2025 15th April, Days 17 & 18 To Bag Dunan Ruadh and Balmacara Bay, Loch Alsh

Apart from the cold a cracking sail from the Anchorage until past Mallaig when the rain finally got me.

One of several squalls that missed me by a few miles tracking
 over the Small Islands and up the west coast of Skye, the
land in the foreground is the Point of Sleat, the southern tip
of Skye.

Fortunately the rain was not particulalry heavy and the bulk of it passed in 20 minutes or so although there were occasional light spells for a couple of hours. What did almost catch me out was the shift in the wind that veered from SSE at 15 knots to W at 20 in a few minutes (the autopilot was steering a compass course, not to the wind), I was quick enough to gybe under control before it happened by itself but having gone from a broad reach the a beam reach I was busy for a few minutes putting two reefs in the headsail and one in the main, then a second in the main as it looked as if it might get worse. It didn't as the centre of the squall missed me. 

An hour or so later the wind was down to WSW at 5 knots and before long I was almost going backwards against the tide and didn't really have steerage so on went the engine for the last the last hour to the anchorage at Bag Dunan Ruadh where I waited for the tide through the narrows of The Kyle Rhea.

It is still pretty chilly up here, especially with a broken heater.
Snow on the mountains of Skye.

At anchor, looking up the narrows.

The anchorage at Bag Dunan Ruadh

35 miles in 7:15 the first 2/3 at 5.5 - 6.5 knots.

I left the anchorage 20 minutes or so before the tide turned and had a knot against initially and up to two knots favourable before I exited a couple of miles later. It was then a quick crossing of Loch Alsh to an anchorage at Balmacara Bay that is protected from the forecast northerly winds. As I write (Wednesday afternoon, the 16th) I am getting pushed around quite a bit by a not particulalry strong wind varying around ENE - it is meant to be NNE.

Video of the anchorage hosted on Flikr as it is a bit over the 100 MB limit.

Click the controls to view here or the body of the image to view in Flikr.

4.6 miles in 1:15.

According to ECMWF and UKMO models winds are not suitable to go around Cape Wrath to Orckney for a week or more so I'll be cruising around the area until making a dash the 70 miles north a few days before things are likely to be favourable.

Dinners:

Left over scratch made Beef bourguignon.

Scratch made chicken curry.

Click here for Thursday's bimble.

2025 14th April, Day 16 To Sanna Bay.

The forecast was looking OK so off I went, rather earlier than planned at 12:30 in case Sanna Bay was not tenable to give me time to move on somewhere else. With wind against tide it was a little bumpy of Ardnamurchan point but not bad.

The "juicy" bit is at the end as a set comes through.

I was disappointed to find someone already in the anchorage, anchored right on the spot I had marked but there was room for both of us.

I was a bit more concerned about the reef 50 yards away and what
would happen when it covered but the sea was calming down and
I had a good night. Except for a scare in the early evening.

It finally happened to me, a big GPS error. At anchor and the anchor alarm went off. Rather worrying as I’m < 50 yards up wind of rocks and close to another boat.

I had the wash boards out pdq and there was the other boat where it should be and likewise the waves breaking over the reef. Turns out the iPad gps was over 50 yards adrift as was the chart plotter when that came on line. Both had been differential fixes and 10 minutes later were again, to c 4 yards. This was the 300th night at anchor using a GPS alarm on at least one device and this was the first technical error.

12.5 miles in three hours, under sail from inside Tobermory
harbour to the approach to the anchorage.

Dinner: Chicken in Cantonese cook in sauce.

Click here for a couple of legs to Loch Alsh.

2025 12th April, Day 13 - 16 Tobermory.

Updated daily.

Friday 12th

After arriving late morning and wanting to get the hard work done early and before showering I inflated the dinghy and made two shopping trips with particularly heavy loads, partially due to the COOP only selling non-alcoholic beer in glass bottles that are heavy to carry and a pain to store when empty. It was low tide so not suitable for using the dinghy to get close to the shop so it was the longer walk.

Also 2 loads of diesel which with the trolly is not a problem until back at the boat lifting it on board and filling the tanks / stowing it and my back was still objecting to the abuse a couple of days later.

I was pleased that my discipline of cruising at an economical speed of just over 5 knots, with a reasonably clean hull and propeller, even after 3 months at Milford, it paid off with low fuel consumption, I filled to the brim so a very good check point.

I had not exceeded the economic speed for any significant period since leaving Milford and there was a very close match between calculated fuel usage at 1.22 litres an hour and the tank reading each day (only once having a deviation greater than 1.7 litres), this compares with an average of 1.5 - 1.7 litres an hour throughout last year when I was driving the boat harder.

Then a much needed shower after all the hard work

Started on the blog and loading pictures to the blog and Flickr.

The weather models are all over the place but seem to agree I'll be here till at least Tuesday and probably Wednesday.

Saturday 13th

A quiet day, one small shopping trip for lunch and dinner - a very disappointing Pizza and got the blog up to date in first draft.

I was glad to have got the shopping done before this arrived.

Sunday 14th, a.m.

It is calm at the moment here but that is going to change, this mornings inshore forecast:

The Minch - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: West backing south or southwest 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time later. Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later near southern entrance. Showers, perhaps thundery. Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first. Slight or moderate, occasionally rough until later in south. Showers, perhaps thundery. Good, occasionally poor.

---

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: West backing south or southwest 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time later. Rough, but mainly moderate near Ardnamurchan Point. Showers, perhaps thundery. Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first. Rough, but mainly moderate near Ardnamurchan Point. Showers, perhaps thundery. Good, occasionally poor.

[Moderate near Arnamurchan is a relative term if you are fairly close in where a nasty sea develops.]

A detail from Admiralty chart 2540 that
unusually includes a specific set of
chartlets showing tides. Note the eddies
and rates.

The models are beginning to agree, at least for Monday and Tuesday. I might be able to get out late on Monday but it is probably not worth it as the only viable anchorage short of Arnamurchan Point within range would be Loch Drumbuie which is deep and a bit further from likely destinations.

Tuesday now looks reasonable for the sound of Sleat although it will likely to still be bumpy round the Point of Ardnamurchan. After that the models start to diverge, at least on timing and strength of the wind which is likely to be west turning north. Unless things change the Western Isles and the Shiant Isles are going to have to wait for the return trip.

The plan currently but subject to change is to leave quite early on Tuesday to get the favourable flood tide around Ardnamurchan and into the Sound of Sleat, that will last till about 09:00. To avoid a long day, I could stop somewhere just short of the Kyle Rhea and go through early Wednesday morning on the favourable tide but I would then likely have a foul tide under the Skye bridge and possibly a brisk head wind. 

So, depending on the weather forecast I may go through that evening, anchoring somewhere in Loch Alsh or if the wind is likely to be strong and changing overnight (most anchorages are exposed to wind from either the west or north), perhaps continuing past Skye Bridge, if I don't it will either be another early start or a very late one on Wednesday to get past Skye Bridge with a favourable tide.

The 17th is a spring tide so currents will run at up 8 knots through the Kyle, perhaps more according to the CCC Pilot. The tide starts north 6 hours before HW Ullapool and turns south at or slightly before HW Ullapool.

HW Ullapool / Tide starts north - Tide turns south.

Tue 15th 21:10 / 15:10 - 21:00

Wed 16th 09:20 / 03:20 - 09:00

Wed 16th 21:40 / 15:40 – 21:2 

Dinner: Scratch made Beef bourguignon.

Monday morning.

It looks like a change of plan, its generally calm here with some wind going north up the sound, although the general wind direction is probably SW. The forecast for today is a bit better, at 07:00:

The Minch - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: Southwest backing mainly south, 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later. Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth east of skye. Showers. Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: South or southwest veering northwest, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 t first. Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north and south. Showers. Good.

---

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: Southwest backing mainly south, 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later. Moderate or rough. Showers. Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: South or southwest veering northwest, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 t first. Moderate or rough. Showers. Good.

However the models from a bit earlier and the domestic forecast are showing somewhat less around  Ardnamurchan and I would be running before the wind or at worse reaching, so the plan is to risk a bit of surge in the anchorage and when the tide turns this afternoon to head for Sanna Bay, just round the point, that will be well sheltered from the wind and enable a later start in the morning, probably around about sunrise. 

I should then be able to sail to The Kyle Rhea possibly arriving a bit early and to have the option of taking the tide past Skye Bridge which is favourable till 18:00.

I'll make the decision after lunch with the lunchtime inshore and domestic forecasts are updated.

Click here for Sanna Bay.

2025 11th April, Day 13 to Tobermory.

I was awake early after an early night to find a heavy mist, it had not been forecast and I suspected it was fairly local so decided to move off to get at least the first hour or two against a relatively slack tide. At 06:30 I could see both banks of the Loch, 5 minutes after I had got the anchor up everything had disappeared with the visibility perhaps 20 yards.

I was tempted to put the anchor back down but decided not to and gingerly went down the Loch at a walking pace, fortunately my modern doppler radar is particularly good close in with essentially no minimum range and at 100 meters (or less) will show just about everything, even reasonably sized pot markers in smooth water.

There is quite a lot of detail in the next bit as I am thinking of using it as part of a post or page on navigating in fog.

I had two independent DGPS's running and visible, one the 9" plotter with Garmin vector charts derived from the UKHO, the other a 10.5" iPad with raster charts including the very accurate Antares GPS charts of the entrance and the anchorage (the lap top with Admiralty & Antares raster charts and different vector charts was not going to be any use as it is on the chart table). I could also have had a spare iPad and / or phone running vector or raster charts but that would have been a bit over the top!

As a bonus the plotter and iPad has tracks from previous visits (optionally displayed) my track inbound was my preferred one to follow as it was clear of lobster pots the day before and I displayed just that one on the iPad, see below.

Previous tracks are often a help in fog, on this occasion I only
displayed the one of my arrival. Note the scale, and unlike
some Admiralty carts and those derived from them (most) they
are up to date within a few years rather than decades and were
made using GPS and echo sounders rather than manual methods
and a lead line as can be the case with charts.

Most of Loch Aline was last surveyed by lead line for the UKHO in 1921, and a few parts of the Sound of Mull not since 1904, I have frequently seen much older and current plotters, other than seriously expensive ones for commercial use, don't tell you. Another good reason for having Admiralty raster or paper charts, or both (Imray charts don't tell you either). The Antares survey was in May 2015.

About 150 yards from where I anchored, nothing visible. The
radar is showing 3 other anchored boats (large blobs), the
small red blob is the pole on Sgeirean nan Ron (a short reef).
Making < 3 knots through the water, 3.6 over the ground with
the ebbing tide. Range rings at 250 metres.

In fog the Split screen mode is usually better than radar overlaid on the chart as weak radar returns are not hidden by chart detail, past tracks etc.. Also the radar view can be set for short range targets and the chart view for longer range for situational awareness and more distant AIS targets. 

In open waters I would typically have the radar looking out one mile to ID boats without AIS in time to avoid and with a sporting chance of seeing small navigation marks without radar reflectors. The Chart view I would set to 5 - 10 miles or more to see vessels with AIS in plenty of time. On this occasion in confined water the GPS was at greater magnification for ease of viewing. AIS and planned track if set, can be displayed on both. 

Both displays are set for North up (from the fluxgate compass, they can be set independently, without the compass most modern systems will estimate using GPS). I find that better for situational awareness and particularly for collision avoidance, others get confused and prefer heading or track (if available) up - I find that confusing! I did a poll once on an aviation forum with a significant number responding, IIRC 60 - 70% of > 100 responses preferred track up, clearly my brain is wired differently to the majority! I would certainly recommend people try head up as radar controlled collisions are less likely, particularly vs heading up and especially if you like "bread crumb" trails set on - I don't, there is more opportunity for confusion and radar usually showing trails for fixed objects! The radar's MARPA if available or AIS will show tracks for selected vessels which is more helpful.

Approaching the loch entrance, the red blob ahead of me is the port lateral buoy, about 150 yards away, I saw it at 50 as the fog lifted. With a good rise of tide I could be sure of not running aground if I stayed within the previous tracks some of which were at low water.

The red line on a similar track is a large motor yacht that was a mile or so ahead of me and was classified as dangerous (to my parameters) by the AIS system and so it's past track is automatically displayed. Range rings at 150 metres.

The AIS contact at the top of the radar screen "Lara of Chichester" is, as I write, one berth down from me at Tobermory. She had left her AIS on whilst parked and arrived there in the early evening.

My inbound (right at the bottom) and outbound
tracks, the channel is about 75 yards wide.

The ferry on her berth, about 75 yards away with the fog
lifting further.

The fog stayed patchy until I was well north of Ruba Aird Scisg and the fish farm north of there, about 5 miles, then it suddenly cleared but was still there behind me. With a freshening wind I was able to sail for about an hour but not making a great deal of progress against the tide.

Whilst still in the fog I was rather disconcerted to find a large ferry coming up behind me making 14 knots over the ground, about 16 through the water. I was perfectly safe as I was using GPS and radar to keep well to the right of the main channel and a couple of hundred yards off shore, was broadcasting my presence on AIS and could see hers. She past me under 250 meters away (by AIS and Radar) and was only just visible. How she would have avoided anything not visible on radar a good way away, I don't know.

14 miles in 4 hours.

As previously forecast some bad weather is coming and it is looking worse every day. I could be here until Tuesday or Wednesday 😞and it is unlikely I will be able to head out via Coll as wind is likely to be making the anchorages untenable for some time. Direct to Barra or via the Small Islands may be an option but the ECMWF and UKMO violently disagree on the weather from Tuesday.

Click here for time in Tobermory.

2025 10th April, Day 12 to Loch Aline.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many for all of these video's? Most are best viewed full screen and perhaps slowed down a bit (three-quarters speed?) or you miss the details.

It was a trip of two halves:

Motoring from Crinan through Dorus Mor and The Sound of Luing to Insh Island then mainly sailing up the Firth of Lorn, into the Sound of Mull and to Loch Aline. 

The ride through Dorus Mor and the Sound of Luing, whilst not especially dangerous in sensible weather, can be a very quick, even wild ride, this time it was rather sedate with the maximum tide of about 4 knots past Fladda and only a knot and a half through Dorus Mor which I went through at slack water 3 days after neaps, but where NW bound it can run at 8 knots at springs with strong overfalls.

Entering Dorus Mor. some commentary towards the end.

Overfalls exiting Dorus Mor. The heart rate went up

when I saw the first of the white foam balls, it was a 

particularly big one and it looked just like a white pot

buoy partially towed under dead ahead. I had already

cut the engine and made a big course change to avoid 

before I realised what it and they were.

Out of Dorus Mor looking towards the Gulf of Corryvreckan,
a pair of Eider Ducks in the foreground.

The Sound of Luing, Fladda (with white building) in

the distance.

Approaching Fladda port side view. The autopilot

steering a steady course, note the change of heading

due to the eddies and over-falls.

Approaching Fladda and Dubh Sgeir, starboard side.

As planned I had motored the tide assisted 12 miles or so until past Fladda, the wind was still light but looked promising and once abeam of Insh Island the wind had set in from the SSE at about 10 knots so up went the big spinnaker.

Spinnaker up (with the pole too low) and in the

few minutes that took me the wind veered 30 

degrees so I had to gybe.

After the gybe and with the pole correctly set.

It got a bit windy for a while, 15 knots and I though I would have to take it down but the wind dropped and I kept it up till past Loch Don where the wind backed and I either had to gybe the spinnaker again to avoid running ashore or take it down, being close to the turn into the Sound of Mull I took it down. 

Black's Memorial Tower, just short of Duart Point.

Lady's Rock Light and Lismore.

Duart Caste, I have been taking pictures of this
every year since 2020 and not one without
scaffolding on it.

Overfalls off Duart Point.

Approaching Glas Eileanan just inside the Sound of Mull.

I was at anchored in Loch Aline at 16:00 after a quick passage helped by the spinnaker run up the firth. No pictures or videos of Loch Aline this time but there are loads from previous visits, click here for all posts of Loch Aline (it will include this one, opens in a new window).

32 miles in six and a quarter hours.

Dinner: Scratch made Spag Bol.

Click here for a foggy trip to Tobermory.

2025 9th April, Day 11 to Crinan

23 miles in 5 hours.

I awoke to find a light NE wind blowing so left earlier than intended, against the tide, to make use of it. The domestic forecast said it would continue for a while but it was wrong and I only made two miles before the wind died to nothing and on went the engine. Again.

I pondered over the option of continuing through the sound of Luing and heading for Mull but I would not have made the tide into the Sound of Mull, Loch Spelve did not appeal and it would be motoring all day so I continued as planned to anchor off of Crinan which should give better protection with the forecasts winds than my original plan of Gallanach Bay a mile further north.

As I write (15:30) there is a good sailing breeze from the west, when the forecast said southerly at 5 knots, but it could be very local.

Tomorrow it will be late start, up anchor at 09:45 to arrive at the entrance to Dorus Mor no earlier than slack water, at springs the tide runs at 8 knots. The passage through the Sound of Luing will be slower than later in the tide but there is a good chance of reaching Loch Aline, just inside the Sound of Mull, with a favourable tide just before slack water.

Now to refuel from the cans, prepare tonights spag bol and perhaps sit in the sun for a while, when blowing the wind is still chilly but in shelter it is the warmest day of the trip so far.

Crinan anchorage

Click here for The Sound of Luing and on to Loch Aline.