2025, May 30th, Day 62. Plockton to Tobermory.

Leaving Plockton

I was ready a bit early so left at 07:30 in a flat calm hoping to get some sailing in on the way to the Kyle Rhea, I did get to sail a couple of miles out from Skye Bridge to a mile or so beyond, making 3 knots or less, before I put the engine on the make slack water, such as it is, at the Kyle Rhea.

Skye Bridge

Entering Loch Alsh.

A slightly edited Facebook posts on the above:

[..] I think the boat in front is the big American boat that was across the pontoon from me in Stornoway, she came in from Broadford Bay, now on the hammerhead in Tobermory. It was fun catching he up in the v light wind 😀

Response from someone I know who is a keen and good racer [and he knows I did an awful lot at high level racing back in the day]

Now now Mr. Lashbrook, you are not racing, are you ? 😄

[..] heaven forfend. Anyway it wasn’t a fair fight, 40+ft of lumbering steel against 3.5 tonnes of A9m in 5 knots of wind broad reaching, me with a 150% deck scraper, his headsail rather smaller (nether of us put mains up till later, if I’d put the kite or chute [up for such a short distance, I guess you would have had a point?]) Mind you I’d swap for a transatlantic if someone would do the heavy lifting for me 🙂

Pleased with the timing despite some slow sailing,
planned arrival at the Kyle Rhea was 10:20.

I was the third of at least 6 yachts heading down the Kyle Rhea
at the beginning of the tide. I had hoped to cut the corner half
way through but a fish farm boat was coming the other way
against the first of the tide.

Overfalls getting started just 20 minutes after the tide

turned. There is a better video of the overfalls here

from when I went through an hour into the tide in 2021 

opens in a new tab / window.

 

Plockton past Skye Bridge and through the
Kyle Rhea.

As I passed the Sandaig Islands at about 11:30 I was putting on the sun screen, 25 minutes later I was putting on the fleece and warm trousers and they stayed on for the rest of the day with oilies as evening approached.

I had a good but brief sail from south of Eigg for about an hour, the wind set in again sometime later but, after waiting to see if it would hold, it then backed 40 degrees in the time it took to unfurl and sheet in the headsail so it was back to motoring.

Ardnamuchan Point, the sea bigger than it looks but no problem
about 1.5 knots of adverse tide but an hour later I had slack
water for the last leg into Tobermory. Not for the first time as I
have past in the evening there were huge flocks of Guillemots
on the water east and north of the point. 

Plockton to Tobermory, 58 NM in twelve and a
quarter hours, most of it motoring.

It now looks as if I will be stuck in Tobermory for some time, my Facebook post this morning:

"The plan now is to visit Coll / Tiree, the Treshnish Islands and perhaps western Mull but I could be here for some time. The UKMO & ECMWF agree on strong winds for a while with winds gusting >30 knots until Thursday or Friday, including 50 knots Monday night and > 40 on Tuesday night.

I guess I could go to a sheltered loch to anchor but even Loch Aline could be a bit iffy with the strong wings coming everywhere from c S through W to N. So I think I’ll stay on the mooring.

It was probably a good choice to opt for the mooring rather than a pontoon, assuming a place was available, cheaper, private and with all the wind no problem with electric power. The down side will be having the dinghy in the water in those winds and probably needing the engine on it to get ashore, but if there is no extended quite period I have fresh food to last through Tuesday so could easily wait till Wednesday to blow it up.

I just hope my last surviving carrot will last another couple of days for the spag boll the mince having the longest use by date."

The UKMO 03:30 and ECMWF models for Monday evening

Click her for a separate post on my stay here and the weather updates.

2024 June 18th Day 81, Eigg to Tobermory.

Another early start was required to get around Ardnamurchan Point with a following tide, the area had a reputation for difficult seas in strong winds, especially wind against tide as it would be if I left at a more civilised hour. 

It was another good but chilly sail, this one on a broad reach in a F5 under headsail only. It was a bit lumpy at the entrance to the sound but would have been a lot worse for the many boats, at least a dozen before I arrived and quite a few more later, leaving Tobermory heading north. They probably had an uncomfortable rounding of the point.

I arrived mid morning and lashed out on a pontoon berth, at almost double the price of a mooring, because of the amount of stuff to bring on board, 2 trips to the garage for 46 litres of diesel where I also bought their last cylinder of CampingGaz and three trips to the CO-OP. It also saved inflating the dinghy that would need to be stowed before crossing the North Channel if not before.

And when the heavy lifting was done I had a much needed shower.

Unsurprisingly for mid June, the Pontoons were filled by mid afternoon although there were plenty of moorings left

Ardnamurchan light

Starting the turn towards the Sound of Mull

I wanted to leave the next morning, or at least to move to a mooring, but where to go with a disappointing forecast of light headwinds winds getting stronger later the next day? 

The short list was Loch Aline and Loch Spelve, I have not been to the latter but decided on the former as the anchorages in Loch Spelve are a little deep and not as sheltered as Loch Aline; as things turned out the strong winds were not as strong as forecast, but better safe than sorry.

20 miles in five and a half hours.

Click here for Loch Aline

2024 May 18th Days 50 & 51, To Tobermory.

I left early against the tide to make the best of the day at Tobermory, the morning was very busy, rowing in twice to replenish Diesel and Water, both of which were low and a heavy lift. Then a row across the harbour to the beach outside of the COOP for a major shop with some heavy items, fortunately, unlike the shop in Ardglass most of the items had long use by dates, I had decided to stay on the mooring for two nights and left some items for Sunday only to find none of the fruit and veg I wanted  to be in-stock so a second trip was required in the afternoon - I had spied the coop delivery truck leaving as I arrived in the morning.

The rest of Sunday morning was spend doing an oil and filter change on the engine, it was not due  but would become so when I would be out in the wilds of NW Scotland or the Hebrides and I preferred to do it on a mooring with supplies available locally rather than at anchor in some remote place.

A newly built "Pleasure Craft" (according to AIS) came in
for a few hours after anchoring in the fairway. In my view a
very unattractive bow, presumably that long to give room for
the Helipad forward.

One of the most photographed sea fronts in UK.

The forecast are again all over the place, at Loch Aline the strong winds had failed to materialise, on Saturday night gale force winds were forecast for Thursday, now on Sunday morning they are due to arrive on Wednesday afternoon with light winds Monday and Tuesday. I therefore gave up on crossing the Sea of Hebrides where I was hopeful of a repeat of last years spectacular display of wildlife. 

Instead I will head up the Sound of Sleat, going as far as I can under sail on Monday then heading for the Kyle Rhea on Tuesday, a fair tide is mandatory here as the tide is stronger than the boat will go, fortunately it starts to run north at 12:30 so I should be able to get through there and past Skye Bridge. An anchorage suitable in a gale force northerly may be a stretch for Tuesday but possible if there is not going to be time on Wednesday before it arrives.

14 miles in less than 3 hours.

Click here for Camas Croise

2023 June 2nd, Day 50 to Tobermory.

A dreary day to start but a reasonable wind which died shortly after I left so on went the engine for almost 3 hours, then 3 hours of good sailing in a Force 3 north-westerly. I made Tobermory at 13:45 as the sky cleared for a nice afternoon and evening. 

Facebook Post 2nd June: 

The afternoon was hard work with two trips rowing the dinghy in for diesel and Camping Gaz then a long row right across the harbour to the small beach a few yards away from the CO-OP for supplies. At least the electric pump saves a lot of effort blowing up the dinghy.

Rum to Tobermory

29 miles in six and a quarter hours.

To Loch Aline

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

2022 St Kilda Day 66 Tobermory to Craro Bay, Ghia

After a couple of planned nights at Tobermory to restock and get some washing done, I had another couple of nights waiting for some decent weather. A familiar story but at least it was only 2 nights, and I was only “stranded” on the boat for one day due to high winds, having stowed the outboard for the winds the previous night I could not be bothered to put it back on the dinghy and it was too windy to row. 

Rain in Tobermory, when the wind came up further the

crew of the boat behind had to turn out to put on the

second mooring line they should have already had,

especially as the single was just threaded through a

chain link without a round turn to reduce chafe.

Then on Saturday I was off.

A normal early start, this one at 03:40, the driver this time was the trip down the Sound of Mull and the chance of getting through the Sound of Islay on the first day, so I left just before the tide changed favourable outside of Tobermory. The trip down under engine was uneventful with little wind.

Duart Castle, Isle of Mull at the southern end of the sound.

After dodging the ferry at the southern end I headed off westward under sail as the wind set in and apart from a short burst of engine when under the shadow of cliffs near Loch Spelve I sailed in light to moderate winds all the way to Islay initially hugging the coast of Mull to avoid “The Great Race” rushing out of the infamous Corryvreckan.

Looking up the Firth of Lorn as I turned west.

"The Great Race" is shown as the red
shaded area NE of Colonsay.

I was a little early for the tide down the Sound of Islay and to slow down I dropped the mainsail and put a reef in the headsail, running before a brisk F4 this was also a good plan for sailing down the Sound as the wind gets gusty and variable in direction, so headsail only avoids a lot of potential problems with accidental gybes.

Yet again I met the ferry from the mainland and maintained my 100% record on this from four transits.

As I emerged from the southern end there was some bad news, the latest weather forecast predicted overnight winds possibly reaching F6 from the E or NE which could make both anchorages close by on the south side of Islay untenable or at least uncomfortable. 

Port Ellen was the obvious alternate but I headed off for some small anchorages near the south tip of Ghia instead (the ones that I had planned to use heading north), they were a little closer and in the northerly wind forecast for next day would give me a reach to the Mull of Kintyre rather than a slower run and a better chance of getting to Bangor in time to meet up with fellow Jester sailor John battling north to deliver his newly sold boat “Pippin” to the Clyde, like me he had been having weather problems, fortunately I was not stuck in the marina at Holyhead, wind damaged some years ago and with minimal facilities.

Raised beeches on Jura on the approach to the Sound of Islay.

Islay at the entrance to the sound.

This was my fourth time through the sound and each time I
have had to keep clear of the ferry on this occasion going in
the same direction.

It was a quick trip across to Gigha and I arrived and anchored for the first time at 20:12. I dragged back until Sancerre came to a very sudden stop as the anchor hit a rock. After putting the boat full astern to see if the anchor held I stayed for a while to see what would happen when the boat swung and after a while the anchor skipped over the rock and another burst of reverse engine had me dragging at a rate of knots.

Craro Bay, Gigha from the first anchorage I tried, the second
is at the extreme right.

When I got the anchor up there was Kelp on it, trailing back over half the length of the boat, so after hacking the weed off with the boat hook I motored a few hundred yards to the next small anchorage where I spend a comfortable but short night.

78 miles in sixteen and a half hours, excluding the change of anchorage. 

Click here for Gigha to Bangor.

2022 St Kilda Day 62 Armadale Bay to Tobermory

Another early start at 05:00 to take advantage of the tide and hopefully get past Ardnamurchan Point before it turned foul, as it happened there was no wind so under engine that was not a problem and I got all the way on one tide. 

The highlight of the leg was wildlife, 2 or 3 Sea Otters, some Dolphins and a huge flock of Guillemots, otherwise it was cool trip for much of the way with some spectacular cloud formations. I was lucky to miss several intense showers to arrive warm, dry and in time for a much needed shower before lunch ashore.

The first time I have got a photo of a Sea Otter, unfortunately
I had the standard lens on the camera rather than the telephoto
but at least I got it.

Part of a large flock of Guillemots off Ardnamurchan Point.

 

Thirty four miles in five and three-quarter hours.

Click her for the next leg.

2022 St Kilda Days 34 – 35 Tinker's Hole to Tobermory

Light and variable winds were forecast for several days and that proved to be the case, I left Tinker’s Hole just after 7, in theory the tide would be against but probably only for a couple of hours then it would be fair through to the Sound of Mull. As it turned out there was little or no adverse tide through the Steamer Chanel or through the sound which was not that surprising as the sailing directions warned that the timing of tides through the sound are somewhat unpredictable.

The Steamer Channel is at its narrowest as it joins the Sound and where is a nasty rock, just awash to avoid as you turn into it, but once in the sound it is straight forward for much of its length given a good rise in tide and at Neaps, the tricky bit was easier this year as I just followed last years track still in the chart plotter although with more water it wasn’t strictly necessary to be as precise.

Having motored for an hour I was sailing as I left the sound reaching in the south easterly wind but not soon after the wind backed and I had to put in a tack to clear Staffa, with the sun in the east Fingal’s Cave did not show up as well as last year. Once past the wind dropped before reappearing from the west for a time before veering so that I struggled to get round the headland whilst still carrying the cruising chute. As I turned into the Sound of Mull the wind disappeared completely and with no sign of it returning the last few miles were again under engine. I made a mistake picking up the closest buoy to the marina only to find that this early in the year I was shaded by the cliffs and woodland very early.

The plan was to re-victual, top up fuel and Gas and to get some washing done, the last did not happen as the washing machines were being replaced. 

The forecast showed strong winds coming in at the weekend but the timing of its arrival varied from late Friday through Saturday. I did not want to stay in Tobermory long enough for this to pass so decided to move on to Canna, the most westerly of “The Small Islands” which has an anchorage with good all round protection that would be needed as the small but intense depression would likely go close overhead so the very strong south or south westerly could tun into a strong wind with north in it.

If I left very early Canna could be reached in a day but I decided to do the shopping on Wednesday morning, leave as soon as it was done and stop off somewhere on route, which turned out to be Sanna Bay.

33 miles over the ground in eight and a half hours with the help of 3 hours under engine and a good bit of tide.

Click here for Sanna Bay and Canna.

2022 St Kilda Day 33 To Tinkers Hole.

I left at 06:40 with an 8 knot easterly wind which was rather variable until about 10:00 when it settled down to ENE F3-4 when I was just off the norther point of Colonsay.

Off Colonsay heading to Tinker's Hole.

Entering "The Steamer Channel", a short cut to the Sound of Iona
Tinker's Hole is off to the right.

Tinker's Hole and the Steamer channel running west of Eilean
Dubh as sown on the excellent Antares Chart

Heading into Tinker's Hole, there is a sequence showing the
approach in the slide show below.

A rather tight anchorage if you want to stay out of the strong stream,
and out of the stream the slight tide is unpredictable, I was always south
of the anchor over about 14 hours. A line ashore to limit swing would
be a good idea and, in some locations essentially mandatory, especially
when it is busy, and it can get very busy!

Tinker's Hole is impressive and popular but I think there are
better options (and a couple of people I have spoken to agree),
perhaps an anchorage to go to once, or to take a look at. 

 

26 miles in 7 hours.

Click here for day 44 to Tobermory