paddle it was obvious we would not be able to maintain the good speed we had been doing for most of the day. We had a steady 25 knot wind straight in our faces with gusts to 35 knots. It made it hard work and very wet work as the choppy sea flowed down the Loch. We were all very wet by this stage and really wanted to get to our camp but this would not be achieved unless we all dug deep. That is one of the great things about kayaking; you do not have a motor to rely on to get you out of trouble when the weather turns you must rely solely on your own steam. As the leader I was determined to keep a good pace for the team so I set off to the front even though I was tired. We made it in good time and we all did really well though by the end of it we had sustained some injuries. BV had started to suffer from tendonitis, a wrist injury which can be common when paddling for long distances especially when you are not used to it. The only cure is to stop paddling but as we still had two days to go our only options was either to put BV on a ferry back to the main land or to keep going. We set up camp for the night under the Cullin Hills and decided we would reassess the situation in the morning. We all had some hot dinner and settled down for an early night.
Skye – Rhum Day 4
So Who Chose the Campsite?
Date: Wed 16 Aug 06
Route: Loch Corish - Soay - Rhum 22.5 Km
 The next morning we rose to find our tents covered in midges and it was also raining. These are small specks of creatures that are abundant in these parts of Scotland at this time of the year. They a truly annoying and can before you know it cover you in bites making you look like you have chicken pox. We rapidly cooked some breakfast and cleared away the tents so we could be on the water as soon as possible to get away from these horrible creatures. The paddle back down the Loch was relatively easy compared to last night’s affair, with a gentle following wind aiding our passage. We paddled for about 1 half before stopping for a quick snack before we made the long crossing to the Isle of Rum. The thing about crossings is that once you start them you cannot stop. So the key is to get the tide right so you can cover the shortest distance possible and to make sure that you are well hydrated (that you are drinking plenty of water) and stocked up on food so there is no need to stop for long breaks during the crossing. The wind by this stage had increased quite dramatically so we had quite a following sea for the crossing. This may sound good but it can be very unnerving for inexperienced paddlers as the boat is not as stable as it is when going into the sea. All of us caught a wave or two and surfed it for a while during the crossing which made life easier but for every wave you surf there are two that makes it feels like you are paddling up hill and not getting anywhere. We finally made landfall after a long crossing and stopped for a short break on a small beach though we were soon on our way again. By this time BV’s injury was getting worse so we decided that we would paddle to the Loch and BV could catch the ferry. As we rounded the corner we saw the ferry alongside so everyone suddenly upped their tempo in an attempt to catch it. As we drew close the ferry started to move. We had missed it but only by 2 minutes, how annoying! We would now have to wait until the next day for a ferry and there would be no guarantee that BV could take his kayak onboard as it was a foot ferry only. We decided to stop on Rhum for the night to wait for the ferry the next day.
Rhum –
Camasdarch Day 5
A Long Crossing
Date: Thu 17 Aug 06
Route: Rhum - Eigg - Camasdarch 32.2 Km
 The following day we woke early to make the most of the tide to make the 14 mile journey back to base camp via Eigg. We set off at 6am in beautifully calm conditions. The whole place looked amazing and everyone was busy taking photographs. We made good time to Eigg and were only held up by a school of Porpoise which crossed our track just ahead of us we had to stop and admire their beauty. They were stunning and so at one with the sea. After a short pause on Eigg we continued the long paddle across the Sound of Sleet the beach by our campsite. This was again a long crossing where the destination never seemed to get any closer. However we finally made it and were welcomed by our families. It felt really good that we had achieved what we set out to do. We had paddled nearly 70 miles in 3 days which would be the sort of distance we would have to look to do if we were to paddle around James Ross Island in Antarctica. Everyone felt rejuvenated by the achievement and we were all in high spirits. There was only one thing missing. We had had to leave a team member behind. We all knew that BV would be OK but we were still disappointed that we could not all have finished together. We packed up our gear and returned to base camp everyone sat around exhausted but with a quiet smile on their face the proud smile of achievement.
A picture of a map, showing the route taken during the 3 Days
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