Paddlers: Gordon, Stuart, Martin, Damian
Conditions: F2/3 NW. Clear.
Distance: 18 km
The party of 6 was reduced to 4 after a vehicle failure en-route. The rest of us arrived en masse courtesy of Stuart and his trailer.
We set off from Portencross Castle at low tide on a clear, sunny autumn morning into a slightly stiffer NW wind than had been forecast. Definitely more like F3 than F2.
We paddled up the relatively sheltered East side of Little Cumbrae, stopping for elevensies at Little Cumbrae Castle and then on to Millport for a sheltered landing spot for lunch.
After lunch we paddled round out of the protection of Great Cumbrae to assess conditions for continuing round Little Cumbrae. Although pretty choppy the group felt comfortable and we continued round. Towards the lighthouse, some clapotis made the chop much steeper and more confused and we opted to paddle past the lighthouse without stopping.
As we paddled down we briefly saw a pair of dolphins swimming north between us and the island, surprisingly close to the shore.
Some practising of paddling along a transit on the way back, a quick leg stretch and we were back with an hour or so to spare before sunset.