BLUEMOMENT

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Just received a newsletter from Bob Bradfield of Antares Charts which includes the following:
*Easedale*.

On the SW side of the south entrance we show a 2m sounding. We will be replacing this with a 1.1m sounding just a little further west, into the mid-blue area (1-2m) where the rocky bottom shoals steeply. While Easedale may appear to be a convenient shortcut when using the Cuan Sound, the frequent small boat movements, the foot passenger ferry and the narrow channels make it unsuitable.

I've been through at or very close to LW Springs with Fairwinds and never found less than 2m in the channel past the green perch at the SW end, but it IS narrow. However, I've never seen a boat aground there - most people come to grief because they go the wrong side of or too close to the red perch at the N. end of the channel. I took a 1.9m draft boat through recently at LW Neaps and we never had less than 1.7m under the keel - but I would not have taken this boat through at LW Springs.

Personally I'm quite happy if fewer yachts use it, but I will continue to do so and have recently shown another local boat the way through. It can be a huge relief to turn into Easdale after a foul beat down from Duart on the way home from a cruise.

Yes, I've just printed off his corrections list.

I now seldom go through Easdale unless it's calm and I'm motoring. Apart from the traffic and the ferry, I don't like the south entrance: it shoals rapidly and the position of the deeper water is counter-intuitive. If sailing I prefer to stay in clean wind and go round the outside.

We stopped in Easdale last week, and tied to one of the many moorings just off the pier. One had a boat that we'd encountered in upper Loch Tarbert Jura, nice to see them again.
But exploring about there at low tide in the dinghy was educational. It wasn't quite springs, but was quite low, and seeing the various rocks and bottom areas was good. Visibility was excellent, and there was almost no wind. I've always thought that we could go either side of the central perch on the north end, but the north side of that is deeper. At the south entrance, the deepest part is narrow, but still quite deep enough. There's a point runs out from Easdale just there, and another runs from the entrance into the little harbour (north side) on the island itself.
Speaking to a man running the heritage centre, ashore, he advised that holding in the main anchorage is poor, being thin layer of sand over smooth rock bottom.
The one mooring nearest the derelict pier is a pay £10/night one, payable at the B&B ashore I think. Details written on the buoy.

We went into upper Loch Tarbert (Jura), and found the Antares charts pretty good for that. In many other small anchorages we found them pretty useful and were glad to have them.