2025, June 7th Day 70. Kinuachdrachd Harbour to Kilnaughton Bay, Islay.

Facebook [edited]:

A grotty day but on the plus side only light rain rather than the heavy in yesterday’s forecast, so I left the anchorage at 06:40 to get some following tide to help me south. 2+ hours later and no wind yet but I am pressing on.

The forecast for the next few days is for more rain so some local cruising holds little attraction. The wind forecast for tomorrow is for SW then W or NW F3-5, although not brilliant, it is the best for crossing the N Channel for at least the next week so I will probably head over from Islay early tomorrow.

It was a day of changing plans; I wanted to get as far south and west as possible to give the best angle on tomorrows likely wind and shorten the distance so was aiming for Port Ellen, but after a few hours of motoring in 0 - 4 knots of wind and quite a lot of light but steady rain I decided to head for Aros bay on the SE corner of Islay, the angle on the forecast wind would be c 20 degrees worse and it would be about 3 miles further to the Mull of Kintyre but I didn't want another 3+ hours of motoring on a damp windless day.

Then a little after eleven o'clock when I was off the south point of Jura the wind set in from the NW at 15 knots, the rain was heavier but the met office radar suggested it would soon clean, and the implication from the met office chart for lunch time was the occluded front was clearing and the wind should hold.

So at 11:50 I reverted to my original plan and sailed at 4.5 - 5.5 knots to just off of Port Ellen to anchor in Kilnaughton Bay.

Approaching Port Ellen, from L to R, almost hidden

Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg distilleries.

Port Ellen and the anchorage.

The 15:00 runs of the ecmwf and UKMO models, available earlier than usual, are somewhat better than this mornings, but light winds could be a problem midday tomorrow:

The 12:00 inshore forecast, issued before this run of the model, does not yet quite reflect this.

Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: Northwesterly 4 to 6, backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5. Smooth or slight, becoming moderate for a time in North Channel. Showers. Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: Westerly veering northwesterly 4 to 6, backing southwesterly 3 to 5. Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near Mull of Kintyre. Showers. Good, occasionally moderate.

I have done the route south from here several times before so pulled up that plan and ran it for tomorrow, in theory I could be there in time for dinner if I can make 4.5 knots. I suspect more realistically it will be a later arrival or perhaps I end up further north at Red Bay or Glenarm. At least we are closer to neaps than springs but a brisk north-westerly against the ebb tide from c 10:30 could still cut the sea up somewhat.

Times UTC, another early start required .

40 miles in eight and a quarter hours.

Update:

The inshore waters forecast just got worse:

Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: Northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in North Channel, backing westerly or southwesterly, 4 to 6. Moderate at first in North Channel, otherwise smooth or slight. Showers. Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, backing mainly southerly later. Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near Mull of Kintyre. Showers, rain later. Good, becoming moderate or poor later.

Before I leave in the morning, if I do, I’ll be checking the midnight forecast, the latest observations and putting my head out of the hatch to see what is actually happening.

Click here for Browns Bay.

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 May 9th, Days 25 - 27 Browns Bay to Red Bay and Port Ellen, Islay

I seem destined always to motor when going north through the north channel, this was the third time out of three.

Even motoring the tide was not favourable to get past the Mull of Kintyre before it turned foul would mean leaving at midnight which I did not fancy, so I didn't set the alarm and would hopefully get a good nights sleep then work out what to do. I left at  06:15 with some favourable tide left, the engine went off at 07:00 with the cruising chute and no mainsail on a dead run in a light wind but that did not last long - about 10 minutes so the engine went back on and I headed for Red Bay and an anchorage off Glenariff (aka Waterfoot) to wait for the tide to turn.

Entering Red Bay, 40 minutes after local low water the adverse tide
still hit 3 knots.

At Anchor for a few hours and an early lunch waiting for the
tide to change.

I had a cunning plan and this time it worked 😀

My track from Bangor to Red Bay the across the N
channel to the Mull of Kintyre.

The admiralty tidal atlas shows a back eddy along the coast north of Red Bay, starting a couple of hours before the tide changes to the south so I left at 11:55, again under the cruising chute, this time for about 15 minutes before the engine went on and shortly I had a knot of favourable tide which quickly increased to 1.5 knots then peaking at 1.7 knots as I head north hugging the coast rather than heading out for the SE corner of the N. Channel TSS.

Apart from the speed boost this also meant I was further north before heading into the strong south going tide, so there was a better chance that the north going tide that I would pick up between 14:00 and 15:00 would compensate for the south going tide as I headed NE.

This almost worked but because I was motoring at 5.4 knots rather than sailing at a planned speed of 4 knots I would have come in a mile or so south of the turning point and rather close to over-falls, although these would have been slight, so with a couple of miles to run I set the autopilot to track to the SE corner of the TSS which I reached easily across the 2 knot north going tide and then I had a favourable tide all the way to Port Ellen where I anchored for the night in Kilnaughton Bay.

I don't know how much time this saved but it was substantial, another 9 metre boat left a few minutes after me and headed straight out, by the time she reached the corner of the TSS I was 8 miles further on but a chunk of this was probably down to me motoring faster.

The next day I moved into the small marina for a welcome shower and revictualling at a much better shop than within walking distance at Howth. 

I also got 28 litres of diesel by porterage, as much as I can comfortably carry on the trolley, but on a second trip for a final 20 litres I came away disappointed as they had run out, the planned delivery having failed to arrive and they were closed for diesel. I was also unable to replace an empty Camping Gaz cylinder but I have one and some left and they are normally available at Tobermory where I plan to be on Sunday or Monday when the wind could be rather strong.

As an aside; why do gas cylinders always seem to run out just after you leave dinner to cook in the oven, rather than when you are boiling water or cooking on the hob and would spot it? 

Past the Mull of Kintyre with 2 knots of favourable tide.

Port Ellen from Kilnaughton Bay.

White Cloud, seen for a third time this trip, in Kilnaughton Bay

White Cloud followed me into the Marina and we had drinks together in a local bar and a decent takeaway Chinese on board her.

57 miles in twelve and a quarter hours including the lunch stop.

Click here for Port Ellen to Loch Tarbert.

2022 St Kilda Days 27 to 31 to Browns Bay and Islay

The forecast on Tuesday was promising:

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough

24 hour forecast: Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 2 to 4 later. Moderate in far north, otherwise smooth or slight. Showers at first. Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: East or southeast 3 to 5. Slight or moderate at first in far north and later elsewhere, otherwise smooth or slight. Showers for a time. Good.

I left Bangor at lunch time as the tide turned northerly, it was rather slow at first but then the south-easterly set in early and it was a very pleasant sail to Browns Bay only using the engine for a total of 40 minutes to get out of the marina and to anchor. 

I would have liked to have done further north but the anchorages there are exposed to easterly winds.

Browns Bay

Looking north from Browns Bay, The Mull of Kintyre in the
distance.

15 miles in 4.5 hours.

The weather on Wednesday morning was lovely apart from a lack of wind which was a problem, the tide would be running south until after lunch at between 1.5 and 3 knots, with a light wind or even a F3 to 4 on a run I would likely be going backwards so I decided to use the engine until the tide turned then to head for a recommended anchorage on the south end of Gigha that has only recently been surveyed (by Antares) to sufficient detail to make it usable. This would also give me a nice reach to get to the Sound of Islay on Thursday.

The first part of the plan worked but the lunch time forecast put paid to Gigha with winds now forecast to be E or NE 3 -5 occasionally 6 and similar on Friday. A small anchorage with a complicated approach and possibly somewhat exposed would not be a good idea, so I opted for Port Ellen on Islay. As the tide turned a reasonable wind also set in, except in the lea of Kintyre, and I sailed all the way to Port Ellen.

Irrespective of the time I leave I always seem to encounter a 
ferry leaving Browns Bay and sometimes on arrival. This time close
enough that I stopped to keep clear although in theory I was the "stand
on vessel" it does not seem reasonable to insist for a few minutes delay.

Passing inside The Maidens N of Larne.

The Mull of Kintyre.

Evening at Port Ellen, most of the locals don't have their boats in
the water yet.

I am staying in Port Ellen on Thursday; Friday & Saturday will depend on the forecast but it may be Ok for an uncomfortable beat to the entrance to the Sound of Islay. 

43 miles in 11 hours.

Update Friday 22nd.

The forecast seems to stay much the same with each update, this at lunch time.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later. Slight or moderate. Fair. Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first. Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west. Fair. Good.

Bashing into a F5 or 6 up to the Sound of Islay and then anchoring In Loch Tarbert does not sound like fun, especially against the tide so if the wind drops sufficiently to easily get off of the pontoon I plan to move to the anchorage to save 2 days berthing charges and move off on Sunday when a not to early start will give me a some favourable tide to get to the Sound and still have sufficient time to get through before the tide turns.

Update Saturday: I got out of the marina last evening with no drama in a lull and moved to the anchorage. It was a good call not to leave today, I woke to the wind howling in the rigging and an uncomfortable roll on the boat, a while later when I turned on the anemometer it was blowing 30 knots decreasing to 20 knots over half an hour and it has been varying from 15 - 25 knots all morning. 

The lunchtime inshore waters forecast for tomorrow looks OK but is looking iffy on some models, at least in the morning, but if the models are right and it has dropped by mid-morning I'll probably move east and anchor for a few hours to take the evening tide up the Sound of Islay.

Slide show of pictures taken from the anchorage:

Click here for the trip through the Sound of Islay to Loch Tarbert.

Round GB 2021, Day 51. Port Ellen to Gigha.

The weather yesterday and last night was nowhere near as bad as has been forecast for days, although it would have been very hard sailing. Today the forecast was for S - SE 3-5 and there was no point in staying tied to a pontoon so after a last minute shop I left shortly after 10:00 for the Island of Gigha and to an anchorage "Bagh na Doirline" at the norther end, which the Antares charts said had good holding and shelter.

As usual on this trip the wind was cold, although not as cold as on the first 40 days. It was on the nose coming out of Port Ellen so I motored for an hour to clear the outlying dangers before heading of to the NE, initially under a reefed headsail but still making c 5 knots, after an hour or so the wind started to drop and I was under the full genoa and more comfortable as the waves dropped partially due to the lower wind and partly due to shelter from the Mull of Kintyre. 5 mile from the anchorage the wind dropped further and I was only making a little over 3 knots so up went the mainsail.

The CalMac ferry on route to Port Ellen, we past 3 times whilst
I was on this leg.

About to turn into the anchorage which is behind the spit of
land on the right.

The anchorage, I'm not as far out as this wide angle short
suggests. The water was clear enough to clearly see the bottom
a little over 5 metres down.

The wind is now (16:45) increasing and it could be over 20 knots this evening but that should not be a problem as tomorrow promises to be much the same as today and I will move closer to Crinan, in good time to go down the canal on Monday. 

Rafted up, anchored fishing boats.

I have not seen this before, in the evening a fishing boat anchored nearby, then a second larger one rafted up on it. They were still there at 23:30 but gone at 08:00 next morning.

20.2 miles over the ground in 5.5 hours.

Slide show of all my pictures from Port Ellen to Gigha , page through by clicking the arrows or click in the centre of the pic to view from Flickr in a new window or full screen:

Click here for Gigha to Eilean Dubh, Carsaig Bay.

Round GB 2021, Days 47- 51 Port Ellen.

The forecast has been changing several times a day, when I arrived on Sunday the UK met office were forecasting 45 knot gusts on Wednesday, to day (Wednesday) the forecast is for winds overnight and through tomorrow topping out at c 34 knots early evening. Hopefully I'll get away on Friday or more likely Saturday to explore the Sound of Jura then to go through the Crinan Canal on Monday.

The UK met office forecast this morning.

When I arrived there were only 3 or 4 other visitors, one of them "Reliance" a Cornish Lugger that I think is FY59 built in 1903 by Dick Pill at Gorran Haven. She fished the waters of St. Austell Bay, operating out of Mevagissey for several skippers and owners, including Joe Chesterfield in the 1920s.

Reliance

Another boat there when I arrived was this little 25ft Folkboat with
three hardy soles packed in. They were spending a lot of time
drying out cloths.

On Monday Chris Collinson, a fellow Jester Sailor came in with his Halmatic 30 "Drifter" and we spent a pleasant couple of hours in the pub where I discoverd that Chris's crew lives within sight of Sancerres mooring, no picture as he left earlier than planned on Tuesday morning. His place in the marina being taken by this cracking Yawl.

A German made yawl c 1960 in lovely condition.

Slide show of all my pictures whilst at Port Ellen, page through by clicking the arrows or click in the centre of the pic to view from Flickr in a new window or full screen:

Click her for the leg to Gigha.

Round GB 2021, Day 46. Sound of Islay to Port Ellen.

The Sound of Islay is another of those places in this part of the world with tides strong enough that you can't go though against the tide in most small (or many big) yachts, but it is one of the easier ones with straightforward pilotage and no serious over-falls. 

I arrived with a couple of hours of the favourable spring tide remaining and went through very easily despite the wind increasing to more than 15 knots.

The "Paps of Jura", the 85 metre coaster was heading to
Port Ellen with grain (barley) for the malt whiskey distilleries.

Bunnahabhain Distillery, Islay.

Ardnahoe Distillery, Islay.

Caol Ila Distillery, Islay.

The CalMac ferry berthing at Port Askaig, going into 5 knots
of tide in the channel with >15 knots of wind behind.

Making 4.8 knots through the water and 10 over the ground:

McAuther's Head, at the southern end of the Sound.

Naturally as I came out of the sound expecting a nice reach along to Port Ellen but the wind died then came round to the southwest until I was only a coupe of miles from the offing so I did not get much sailing 😒 but I did get a good lift from the tide for over an hour.

Port Ellen from the offing. The factory looking building is a malt
house for those distilleries that don't do their own malting.

Port Ellen ferry terminal and berth for the grain ships.

Ardalanish to Port Ellen, 51.8 miles over the ground in a little over 11 hours.

Slide show of all my pictures through the Sound of Islay to Port Ellen, page through by clicking the arrows or click in the centre of the pic to view from Flickr in a new window or full screen:

Click here for time in Port Ellen and plans for the next legs.