A G Cameron

This was one of those days which looked perfect on the weather forecast but turned out 'worse' than perfect! First of all I took Moonshadow across from her swing mooring to Rhu Marina where Argyll Yacht Riggers were coming to tune up the standing rigging. This job had been outstanding all season but between holidays, illness and busy schedules it just hadn't happened. After a messy solo docking (a lesson for the training Yacht next door!) there was time for a coffee with Harry, crew for the rest of the day, before Oscar arrived to sort out the rigging. No major problems surfaced so we set off with nice tight rigging in a nice F3. We expected low and variable westerly wind as we made our way down the Gareloch to Perch Rock, and so it was, but the anticipated pick-up after clearing the peninsula didn't happen. The forecasted 10-16 knots of wind was, in reality, no more than 6 knots. It was very pleasant but not as satisfying as we'd hoped. A lunch stop in Ardentinny or Blairmore was out of the question so after 3 hours of bobbing around we had a Co-Op meal deal lunch and turned for home. There was some brief excitement when HMS St Albans steamed past, flanked by MOD police (yes, we'll stay clear, officer) and Royal Marines and we also had a fly-by from an RAF A400 but overall it was a slightly disappointing day-sail with weather too benign for 'sailing'!

Brief trip to the Sugar Boat before the weather closes on again. Solo as Ann was working. Max 16kts apparent and almost made hull speed. Sailties log is a bit off as it kept shutting down.

A slightly disappointing end to an epic trip. There were two weather forecasts. The UK Met Office told us to expect westerly or southerly winds between F2 and F4. The NOAA forecast said there would be no wind at all. So the day started with a flat calm in Millport Bay. We started the engine and motored out to the southwest hoping to find some wind. Imagine our surprise when a Force 3 appeared from the north! We tried, we really tried, to make use of this wind but being a northerly (!) we were facing a day of slow tacks all the way home. So we gave up and started the engine again. We did keep the main halyard handy just in case the Met Office's fairy story came true but in reality it just got worse. NOOA got it wrong too but at least they didn't raise false hopes! By the time we reached our home mooring it was pouring with rain and still blowing F2/F3 from the north. Honestly, what's the point in checking the forecasts (not just one) when they get it so badly wrong. Sorry, rant over!

For once the forecast was more or less accurate. We exited Lock 1 into a grey drizzle after a brief wait for extra water due to an unusually low tide. The weather improved gradually and the monotony of motoring was broken once or twice by some porpoises. More importantly we managed to hoist sails, first north of Arran for about 15 minutes, and second in the Cumbrae Channel. After mooring up on a visitors' buoy we took the dinghy ashore to pick up some dinner at the fish & chips shop, then back on board for the evening. An uninvited guest then turned up when Sammy the Seal paid us a visit during dinner, making himself comfortable on our dinghy. We'd left the dinghy tied up astern while we ate and when we came out to stow the dinghy there was Sammy, looking quite comfy and set for the evening. It took a bit of persuasion before he agreed to move on, tipping our dinghy in the process, but we had been hungry and there was nothing left for him after dinner.

Back through the Crinan Canal. Transited this time with Tenacity, a Hanse from Portavadie. They were keen to explore but the canal staff were keen to conserve water so wanted to keep both of us together through all 15 locks. As result we arrived in Ardrishaig by 1600 with only a 1 hour stop for lunch. Tried to conserve fuel and engine hours by switching off in the locks but really didn't make much difference. Except that the air was easier to breathe at the bottom of the lock!

After a relatively peaceful night we woke early to catch the south-going tide. Even so, we were about 30 minutes late in leaving so we took a bit of a shortcut through the shallows and overalls the the south and west of Fladda lighthouse. Thankfully the engine didn't fail and we more than made up the list time, hitting a top speed over-the-ground of 9.7 knots! The tidal assistance continued down the Sound of Luing to just short of the Dorus Mor where the remains of the north-going tide were still in dispute with the south-going ebb. This slowed us down to normal cruising speed until the Dorus Mor asserted it control and boosted us back up to 6-7 knots by means of some impressive overfalls and whirlpools. All this meant that we entered the Crinan sea lock after only 2 hours at sea instead of the 3 hours we would normally expect. It's just weird to see such high SOG numbers on a Moody 33!

There are some passages that you just have to get on with and forego the joy of sailing. This was one of those. The passage from Iona west to the Sound of Luing and Loch Crinan is a 30 mile drag along the south coast of Mull with no anchorages to break the journey. Mull's south coast is also a lee shore in the prevailing SW winds but today that wasn't a problem. The problem was there was barely any wind at all and what there was was easterly and on the nose. Not what the forecast said at all! So the iron sail lugged us all the way with only a lone seal to break the monotony. Eventually we reached the little anchorage between Eilanns Dubh Beag and Dubh Mor where we squeezed in alongside 4 other boats. It then turned out that we were all from the same home area and all taking advantage of the islands' protection from the fierce tidal streams. Early start tomorrow to catch the south-going tide.

The west coast of Mull doesn't feature much in many people's logs but it does include two world-famous landmarks - Fingal's Cave and the Isle of Iona. Conditions were a bit too energetic for us to stop at Staffa where Fingal's Cave inspired Mendelssohn's Hebridean Overture but we did get a good view in the morning sun. Passing through the Sound of Iona was nerve-wracking enough but even after anchoring near Erraid Pier we couldn't find a suitable spot to land. It's probably easier by car! Anyway we admired the ancient cathedral as we dodged rocks, sandbanks and the ferry and managed a short walk ashore before the rising tide drew us back to the dinghy. There's a bit of swelling in the anchorage but it's well sheltered from the obstinate easterly we've seen this season and it's time to plan the next passage back towards the Sound of Lying.

After some last-minute shopping we backed out of the finger without incident. By the time we were out of the bay the sails were up and we were tramping along nicely with the wind on the port quarter. As we rounded the top of Mull the TS Royalist appeared again, apparently heading back to Tobermory. All went well until it became apparent that we'd missed the south-going tide and tacks were getting narrower. Stuck between the Treshnish Isles and Mull we fired up the engine and made a run for Loch Tuath. The North Harbour was full and we couldn't find good holding in Lon Bhearnuis alongside another yacht already anchored there. Finally we dropped the hook in Port Na Bata Luinge which gave us excellent shelter from the S Easterly we'd been fighting on our way south. Watch out for a large covered rock on the west side of the bay, thankfully marked with a small yellow buoy. Good holding but a lot of weed.

The forecast suggested this would be a straightforward beam reach all the way but the weather gods had other ideas! We had F3-F4 all the way from the NW. Decent wind but the wrong direction. Decent enough to push Moonshadow all the way to hull-speed and a bit more but 26 tacks meant the journey took longer than planned. On the up-side we had some spectacular sights including the RN square-rigged Training Ship 'Royalist', countless waterfalls, several CalMac ferries and 3 dolphin pods. Dolphins make any passage worth it!