Diomedea reached nicely out of Bangor in lovely sunshine on the north going tide bound for Gigha island north of the Mull of Kintyre. The wind failed but we had great day on this last longish passage. Ardminish bay on the eastern side of Gigha was a gem and even better was the Boathouse restaurant just up from the new pontoon (Michelin recommended!). We had true fusion cuisine of haggis spring rolls with pesto and caramelised onion jam as an entree, followed by scallops and haddock. Yum. From Gigha we had a hair-raising ride through the Sound of Islay, a narrow 10 nm long channel which separates the isles of Islay and Jura. The tide fairly roars through here and Diomedea’s best speed over ground was 12.2 knots to windward. We were spat out the other end into dense fog, the timing being rather unfortunate as we had to negotiate a shallow rock strewn path only slightly wider than the boat. Still, we managed the entry to the truly wonderful Loch Tarbert, which penetrates Jura to her heart. The loch provides outstanding protection, is very silent, and has no phone coverage. The only sign of civilisation is a long abandoned stone house on the shore. We loved it.
Back out the next morning for a good sail around the historic island of Iona to Bunessan on the Ross of Mull. Iona was the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland. St Columba came to Iona from Bangor in the 6th century and established a monastery. Bunessan harbour provides good shelter and holding but the town is utterly charmless. Onwards to the spectacular island of Staffa, home of legendary warrior Fingal’s cave. The cave is a zawn into the columnar basalt cliff line. Diomedea passaged in no wind and foul tide north past Gometra and Ulva islands before arriving at the pretty Tobermory harbour on Mull. Ulva is significant for Australia, but more on this later.