Monday 13th June the strong Southerly winds duly calmed enough for us to head north, and we slipped from Rathlin at 0900. Perhaps an odd time to start our journey across the North Channel, but we wanted to ensure we crossed the fearsome MacDonnell Race at slack water. One hour after HW Dover seemed to be the best time. So sails up, a reef in the mainsail and headsail and we rounded Rue Light in a cloudy sky but steady wind of 15 knots. Crossing the race and then into the North Channel we encountered few issues, a bit of swell but not the fearsome seas that had built in my imagination over the past few days!
A delightful sail up the Sound with Kintyre to Starboard and a very misty Islay to Port led us to Ardminish Bay on the Isle of Gigha. We arrived at 1630 after 34.6 miles. It was a most welcome anchorage and for the first time in a week, a calm night gave us a good sleep. The anchorage quickly emptied the next morning as yachts made their way on the tide South to round the Mull of Kintyre into the Clyde cruising area or like us, North to further adventures on the west coast. The light wind was behind us as we gybed up the sound, avoiding fish farms, rocks a plenty and the other yachts! Once in the Sound of Jura, the sun broke through the mist, our speed picked up and bravely we set the parasail and hooned up the sound, hitting 8kts as we picked up the currents in the various pinch points.
We get our Parasail up for the first time
What an interesting body of water with spooky whirls and choppy drop offs as the depths plummeted 100m and little standing wavelets picked us up and rocked us from a port gybe to a starboard gybe. The parasail rode the changes calmly, absorbing the gusts and huffs with ease. After a delightful sail of 28 miles in 5.5 hours we dropped the parasail and motored into a little anchorage called Carsaig Bay. Despite assurances that there was good holding we dropped the anchor 3 times in the bay and once in the north passage behind Carsaig Island and could not get a firm hold. So we left through the tiny north exit and quickly consulted the chartlets for an alternative. 5 miles north Nick spotted the tiny anchorage of Sailean Mor, a delightful bay with beautifully clear water so we could see the sand. It was shallow, anchoring in 5 metres at the top of the tide. So we lifted the keel and allowed ourselves a swing of 2 cables if needed. It was a peaceful night, none of the northerly swell for which the bay is known and we awoke to an utterly calm bay and blue skies.
oh oh Submariners aboard
"I can see the bottom from here!"
Looking North from Sailean mor
Calm enough to fly the drone
....and paddle off the scoop
where has that drone gone now?
A Clyde Puffer out of Crinan
Departing from there at 1200 we motored the 5 miles to the entrance of Loch Craignish. We had booked into Ardfern Yacht Centre as our Bowthruster had packed up….again. With twin rudders we really find the bowthruster essential for manoeuvring in tight marinas so asked their workshop for their advice. Thankfully it was the controller that had broken, so with the aid of the internet Nick managed to source the various controllers and converters needed to fix the problem. Ardfern is a really super little marina. There are various pontoons, pick up buoys and anchoring spots for the visitor, an excellent workshop, useful chandlery and new facilities. As we ended up staying for a few days, I also made use of the washing machine and dryer. All the machines were new and efficient, and there was a proper laundry room. It is interesting the things that make you happy when you are a liveaboard!
Ardfern is the largest settlement on the Craignish Peninsula. It supports a school, a café with beer and fish n chips on a Friday and the Galley of Lorne Inn. The inn is said to have been established in the 1600s or even earlier to serve drovers who had ferried their cattle across to Craignish Point from Jura (and Islay via Jura) en route to markets in Crieff and Falkirk. It serves a great local pint of IPA and is open most evenings from 5pm. It also has the best ever little village stores. Cant recommend it enough! A walk over the hills to the west of Ardfern led us to the planned village of Croabh Haven, another useful marina for hiding from the weather. We took a bus on a very windy Friday to Oban to check out the transit marina and Kerrera where we intend to stay for a few days in early July. The town is picking itself up again and it facilitates all the food shopping options for people from miles around. Sitting on the bus listening to peoples conversation (sorry!) I know about the lives of most of the folk who live in Ardfern all year, their trials and tribulations. It was a very sociable activity, and through beautiful scenery. The hills are so green at the moment and fresh looking. The forests are very actively managed here and we watched the huge machines at work preparing old soils, removing the logs and debris and piling up the logs for transport.
The planned village at Craobh Haven
Hiding in the Giant Rhubarb - Gunnera Tinctoria
Monday morning the post delivered the parts for the bowthruster. It was expertly fitted by Andy and by 1530 on Monday we were off. It was sunny and clear although there seemed to be a few clouds gathering over Mull. Winds were light and we timed our arrival at Dorus Mor, one of those trickly little tidal gates with slack water plus 1 hour. It was fun shooting through the narrows at 9 kts and catching the tide up the Sound of Lorne gave us a good start, heading for Loch Don or Loch Spelve, depending on arrival times. As the mist rolled in and rain started we decided on Loch Spelve, a much wider entrance and less tricky navigation through rocks and shoals in the gathering gloom
We had another of those spooky whirls, massive depth changes and rushing waters as we sailed between Fladda Lighthouse to the west and Deirg Skeir to the East, again reaching 8 kts with a headsail only. To maintain steerage way we had to start the engine or anticipate a sideways lurch to port or starboard at any moment. Once past the light houses we had an easy crossing dodging pot buoys to Loch Spelve. We motored round to the North West corner past 3 enormous mussel farms and found the delightful anchorage at the head of the loch. A calm and peaceful night, gentle rain and no wind the next day gave us another admin day. We took a quick trip between the rain showers out in the dinghy to the Inverlussa Mussel factory pier and a brief walk along the roadside. Spotted a red deer grazing just 30 mtrs from the roadside - wow an impressive animal when seen n the wild. We picked up our bag of 2kg of freshly harvested mussels (just £2.50) and enjoyed them on board for supper with a glass of chilled white wine – no frites but freshly baked bread to fill.
a dreich Scottish summer day
debearding and cleaning mussels
mmmmm
a gaggle of barnacle geese
so free, so proud
Departed at 1300 on 22 June for Loch Aline to meet up with some Southerly Owner friends on Sally T, Simon and Val Atkinson. They had been touring further north and had made it out to St Kilda – even managed to sail all the way there! We had a super evening with them on the newly built pontoons sharing wine and beers and stories. They left the next morning for Ardfern as they were expecting friends to join them for a cruise through the Crinan Canal. We motored up the loch and spent a lovely evening at anchor planning our next few days. There are some beautiful walks all over this area – we made it up to the dam at Lochen Lub An Arbhair which provides the hydro energy for the Ardtonish Estate. No soaring eagles presented themselves but we did see buzzards geese and herons around the loch. Apparently, there are otters too but didn’t see them.
conspic!
Lismore Light
Castle Duart - ancestral home for the McFadyens!
Sally T and Whimbrel
Who is trying to open the dam?
a small lochen turned into a dam
Looking south to mull from the head of loch aline
late evening looking north from the head of loch aline
A nasty deep low was developing off the west coast travelling up through the Irish Sea so we decided to head up the Sound of Mull and find shelter in either Sailean Mor or Loch Drambuie to wait it out. We left at 0930 and had a wonderful sail – solent rig again with 12-15kts of SE wind and flat calm seas. The sun came out and….we sailed in tshirts for all of 20 minutes before the weather changed again and we were back to our usual 3 layers! We checked out Sailean Mor on the north of Oronsay but were a bit concerned at the width available for us if we put out a sufficient scope. IT was a fairly gusty 17-19 kts so we decided on Loch Drambuie. Another beautiful unspoilt anchorage. Great holding in an anchorage off the South east shoreline. We shared the loch with 4 yachts the first night and 5 for the night of 25th June. During the early evening the sun cam out and shone warmly in clear blue skies…accompanied by spiteful and regular gusts up to 30 kts of wind. Thank goodness for our Ultra anchor! Spending the day planning and looking at options for the next few days. Confusing weather forecasts and apparently very different options within a 5 mile radius has led us to decide on Tobermory for a couple of nights to replenish water, food and wine before heading back down the Sound of Mull towards Oban.
Party boat - too many sails for me
Is this Ben More?
entrance to Loch drambuie
looking west out of Drambuie -Coll and Tiree in the mist - Ardnamurchan point to the right
Moody sunset
some hope is left for the rain to stop
Cheers - its Alis birthday
