| Our 4 week cruise started with good weather and (eventually) a Southerly to provide us with a good sail up Loch Fyne with good views of Arran as we headed for Adrishaig and the start of the Crinan Canal. |
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With quite light winds as we sailed up Loch Fyne we decided to hoist our cruising chute. On arriving at Adrishaig we went straight into the sea loch and were moored at Cairnbaan by 5o'clock and enjoyed a good meal at the hotel. The next night was spent at Crinan as we wanted to catch an early tide through Dorus Mor and the Sound of Luing. |
| From Crinan we had a good sail North through Dorus Mor and the Sound of Luing. The intention was to head for Tobermory. Heading into the Sound of Mull we had 30knots of wind right on the nose so guessing (correctly as it turned out) that Tobermory would also be full of boats from the Classic Malts Cruise we headed for Dunstaffnage where we spent a couple of nights. With winds still from the North we had to beat up the sound of Mull. With still more strong winds from the North or North West forecast we stayed in Tobermory a few nights. The Classic Malts boats had moved on (heading South) so there was room to go alongside. |
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With a S or SW 3/4/5 being forecast we set off from Tobermory around Ardnamurchan heading for Kentra bay. Once past Ardnamurchan we had a superb sail on a broad reach towards Kentra bay. With no other boats around we had the pick of the anchorage and a comfortable night. The next day we enjoyed a very pleasant walk along the beach. This was our first visit to Kentra bay and it is now one of favourite anchorages. In the afternoon we lifted the anchor heading for Loch Moidart, another of our favourites. |
| Entering on a rising tide we dodged the various rocks according to the pilot and dropped our anchor on the East side of Riska. We decided to stay a couple of nights so the next day we explored the River Shiel. |
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Leaving Loch Moidart we were heading for Loch Hourn but we were as far as Arisaig when the wind dropped and disappeared completely. Not really wishing to motor we went into Arisaig anchoring just off the small group of islands just at the entrance to Loch Nan Ceall. The weather was very sunny and with no wind it was quite hot so we went for a swim. The water however was not very warm so it was a very short swim. It was late afternoon before the wind picked up again so we headed in to Arisaig for the night. |
| Another Sunny day with a East or South East wind so we continued up to L. Hourn. We had a great sail with slightly more heal on than some members of the crew enjoy but we had a max speed of 7.84 knots with more than 7 knots being the norm. In fact there was an Oceanus 411 along side us and was struggling to overtake (maybe he wasn't trying!). We were heading for Poll a Mhuineil in L. Hourn, about 6 mile in the Loch on the South shore. This anchorage is in a beautiful setting and initially looks quite large but most of the bay is quite deep and there are only two areas for anchorage. One of these already had a yacht anchored and because of the swinging room and closeness of the shore we anchored in the second area. A good anchorage for settled conditions I think. |
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The next day we had to motor out of Loch Hourn but the wind picked up as we approached Sandaig Island so set sail catching the tide North through Kyle Rhea and under the Skye Bridge heading for Plockton. Picked up a visitors mooring buoy and went ashore to book a table at the best seafood restaurant in the area, the Plockton Inn. Stayed one night in Plockton then headed for L.Torridon. |
| With a high pressure system in charge we were enjoying some very fine and sunny weather but the winds were generally light and variable so after passing the Crowlin Islands and several rather slow tacks across the Inner Sound we motored in to L. Torridon then into Upper L. Torridon to anchor at Ob a'Bhruighe, this is the bay on the North shore just after entering the Upper Loch. Plenty of room to anchor and holding seemed ok. We had a perfectly still night with not a breath of wind. A footpath up the hill provides excellent views of the Upper Loch so in the morning we took a short walk then sailed to the Eastern end of the Upper Loch anchoring for lunch (holding very good with thick mud), before moving round to Shieldaig. |
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From Shieldaig we moved to Plockton for a night then on to Dun Ban Bay. The weather was still very warm so we took a very refreshing swim from the boat. This bay was only tenable due to the very light Easterly wind and after a shower ashore we spent a comfortable night on one of the two mooring buoys. The following day we moved round to Arisaig for the night. |
| The next day we set off for Arinagour on Coll picking up a mooring buoy there and enjoying some of the best chips ashore at the new cafe. The winds were still variable but light however there was a bit of swell coming into Arinagour making the bay a little uncomfortable. Met another Nic 35 'Sublty'. |
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The next day we intended to start heading back towards Crinan to return through the canal but heard on the radio that the canal had been forced to close again due to problems with the sea lock at Crinan. So we made the decision to return via the Mull. After sighting about 10 Basking sharks by Gunna Sound, a lunch stop at Gott bay and a quick walk along the shore we headed towards Mull, mostly under cruising chute, and through the Sound of Iona. |
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We anchored in the bay between Erraid and Mull, under these settled conditions this was a nice anchorage but there was again a slight swell creeping in to the bay from the South. The next day we set off for Islay sighting another shoal of Basking Sharks as we passed Torran Rocks. Entering the Sound of Islay disaster struck when the water pump on the engine failed, with no wind we were at the mercy of the tide. However help from another yacht, SKAT, was at hand to tow us to a safe mooring buoy. Our eternal thanks go to SKAT and the skilled manner in which they manoeuvred the two yachts under strong tidal conditions to pick up a mooring buoy. |
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We managed to get round to Port Ellen with help from a local boat and with a quick response from Westfield a new water pump was obtained and fitted allowing us to proceed. However the tide and weather were not great for going round the Mull and on the Saturday we had resigned to staying another day in Port Ellen due to gale force winds being forecast. The gales did not seem to be arriving and, like other boats, we headed for Ballycastle and had to motor all the way due to a lack of wind. The area around the Mull was caught between two depressions so the strong winds were everywhere but around the Mull and this stayed the same for the next day. So after an evening of music in a Ballycastle pub we set off for Largs and again had to motor all the way due to light winds. |
