Rhu Marina to Bangor
21 August 2019
Colin Bell
Rhu to Kip Marina - 8th August - 7.5 miles - 2 hours
A very short journey across the Clyde. The Queen Victoria was in at Greenock but no submarines were out playing that day. We tried to sail but there wasn't enough wind to enable us to get past the variety of ferries plying the Clyde. It was great to catch-up with our friends (they sensibly keep their boat in France now - both cheaper and warmer than the UK) and to get off the boat during a nasty storm. We were getting 50 knots of wind and walking on the pontoons was a challenge not to be blown into the water. Colin spent time in the rain and wind tying up yet another flapping jib on a neighbouring boat. We have seen so many jibs flapping about in high winds - people really do need to tie them up tighter!
Kip to Lamlash - 12th August - 22 miles - 4.5 hours
The storm passed and we planned to spend a couple of nights on a buoy on the Isle of Arran. So again no wind and a motor to our next destination. Lamlash has a pretty seafront with a holiday atmosphere about it. It was a warm afternoon and we finally saw a clear sky, stars and a full moon. The night however was cold and the hot water bottle made an appearance again!
The next morning looking at the forecasts, yet another low is going to be circling us for at least a week with rain and strong winds. So we made the reluctant decision to run for home rather than be stuck in Troon for maybe a week or so (nothing against Troon which is a great town to visit). A hasty hour was spent getting the boat ready to leave for the longish journey back. We don't usually make snap decisions to set off but this felt right as the day was dry and the wind in our favour.
Lamlash to Bangor - 13th August - 52 miles - 10.5 hours
It always seems to take so long to put Alisa Craig behind us doing this crossing but we had fabulous clear views of both the Scottish and Northern Irish coasts. After 5 hours the wind died and we motored the last part of the journey and got into Bangor at about 9.00pm for a well earned glass of wine and some hot food.
Back in Bangor the next day we headed to the house to pick up the car which had been sitting on our drive. It was making a strange sound when driven, then smoke started to pour out of the wheel arch - it seemed to be a bit more than a bit of rust on the brakes that needed to be rubbed off by driving. Then we got a flat tyre. On taking the car to the garage we were told that the suspension spring had broken and had shredded the inside of the tyre. We were lucky that it hadn't blown out on us! So much for the dangers of going to sea. It seems to be far more dangerous on land!
It is amazing how much stuff we have on board. Just in emptying the lockers down below we have raised the boat an inch out of the water! Half the clothes haven't been worn and those that have are probably going in the bin. Washing machines at marinas are often not very good and clothes get wrecked. We got by with three pairs of trousers, two pairs of shorts and five tops and two fleeces each! Just goes to show how little clothing we all actually need! We'll be glad to see the back of fleecy materials, thermals and anything that involves a Velcro tab for a while.
So, we are hoping for some nice, gentle weather over the remaining summer. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the summer and we haven't bored you too much with our exploits. See some of you around Bangor.
Business finished. 25 places visited and 400 miles covered. Scotland done!
Summer Lightning signing out.
Kilmelford to Rhu
07 August 2019
Colin Bell
Kilmelford to Crinan - 20th July - 15 miles - 2.45 hours
We left at 8.00am into flat calm sea, tried sailing under gib but although lovely, wasn't getting us along fast enough to get through the Dorus Mor, our last tidal gate. So engine on again and a motor through dear old Dorus - swirling water again but hey we are getting used to whirpools!
We arrived at Crinan, around 10.00am after having to motor up and down until the sea lock opened. We planned to tie-up in the basin hoping for a quiet night in there before heading through the canal. But the harbour staff expected a lot of visitors coming into the basin for shelter from the coming storm. So we opted to go up a little way into the canal and see how far we got during the afternoon. A couple of locks would be good. A Norwegian Jeanneau SO 43 was coming through at the same time and could help us with the lines and locks. Colin helmed us through the last time we did the Crinan so now it was Karen's turn to do it the whole way though. So all was good - the sun was out, we had help and if Pru and Tim could do the canals on TV then surely it couldn't be that hard to manage locks without a pilot helping us........
We meandered past the pretty cottage on the swing bridge at Crinan and Karen Trimm's friend was on the river bank so we waved and said hi as we went past. A refugee from London life he's found a delightful spot to work remotely and has trained his dog to look for ambergrise (look it up). So far lovely and very pretty.
The wind had now increased to 14/15 knots, right up our backside, propelling us along the canal at speed. 4 knots is the speed limit. The Norwegian boat went first into the locks and we hung back waiting for them to get themselves tied up and safe then we nosed (or should that be careered) in behind them. The problem being that a 43 footer and 37 footer in an 88 foot lock is quite tight and the wind was so strong that even coming into the locks in reverse gear we were still doing up to 2 knots forwards. No effective brakes on a yacht! This leads to some extremely fraught moments and undignified entrances. The Norwegian family took our lines and opened the locks (did we seriously think that we could have done this on our own?). We had a couple of places where we had to reverse or hang around for locks or bridges to be opened and our, by now fragile, nerves were shattered. Karen took the port side navigation light off at one point when a wind gust caught us and sent us into the wall (sorry Jim and Karen - but glad we have the spares you gave us). We got to the top of the first flight by 2.00pm.
Decision time as to whether to stop overnight or continue. We had got into a good rhythm with our Norwegian friends and the next set of locks was a downward flight so should be easier to get through and the weather forecast for the next day was for rain - and a lot of it. So we agreed to continue on and it was a little easier going down. Our technique was to pass a rope up to the shore crew on the end of a boat hook, they looped it on and then we pulled like crazy on our end until the boat was tight into the lock. Then with Colin at the bow and Karen at the stern and steering, we either pulled the lines in or let them out. A couple of interesting moments when Karen left the engine in reverse in the lock and demanded Colin to pull us forward past the cill - he couldn't work out quite why the boat wouldn't move forward! The engine couldn't be heard with the roar of the water at the lock gate behind the stern! Oops.
By now we had been going non-stop since leaving Kilmelford at 8.00am. No stopping for food, once in the lock flights you just have to keep going.
To say we were relieved to get to Cairnbann is an understatement! Drinks all round and some fizz and chocolates for our Norwegian friends as a thank you for their hard work. We would still be at lock 2 without them. We were absolutely knackered and fell asleep in the cockpit by 9.00pm! As we got much further than we anticipated we can stop here for a couple of nights before heading down from locks 4 to 1. Our licence is for 4 nights so we intend to use them all.
We spent the next few days doing some lovely walks and getting our internet fix at the pub (our excuse). We had a great night with some other SO owners on the pontoon - perfect champagne but midges were out in force and Karen had over 80 bites on her ankles and around the head, so an uncomfortable night as we discovered we had no antihistamine on board either.
We arranged to go down the final flight with a 46 ft boat that had a pilot, but at the first lock the pilot told us that we wouldn't fit in behind the 46 footer so Colin reversed onto a pontoon to await the next group coming down. This time it was a much smaller boat from Killyleagh who had crew helping out. We had a much easier time, although it took us from 9.00 to 12.00 to get out the last remaining 4 locks - so much for the Canal's claim that you can transit the whole thing in 6 hours!
We headed for Tarbert on East Loch Tarbert, whoa - wobbly sea again - we had to get our sea legs back - Karen swung the helm a bit fast and Colin nearly shot over board when he was stowing the fenders (yet another apology). We had been to Tarbert before so knew it only would take a couple of hours (motoring into a headwind of course). Tarbert has some fanatstic new facilities so we enjoyed a luxurious shower and sought out the seafood hut near the ferry terminal - the tanks are where the fresh shellfish are kept until the lorries come to collect them (usually for export to Spain). Did you know that a third of the world's langoustines come from Scotland? So we bought a box (£5.00 - a bargain) and mussels - dinner sorted for the next couple of nights. The town has some great walks and plenty of places to stock up. Plenty of time to sort ourselves out from the Crinan - dinghy to blow up, fender board stowed away and getting rid of the muck on the topsides (that will take a bit of work once home though). We hid out for the rainy days and enjoyed the times when the sun came out in the evenings. But it's lovely and warm and the locals were moaning about the heat - it's only 23 degrees folks!
We would love to do some star gazing. We have been in beautiful dark sky places where star gazing would be perfect - if only the cloud cover would lift. Don't think we have seen a single clear sky this summer!
After 5 nights and pondering the forecasts, which are not getting any more accurate, we decided to head off on Monday morning and just live with the wet weather. The forecast is for rain across the UK on and off for the next week, so we have to just try to dodge the worst of it, when we can.
Tarbert to Kames - 29th July - 12 miles - 2.5 hours
It was a wet motor down Loch Fyne into the Kyles of Bute where we picked up a buoy at the Kames Hotel. Colin rowed ashore (didn't want to have to drag the heavy engine up the beach). We wanted to go for a walk to Tighnabruaich but the rain was hissing down so we did the sensible thing and headed straight for the pub. A lovely spot and the rain stopped so we had a gentle row back and were able to sit out on deck reading for a while.
Kames to Holy Loch - 30th July - 20 miles - 4 hours
The next morning the forecast was again for rain all day - our next stop was planned to be Colintraive but as that was only about 4 miles away and we didn't fancy another wet day we chose to continue around the Kyles of Bute and up into Holy Loch Marina in the Clyde. No wind but the rain didn't arrive until the evening. We had a flat calm sea (not much sailing going on at the moment) through the beautiful Kyles of Bute and past Dunoon. Holy Loch is an old US nuclear submarine base (for those of a certain vintage, you might remember Rock Hudson taking command of the nuclear sub USS Starfish in the film Ice Station Zebra in this very spot) but all that has gone now and this is a very pretty, family run marina, with views of mountains at the end of the Loch from one direction and straight down the Clyde in the other. A nice alternative to the big marine car parks at Kip and Largs.
Holy Loch to Lochgoilhead - 1st August - 12 miles - 2.5 hours
We motored out - the weather is holding with sun and flat seas, but no wind - as our distances are small we don't mind being under engine. Especially when motor sailing up Loch Long to get into Loch Goil as we had to pass where the Polaris missiles are loaded onto submarines. Naturally there is a lot of security with police and military vessels patrolling the area. We didn't realise that a sub was due in to collect it's payload - hence the tight security. We did think about dropping the main just as we passed the base but that meant heading for the site on shore and we were already under the watchful eye of the police, so we gave that idea up and waited until we got further up the Loch.
We picked up a buoy at the head of the loch, again a lovely spot in good weather. The next morning we headed back down the loch to Carrick Castle and picked up a buoy. We rowed ashore for lunch and headed back, settling down for the evening. We had a quick chat with a guy fishing off his canoe and settled down to cook dinner. A few minutes later we saw that the fisherman had capsized and was in the middle of the loch with a sinking canoe. Colin jumped into the dinghy and rowed as fast as possible to help him. Luckily he was OK (wearing a lifejacket). Colin towed him and his water filled canoe back to the shore much to the relief of his, now very distressed, children.
Carrick Castle to Rhu - 3rd August - 12 miles - 2.5 hours
The next morning we had a flat calm, sunny day again and headed back down, under engine, past the nuclear weapons store and into Gareloch and Rhu marina. Further up this loch is Faslane - the base for the submarines in the UK and a couple went in and out - under heavy escort. We keep getting rocked about quite violently with no apparent reason. The guy in the submarine museum told us it was probably submarines moving about under the water! We are in the town of Helensburgh, home of The Hill House - a Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed house which was beautiful. The town has a stunning conservation area with beautiful mansions built for the wealthy of Glasgow who wanted to avoid living in the soot and grime of industry in the city. It also has a submarine museum (of course it does!) and a great exhibit of an X51 mini submarine - can't believe 5 people really lived in the tiny space on board. We'll have to stop moaning about our lack of space!
Tomorrow we are heading to Kip Marina to shelter from the next low pressure system and high winds and to see some friends before turning South and slowly starting to head for home.
Mallaig to Kilmelford
18 July 2019
Colin Bell
Mallaig to Kyle of Lochalsh 3rd July - 20 miles - 5 hours
We had a good rest in Mallaig and even did the Harry Potter train journey ourselves into Fort William as a treat for Karen's birthday and had a great fish meal for lunch at the Crannog Restaurant on the loch shore. We headed up to Kyle of Lochalsh under jib with a gentle breeze. The Kylerhea narrows have a rather fast tidal stream and again we had to get the timing right. We were in Spring tides and when we hit the narrows, the boat speed was 3 knots with 7 knots of tide wooshing us along at a blistering 10 knots. For those of you who know these things that is rather fast for 'rag and stick' boat. Glad we didn't get that timing wrong! At this point the wind whipped up to 24 knots, so we were pleased to have taken the decision to drop the sails otherwise we could have been swirling around the whirlpools in rather dangerous conditions! The Kyle pontoons we were told had only just gone into the water that afternoon, so we headed for them. But on arrival found yes, there were pontoons, but they were covered in seaweed, tools and other rubbish and no power or water connected! So we left the pontoon to see if we could find anywhere else at the Skye Bridge to anchor up - knowing that we had several days of strong winds ahead. The only anchorage was full and the pontoon on the Skye side of the Loch said they were full, so we had no choice but go back to the half finished pontoon. But at least we had a home for a few days while the bad weather came through.
The pontoon was incredibly bouncy with a south westerly wind and everytime a boat passed we pinged around. So, we decided to be off the boat as much as possible. We spent a pleasant day in Plockton (the bus only goes one way - we had to get a train back - work that one out Highland Council??) and took a trip over to Portree on the Isle of Skye.
Skye has incredible landscape with the Coolins mountain range running down the middle. It was good to see it from a bus and not sitting at the bottom of a loch looking up. The scale of the scenery made us feel very insignificant.
Colin also took us for a "short" walk to Balmacara Square (the whole peninsula was a family estate). The way out involved a walk along a dual carriageway on the wrong side of the crash barriers and coming back - a yomp across the hills - naturally in the rain! But we got spectacular views of the Skye Bridge and the loch.
While lumping about we had to decide where we were going next - keep heading north or turn back and start wending our way back to the Clyde. We were regularly meeting people on boats who were on their way back - having been stuck in various spots around Skye whilst the weather was vile. They didn't even get the earlier heat wave up in this neck of the wood.
So we have taken the decision to head back South. There are still plenty of places we haven't been to yet and hopefully the weather will improve as we go South.
Kyle of Localsh to Knoydart - 7th July - 18 miles - 4 hours
We thought we ought to visit the "most remote pub on the British mainland" so headed for Knoydart in Loch Nevis and the Old Forge Inn which provided mooring buoys and hot showers. The journey down through the narrows was smoother than coming up - we only had 3 knots tide under us this time around and a Northerly wind gave us a pleasant sail under jib again.
Getting into Loch Nevis the wind whistled down the loch creating a lumpy and turbulent entrance (the cruising books did say the loch is subject to "strong squalls" and they weren't joking). Anyway hooked up to a buoy, the weather was dry but still quite strong winds so not in quite such a calm space as we had hoped. We took the dinghy ashore for what was promised was a fabulous local seafood experience.
First of all we couldn't work out where to land the dingy - after being drenched buzzing around the bay. Then we realised we would have to carry it up the rocky, seaweedy beach (with the heavy engine attached) or it would be under water on our return!
The pub then had broken showers! Karen hasn't had dry hair since Mallaig and was really looking forward to being dry and warm again, but it was not to be. The pub is owned by a Belgian celebrity chef and from the expression on his face all night - was questioning his decision to give up the celeb life for the remotest place in the UK!
The food was OK, but pricy. The dinghy was now afloat so we headed back to the boat to watch the most strange coloured sunset - mauve.
The next morning Colin was up early and decided to move on even if it was against the tide for a while - Tobermory was our next destination.
Knoydart to Tobermory - 8 July - 35 miles - 7.5 hours
We motored out on a flat calm loch - then got walloped again at the entrance to Loch Nevis! We motored for a while towards Ardnamurchan Point with great views of the Small Isles. Later in the day we were able to get the sails up and had a great beat around the point and down the Sound of Mull. We had the tide with us all day which we still can't work out why when all the books say something different. Never mind, can't complain.
We now remember that sailing in Scotland is an ever changing challenge over the course of a day with sails up and down, in and out and the engine on and off as the mountains funnel winds or winds are blocked by the mountains.
By the time we got to Tobermory all the pontoons had been taken (no hairdryer again then for Karen). So we grabbed a mooring buoy with the promise that around 10 boats were leaving the next morning.
The next morning the rain was lashing down and we couldn't see across the bay so, quite sensibly, the boats all decided to stay put. The highlight of the morning was eavesdropping on the VHF radio on a spat between a Saga cruise ship which wanted to pop its nose into the harbour just to allow people to take a photo and then leave - which it had done before. The rather officious harbour guy wasn't having any of it and cited various rules and paperwork to an evidently p***** off cruise ship Capitan - so the people on the cruise ship didn't get their Tobermory view.
We are watching the pontoons in the hope that some mad person decides that heading into strong winds and rain is a good idea and we can have their spot! This is our 7th night without power or water so whilst we are OK, it would be nice to have dry clothes and towels for a change and put the dehumidifier on to get rid of the damp boat smell (that we probably smell of too!).
No-one was daft enough to leave so we had a very wet and windy day and night on the buoy. The next morning we realised that we had very little water left so we hoped that a spot became available or we are on rations!
We saw a boat leaving at about 10.00am and rang the harbour master to ask if we could come in - his reply was basically not to be so polite and just go for it before anyone else grabbed it. We didn't need a second telling - we didn't have time to take down the cockpit cover so just shoved it up, dropped the buoy and gunned it for the marina.
So a chance to fill up the water and fuel tanks, dry off and have a long shower at £2.00 for 7 minutes. We had some lovely walks around Aros, the waterfalls in full flow after the recent rains and finally managed to get another spare impeller - just in case another jellyfish came our way. The best fish and chips ever at the van at the pier as recommended by Eilish and Richard - the battered smoked haddock was wonderful.
Tobermory to Lochaline - 14th July - 12 miles - 2.5 hours
As the day was lovely and calm with no wind we motored for the couple of hours across the Sound of Mull to Lochaline and anchored at the head of the loch. All was very peaceful until a flotilla of boats arrived at supper time. It turned out to be Gordonstoun School's international summer scheme!
Lochaline to Puilladobhrain -15th July - 12 miles - 3 hours
The next day we headed for Puilladobhrain (pronounced Pooldorin - Pool of the Otter). This is one of the most photographed anchorages in Scotland near Easdale and sure enough it was busy. The afternoon saw much movement as people upped anchors and tried to find the best place in a fairly crowded anchorage. Our Rocna anchor seems to be doing the business and keeping us safe - a lot of others were picking up kelp and having to move - but we managed to dig into some gloopy, black mud. Yuk but secure. The sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon and evening with lots of birdlife to keep us company.
We had been debating whether to take the short cut through the Cuan Sound to our next place - Kilmelford Yacht Haven in Loch Melfort. It is springs and the Sound involved a course though a very narrow space (200 metres) with a large rock - at which you have to take a handbrake left turn and the tide sets you down onto the rock unless you are very quick with the turn! With spring tides we could expect at least 7 knots of tide taking us down. While this wasn't a huge problem - we had similar speeds in Kylerhea -the difference was the dog-leg turn at the rock and pictures of boats that frequently end up on the rocks!
Puilladobhrain to Loch Melfort - 16th July - 15 miles - 3 hours
After a restless night worrying about it Karen decided she wasn't happy (if it had been neaps it might have been different). A small procession of yachts left the anchorage early and we all motored down a glasslike sea. Going the long way around the Sound of Luing we still had 5 knots of tide under us through the whirlpools but in a much larger space. You certainly need to hang onto the wheel as you can feel the boat wanting to spin in the whirlpools. It only took us an hour longer to get to Kilmelford and as we aren't in rush we decided not to make life any harder for ourselves?
Kilmelford is a small family run marina with just one pontoon, snug at the top of Loch Melfort with pretty, low lying hills around it. We tied up to the pontoon and had a lovely afternoon of sunshine. A great star gazing spot as there is very little light pollution - if you can ever see through the clouds! With heavy rain forecast we were to sit out yet another drenching. But we have got some TV and internet so are catching up on the news.
We are now at the place where we need to make a decision on the next part of the journey.
Option 1 - head towards Jura/ Gigha anchoring-up at various places and maybe around the Mull of Kintyre into the Firth of Clyde or run back to Northern Ireland.
Option 2 - stay put for a week until the next front has passed - in a very small village with nothing to do.
Option 3 - to make a run for the Crinan Canal before the next front appears and head into the relative shelter of the Clyde with more options to stop and sit out bad weather should the tentatively forecasted heat wave not materialise!.
We have decided on Option 3, so are heading for the Crinan basin at the end of the week.
Colin's looking forward to some slightly easier navigation and less fierce tidal gates.
Bangor to Mallaig
29 June 2019
Colin Bell
Bangor to Glenarm - 9th June - 22 miles - 4.15 hours
The weather has been awful with a Low swirling over the UK for the last week. We grabbed a "good weather" window on Sunday afternoon to get to our first stop - ahead of the next weather front. At least we aren't getting the drenching that the south of the UK is getting.
We had an uneventful run up the coast - apart from the squall that hit us as we passed Larne. We had full Mainsail up at the time and while trying to drop it to reef it got caught in the lazyjacks and gave us a fraught few minutes working out how to get it down.
Into the last slot at Glenarm. A quick walk around Glenarm confirmed what we had been told - it is a village with two pubs and no restaurants. We directed a couple of dispirited Dublin sailors looking for food to try the pub - which apparently will let you order a take-away and provide plates! Someone is missing a trick here for a summer pop-up eatery!
Glenarm to Islay - Port Ellen - 10th June - 30 miles - 6.25 hours
We were planning to go to Ballycastle but the weather looked as though we were going to be trapped for a few days with the Low swirling around so we decided to go straight for Islay. A 5.00am departure (didn't we promise we weren't going to play that game this year!) with a few other boats heading across at the same time.
With the wind on the nose it was a motor across but at least we got to Scotland and can enjoy Islay for a few days. Port Ellen is a well organised, community-run facility in a great location, but there are several shallow areas around the marina. We touched the ground around the entrance marker buoy (and we were on the correct side of it!). Over the next few days we watched several boats hitting the bottom and having to be winched off. So, anyone coming in here needs to keep a very close eye on the depth when manoeuvring around the marina.
Islay is famous for its distilleries. Guess what, we had a great time visiting Laphroiag, Lagavullin and Bowmore. There are some beautiful walks (or should I say staggers) and white sandy beaches. Oh, and the sun came out at last!
We planned to leave at lunch time on the Friday for Jura, but Karen flicked the switch on for the electric kettle and shorted (and melted) our shore-
power connection on the boat. We rewired a new shore power connector and cable but it still wasn't working so we called an electrician. He confirmed there was a problem with the power on the pontoons but that our connections were OK. As soon as he left we made a hasty departure for Jura.
Islay to Jura - Craighouse - 16th June - 15 miles - 4 hours
We had a 3 knot tide with us which was great and
a good sail. Clothing necessary for a Scottish "summer" at the moment involves wearing the following: boots, socks, a set of thermals, a mid-layer fleece, fleece salopettes, outer jacket, sailing salopettes, snood and two hats - one woolly for warmth and one waterproof! We can hardly move wearing all this gear!
We picked up a buoy in Craighouse on Jura. A lovely sunset and oh dear, look - another distillery to visit. Jura only has a population of a couple of hundred people, but about 6,000 head of deer. (Nick you would love it here). It has one pub (very nice too) a shop, a cafe and a distillery. We were at Jura for 3 nights whilst the next Llow came through. A few lumpy nights swinging around the buoy and grey wet days. Then a chink in the weather and we headed for a mooring buoy at the entrance to the Crinan Canal.
Craighouse to Crinan - 19th June - 25 miles - 4.15 hours
We left Jura in the afternoon to catch the tide up the Sound of Jura. A gentle sail up the coast and onto a mooring buoy at Crinan Harbour boatyard. This and the last location have had no internet, radio or TV so we are feeling a bit isolated. Even the hotel (can recommend the seafood) had no Internet. We had a walk along the canal for old time's sake and are now pondering coming back through the canal if we are going into the Clyde later in the summer - rather than round the Mull of Kintyre. Have heard so many horror stories about rounding the Mull from fellow travellers - it's no wonder they built the Crinan canal.
Crinan to Craobh Haven - 21st June - 10 miles - 2 hours
We weren't going far. Just a couple of hours around the corner into Craobh Yacht Haven. It has a good chandlery and we should be able to get our spares for the shore power connections. We waited until the afternoon to allow for the right tide to take us through the Dorus Mor. Uneventful passage.
The arrival was interesting in Craobh as Karen tried to park the boat across two berths - a gust of wind hit at just the wrong moment. We knew exactly which berth we were going into so we didn't have mooring lines out on both sides of the boat (as we normally do) which would have allowed us to pull into the berth next to us and sort ourselves out - lesson learned! We seem to be better at picking up mooring buoys than berthing in a marina at the moment!
We spent the Saturday doing our chores - laundry, fueling and cleaning. After 5 nights on buoys in the wet and cold, the boat had a distinct damp feel and we welcomed some decent hot showers and rewarded ourselves with a drink at the marina pub - the Lord of the Isles. A lovely sunny day and beautiful sunset. We are getting low on supplies and are now having to plan our next port in order to find a decent-sized town with a supermarket. We packed a 3kg bag of pasta - which we are steadily munching our way though. Sod the healthy eating when you are cold and damp on a bouncy boat!
Craobh Haven to Oban - 23rd June - 20 miles - 4 hours
A lovely flat trip through the sound of Luing - a narrow channel which can be nasty in the wrong weather but the sun came out and the wind finally was warm on our faces. We didn't even need so many layers of clothing this time!
We dodged the Calmac ferries and cruise ships on entering Oban and came into the new Transit marina on the town side of Oban (last time we went into Kerrera on the opposite side of the channel). Oban was enjoying the sunny weather and the new marina facilities are fantastic - a decent hairdryer and under-floor heating are much appreciated. Monday was spent going back and forth from the supermarkets (don't forget we have to carry all our supplies back and forth in backpacks) so we can have some fresh food again.
Oban to Lochaline - 26th June - 15 miles - 3.5 hours
This was actually meant to be a trip from Oban to Tobermory but after a couple of hours of non-eventful, tranquil sailing we found ourselves in 20 knots of wind-against-tide, on a lee shore and struggling to get the boat moving against big seas. The Sound of Mull at its best! We turned around and went into Lochaline. (Better part of valour and all that!). As it happens, we know Lochaline from our last trip so it was a pleasant detour. We dropped anchor and the sun came out with a vengeance. This is what sailing is all about!
Lochaline to Tobermory - 27th June - 12 miles - 3.15 hours
No wind so we motored up to Aros Bay in Tobermory which is a tight spot, but with woods and a waterfall is a tranquil setting. We tried a couple of places to anchor before we were happy. The shore is steep-to and we seemed to be closer to the shore than we wanted and there is a mussel farm in the bay which has the best spot. A blissful afternoon in the blazing sun.
Tobermory to Mallaig - 28th June - 25 miles - 6 hours
We were just about to leave in the morning and in doing our engine checks found that we had sucked up a jellyfish (there were a lot around the day before). We had a stew of jellyfish in the inlet strainer and a pool of blue water in the bottom of the engine compartment. The jellyfish had obviously blocked the water inlet and caused the engine to overheat. We cleaned it out (believe me the smell of rotten jellyfish gently cooked in a warm engine is not something you want to smell first thing in the morning). On running the engine there was no water coming out of the exhaust and on checking the impeller we found it had completely shredded. So a quick impeller change and we were off.
A great sail around Ardnamurchan Point - we finally got here after spending a week looking at it three years ago and not having the weather on our side last time around. The wind was much stronger than predicted and we were under jib for most of the morning, until a lively stretch just rounding the point when the wind changed direction and we had to get the main up (reefed) and the jib in a little, but again the mainsail got caught on the lazyjacks. We need to look at these in Mallaig as they are giving us a problem this year. A glide in on a flat calm sea into Mallaig marina.
It's not a quiet place with ferries and trawlers coming and going, but it's our last marina for a while before heading to Skye. Mallaig is clearly a transit point with everyone cleaning their boats and catching up on laundry - such is the glamour of yachting!
The town is full of Harry Potter fans who come in on the steam train at lunch time for a couple of hours on the Fort William to Mallaig express. And we have a seal living in the harbour who comes to see if we have any fish on offer.
You really don't want to run into one of these in the dark...
16 September 2016
Harwich to Chatham - 15th September - 55 miles - 11.5 Hours
Well, here we are back in Chatham having arrived last night after a rather slow run down from Harwich.
We loved our stay in Suffolk, really enjoying the sunshine. Got the shorts and flipflops out for an airing - first time since the Clyde in June!
The trip back started badly when our alarm clock didn't go off! So we were a bit late leaving and found like most wide estuaries they can be quite lumpy at the entrance - especially when large container vessels are leaving.
Crossing the Thames Estuary is not easy as it is very shallow and requires you to follow channels very carefully -no wonder there are so many wrecks along this coast. When we found the wind in the wrong direction and not strong enough to keep us out of the shallows, we had no choice but put on the trusty engine (which sprung another water leak on this last leg - hope it is just another split pipe that needs replacing).
The heat haze had created poor visability and we could only see for a couple of miles. We lost sight of the land just outside Harwich and didn't see any land again until we entered the River Medway at Sheerness. We could have been in the middle of the North Sea except for the depth gauge going down to 3 meters at times.
We slogged our way up the Medway River with the tide against us. We had forgotten how long it can take to get up the river with adverse tide and of course the wind piped-up just as we were entering the lock at Chatham - which, even after all our entrances and exits into various locks and marinas over the past two summers, is still a tricky one to get into and just as nerve wracking as ever!
We are back in our original berth (thanks to Ken in the berth next to ours for sorting us out).
What's next for us?
For a start, we will stop peering at tide tables, charts and weather forecasts and relax. We'll be going back to Bangor to get our car and collect all our possessions that are scattered around Co.Down.
We are both going to look for some work to replenish the coffers so if anyone knows of any companies needing a Facilities Manager or Human Resources Manager in the London area - give us a call.
Thank you all for following our journey and we hope you enjoyed our exploration of the UK. We feel that we now have a pretty good understanding of life around our coast and have certainly seen places we will wish to visit again but also a few that we will be happy not to see again.
If anyone is passing Chatham do pop in and say hello.
For those interested in such things here are a few stats:
Miles travelled - 1,570
Places visited - 53 (including various stops on two canal systems)
Canal locks negotiated - 44
Until the next time goodbye from Colin and Karen
A day on the water without oil skins
11 September 2016
Lowestoft to River Orwell - 11th September - 40 miles - 8 hours
We awoke to the sound of the foghorn and peeking out we couldn't see the harbour wall! Luckily, this time we had a late start (around 11.00am). So, after consulting local divers and fishermen we were assured that the fog would burn off and we would be able to leave as planned.
The trip down was uneventful. Motor sailing on a glassy sea and the wind picked up later in the day but of course it was right on the nose. Felixstowe/Harwich is home to very large container ships, ferries and other cargo vessels. Unusually Felixstowe doesn't encourage you to call in and ask permission to cross the shipping lane so you have to work out for yourself when it is safe to go for it. So much consulting the AIS app again and after waiting for a RoRo ferry to leave we entered the Orwell. We arrived at the Suffolk Yacht Haven in a very tight and very short berth, just as the sun was setting over the river. Just as well - the entrance buoys are not lit and we didn't fancy our chances of trying to find the entrance in the dark.
We have had our canopy repaired as the stitching around the zips came apart -probably rotted in the Scottish rain! One Sails did the job - they made our sails a few years ago so it was nice to actually meet them.
We are enjoying some late summer sun and gorgeous East Coast sunsets before we make our final passage from here to Queenborough/Chatham later in the week. It's very strange to think we won't be doing this in a week's time.