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Two days at Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland)

April 18, 2019 by Maria Fernandez

Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

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Firbush is a wee Scottish paradise by Loch Tay, in Perthshire; and one of my favourite places in the world.

Day 1 – The afternoon activities

There’s no easy way to get to Firbush by public transport, so off we went in our hired coach, Simon, myself, and twenty-seven of his Master’s students.

The weather forecast for the couple of days we were going to be there was for broken cloud, no rain and less wind than the two previous years. That’s just what we got.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

14.33 – Students helping Simon with the catamaran

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We arrived in the early afternoon and after lunch we met with the instructors to choose our activities. Over the two days we were going to have three lots of activities.

On Wednesday afternoon Simon and I went on a catamaran. To get the catamaran on the water first you need a handful of merciful souls to help you transport it.

Click to see the photo gallery
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Then you have to put up the sails, and be towed out of the harbour. After you’ve managed all that, the sailing part is easy-peasy. That is, if the wind doesn’t let you down.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

14.45 – Simon setting up our catamaran

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Some of the students took the kayaks, a few went canoeing, some had a go at windsurfing, others went on the Hawk 20, and a few decided to finish their course assignments on dry land.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

15.02 – The kayakers getting ready

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This was our third trip to Firbush.

A bit about Firbush

Firbush belongs to the University of Edinburgh, and this is a trip we now do every year with Simon’s Master’s students.

We’ve come to love it so much that Simon’s booked a recurring slot for years to come.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

15.06 – The kayakers learning to stay afloat

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Windsurfing is always one of the most popular choices with the students.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

15.11 – Windsurfing on terra firma

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There was an intermittent southwest wind, not the best for sailing on Loch Tay.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

16.16 – The Hawk 20 viewed from our catamaran

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But I can think of worse things than sitting on a catamaran in this part of the world, on a mild spring day, without a care in the world.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

16.22 – The windsurfers – and us – praying for wind

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Even if your raft isn’t going anywhere.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

16.36 – Our catamaran trying to head north

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Last year we also went on the catamaran and, when we got home, Simon had a genius idea. He bought two pairs of sailing boots, so I can now jump on and off boats without looking like a terrified duck.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

16.43 – Simon at the helm

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I love the way Firbush is organised. Basically, it’s a military operation, not too disimilar from the way we organise our own trips. Because everything’s thought out and planned in advance, all you have to worry about is hearing the dinner bell.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

17.50 – Main entrance to the Firbush log cabin

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They’re intriguing, those white boats. We’ve never seen anyone using them at Firbush. Perhaps we should try them next year.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

17.52 – Firbush equipment by Loch Tay

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Dinner time!

As usual, the dinner bell rang at 7pm sharp. We were served broccoli & courgette soup, lasagna with garlic bread, and chocolate fudge cake. Yum.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

18.05 – Firbush log cabin by Loch Tay

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After dinner we all moved back to the sitting room where we chatted and played games. I love the chatting; the games, less so.

That’s why I didn’t go to bed nearly as late as the previous years. Alas, I found the board games somewhat humdrum.

But next morning’s activity would be my most fun at Firbush so far.

Day 2 – The morning activities

We woke up to a windless morning and a flat Loch Tay. Perfect for my plan.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

10.18 – Two solitary rowers leaving the harbour

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This time some of the students went on the mountain bikes, a couple went canoeing, and six of us chose the kayaks.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

10.18 – Morning cyclists heading off

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Before jumping into a kayak in the water, you get a chance to try it on the grass by the harbour, just in case.

Not that I was going to change my mind.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

10.18 – Kayak time!

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You see, I’d promised myself that this year I’d go on a kayak.

Memories

The only other time I’d been on a kayak was in August 2014 when we spent a month in Helsinki.

On a glorious sunny day Simon’s colleague, Mikko, took us to his kayaking club, gave us a 2-person kayak and we paddled for a couple of hours in the beautiful Baltic sea.

It’s one of my most precious memories.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

10.48 – Playing rough games with the kayaks

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With Simon sitting behind me I can paddle to the end of the world. But at Firbush there are only single seater kayaks, and I didn’t love the thought of venturing out on my own.

So, for two years, I didn’t touch a kayak.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

11.21 – Off we go up Loch Tay

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But this time I’d made up my mind I was going to paddle, regardless.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

11.28 – Kayaks by the Firbush marina

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And it paid off big time.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

12.04 – Playing more games & staying (mostly) dry

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But staying dry isn’t as easy as it looks. If you think you’re safe in your kayak once you’ve managed to get into it without going in the water, you’re in for a big surprise.

How to get very wet

When you get all confident, thinking you’re now out of trouble, you start moving your hips and turning back to say hello to the other kayaks, and that’s when you start to tilt and see yourself tipping over, if you’re not quick.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

12.29 – An enthusiastic Hawk 20 sailing by

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I asked Owen, our kayak instructor, how many kayaks usually capsize, and he said about two in ten. There were six of us this time, so after A and W went in I felt safer.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

12.31 – W posing for posterity

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Then W went in once more. He said the second time had bothered him a lot less, and chose the kayak again as his afternoon activity.

We should have done the same thing, Simon and I.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

14.00 – View of Loch Tay from our bedroom window

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Now I can’t wait to come back next year and jump into a kayak.

Day 2 – The afternoon activities

In the afternoon, Simon and I went back on the catamaran. It’d have been wiser to keep away from sailing, but old habits die hard.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

14.21 – Getting ready to sail again

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I guess Loch Tay doesn’t get a lot flatter than this.

Every so often, the wind would pick up, we’d get to the middle of the loch, then the wind would suddenly die out, and we’d be left drifting, waiting for a merciful breeze.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

15.05 – Back on the catamaran

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But we didn’t really care all that much. The weather was glorious.

The students persevered with their windsurfing, even if a few of them had to be lifted back to the harbour by the speedboat because of the lack of wind.

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Firbush – Sailing on Loch Tay (Scotland) - www.simonking.bike

15.22 – The two catamarans & little wind

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For our second and last dinner we got soup, chicken curry with rice, and apple pie. Yum Yum.

It’s always sad having to leave Firbush and all the fun. But we’ll come back next year to this wee Scottish paradise.

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Previous Firbush visits

Sailing on Loch Tay, 8 April 2017: the Hawk 20 & catamaran.

Sailing & walking, 9 April 2017: the wayfarer & orienteering.

Sailing on Loch Tay, 18 April 2018: the wayfarer.

Sailing on Loch Tay, 19 April 2018: rowing & catamaran.

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I took all the photos with the Panasonic.

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Filed Under: Blog, Sailing, Scotland Tagged With: Firbush

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