2024 June 19th Day 82,Tobermory to Loch Aline

With the tides wrong to go a long way I motored down the sound of Mull in light winds to better position myself for the next, long leg, which ever that might be.

Large scale felling was taking place just north of Loch Aline
which did no good at all to my Hay fever. This ship was loading
at a jetty 3 cables north of Loch Aline and running a shuttle service
to somewhere near Oban, she was returning from that direction
when I left next morning.

Forestry is not the only industry here, according to the chart
the jetty inside the Loch services a sand mine.

Entering Loch Aline.

The forecast is not good with light headwinds, again increasing later in the day, there were two main options, down the Firth of Lorn to anchor in Loch Tarbert, the tide being wrong to go through the Sound of Islay and to get to a protected anchorage the same day, or to go back the way I had come through the Sound of Jura, hopefully to Giga. Both would need an early start, the Sound of Jura a very early one and it would still be tight.

14 miles in three and a half hours.

Click here for the next leg

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 June 17th Day 80, Sandaig Bay to Eigg.

Tobermory is rather a long way in one leg, I have done it both ways from / to the Sandaig area but I would arrive in the evening so would end up staying for an extra night, a stop in the Small Isles would break the journey and allow me to arrive in Tobermory in the morning, hopefully after people leave and before most arrive - during the summer (such as it is 😒) the place can become full, especially the pontoons. I decided on the south anchorage at Eigg with Muck as a fall back if there was a problem with the anchorage, unlikely given its size and the forecast but you never know, there could be some residual swell.

I had the sails up as I left the anchorage and had a  good sail in a F4-5 wind, although there was one nasty F6 squall that needed some quick reefing. Needless to say it was chilly, I am still waring my winter kit, iirc ever since I arrived in Scotland.

An interesting rainbow at the western end of the

Sleat peninsular.

Approaching the anchorage which is behind the point.

The anchorage was fine, easier to find a good spot than I thought from some of the descriptions, and empty when I arrived. I chose to anchor a good way out in 8m of water for an easy departure in the morning if other boats arrived, as they did.

The anchorage is completely exposed to the south,
Ardnamurchan lighthouse in the distance, 9.5 NM, 201 degrees.

Looking towards the northern anchorage (Poll nam Partan &
Gamisdale Pier), a much tighter anchorage, exposed to the east
but protect from the south. A couple of yachts anchored in the
space between me and the shore, there would have been
room for quite a few more.

The west side of the anchorage.

The anchorage

24 miles in 6 hours.

Click here for Tobermory.

2024 June 16th Day 79, Loch Gairloch to Sandaig Bay.

A cold damp sail but with wind all the way. Although I had the engine on to protect the batteries I sailed from the anchorage and apart from c half a mile under Sky Bridge did not use the engine until entering The Kyle Rhea.

The F5 wind soon increased to F6 as I came out of the Loch and generally remained there until a few miles short of Sky Bridge. Unfortunately it was almost directly behind and with a choppy, sometimes rough sea I tacked down wind, taking the helm for an hour or so as the autohelm had problems with a breaking sea just off of the stern, not dangerous, as it was coming from Stromness, but uncomfortable.

Despite loosing about a knot of speed due to a fouled hull I was well ahead of scheduled and put in one and a half reefs to the headsail (I was not using the mainsail) to slow down so as not to go through the Sky Bridge narrows with a strong adverse tide against the wind. I was still a bit early and it was a little choppy with over falls but not her serious as helpfully the wind dropped to F4 as I approached and further after going through.

A bumpy video passing Skye bridge, the vessel ahead was a glass bottomed
tourist boat that poked its bow out past the bridge and quickly turned back.

Unfortunately some water on the lens but it gives some idea.

Leaving Skye Bridge.

It was still early to head down the Kyle Rhea where the tide would turn fair at 16:00, I had thought to anchor but decided to go through a little early as it was a neap tide so wasted some time sailing up and down, naturally the wind came back up to F5-6 and even with just a little of the headsail showing I had to double back.

I entered at 15:30, I had a fair tide to the entrance and just beyond on an eddy, then a knot or so adverse most of the way through.

I had started to sail as I came out of the narrows but with gusty winds coming down from the mountains I gave up on that and motored the last 3 miles to anchor at Sandaig Bay where Gavin Maxwell lived with the otters documented in “Ring of Bright Water”. I was the first boat to arrive so got into position A although not exactly where I wanted at the wind which had been about 12 knots increased to 25knots as I started to drop the anchor and the boat dropped back quickly. 

The anchorage as the 25 knot wind dropped but

still quite windy.

Two hours later the wind dropped completely: 

44 miles in 10 hours.

Click here for Eigg

2024 June 15th Day 78, Loch Clash to Loch Gairloch.

A 04:15 start - much earlier than planned but I was awake, intermittent light rain stopped shortly after but stayed cloudy till mid morning. There was at most 3 knots of wind till 12:20 when the cruising chute went up. 

The Old Man of Stoer to Point of Stoer.

RFA Tidespring entering Loch Ewe, probably for fuel at Aultbe.
On the left the patrolling Coastguard emergency tug  is, perhaps,
looking for trade.

The chute came down 2 miles short of Rubha Reidh but went back up on the other gybe shortly after rounded the point. That lasted c 3 miles before the wind at about 13 knots started to back and I was heading towards land, the chute down and the Genoa was unfurled after gybing in 13 - 15 knots around Longa Island.

There are natural arches all along the coast for 5 miles south
of Rubha Reidh.

Flowerdale anchorage 

The Forecast for Sunday and Monday looks encouraging, F6 is unlikely through to Skye Bridge but could be a bit of an issue in the Sound of Sleat towards Tobermory. I’m hoping to get through the Kyle Rhea on Sunday - the tides are as good as they could be although relatively weak as it a neap tide.

The Minch - Strong wind warning (19:00 Saturday)

24 hour forecast: North or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first. Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in far north. Showers then fair, rain with fog patches for a time. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: North or northeast 4 to 6. Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far north. Mainly fair. Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Click here for Sandaig Bay

2024 June 13th Days 76 and 77, Around Cape Wrath to Loch Clash.

I left at 05:15 to carry the tide to and hopefully beyond the Cape. If was frustrating and quite tiring sailing with the wind changing frequently then turning to the west towards the end despite a forecast of easterlies. 

I had the Cruising Chute up 3 times and flew if from the pole, as
the wind changed each time before giving up on it a couple of miles
from the Cape.

Cape Wrath, Duslic Rock left. Don't go there.

Cape Wrath Lighthouse

Cape Wrath in benign conditions.

After rounding the wind dropped and I found myself in a back eddy pushing me east and the engine had to go on to get out of it. I lost count of how many times the engine went on and off before I reached Loch Clash, a slight disappointment as I could have made it around Pointof Stoer if the wind had been as forecast, but it is a good anchorage I have not been to before and I was at anchor before two for a relaxing afternoon.

Heading towards Loch Clash which is hidden behind the Island
right of centre.

The Sadler yacht and it’s 2 crew arrived that evening, I suspect
if they can sort out their engine problem we may well meet again.

Loch Clash anchorage.

Loch Clash is quite a nice anchorage although over looked by several houses and an area people use to park their camper vans. The down side is that it is exposed to the south west and quite a lot of Kelp, when I arrived the wind was NW and the anchor was secure against going hard astern with the engine. 

Later the wind swung to the SE and I dragged, bringing up the anchor there was a lot of mature heavy Kelp on it with stems over an inch thick, I may have been anchored by it or the swinging wind may have unscrewed the anchor and on dragging picked up the Kelp. I suspect the former.

 

Anchor pro track: Initial position at the top with
dragging top left as the wind changed then increased.
Overnight plots below.

I re-anchored and had a piece full night in a brisk wind, in the morning a larger yacht to my south that probably anchored just before me, was quite some distance behind her former position in deep water, presumably also having dragged.

 

A day of Cyclonic winds.

33 miles in 8.5 hours.

Friday is uncertain, forecast strong easterly winds are not a particular problems but they may turn south or south easterly head winds which could be getting any distance.

Update Friday:

I woke at 04:00 and checked the domestic forecasts (that are updated frequently for the next few days) and the midnight inshore forecast and decided to go back to sleep, it is unlikely that I would get much past the Point of Stoer and, with the exception of the fishing port of Lochinver, the anchorages are rather restricted, either by wind direction or swinging room - an anchorage 100 yards wide is rather tight when the wind is forecast to swing most of the way around the clock. 

 

Another reason to stay put, it arrived a bit late but is
Forecast to last until early Saturday or a bit beyond.

Hopefully the forecast for tomorrow is correct showing northerly winds that should allow me to get the 45 miles to Loch Ewe or perhaps a little further before the wind increases overnight on Saturday when I will need a secure anchorage in a Northerly.

Click here for Loch Clash to Loch Gairloch.