The trip was arranged and led by Janice with the assistance of Amanda and Richard; joined by Paul, Dearbhla, Agnes, Peter, Marek, Noelle, Susie and Mairi.

Originally planned as a trip from Helensburgh to Kilcreggan, the team of leaders made the call on the Friday evening to relocate to Loch Lomond due to the forecast Force 4 to 6 winds that would be beyond conditions suited to our group. As a new paddler this was a perfect opportunity to develop my experience, which consisted of a few weeks in the pool and a single Tuesday evening session at the Loch.

We set of from Drumkinnon Bay at Balloch in the glorious sunshine, heading along the west coast of Loch Lomond towards the island of Inchmurrin. We all understood that a southerly wind would be picking up later on, at which point we could make our return to base.

On the way to the island we had a short unscheduled stop on the beach around Arden for yours truly to make an adjustment to my footrest and reclaim the blood flow to my right leg. A rookie error, but one that highlighted the importance of getting the correct setup before setting off.

Continuing on our way and getting into a rhythm with the forward paddling, the sunshine and gentle breeze made for a lovely experience and a chance to chat with many of the group on the way (and what a lovely bunch they are). A short break to regroup and suitably charged with jelly babies, it was onwards to our lunch stop at the beach on the south-east corner of Inchmurrin. Again, as a new member, it was nice to have a chat with the rest of the group and see how the social side of kayaking is really what it’s all about.

Since the weather showed no signs of deteriorating, we agreed that it looked unlikely to change and took the unanimous decision to paddle around Inchmurrin before heading back. The very minute we got back in the kayaks, the wind picked up, and it was immediately back to the original plan.- home along the eastern shore of the loch to be in shelter from the predicted wind. The journey towards the east bank presented some big waves (at least they were to me) but some invaluable advice from Richard and Janice on steering and skeg use helped me navigate these. The remainder of the journey back to Balloch was straight into the headwind which had veered from the predicted ESE to S so required some sustained effort. We met Iain and Alex from the club, who joined us on the final stretch of the journey.

Approaching Drumkinnon Bay, the wind stopped as quickly as it began, and we were back to flat calm conditions. This gave a few of us the opportunity to practice rescue manoeuvres before heading ashore. Agnes had a bonus dip in the loch when her role as the rescuer quickly became the rescued.

Finally, a cup of coffee and chat at the coffee shop to wrap things up before heading home. A thoroughly enjoyable day’s paddling and my first of (hopefully) many trips with the club. From a personal perspective, I learned a lot and Janice admitted that she also learned something – to believe the weather forecast!