Round GB 2021, Day 59. Campbeltown to Browns Bay.

I started off in cool but pleasant sailing weather with 9 knots of wind from the WSW. The forecast was equivocal and I was aiming for somewhere in N. Ireland with Stranraer as an alternate if the wind changed drastically.

This 40 footer left just after me heading north and did the
right thing in over taking to leeward although she was a bit close.

Sanda Island with the Mull of Kintyre behind.
An hour later the wind died and on went the engine.

 

I was not impressed with the pollution coming from this ferry
outbound from Larne. In need of a major service I suspect.

The Maidens about 5 miles from the entrance to Larne Loch.

The anchorage at Browns Bay at the entry to Larne Loch.

I was rather surprised when, in such a large anchorage,
this boat parked dead up wind of me and very close. Sure
enough in the morning I came within half a boat length getting
my anchor up and at one point had to rush back and put
the engine in reverse as the boat was making way through the
water from winching in the anchor and would have hit. With all
the engine noise the skipper must have been a sound sleeper or
reckoned it would be too late to do anything if I screwed up.

39.8 miles over the ground in 8 hours.

Slide show all of my pictures Campbeltown to Browns Bay, NI. 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 day 60, to Bangor.

Round GB 2021, Day 58. Portavadie to Campbeltown.

I got away from Portavadie at 06:30 on Friday planning to do an overnighter to Ardglass. The forecast was Westerly or South-westerly F3 - F5, Westerly would be fine, south westerly a bit of a problem so I had in mind a diversion to Stranraer.

All started off well with a F1-3 Westerly allowing me to weather Skipness Point, the east corner of Kintyre. Then things started to get wild.

The wind quickly increased to F4-5 from the south west and the sea got challenging, waves were only a couple of feet high but very steep and close together. 

Not long after it was blowing F5-6 gusting F7, and almost F8 with a bit more west in it. I had got the headsail in PDQ and tried to run into it under engine but was only making 1 - 2 knots through the water. The obvious thing to do was to tuck into the Kintyre shore were the sea would be much calmer, although the wind might be more gusty. 

Unfortunately there are dangerous rocks off of Skipness Point, to go into the shore quickly would put them to leeward and if the engine failed I might not have time to get sail up to head back into deeper water. I therefore first went away from shore at about 30 degrees to the sea to minimise the banging and maximise speed. Then well upwind of the buoy I headed in.

The track is based on 10 minute positions that smooths out minor
changes.

I then followed the shore a few hundred yards out for about 8 miles when the wind moderated to F4-5 and I could start sailing again. By lunch time I was approaching Campbeltown and tired from constant adjustments of the sheets in the gusty conditions and generally keeping the boat safe so I decided not to risk another 20 some hours of it and went in to anchor for the night.

Wild Rhododendrons by the anchorage.

33.1 miles over the ground in 8 hours.

Slide show all of my pictures arriving at Campbeltown, 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 day 60, to Browns Bay, Larne.

Round GB 2021, Day 54 - 57 Crinan Canal to Ardmarnock Bay & Portavadie.

Leaving the canal on Monday afternoon the weather forecast for the next day was iffy and getting worse thereafter and potentially very bad next week, but perhaps OK to get further south to Campbelltown or somewhere on the mainland on Tuesday. 

I had hoped to go through the Kyles of Bute but that was not going to work given the weather and the area is very short of good anchorages, there are lots of marinas - but I am allergic to them except when I really, really need a shower or to do the laundry. The medium term forecast shows good weather down south and poor weather up here so I have decided to go south ASAP, probably to N Ireland but going where the wind will take me without excessive  motoring or bashing into strong headwinds.

Before deciding on the next leg I went to an anchorage for the night, one which looked to be sheltered from winds a bit west of south.

Ardmarnock Bay, another small anchorage, a couple of hundred
yards across in the most sheltered spot, I anchored in 3 metres
of water about a hundred yards out.

Good protection from the south. A lovely evening once the wind,
that had been a solid F4 earlier, dropped and it was actually hot!

The next morning the forecast was for southerly winds F4-5 occasionally F6 so going south directly into it did not appeal so I moved a couple of miles south to the marina at Portavadie, a man made inlet originally dug from solid rock as a dry dock for building oil rigs but now a rather swish small resort with a marina.

Portavadie Restaurant and facilities.

Portavadie Visitors berths for larger boats and on the right
Condo's / let rooms and in the distance the Spa.

At the time of writing (Wednesday) it looks like the strong southerly winds will persist through tomorrow and the plan is to leave early Friday morning when the wind is meant to turn to the west and make for Northern Ireland, probably Ardgass but depending on the wind. 

It now looks like the depression promised for next week will track further west but 30 knot winds are still on the cards so I need to be somewhere safe by Tuesday before they arrive. 

In total Eilean Dubh to Portavadie over three days, 25 miles i 13 hours.

Slide show of all my pictures from the Crinan Canal to Portavadie, 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 Day 58.

Round GB 2021, Day 54. Through the Crinan Canal.

I was off at 08:30 sharp as soon as the staff came on duty. They phone ahead to the first bridge, not far distance, so that they can have it open as you arrive. The whole operation is well organised, each bridge is operated by staff and they call ahead so that the person at the next bridge will be ready and have the bridge open so you pass straight through, probably to the annoyance of drivers and others wanting to cross. "Floating" staff on bicycles assisted by the freelance "Pilots" also coordinate movements to optimise traffic flow and water used by the locks.

Being early and lucky I did not have to wait for other boats coming in my direction until lock one and only had minimal waits for boats coming the other way.

Immediately above Lock 14 the canal is narrow and there is a blind
bend so it is a good job that the staff at lock 14 and the bridge talk to
each other, what was done in the 19th century with Clyde Puffers
going in both directions I have no idea.

The River Add estuary that runs alongside the canal for the first
few miles.

Looking back at the Bellanoch Bridge the 2nd and last one 
before the first flight of locks

With no waiting at the bridges it takes about 40 minutes to get to the first lock where I was to meet up with the very efficient Charlie Ambrose, the freelance "Pilot" who was to help me through by taking my lines, when locking up passed on the end of a long boat hook,  and operating the lock. The pilots do not actually come on board but go ahead on their push bikes. This would be a good way of doing it for a crewed boat, optimally one crew member going ahead, a second to handle the bow line, the skipper can usually handle the stern line.

NOTE: Since my transit it has been made mandatory for boats with less than three crew to employ a "Pilot" who may work more than one boat through.

Single handed in the boat, you do have to be organised with two long lines, one to the bow and back to a cockpit winch and one aft, also to a winch, you certainly have to pay attention and you literally have your hands full so there are no pictures! It must be hard work, and potentially dangerous on a big motor boat without winches although without a keel the pressures would be less than on a comparably sized sailing boat. 

Going up, the water is very turbulent and you have to juggle the lines to keep the boat in place. Going down is a much more placid affair unless a rope jambs and the boat is left hanging as the water disappears, best to have a very good knife available just in case. Scottish Canals publish a good guide on how to do it here https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Crinan-Skippers-Guide-Web-Version-Aug-17.pdf (downloads as a PDF).

Waiting a few minutes in lock 13 for a boat coming the other way
that must have come part of the way the day before or earlier,
not a big deal as you can the then go straight into the lock
making up time.

Past Oakfield (Miller's) Bridge, almost there.

A few minutes later and Loch Fyne comes into view.

Charlie left me at lock 4, just above Ardrishaig as canal staff with the help of contractors finalising the upgrading of these lochs, would take my lines and operate the locks and bridges from there on. I had expected a 30 minute wait after this lock as another boat was coming up so I moored the boat and did 15 minutes of shopping getting back to the boat to find the boat was after all not coming, so off I went again through Lock 2 where I had to wait for two boats to catch me up so we could go out of the sea locks together. That delayed me for about 40 minutes so I was out of the sea lock at about 3 o'clock.

Leaving Ardrishaig into Loch Gilp and then Loch Fyne.

Slide show of all my pictures going through the Crinan Canal, 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 what happened next.

Round GB 2021, Day 53. Eilean Dubh into the Crinan Canal.

Although I was booked to go through the Crinan Canal on Monday I was able to enter on Sunday (the passage fee includes 4 nights berthing if spaces are available), this was good news as I would be able to get a shower and start the transit at 08:30 on Monday giving me more time to move south after passing through and hopefully to get ahead of any rush - although the canal is quite at the moment.

The trip up from Eilean Dubh was uneventful in very light winds, I was in no hurry and had the tide under me so I sailed until I was close to the entrance so the 6.3 miles took 3 hours.

Passing Crinan Habour, the sea lock is just past the white
building on the left.

Approaching Crinan Sea Lock

Ian, owner of the Achilles 9m "Spearhead” based in Oban, was good enough to come down to meet me and we enjoyed an ice cream and drink together before the tables were in shadow and it started to get cold.

These gates are now electrically operated but the manual levers
remain, I assume "just in case" and to act as counter balances.
Most are manually operated.

There is quite a rise through the lock, there would be more than
this at low water springs.

The basin is used as a holding area and for overnight mooring.

The boat on the left was in Peterhead when I was there but left
on the second day before the wind got really strong as they
were going through the Caledonian canal, much closer than
my next leg to Orkney.

The canal can handle boats up to 88 ft long and there was a yacht in the basin of at least 60ft when I arrived but it left before I could get a picture. I did get pictures of VIC32. The Clyde Puffers were general cargo boats servicing the Islands from the late 19th century into the 1950s, older readers may remember the tales of the "Vital Spark", originally stories in a paper and later a comedy series on TV. The "VIC" boats were commissioned by the Admiralty during WWII as "Steam Lighters" to help provision the fleet.

The Clyde Puffer VIC32 (right) in the basin. She is one of very
few Puffers still with a steam engine in working condition.

The first lock after the sea lock, like the last few it is operated
by the staff, the majority you have to work yourself manually.

I moved straight out of the basin and moored just above lock 14
ready to go in the morning.

Click here for the trip through the canal and more pictures.

Round GB 2021, Day 52. Gigha to Eilean Dubh, Carsaig Bay.

I had planned to explore some of the mainland lochs as I went north but the weather was miserable, overcast with mist, drizzle and the inevitable chilly wind (I was back to wearing 2 fleeces) so I decided to make use of a favourable tide of up to about 2 knots to get close to Crinan and hopefully to get into the basin the next day (Sunday) to enable an early start on Monday.

The wind dropped shortly after leaving and I almost put up the spinnaker but the forecast was S - SE F3-5 and there were some big clouds upwind so I waited for about threequarters of an hour and suddenly it was blowing 15-17 knots. With the 45 sq. m asymmetric cruising chute that would have been a bit of a struggle  to get down but single handed  the 60 sq. m symmetrical I would have put up would have had a real challenge. 

So I was feeling vindicated as I went up the loch making 7 knots over the ground under the headsail alone.

There are a number of small anchorages and a bigger one about five miles from Crinan so I went for the smallest, highly recommended on the Antares chart, unlike the main Carsaig anchorage close by  described as "usually an unattractive option".

The anchorage, the red marker is the boat. Note the scale.

The outer Island from the Sound.

The southern end of the anchorage with an narrow passage back
into the Sound.

The eastern shore, an island. the top of a yacht's mast visible
centre.

Looking north to another, less attractive Carsaig anchorage.

This is turning out to be quite a noisy anchorage, at least when
I go into the cockpit and all the young birds start giving alarm
calls, there must be half a dozen varieties on the long, thin island
outside of me but Oyster Catchers and Gulls seem to be the most
numerous. And they sure have loud cries.

20.1 miles over the ground in just under 5 hours with less than 20 minutes on the engine, and that included a 5 or 10 minutes battery charging the batteries whilst I backed up the anchor, just in case given the  size of the anchorage.

Slide show of all my pictures from Gigha to Eilean Dubh , 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 the quick hop to Crinan and into the canal.