SV Sancerre: Stopping Places: Mull of Galloway to South of Crinan.

Be sure to check out Reeds and / or the appropriate pilots (Clyde Cruising Club sailing directions) for more detailed information and some alternates, this is just an overview of ones I have been to.

For anchorages in this area the Antares Charts covering almost 600 anchorages are invaluable and for some indispensable. At £15 they don't break the bank and as well as the chart you get a very good summary of each, most if not all of the anchorages below are covered.

Sequenced approximately south to north. Links open in a new window and most point to the trip towards the anchorage, the following post may have more information.

To see my recent visits to each anchorage check out the "Labels" towards the bottom of the right hand panel or follow the individual links.

Updated September 2023 to include Harbours and Marinas also info on fuel & gas availability, the latter is not comprehensive as I don't need either that often.

Further updated during a boring winter 2023/4 to include some information on access to and from marinas. See my page Marina notes (opens in a new window) for some general tips and the context (handling of my boat) in which I comment.

Anchorages = red, Marinas = Blue, Green = Possible

Contents Updted to 9th June 2025.:

Campbeltown, E Kintyre..
Portavadie, Loch Fyne.
Ardmarnock Bay, Loch Fyne.
Port Ellen, Islay
Port Ellen - Kilnaughton Bay anchorage
Craro Bay, Ghia
Bagh na Doirline, Gigha.
Druimyeon Bay, Gigha
Loch Stornoway
Muilean Eiteae Bagh, Loch Caolisport. Sound of Jura.
Eilean Dubh, Carsaig Bay, Sound of Jura.

Campbeltown, E Kintyre.

A useful stop off if heading to Ireland from the Clyde or rounding the Mull of Kintyre.

Campbeltown anchorage

Visited 2021.

Portavadie

Upmarket marina with good shelter and facilities, not cheap. Easy to get on and off the pontoons.

Weather bound at Portavadie, 2021.

See link to Ardmarnock Bay....

Ardmarnock Bay, Loch Fyne.

Good fair weather anchorage well protected from the south. A useful passage anchorage on the way to or from the Crinan Canal.

Ardmarnock Bay

Visited 2021.

Port Ellen, Islay

I visited the marina at least once in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (click the appropriate post label right), there is also an associated anchorage that accommodates the occasional large cruise ship but also can makes a good passage anchorage or place to wait for a good wind if you want to avoid marina charges.

When entering the marina don't stray far from the hammerheads or go past the second as the water is very shallow - marked by appropriate channel marks. Access to and departure from the fingers on the seaward side of the first pontoon is straightforward. Getting onto the row the other side requires some tight turns to port but there is enough room to make getting out less stressful, but check depths as the inner berths are shallow

Sancerre on one of the visitors berths April 2021, the pontoons
left are for local boats and have little water.

Decent showers and laundry are a short walk away. Diesel from a garage a medium walk, they advertise availability of cans and a trolley to bring it back but I have my own which saves a return trip. Both the garage and marina are community run, the former may have irregular hours and the latter, if not manned by the manager, is visited once or twice a day.

A small general store is close by, a better option for most things is a medium sized COOP a bit further with a post office in between. The reasonably fit can reach the Laphroaig distillery on foot. Places to eat and drink, 2 takeaways. Vodafone and O2 signals OK.

Port Ellen, the CO-OP is close to the left hand side of the pic.

Visited 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, twice.

Port Ellen - Kilnaughton Bay anchorage:

According to the admiralty chart (BA2476-3 Inset "C" Port Ellen) the N and E sides of the bay are rock or rock and weed (the moorings shown on the NE side have been removed but the ground tackle could still be there), the centre is a bit deep (12m LAT although there is not much range above) and could be problematical if a cruise ship arrived (I have only seen 1, in 2022, that left as I arrived). In restricted visibility I would certainly leave AIS running if anchored near the centre for cruise ships and ships going to the harbour.

The west side, (Kilnaughton Bay) is Sand and Shell and the recommended spot but it could be uncomfortable or untenable in some conditions, it was certainly uncomfortable in 20 - 30 knots of easterly winds! Used in 2022 and 2023. Vodafone and O2 signals OK.

Craro Bay, Ghia
You really need the Antares charts and the associated directions to use this anchorage near the southern end of the island, fairly tight spots and I hit Kelp and rocks in one of them see my post when I visited in 2022 I had better luck anchoring in 2024 (link includes a video).
The northern most anchorage in Craro Bay where I caught kelp
and a rock before moving to the middle anchorage at the far
right in the picture

Bagh na Doirline, Gigha.

In the right conditions a useful passage anchorage heading to or from the Crinan canal. On the NW corner of Gigha, very exposed in Northerly winds. Vodafone signal flaky, none for O2.

Visited in 2021 and 2024

Druimyeon Bay, Gigha

A good anchorage albeit shallow close in, well protected from the SE through W although with a longish fetc it could get a little bumpy in a really strong wind. Charts show fish farm extending to an islet “Bhlar Rock” but there it plenty of room to get between them, the easiest route in from the north, from the south there is a passage 2 - e cables further south but going N of Bhlar it best.

Visited in 2024

Loch Stornoway

The anchorage has a bad reputation with a specific warning on the Admiralty chart of its dangers in a south-westerly wind / swell, the CCC pilot is slightly less negative but, I agree with the notes on the Antares chart, with a reliable engine to get you out if things turn nasty (beating out between the reefs could be a bit of a struggle) and with better weather forecasts the warnings do seem a bit misplaced as the anchorage is well sheltered from other directions and has good holding in clean sand. I arrived with 12 knots of south westerly wind and it was fine but that was after more than a week of easterlies. Good holding in clean sand.
O2 and Vodafone data usable but a bit slow, only 1 or 2 bars.
Loch Stornoway, best viewed with the sound on. My
young grand nephew was worried that the birds would
keep me awake.
Visited 2025

Muilean Eiteae Bagh, Loch Caolisport. Sound of Jura.

One of several anchorages on the north side of the loch with good shelter from the north but none from the south. Very quite and not over looked by roads, habitation etc. room for quite a few boats but if busy (unlikely?) you can always move a bit further up the loch.

No signal on O2, poor signal on Vodafone with patchy very slow data connection.

Eilean Dubh, Carsaig Bay, Sound of Jura

Looking along the anchorage.

A nice generally well sheltered anchorage but somewhat expose to the NNE, good holding as far as I could tell with room for a number of boats. Vodafone and O2 OK.

Eilean Dubh anchorage.

Visited in 2021 and 2024

Kinuachdrachd Harbour, Jura.

An excellent anchorage in westerly winds but exposed to the east, close to the Gulf of Corryvreckan so give that a wide berth but otherwise very easy to enter. O2 and Vodafone OK.