Memories of Scotland’s stalwart sea kayaking pioneers

Hamish and Anne Gow broke new ground on the water. Now they have been celebrated in two new films, writes Alison Campsie

They were the first people to reach St Kilda in a kayak, the voyage so perilous that no one attempted it again for some 16 years.

Now the achievements of Scots sea kayakers Hamish and Anne Gow have been celebrated in two new films created in tribute to the couple who broke new ground on the water, often in a double canoe.

The Gows paddled from Morar on the mainland to St Kilda – via Harris and North Uist – in 1965, a feat which earned them instant status with the route still considered a great challenge by sea kayakers today.

Kayaker Mike Sullivan, of the Isle of Lewis, was left some of Mr Gow’s personal archive following his death last year, aged 87.

Using original cine film footage, he has now created the Kayaks in Kodachrome series with two films, a Scottish Odyssey and Glasgow to Galway, charting the “golden age” of the sport and the Gows’ contribution toit.

He added: “The trip to St Kilda is still seen an iconic journey for sea kayakers and Hamish Gow and his wife Anne were the first to complete the trip.”

The Gows made it to St Kilda despite poor visibility, a high swell and difficulty finding Hirta. Conditions were so tough that their friend turned back on the voyage.

Mr Sullivan said: “At first, Hamish and Anne landed on the wrong island. They went to Boreray when they should have gone to Hirta. They took a rest on Boreray and by around 2am they saw the outline of Hirta and set off again. There are not actually a lot of pictures of St Kilda because they were so scared.

“I think there was a feeling they had bitten off more than they could chew. They were mighty relieved to get back. I asked Hamish once what his plan B was. He said there was no plan B.”

In a newspaper report of the day, Mr Gow, who lived near Loch Lomond, described the difficult journey and the “serious” position the couple found themselves in.

He wrote: “Our world consisted of grey skies and the heaving empty swell, broken into bursting crests by the southeast wind. On top of that, Anne became sick, fortunately she was not too bad and recovered later on.

“The position became serious indeed. Each time we topped the swell, we both strained our eyes in the direction of St Kilda. I began to wonder if the islands existed at all.”

No one attempted to reach St Kilda in a kayak for another 16 or 17 years after the Gow’s journey, Mr Sullivan said.

Now around 20 people, including himself, have since paddled out to the isolated cluster of islands which sit around 40 miles off the coast of North Uist.

He added: “I know some people who after 12 hours on the water still hadn’t found the islands. But they could see the gannets, so it was a case really of following the birds.”

The Gows later separated with Hamish continuing his travels by kayak across the Hebrides and the west coast with his film and photos leaving a vivid historical record of the time. He captured busy fishing villages and their people, as well as landscapes from the vantage point of his kayak. The material also serves as a record of the evolution of the sport, Mr Sullivan said.

He added: “Kayaking of course has been around for thousands of years. It took off as a hobby in the 1940s and 1950s and people like the Gows were at the forefront. The boats were homemade from canvas and plywood wood. There were no buoyancy 0 Hamish Gow (top) and his wife Anne (both pictured right) were the first people to paddle to St Kilda with the couple building their own canoes from canvas and plywood (above). aids. There is massive interest in sea kayaking today. It is becoming the new mountaineering. More and more people are heading up hills and bagging Munros and people are getting fed up with how busy the outdoors has become. People want to know what kayaking was like, what kit people were using, the clothes they were wearing. This is what these films show.”

Hamish Gow recorded the voiceover to both films before he died, with the late kayaker, who also worked in the printing business, talking the viewer through his travels.