2025 20th April, Day 22 To Kyle of Lochalsh & Oskaig Bay, Raasay

Its not so cold today and quite pleasant in the afternoon with no wind and warm when the sun is out, but not enough to clear yesterdays snow from the higher peaks. 

A pleasant sail from the anchorage past Skye Bridge after which the tide and wind messed me about a bit, with tide due to be westbound and the wind offshore I rigged fenders and mooring lines before I left on the starboard side so I would be pointing into the current with the wind neutral fore and aft but pushing me off (a pain) but when I went under Skye Bridge the tide was still going east and the wind veered and increased to for F4 - 5. There was no way I was going to come alongside down wind and down tide as I would not be able to stop the boat so everything had to be changed over and I was along side at 09:20. 

Heading to Skye Bridge,

It turned out that the tide was well adrift as it was still east bound when I left 3 or 4 hours after it should have been against.

Two loads of shopping, fortunately the big co-op is very close albeit up a lot of steps, then a much needed shower and I was off again.

There is going to be a lot of chicken on the menu in the next couple of days as all of the chicken was on relatively short use by dates but it will be Beef Bourguignon tonight as the button mushrooms are even more perishable.

Plenty of snow on the mountain tops from last night.

Raasay's old harbour.

Old quarry workings by the old harbour.

Initially I was sailing but a couple of miles out and as forecast the wind dropped to 3 - 5 knots so on went the engine for a couple of hours to get to Oskaig Bay on Raasay. The forecast is for southerly winds tomorrow so hopefully I can make some progress up the sound of Raasay ending up at Loch Gairloch or perhaps Loch Ewe. From there it is one fairly long days sailing to be positioned to round Cape Wrath the next day if conditions permit.

The anchorage at Oskaig Bay.

Just over 20 miles in five and a half hours excluding the stop.

Click here for Loch Kerry.

2024 June 22nd Days 85 - 87 Bagh na Doirline to Druimyeon Bay then Bangor

Saturday morning:

The wind went round to the NW overnight making the anchorage a little uncomfortable, I was anchored well out as there were four other boats in the anchorage, I could have gone further in but single handed I prefer not to have boats behind me, it can be difficult to then get out as I have to be at the bow to raise the anchor and the boat will drift down wind (and / or tide) potentially into another boat. So as the wind was light and the tide good I made a quick hop around the north of the Island to a better protected anchorage in Druimyeon Bay.

Looking back at the Bagh na Doirline anchorage.

An interesting place to park your RV, on a ruined jetty at
the extreme north of Gigha.

Lots of boats in Ardminish Bay, the most popular stop on Gigha,
if you don't need the facilities, Druimyeon Bay is in my opinion
to be preferred.

Druimyeon Bay anchorage.

4 miles in 1 hour

The weather forecast for the next few days is not hopeful with headwinds, mainly light or moderate except perhaps on Tuesday  / Wednesday. And more hopefully tonight; I try and avoid overnight sailing, not because of the dark - except for the avoidance of pot buoys and often the cold, that is pleasant and even easier - but because of the length of time that it takes me to recover and to recharge my sleep bank, it is definitely harder than it was a few years ago.

However the window for westerly, or even a north westerly wind, has expanded since yesterdays forecast, now it looks to be turning westerly at c20:00 and to be favourable for most if not all of trip to Browns Bay, NI although on the down side the 07:00 forecast the sea North Channel is to be "smooth or slight, occasionally moderate", but that is not a major problem although rough would be around The Mull of Kintyre.

If I leave this evening there is a reasonable chance to make Browns Bay (Larne) in 12 - 13 hours, with Red Bay (further north) as an alternate if the doing is slow, and Bangor a possibility if I feel fit enough and the forecast southerly wind is no stronger than forecast and does not arrive early. I would then have Monday to recover and perhaps re-store. Then the tide south from Bangor through Donaghadee Sound is favourable from c 08:00 on Tuesday and 50 minutes later on Wednesday, allowing a reasonable start time an hour before.

Scenarios for a night crossing, calculated by the navigation
software and tabulated for reference, one of the times at
the corner of the TSS should match the actual and gives me
the course to steer without having to start up the PC in
the middle of the night. It also shows the best times to leave.

I have diesel for well over 250 miles but prefer to sail so if the forecasts do not change it looks like an evening start.

Saturday evening.

I left at 19:00 with  a southerly wind F4-5, with the domestic forecast predicting the wind should veer to the NW by c 20:30, then when I refreshed it 30 minutes later, it said 21:30 ☹️ so I was motoring for longer than anticipated and making a lot less than the 5 knots I had planned for the trip down the east coast of Gigha due to the head wind, the choppy sea and the crud on the hull. About halfway to the Mull of Kintyre the wind backed to the SE! This actually helped as the sea got calmer due to the shelter from the Mull.

On the revised time schedule, almost to the minute, the wind quickly veered to the NW at F4, being late to get round the Mull at or before slack water I kept the engine running but motor-sailed with the main and the genoa with one reef. Shortly after I picked up the strong S going tide and was making 8 knots, the engine and sails together generating enough power to over come the drag from the weed on the hull so I could make 6 knots through the water.

With this boost I got to the end of the TSS a little ahead of schedule, switched off the engine and rounded the Mull in good order. The Chute went up for a couple of hours but had to come down as the wind dropped and the engine went on, 20 minutes later the wind was back and up when the chute, but I should have waited because the wind kept increasing and within 10 minutes I was taking in down in 18 knots, quite a bit over the limit for the sail. I continued under sail for a while but had to put the engine on again as with lack of wind I was likely to be pushed north into the TSS. Half way over I was sailing again but after the previous problems I was reluctant to put the chute up and waited for almost an hour before doing so.

Off Red Bay the tide was running north faster than I could sail and I was heading almost W when heading S, so on went the engine again. I started sailing again until past “The Maidens” (pics to follow), then the wind disappeared completely and I motored on to the anchorage off Bangor arriving at 10:00.

A large, 270m IIRC, cruise liner heading for Belfast @ 03:55.

Approaching "The Maidens".

"The Maidens" 6 miles NNE of Larne @ 07:10.

Dinner got a little complicated, I had started prep for 2 portions of Chicken curry, then found that the chicken was off, smelling really bad; it was well within the sell by date but there was a small hole in the packaging, so I ended up with spag bol.

The Ballyholme Bay anchorage is quite popular with boats on
passage who don't want to pay for the marina, and as a Sunday
lunch spot.

Monday was a rest day but I spent much of it working on the boat.

With the strong southerly wind a lot of boats came

north on Monday, most arriving late afternoon on

the last of the tide through Donaghadee Sound. 

Most went to the marina but 3 came to the

anchorage within an hour, now there are four

of us, 2 Brits, 1 Irish and 1 Norwegian.  I think

all are single handed.

Ardglass on Tuesday and I hope that, with all the boats heading north, there will be a berth available, if not it is going to be a long sail to a safe anchorage and tinned food 🙁

Click here for Ardglass.

2024 June 21st Day 84, Eilean Dubh to Gigha

The wind was very light when I woke up so I decided to head for Gigha, if the tides behaved themselves I should be able to complete the short 20 mile hop before the tide turned adverse at 11:00 and it would shorten the leg to Ireland.

I was away at 07:00 and shortly afterward the rain started and the headwind steadily increased to the F3-5 creating a light chop but with 1.5 knots of tide I was making reasonable progress.

Then the tide turned early and the wind went to F5-F6 and I was making < 3 knots over the ground due to the very short sea, wind and tide. In the end I gave up on that, set  a double reefed headsail and motored sailed at 45 degrees now making 4.5 - 5+ knots. I had been trying for east coast but that was not really practical so I went to Bagh na Doirline on the NW corner. 

It rained most of the way and my expensive, not that old, waterproof top proved it wasn't despite re proofing last winter so I will be reverting to last years cheaper replacement.

There is little chance of moving further south until Sunday or later and that will probably require motoring. But there are hints that an overnight passage might be completed with favourable winds for some hours, that is a decision for tomorrow (Saturday).

The anchorage after the rain stopped.

21 miles in 5 hours.

Click here for what happened on Saturday.

2024 May 15th Day 47, Browns Bay to Craro Bay, Gigha.

Wednesday I left at 05:00  initially under engine making good time until some wind filled in at 08:15 so off went the engine except for an hour to avoid going into the Traffic Separation Scheme off of the Mull of Kintire. Heading north I was able to sail for a good portion of the time. With a northerly wind forecast overnight I went to Craro Bay on the SW corner of Gigha.

Approaching The Mull of Kintyre.

S. Gigha.

Typically just after I anchored in the 80 yard wide anchorage a wind set in from the south from which there is no protection, fortunately it was light and variable and unlike on a previous visit the anchor had penetrated the weed and had a good hold as the boat went all over the place during the night, quite close to an islet on the west side.

Swinging in the anchorage.

50 miles in eleven hours.

Click here for Muilean Eiteae Bagh, Loch Caolisport.

2023 June 5th, Day 53 Oransay to Port Ellen

Facebook post 5th June: 

One of two whales north of Islay

Entering the Sound of Islay

After light winds to start it picked up, as it often does going through the Sound of Islay but again dropped off for the sail along the south of Islay to Port Ellen.

Off Port Askaig in the Sound of Islay.

Entering Port Ellen

I was in at Lunch time early enough to make two trips to the petrol station for diesel, one trip to the CO-OP and still fit in a shower and laundry before a Chinees take way for dinner.

34 miles in five and a half hours.

Click here for Browns Bay

2023 June 4th, Day 52 To Eileach an Naoimh, Oransay.

Oransay is a small tidal Island at the southern end of Colonsay with a much better anchorage than the main island. Again the wind was mostly very light or non-existent but there was good sailing in an ENE wind at 12 knots from a mile or so after leaving Loch Aline, through the main channel out of the Sound of Mull, the first time I have used it as previously I have used the southern channel, past Duart Point to a little west of Loch Spelve, the rest was under engine.

Sailing past Duart Castle

Minke Whale in the Firth of Lorn, close enough to hear it breath
- an impressive sound!

Colansay with Oransay on the extreme left.

It is nice to have such clear water so the when there is some sun
(not as often as I would like in Scotland!) you are able to see the
seabed and plant the anchor clear of weed, here in 4 metres.

A lovely evening and a peaceful night.

42 miles in eight and a half hours.

Click here for Port Ellen

2023 May 16th, Days 32 - 33 Loch Aline to Tobermory.

Although it is unlikely that I can get across to the Outer Hebrides until Friday or Saturday there is a chance and I wanted a shower, diesel (surprisingly cheaper than at home), Camping Gaz (£45 !!!) and some other things so I decided to move to Tobermory.

It was a very bumpy ride for the first half of the trip, the very benign conditions in Loch Aline changing to 17 - 20 knots of wind against 1 - 2 knots of tide.

14 miles in two and three-quarter hours, all under engine.

Click here for the short hop to Loch Drambuie.

2023 May 14th, Day 30 Scallastle Bay to Loch Aline

The forecast indicated that there would be no reasonable chance of getting to the Outer Hebrides any time soon and with NW winds forecast I decided to move to an anchorage with more protection for a couple of nights before moving to Tobermory for laundry and resupply. Loch Aline was the perfect place and close by which was useful as my back was (and still is) playing me up and I did not want to do anything to make it worse.

"Provident" a fine old gaffer beating up the Sound of Mull

Best to turn off the sound, just lots of wind noise. 

Entering Loch Aline through the narrow channel and 

sometimes very busy entrance.

Baby seals, if I had known they would turn up I
would have anchored a bit closer to the reef.

A popular large anchorage, well protected from most
direction and quite attractive, lots more pictures below.

 4 miles in an hour and a half.

Click here for the trip up the Sound of Mull to Tobermory.

2023 May 13th, Day 29 Loch Tarbert to Scallastle Bay, Sound of Mull

A disappointing day although not surprising given the previous evenings forecast. There was a nice breeze when I left but it disappeared after half an hour and I motored the rest of the way initially heading for Lock Spelve which has an anchorage suitable for the forecast fresh winds. However, as I approached it became clear that there was an event taking place with a dozen vessels entering before I got there and quite a few more heading that way.

With a still SW wind forecast for that night I decided on an anchorage on the west side of the Sound of Mull and chose Scallastle Bay, about four miles from Duart Point which I reached shortly after the tide turned foul.

Fairly miserable weather to start but from late morning it was
largely sunny and warm.

Another three boats going into Loch Spelve.

It felt like the Solent as I rounded Duart Point with three Ferrys in
view, these two heading for Oban passing south of  Lismore Island.

Duart Castle, Mull.

The view from the anchorage close to the entrance to the Sound
of Mull to Lismore and the mainland north of Oban. 

41 miles in 7.5 hours.

Click here for the short hop to Loch Aline