Howlin' Wind.

[Teepee]

I stayed on at Loch Lomond until Friday morning in the forlorn hope that the weather may improve. It got worse. I took one of the straps of the boat to unload it, put the strap down and then watched the wind pick my boat up off the van roof and drop it into the loch upside down 15ft away. I tried not to swear.



This was the average view from my window, even the ducks looked like they were about to capsize;

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A sleety rainbow over the Loch;

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I decided to abandon the paddling on Lomond on friday morn after reports of heavy snow incoming, not taking my snow chains (Durr!) and even more squally winds. The weather hadn't finished with me yet though; driving down the M74, a gust of wind hit me pushing me towards a lorry, ripping my cockpit cover off the boat and bending the upright support bars on the roof-rack.
I drove home to Peterborough and then onto the Moelwyns in wales for some now much needed sunshine and a play in the mountains.

A wet saturday night in the DD's in mossy woods;

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Cnicht in the sun;

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A sunny snowdonia with Yr Arddu in the foreground ;

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Looking south-east from Cnicht;

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Pete.

 

[Shewie]

Aldochlay does look pretty grim on that first pic, is that the weather you tried to set off in ?

Great piccies of Wales mate, I really need to get myself down there one weekend.

 

[JAG009]

Aldochlay looks wild !!! bugger taking a canoe out in that!! NO NOT ME!!! and you even thought about going out in that MAD MAN!!!!!or just very good in a canoe !!!

Jason

 

[Teepee]

I got hit by one of those squalls as I got to open water-thats when I bailed. A guy from Glasgow turned up at about 5pm with a canoe and outboard and offered me a tow, but by that time I was done.

Wales was good this weekend and we stumbled accross hammock nirvana too, always nice to find another good hang spot.

 

[Jurassic]

I'm glad you guys survived (relatively) intact. I was wondering how you were getting on during the week as the weather got worse. Great bloggage anyway and a real adventure by the sounds of things.

 

[Shewie]

I'm glad you guys survived (relatively) intact. I was wondering how you were getting on during the week as the weather got worse. Great bloggage anyway and a real adventure by the sounds of things.

Hello mate, good to see you here

Just about survived, a bit soggy round the edges but we battled on

 

[gsfgaz]

I'm glad yees r back safe and sound , ya bunch of crazy loons ...

 

[Grooveski]

Do you think a skeg on the canoes would have helped ? We used to have them on and off a lot but I don't hear much of them nowadays.

The kayaks had drop down skegs built in and the guys were experimenting with different angles.
Give me a real rudder any day. In the wee McGregor it's so easy to tweak your course. When it's rough you end up letting the rudder loosen off to dampen things a bit but every wave you're playing on the pedals.
That kind of control means you're not wasting energy on correctional strokes. It's all power.

I know Stephen was looking long and hard at his kayak's gudgeon afterwards. The boat's all set up for a rudder with grommets blocking where the cables will pass through to the pedals. The rudder kit is an optional extra that I think had just bumped itself up quite high on the shopping list.

Love that first photo Pete. Calm and wild at the same time.

 

[Matty 2 Fatty]

glad your all safe but Gotta say that is some story sounds like a adventure from the famous five!! maybe someone should start a post Bedtime Story Time @9pm hahah