Raw blog - no wifi connection

[Nick]

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Wednesday 9th June 2010-06-10

We slipped the lines from Hugh and Rose’s pontoon in Clachan Sound at midday and headed South on our journey North. Once through Easdale Sound we found a brisk NNE wind just ten or fifteen degrees off our course for Duart Point, so we resigned ourselves to motorsailing this first stretch if we were to make the most of the tide up the Sound of Mull. As we approached Duart we began to benefit from two or three knots of tide, but the wind picked up until we had a constant 30 knots over the deck and a substantiqal wind over tide situation. There was a lot of crashing about and a few items went flying down below then to cap it all a large chunk of the Firth of Lorne went right down my neck.

As we rounded the point and headed into more sheltered water we began to enjoy a cracing sail, and approaching Lochaline at around 4 in the afternoon we shook out the two reefs I had put in when we raised sail at the Western end of Cuan Sound. Coming round the ‘corner’ opposite Salen the wind backed to the North and became very gusty, so we sailed the rest of the way to Tobermory dinghy-style, mainsheet in hand.

By six thirty we were on the pontoons with a beer cracked. With a strong NNE wind fetching in from Loch Sunart the pontoons and their moored denizens were heaving like a fat maqn’s chest after running for a bus, but we managed to bag our favourite relatively sheltered spot inshore on the S. side.

After the beer and a quick splash to wash the salt off it was off to the chip van on the pier where we enjoyed a superb ‘fish of the day’ supper (not sure what it was, but not haddock) while watching the forest of masts bobbing in the breezy evening sunlight.. This was then washed down with a couple of wheat beers in the Mishnish before returning to the boat to spend an hour dealing with business using the free wi-fi connection from Taigh Solas.

A late stroll – still light at eleven – and it was one last half pint in McGonchachs before retiring. 34 miles, 6.5 hours, 3.5 engine hours, wind F4-7.



Thursday 10th June 2010-06-10

Woke to a cracking morning though not much wind. Tightened the rigging slightly then mended the danbuoy as we motored out towards Ardnamurchan. The wind followed us round, going from WNW round to NNE as we rounded the headland. We put two reefs in a couple of miles before the point, but shook them out again when conditions proved benign, and we rounded Ardnamurchan a couple of cables off in slight seas under blue skies. We continued motor-sailing towards the Sound of Sleat as we want to get North as fast as possible and it looks like the weather may crack up a little tomorrow as a low over Iceland slips SE across the top of the country.

Ten miles from Mallaig the wind backed a little and we enjoyed a decent sail for a couple of hours, wioth reefs in and out again. Off Mallaig the wind backed West then died, before returning as a solid F5 blowing straight down the Sound of Sleat. We had originally planned to anchor at Glenelg and wait for the tide through Kylerhea just after midnight, but as the wind strengthened and a nasty little chop developed we decided to head for Isle Oronsay.I wasn’t sure if it would be sheltered as in the Sound the wind was Notherly, but in the anchorage it was NW. There were a lot more moorings than we remembered from our previous visit eight or nine years previously, including five very substantial looking VMs which I assume are owned by the hotel. We picked up one of these and enjoyed a fabulous venison casserole that Kathy had created as we bashed our way up the Sound of Sleat before retiring early.


Friday 11th June 2010-06-10

A long day. We dropped the mooring in Isle Ornsat just after half past three and headed up to Kylerhea to catch the last hour of the flood. It was flat calm as we hurtled through the Klye, which was busy with fish jumping and several seals and otters fishing for their breakfast. We arrived in Kyle at six, planning to to rest up and have a leisrely breakfast, but there was no space on the pontoons at Kyle or Kylerhea so we motored out under the bridge and headed North past the Crowlins, hoping to make Gairloch before the threatened NW 5-7 set in. We put the autohelm on and had bacon and egg.

Just after half past nine the wind filled in unexpectedly from the South, and we were soon enjoying a great run goosewinged with pole and preventer. By eleven though the wind had changed to a North-Westerly zephyr. We were nearly abeam Gairloch by now, but we re-hoisted the iron topsail, determined to gegt as far North as possible before the weather broke.. By twelve-thirty we were in lumpy seas two miles off Rubha Reid with a proper N-Westerly beginning to build and after a few false starts we finally switched the engine off for the duration at half past one,

We had a cracking sail for the next few hours, but by five o’clock the wind was gusting over 20 knots and the seas were huge, chucking the boat about and rolling us uncomfortably. After the usual gymnastics and shouting at the elements on the coachroof we got two reefs snugged down, and as the wind built we were soon doing six knots again . Helming became challenging, looking out for the odd threatening sea and turning into it to avoid being rolled to 45 degrees and pushed sideways off our track. As we approached Rubha Coigeach, the last headland before Lochinver, the promisedF 5-7 arrived in earnest, with frequent prolonged gusts in the high twenties in sharp showers that reduced visibility to a couple of miles.

The last five miles to Lochinver were challenging. The seas became huge as they felt the shallowing bottom, and we had to continually force our way back upwind when waves picked us up and chucked us sideways. We surfed in past Soyea, very relieved when the white knuckle ride finally eased. Coming into the pontoon in very gusty conditions we were blown off and went alongside the yacht on the opposite finger, then enjoyed some entertainment warping Fairwinds across and snugging her down. Never was a beer more appreciated. Haggis, tatties and carrots for supper.

The Lochinver pub has not changed since the last time we came this way in 2005.

[Booby Trapper]

Sounds like quite a challenging start. I was going to say it can only get better but I've just had a quick look at the forercast for the next 8 days, plenty of Sunshine but every day has a N in it. Keep up the blog, enjoyed reading it.

[Nick]

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The last couple of hours yesterday were pretty challenging . . . I began to wonder if e should have taken the storm boards with us. We had considered sneaking up to Kinlochbervie ths afternoon, but the sea is still up and the wind NW, meaning an almost impossible thrash to the Point of Stoer so we will probably do that short leg tomorrow. Monday onwards Magic Seaweed shows a period of light winds, not all Northerly, so with the aid of some diesel we hope to make Lerwick next week sometime.

A real roughie toughie Steel boat from NZ came in today . . . they have been liveaboards for six years, including two extended trips to South Georgia. They have borrowed our Shetland pilot.

Watch this space . . . although I doubt if there is any internet access in Kinlochbervie . . .