2025 17th April, Days 10 - ? To Eilian Donnan Castle and Bag an Strathaidh.

With rain forecast for lunchtime with a 90% probability (at 15:52 I am still waiting to see any) I left at 08:15 for a quick gander at east Loch Alsh and in particular the Castle at Eilian Donnan, in theory I would have the tide with me both ways once east of the Kyle Rhea but that didn't seem to work out with variable conditions due to big eddies. But with no wind it did not take long to get there, initially it did not look that impressive as it was merging with the background, up close it was clearly more substantial.

 

 

With the forecast rain I did not hang about and decided to go straight through Skye Bridge against what turned out to be a modest knot or so of current.

The usual optical illusion of a near miss going under the bridge
despite an air draft of 29 metres.

Another few miles to a previously unexplored anchorage at Bag an Strathaidh, it is quite exposed to the west but the wind was northerly and and westerlies expected during the afternoon were meant to be light, as I write this it is a steady westerly at 14 knots, higher than the forecast gusts, and the boat is pitching somewhat but with no tide she is lying into wind so there is very little roll. Hopefully the forecast overnight is correct which has the wind backing to the ENE at 4 knots or less before increasing to 7-10 knots by lunch time with gusts in the afternoon into the mid 20's.

My track in shown on the Admiralty 1:25,000 chart last surveyed
between 1850 and 1905 (further out it was surveyed in 2018-20),
the vector chart plotter is based on this and shows a slightly larger
area above water. Both have me going over a drying spot - not an
issue with 4 metres of tide.

But the much larger scale Antares chart surveyed in 2011 & 13
shows a different story.

The Inner Sound from the anchorage.

I don't like the look of this mornings weather models

Sure the mountains will provide some shelter but strong-ish winds that close to the west could make life uncomfortable here with any waves in the Inner Sound refracting around to here. I think I may move to Upper Lochcarron for a day or two, I'll have plenty of time to get through Strome Narrows before the tide turns foul at 10:40, getting back out in 2 or 3 days will be more of an issue but managable.

There are some indications that I should be moving north early next week so I could get the dinghy out to restock with food there or go back to a pontoon at Kyle of Lochalsh to visit the big COOP.

Dinner: Scratch made chicken and egg fried rice.

Update Friday 18th.

A nice quite night.

Posted on Facebook: 

Change of plan. This mornings 6 weather models don’t agree on the strength of the wind overnight tonight (it could be anything from calm to quite blustery) but they all agree that it will be NE to E, with more E than NE. And the domestic forecast for Plockton is 11 knts gusting 25 ENE. Upper loch Carron is reasonable in those conditions but this anchorage should be better so I am staying put. 

There are mixed signals for early next week but there is a chance I’ll be moving N on Sunday or Monday, shopping could be an issue but the co-ops at Kyle of Lochalsh and Portree claim to be open on Easter Sunday.

I double and triple checked and the rules are different in Scotland, all co-ops open as normal over the long weekend. The 10:00 opening rule also does not apply. Saturday is likely to be wet so shopping Sunday, a few days earlier than optimal given current stocks, and a short hop north. Possibly.

Scrambled eggs on toast with bacon for brunch 😀 to use up the past date bacon, now lots of washing up🙁.

I was going to give the cockpit and some other bits a good clean this afternoon but the sun has gone in and it’s too cold.

Dinner: chicken in sweet and sour cook in sauce.

Update Saturday 19th.

It’s darn cold here with a broken heater, 42 degrees in old money the last time I looked, on my bunk, fully dressed with a sleeping bag over me to try and keep warm. The oil lamp giving a little heat, fortunately I have a good supply of lamp oil.

The weather models are still not in agreement but I might be able to get round Cape Wrath to loch Eriboll or Kyle of tongue later in the week to wait for better weather to get to Orkney. 

So the plan is to shop at the Kyle of Lochalsh then head north to the east side of Ramsay tomorrow and see how it goes for the rest of the week.

 

2025 15th April, Day 17 To Bag Dunan Ruadh and Balmacara Bay, Loch Alsh

 DRAFT

Apart from the cold a cracking sail from the Anchorage until past Mallaig when the rain finally got me.

One of several squalls that missed me by a few miles tracking
 over the Small Islands and up the west coast of Skye, the
land in the foreground is the oint of Sleat, the southern tip
of Skye.

Fortunately the rain was not particulalry heavy and the bulk of it passed in 20 minutes or so although there were occasional light spells for a couple of hours. What did almost catch me out was the shift in the wind that veered from SSE at 15 knots to W at 20 in a few minutes, I was quick enough to gybe under control before it happened by itself but having gone from a broad reach the a beam reach I was busy for a few minutes putting two reefs in the headsail and one in the main, then a second in the main as it looked as if it might get worse. It didn't as the centre of the squall missed me. 

An hour or so later the wind was down to WSW at 5 knots and before long I was almost going backwards against the tide and didn't really have steerage so on went the engine for the last the last hour to the anchorage at Bag Dunan Ruadh where I waited for the tide through the narrows of The Kyle Rhea.

It is still pretty chilly up here, especially with a broken heater.
Snow on the mountains of Skye.

At anchor, looking up the narrows.

The anchorage at Bag Dunan Ruadh

35 miles in 7:15 the first 2/3 at 5.5 - 6.5 knots.

I left the anchorage 20 minutes or so before the tide turned and had a know against initially and up to two knots before I exited a couple of miles later. It was then a quick crossing of Loch Alsh to an anchorage at Balmacara Bay that is protected from the forecast northerly winds. Aa I write (Wednesday afternoon, the 16th) I am getting pushed around quite a bit by a not particulalry strong wind varying around ENE - it is meant to be NNE.

Video of the anchorage hosted on Flikr as it is a bit over the 100 MB limit.

Click the controls to view here or the body of the image to view in Flikr.

4.6 miles in 1:15.

According to ECMWF and UKMO models winds are not suitable to go around Cape Wrath to Orckney for a week or more so I'll be cruising around the area until making a dash the 70 miles north a few days before things are likely to be favourable.

Dinners:

Left over scratch made Beef bourguignon.

Scratch made chicken curry.

Click here for Thursday's bimble.

2025 14th April, Day 16 To Sanna Bay.

Draft

The forecast was looking OK so off I went, rather earlier than planned at 12:30 in case Sanna Bay was not tenable to give me time to move on somewhere else. with wind against tide it was a little bumpy of Ardnamurchan point but not bad.

Watch to the end.

I was disappointed to find someone already in the anchorage, anchored right on the spot I had marked but there was room for both of us.

I was a bit more concerned about the reef 50 yards away and what
would happen when it covered but the sea was calming down and
I had a good night. Except for a scare in the early evening.

It finally happened to me, a big GPS error. At anchor and the anchor alarm went off. Rather worrying as I’m < 50 yards up wind of rocks and close to another boat.

I had the wash boards out pdq and there was the other boat where it should be and likewise the waves breaking over the reef. Turns out the iPad gps was over 50 yards adrift as was the chart plotter when that came on line. Both had been differential fixes and 10 minutes later were again, to c 4 yards. This was the 300th night at anchor using a GPS alarm on at least one device and this was the first technical error.

12.5 miles in three hours, under sail from inside Tobermory
harbour to the approach to the anchorage.

Dinner: Chicken in Cantonese cook in sauce.

Click here for a couple of legs to Loch Alsh.

2025 12th April, Day 14 - ? Tobermory.

Updated daily.

Friday 12th

After arriving late morning and wanting to get the hard work done early and before showering I made two shopping trips with particularly heavy loads, partially due to the COOP only selling non-alcoholic beer in glass bottles that are heavy to carry and a pain to store when empty.

Also 2 loads of diesel which with the trolly is not a problem until back at the boat lifting it on board and filling the tanks / stowing it.

I was pleased that my discipline of cruising at an economical speed of just over 5 knots, with a pretty clean hull, even after 3 months at Milford, it paid off with low fuel consumption, I filled to the brim so a very good check point.

I had not exceeded the economic speed for any significant period since leaving Milford and there was a very close match between calculated fuel usage at 1.4 litres an hour and the tank reading each day (only once greater than 1.7 litres), this compares with an average of 1.5 - 1.7 litres an hour throughout last year.

Then a much needed shower after all the hard work

Started on the blog and loading pictures to the blog and Flickr.

The weather models are all over the place but seem to agree I'll be here till at least Tuesday and probably Wednesday.

Rather poor Pizza.

Saturday 13th

A quiet day, one small shopping trip for lunch and dinner - a very disappointing Pizza. And got the blog up to date.

Dinner: Left over Scratch made Spag Bol.

Sunday 14th, a.m.

Calm at the moment here but that is going to change, this mornings inshore forecast:

The Minch - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: West backing south or southwest 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time later. Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later near southern entrance. Showers, perhaps thundery. Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first. Slight or moderate, occasionally rough until later in south. Showers, perhaps thundery. Good, occasionally poor.

---

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: West backing south or southwest 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time later. Rough, but mainly moderate near Ardnamurchan Point. Showers, perhaps thundery. Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first. Rough, but mainly moderate near Ardnamurchan Point. Showers, perhaps thundery. Good, occasionally poor.

[Moderate near Arnamurchan is a relative term if you are fairly close in where a nasty sea develops.]

A detail from Admiralty chart 2540 that
unusually includes a specific set of
chartlets showing tides. Note the eddies
and rates.

The models are beginning to agree, at least for Monday and Tuesday. I might be able to get out late on Monday but it is probably not worth it as the only viable anchorage short of Arnamurchan Point within range would be Loch Drumbuie which is deep and a bit further from likely destinations.

Tuesday now looks reasonable for the sound of Sleat although it will likely to still be bumpy round the Point of Ardnamurchan. After that the models start to diverge, at least on timing and strength of the wind which is likely to be west turning north. Unless things change the Western Isles and the Shiant Isles are going to have to wait for the return trip.

The plan currently but subject to change is to leave quite early on Tuesday to get the favourable flood tide around Ardnamurchan and into the Sound of Sleat, that will last till about 09:00. To avoid a long day, I could stop somewhere just short of the Kyle Rhea and go through early Wednesday morning on the favourable tide but I would then likely have a foul tide under the Skye bridge and possibly a brisk head wind. 

So, depending on the weather forecast I may go through that evening, anchoring somewhere in Loch Alsh or if the wind is likely to be strong and changing overnight (most anchorages are exposed to wind from either the west or north), perhaps continuing past Skye Bridge, if I don't it will either be another early start or a very late one on Wednesday to get past Skye Bridge with a favourable tide.

The 17th is a spring tide so currents will run at up 8 knots through the Kyle, perhaps more according to the CCC Pilot. The tide starts north 6 hours before HW Ullapool ends at or slightly before HW.

HW Ullapool / Tide starts north - Tide turns south.

Tue 15th 21:10 / 15:10 - 21:00

Wed 16th 09:20 / 03:20 - 09:00

Wed 16th 21:40 / 15:40 – 21:2 

Dinner: Scratch made Beef bourguignon

Monday morning

It looks like a change of plan, its generally calm here with some wind coming north up the sound, although the general wind direction is probably SW. The forecast for today is a bit better, at 07:00:

The Minch - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: Southwest backing mainly south, 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later. Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth east of skye. Showers. Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: South or southwest veering northwest, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 t first. Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north and south. Showers. Good.

---

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: Southwest backing mainly south, 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later. Moderate or rough. Showers. Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: South or southwest veering northwest, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 t first. Moderate or rough. Showers. Good.

However the models from a bit earlier and the domestic forecast are showing somewhat less around  Ardnamurchan and I would be running before the wind or at worse reaching, so the plan is to risk a bit of surge in the anchorage and when the tide turns this afternoon to head for Sanna Bay, just round the point, that will be well sheltered from the wind and enable a later start in the morning, probably around about sunrise. 

I should then be able to sail to The Kyle Rhea possibly arriving a bit early and to have the option of taking the tide past Skye Bridge which is favourable till 18:00.

I'll make the decision after lunch with the lunchtime inshore and domestic forecasts are updated.

Click here for Sanna Bay.

2025 11th April, Day 13 to Tobermory.

I was awake early after an early night to find a heavy mist, I suspected this was only in Loch Aline so decided to move off to get at least the first hour or two against a relatively slack tide. At 06:30 I could see both banks of the Loch, 5 minutes later after I had got the anchor up, everything had disappeared with the visibility perhaps 20 yards.

I was tempted to put the anchor back down but decided not to and gingerly went down the Loch at a walking pace, fortunately my modern doppler radar is particularly good close in with essentially no minimum range and at 100 meters (or less) will show just about everything.

With two independent GPS's running, one the 9" plotter, the other an iPad with raster charts including a very accurate Antares chart of the entrance (the lap top with raster and a different vector charting system was not going to be any use as it is on the chart table). As a bonus the plotter has multiple tracks from previous visits and the iPad had my track in, that was my preferred one as it was clear of lobster pots when I came in.

About 150 yards from where I anchored, nothing visible. The
radar is showing 3 other anchored boats (large blobs), the
small red blob is the pole on Sgeirean nan Ron (a short reef).

Approaching the loch entrance, the red blob ahead of me is
the port lateral buoy, about 150 yards away, I saw it at 50 as
the fog lifted. With a reasonably amount of tide I could be
sure of not running aground if I stayed within the previous tracks.
The red line on a similar track is the track of a large motor
yacht that was a mile or so ahead of me and classified as
dangerous by the AIS system.

The AIS contact at the top of the screen "Lara of Chichester"
is, as I write, one berth down from me at Tobermory. She had
left her AIS on whilst parked and arrived there in the early evening.

My inbound (right at the bottom) and outbound
tracks, the channel is about 75 yards wide.

The ferry on her berth, about 75 yards away with the fog
lifting further.

The fog stayed patchy until I was well north of Ruba Aird Scisg and the fish farm north of there, about 5 miles, when is suddenly cleared but was still there behind me. With a freshening wind I was able to sail for about an hour , not making a great deal of progress against the tide.

Whilst still in the fog I was rather disconcerted to find a large ferry coming up behind me making 14 knots over the ground, about 15 over the ground. I was perfectly safe as I was using GPS and radar to keep well to the right of the main channel and a couple of hundred off shore, was broadcasting my presence on AIS and could see hers. She past me under 250 meters away (by AIS and Radar) and only just visible. How she would have avoided anything not visible on radar, admittedly higher resolution and more sensitive than mine, I don't know.

14 miles in 4 hours.

As previously forecast some bad weather is coming and it is looking worse every day. I could be here until Tuesday or Wednesday 😞and it is unlikely I will be able to head out via Coll as wind is likely to be making the anchorages untenable for some time. Direct to Barra or via the Small Islands may be an option but the ECMWF and UKMO violently disagree on the weather from Tuesday.

Click here for time in Tobermory.

2025 10th April, Day 12 to Loch Aline.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many for all of these video's? Most are best viewed full screen or you miss the details.

It was a trip of two halves:

Motoring from Crinan through Dorus Mor and The Sound of Luing to Insh Island then mainly sailing up the Firth of Lorn, into the Sound of Mull and to Loch Aline. 

The ride through Dorus Mor and the Sound of Luing, whilst not especially dangerous in sensible weather, can be a very quick, even wild ride, this time it was rather sedate with the maximum tide of about 4 knots past Fladda and only a knot and a half through Dorus Mor which I went through at slack water 3 days after neaps, but where NW bound it can run at 8 knots at springs with strong overfalls.

Entering Dorus Mor

Overfalls exiting Dorus Mor. The heart rate went up

when I saw the first of the white foam balls, it was a 

particularly big one and it looked just like a white pot

buoy partially towed under dead ahead. I had already

cut the engine and made a big course change to avoid 

before I realised what it and they were.

Out of Dorus Mor looking towards the Gulf of Corryvreckan,
a pair of Eider Ducks in the foreground.

The Sound of Luing, Fladda in the distance.

Approaching Fladda port side view. The autopilot

steering a steady course, note the change of heading

due to the eddies and over-falls.

Approaching Fladda and Dubh Sgeir, starboard side.

As planned I had motored the tide assisted 12 miles or so until past Fladda, the wind was still light but looked promising and once abeam of Insh Island the wind had set in from the SSE at about 10 knots so up went the big spinnaker.

Spinnaker up (with the pole too low) and in the

few minutes that took me the wind veered 30 

degrees so I had to gybe.

After the gybe and with the pole correctly set. It got a bit
windy for a while, 15 knots and I though I would have
to take it down but the wind dropped and I kept it up till
past Loch Don where the wind backed and I either had
to gybe the spinnaker again to avoid running ashore or
take it down, I being close to the turn into the
Sound of Mull I took it down. 

Black's Memorial Tower, just short of Duart Point.

Lady's Rock Light and Lismore to the right.

Duart Caste, I have been taking pictures of this
since 2020 and not one without scaffolding on it.

Overfalls of Duart Point.

Approaching Glas Eileanan.

 

I was at anchored in Loch Aline at 16:00 after a quick passage helped by the spinnaker run up the firth. No pictures or videos of Loch Aline as there are loads from previous visits, click here for all posts of Loch Aline (it will include this one, opens in a new window).

32 miles in six and a quarter hours.

Dinner: Scratch made Spag Bol.

Click here for a foggy trip to Tobermory.