Update

 Posts to follow on each leg but in brief I made St Kilda on Tuesday and now (Saturday) am at Loch Aline off the Sound of Mull, resting after several long days and am on my way home.

Sancerre in Loch Finsby, Isle of Harris, (best viewed full screen) with thanks to Ann of the yacht Slipsteam (also in the vid) - we kept meeting up and came back from St Kilda in very loose company. Coincidentally I sailed on a RAFSA yacht (a S&S 34) called Slipstream back in the 70s.

Update 6 June @ Browns Bay, Larne: still no updates, I have sailed for 11days straight, all with early starts and covered a lot of miles, perhaps tomorrow if, as planned it’s a short sail.

2023 May 28th, Day 45 Lochmaddy to Opsay Basin, Sound of Harris.

With the weather looking reasonable from Tuesday or Wednesday I planned another couple of short legs, the first is a very small anchorage with excellent protection from any swell or waves coming in from the Atlantic, there is little protection from the wind but that is likely to be around Force 3 so is a non issue.

Opsay Basin, the red circle is Sancerre shortly after arrival.
note the scale! remembering that Sancerre is 10 yards long
and needs to lay to 30 yards of chain or more and will swing
with the wind and tide.  Also the narrowness of the exit to the NW
that is part of the Grey Horse Channel to the NW of the Sound.

Entering the Basin

The view north with the ferry crossing from Harris to N.Uist
I followed part of that route the next day.

The carne in the centre marks the southern side of the Grey
Horse Channel passage mentioned above. 

The Route from Lochmaddy.

8 miles in 3 hours in light winds.

Click here for Taransay

2023 May 25, Days 41 - 43 to Loch Keivagh and Lochmaddy.

My plan was to spend the night at Loch Keivagh then Friday and Saturday nights at Loch Maddy either both in the marina or one there and one at anchor depending on exactly when some strong winds went through.

Entering Loch Keivagh

My track in and out of Loch Keivagh. Not shown on the chart
is a large fish farm east of the green starboard hand lateral
mark, it is shown on the Admiralty chart.

The entrance was a little problematic due to the fish farm and lobster pots, and once though the narrow entrance it was quite bleak, had limited swinging room in the shallower bits and the wind was funnelling down the loch, so I went on to Lochmaddy. 

Lochmaddy

Getting onto the berth was a little problematic due to pick up buoys  with lots of loose line flowing from them. 

I'm likely to be there for 3 nights as F4-6 winds are forecast for the Minch (F7 in the north) but looking OK for next week with seas < 1 metre by Wednesday for several days but NE winds on Thursday could mean a long trip back to the Sound of Harris from St Kilda. 

Sancerre (left) and the Ketch "Slipstream" right, she arrived in
Castlebay a day after me, then came here also via "The Wizard Pool".
We left the same day but she went direct to Taransay then St Kilda
where we met up again, then finally we met at Loch Finsbay, again
unplanned.

Update Nov 2023: The orange buoys to seaward were marking the pontoon anchors for an inspection, a potential issue given trailing ropes, they were due to be removed a few days after I left. Perhaps if they should have stayed and just cleaned up, in September a dredger snagged the cable(s) and severely damaged the marina:

Apart from the overturned section and obvious issues with the section opposite it, the whole spine has been moved at least 20' right (check the kink from the ramp) the resident commercial boats (left) where unable to operate for some time, as of November it is not known when it will reopen for visitors but hopefully before next sailing season.

The Ferry docking.

22 miles in  three and a half hours.

Click here for Opsay Basin.

2023 May 24, Day 40 To the Wizard Pool, Loch Skipport.

The best spot was taken by a boat staying all night so I chose to anchor between Wizard Island and a rock that uncovers almost to windward. 

This boat was in position "A" in these conditions.

The Wizard Pool, position A in the given wind was in the NW
corner but I had to settle for where the red circle is with the
anchor towards the small rock. Note the scale.

It was a bit closer to the island than I would have preferred but the wind would blow me clear and the wind was likely to back giving a good long way behind, this is a good safety measure as it can be problematic getting the anchor up in a breeze single handed if there is not room to drift back when the anchor breaks free, that is because I need to be on the foredeck to flake the chain into the shallow locker.

In my view this anchorage is much better than the next door Kettle Pool that I used last year, except probably in a north easterly.

The channel to Kettle Pool.

My track going out, the initial move west is largely hauling
the anchor up.

 

15 miles in 4 hours

Click here for onward leg to Lochmaddy

2023 May 22nd, Days 38 & 39 CastleBay to Loch Boisdale.

I had planned to go into the Sound of Barra for a look round but the wind was a very cold force 4 - 5, I was wearing gloves for the trip despite bright sunshine, so I decided not to and by lunchtime I was in Lochboisdale marina which is well sheltered and hopefully would have hot water in the showers - they did.

Back in 1978 whilst sailing on the half tonner "Green Dragon" we and another boat hit what is believed to have been a Basking Shark off Portland Bill, just past the Sound of Barra I almost did it again; I was sailing so not making much noise and it was fully underwater so I could not see it; then a big tail briefly appeared close off of the port bow  and then all that was to be seen were a lot of swirls in the water as long as the boat only 4 or 5 yards away.

The luxury mini cruise ship Hebridean Princess, that was heading straight
for me altering course early to avoid. I have lost count of the number times
I have seen her from Plocton to Tobermory, The Scillies and Fowey,
all of them multiple times.

Entering Loch Boisdale.

I spoke to Dr. Simon Keeling the boss man at www.weatherweb.net who does a lot of work on medium and long term forecasting and there is a reasonable to good chance that the weather and sea state will be ok for St Kilda early / middle next week. So I will leave Lochboisdale tomorrow after getting some fuel and doing the laundry and have planned a number of very short legs to get me to the Sound of Harris ready to leave on Tuesday.

There is no grocery shopping here and the only shopping point on route is at Loch Maddy and that is very limited so it looks like I will be on tinned food for a while from later in the week.

I rather like this warning sign on the causeway road. 

21 miles in 6 hours.

Click here for the Wizard Pool

2023 May 21st, Day 37 Cornaig Bay to Castlebay.

After days with little or no internet access I have found that "marine traffic's" ground stations lost contact with me half way to Vatersay, I have manually updated my position today and will do so in the future IF I can get an internet connect.. Providing I remember to switch on the IridiumGo, tracking without paying for Marine traffic's satellite tracking service should be available from "Track Sancerre" above.

A lovely morning made a nice change and as I was only moving
a short distance the lack of wind did not bother me.

Just a couple of miles to Castlebay marina for a shower and shopping. Disappointed on the former as there was no hot water so it was very quick and no hair wash, the latter was much better with the best COOP I have seen north of the border.

A small cruise ship arrived early on Sunday putting a number of tourist ashore then got them back and set sail at lunch time as everything opened up. As least they, including the Coop opened in the afternoon, they don't everywhere in the Western Isles.

Why its called Castlebay, the castle is on an Island.

Click here for Lochboisdale