BLUEMOMENT

Next week (17th to 25th) I'll be bringing our Rival 32 from Dunstaffnage to Rhu, mostly probably singlehanded, but might be joined for a couple days by my son for part the trip.
Had thought to go somewhere a bit different en-route, especially somewhere I'd not been before or not landed on before.
Not been to or landed on Islay, or landed on Rathlin before, so wondered about this route..

Oban to Colonsay. Out to Dubh Artach for a look at the lighthouse (not landed there either yet), west side of of Islay to southern end. Islay to Rathlin. Rathlin to Sanda. Sanda to Ailsa Craig, AC to Brodick (or Lochranza), and up the Clyde.

What's at Pt Ellen or Port Wemyss? Marina? Anchoring? Is Loch Gruinart accessible (looks pretty shallow)?
Any brilliant suggestions?

mm5aho wrote:
Oban to Colonsay. Out to Dubh Artach for a look at the lighthouse (not landed there either yet), west side of of Islay to southern end. Islay to Rathlin. Rathlin to Sanda. Sanda to Ailsa Craig, AC to Brodick (or Lochranza), and up the Clyde.

What's at Pt Ellen or Port Wemyss? Marina? Anchoring? Is Loch Gruinart accessible (looks pretty shallow)?
Any brilliant suggestions?

The main part of Loch Gruinart is indeed too shallow, but there might be somewhere suitable in the entrance. Earlier this year I anchored between Nave Island and Ardnave Point which was reasonably sheltered, but some swell still came in. The whole of the west side of Islay was pretty bouncy on that occasion, despite the generally good weather.

There are pontoons at Port Ellen, tucked in past the ferry linkspan. There are pubs and an Indian (closed Mondays) and buses to Bowmore. The pilot describes an anchorage at Portnahaven rather than Port Wemyss, but I've never tried it. If the weather doesn't allow going westabout, Bunnahabhain in the Sound of Islay is quite good. The distillery maintains 2 VBs in Lagavulin Bay and there are various good anchorages - but with tricky pilotage - between there and Ardmore Point.

We have had a great time at Rathlin on several occasions in summertime but when we were there at Easter this year the pub wasn't serving food in the evening and they seemed a bit short of beer if I remember correctly. We gathered that it was a bit early in the year for visiting. It's tricky getting in and out there with the tides when heading from or to the MoK. You need to make a big swerve to the west as you leave the harbour and then turn to the east once you're closer to the Ballycastle side but I'm sure you would check all that out. It's worth a visit especially if you have time to walk to the West lighthouse. The pontoon can be quite bouncy.

DaveS wrote: The main part of Loch Gruinart is indeed too shallow, but there might be somewhere suitable in the entrance.

Naomh Island. There is good anchorage behind Naomh Isle, which lies of the entrance to Loch Ghruinnard, at the north end of Islay. The Balach Rocks, which covers at Sps., lie 1 mile N.E. of Naomh Island and must be avoided. The anchorage is in 3 faths, well off-shore, on the S.E. side of the island. Exposed to north-easterly winds.

-- CCC Sailing Directions, 1937 Edition

DaveS wrote:

mm5aho wrote:
What's at Pt Ellen ?

..... at Port Ellen,..... buses to Bowmore......

dave has hit the nail on the head with that one
port ellen must compete with campbeltown as a destination of choice imho

you could try the wavescreen at scalasaig, colonsay, c £10 for 4 days, thro the sound of islay and anchor in the ardmore islands if you like peace and quiet and wildlife or moorings at ardbeg or lagavullin distilleries. old kilnhouse restuarant at ardbeg if still open.

if you go down west side of islay try tying up to the oil tanker jetty at bruicladdich in loch indall. you could visit bowmore by dinghy from there.

gigha also worth a visit. boathouse bistro at landing jetty may still be open, hotel will be.

i was very disappointed with the pub in rathlin but visit to the west lighthouse ( as said above ) well worth it.

What I forgot to say is that I do this route every year (round the Mull), and have always stopped at Gigha, sometimes at Sanda, sometimes Campbeltown, sometimes at one of the various Arran.
No aversion to moorings, though anchor much more often. Keen to see something new this year. So Islay and Rathlin seem to be worth a stop.
Thanks for comments and advice.
Geoff

I'm home now, and like many things in life, it didn't go quite to plan. The weather was the main variant.
From Dunstaffnage, to Colonsay last Sunday. Overnight at anchor next to the ferry pier (some big steel yacht was hogging the wave screen). A kind offer of a mooring in the next bay (from a fellow Rival sailor who was attanding a music festival, but without yacht), but I stayed on the anchor.
Next day out intending round the west of Islay. Got about half way south on the Rhinns of Islay, and turned back. F6-7, swell about as high as my spreaders, and being singlehanded was getting tired, and I had to tack nearly all that way, and coudn't face the rest. So, back to Sound of Islay, and anchored off the 1st distillery. (Bunabb??). Uneventful night. Next morning, catching the tide, through the sound, and considering the forecast of increasing to F8, I thought to hide behind Gigha. Bad mistake! Arminish isn't much shelter, even when the wind is offshore. I spent the next day there too. Its the first time I've been knocked down .. on a mooring! In the cabin, looked out the window into the sea. I looked out into the cockpit to see the dinghy in the air like a kite! It broke my second VHF antenna off the pushpit, broke the outboard bracket, and the jackstaff. All recovered OK.
Thursday I though, I would chance the Mull anyway, even though the forecast wasn't great. Another boat had been in Arminish when I'd arrived, and was there when I left, larger boat called Ash Moor. (anyone know it?) Appeared only one person - another singlehanded?
So after several tacks into the strong southerly, I managed MoK lighthouse, when all the nasty wind seemed to fall away, and it reduced to a pleasant 3-4. So an uneventful rounding, and into Campbeltown, onto the pontoon. At about 7pm the Lifeboat opposite me came to life and with guys running al around the place, they took off. On Ch16, I hear Clyde calling "Ash Moor", the lifeboat will be with you in 40 mins.
At about 10pm, they towed him in. I never did hear what happened.
Next morning, in low vizibility across to Arran, (couldn't see Kintyre or Mull from half way), round Pladda and into Lamlash for lunch. (anchored). After lunch thought to overnight in Millport. 2nd mistake.
Managed to pick up the mooring OK, but it was fairly bouncy, and with Met office predicting S, F5 overnight, thought there might be better places. Howabout Rothesay, haven't been in there for 5 years! It was full, but I managed in alongside the other 30 or so there. (I'd forgotten that CCC had their closing muster and Tarbert Race). Watched the start of the race this morning, and sailed on to Rhu.
A pleasant week, if a bit windy!
So, West Islay , Port Ellen, Bowmore etc, all next year maybe?

mm5aho wrote:Its the first time I've been knocked down .. on a mooring! In the cabin, looked out the window into the sea. I looked out into the cockpit to see the dinghy in the air like a kite! It broke my second VHF antenna off the pushpit, broke the outboard bracket, and the jackstaff.

I'm pleased that you arrived home safely, but looking at the above, which I think would have been Wednesday, I no longer regret having missed the sail south to Craighouse for the Music Festival. Cheered me up no end...

Shard wrote:

mm5aho wrote:Its the first time I've been knocked down .. on a mooring! In the cabin, looked out the window into the sea. I looked out into the cockpit to see the dinghy in the air like a kite! It broke my second VHF antenna off the pushpit, broke the outboard bracket, and the jackstaff.

I'm pleased that you arrived home safely, but looking at the above, which I think would have been Wednesday, I no longer regret having missed the sail south to Craighouse for the Music Festival. Cheered me up no end...

Ditto

mm5aho wrote:Next morning, catching the tide, through the sound, and considering the forecast of increasing to F8, I thought to hide behind Gigha. Bad mistake! Arminish isn't much shelter, even when the wind is offshore.

What direction was the wind? I've found Ardminish fine in westerlies but untenable in almost anything from the east

After lunch thought to overnight in Millport. 2nd mistake.
Managed to pick up the mooring OK, but it was fairly bouncy, and with Met office predicting S, F5 overnight, thought there might be better places.

Millport can be hella bouncy with anything from the south, and the position of the visitor moorings these days doesn't help: they are a long way out. Twice this year I've given up on Millport and nipped across to Largs Marina - on one occasions returning to Millport by ferry and bus. For a straight southerly, White Bay at the extreme north end of Cumbrae is pretty good, by the way.

Wind direction Ardminish:
It was about SW backing W. Worst was when from W. That's about straight offshore, which is why I thought it'd be fine there. But the hills of Gigha are not high enough. Either that or those three "dancing ladies" (as they call them) - the three windmills, must have been generating enough wind to make it rough.
I'll upload some pix to photobucket and put a link on here.
(I did upload some earlier, but they're too low resolution)

Millport was due southerly, so wind skipping up the east side of little Cumbrae, and rollling in as a swell straight down the line of visitor moorings. Not nice. The only calm place might have been that mooring between the two islets?

Geoff

When I arrived at Ardminish, Gigha, it was like this..


Then later is was like this..



The ferry still ran though, looking like this..

mm5aho wrote:Wind direction Ardminish:
It was about SW backing W. Worst was when from W. That's about straight offshore, which is why I thought it'd be fine there.

Coo blimey, sounds unpleasant. To be knocked down I presume you much have gone beam on to the wind - were there gusts coming from rapidly changing directions?

Millport was due southerly, so wind skipping up the east side of little Cumbrae, and rollling in as a swell straight down the line of visitor moorings. Not nice. The only calm place might have been that mooring between the two islets?

Ah yes, the one I was on for the Thursday night before the SB cruise! It's a little better than the others, but not much.

By "knocked down", I mean that the boat was at such a heel that the cabin windows were in the water.
I was on the mooring, no sails up, dinghy on painter (short) at stern.
The wind becoame quite violent, despite it being offshore (W). I was in the cabin, and suddenly there was a howling shreik of wind, far greater than the steady howl previously, and I was thrown inside, and looked out the window, thinking I'd been hit (though there was no crash), to look directly into the sea.
It only lasted some seconds. I looked aft to see the dinghy sailing in the air like a kite, but still on the painter. In rising from the water, aided by the heel of the boat, the dinghy had broken the outboard free of its bracket on the pushpit, breaking that 19mm ply board in two, but fortunately the outboard came inboard into the cockpit, broken the jackstaff with ensign, and the 2nd VHF antenna.
It was all over in perhaps a minute, but was a mighty blast of wind.
They were as you suggest coming from different directions a little, but the boat was "sailing" a bit on the mooring. By that I mean heading off about 30 degrees to wind until mooring chain pulls tight, then swinging round 30deg off other way. So I must have been partly broadside to wind as a result of that action.

I still have been unable to determine what happened to "Ash Moor", the other boat, that ended up towed into Campbeltown by RNLI. I don't even know who it was. I had thought to ask (on VHF, I wasn't rowing over there in that wind), what his intentions were, but didn't. I'd guess he left too late from Gigha, and encountered the notoroius overfalls, and adverses currents available to the unwary at MoK. I'd left even earlier that I would otherwise, wanting time on my side, not against me. By my guess he might have been rounding MoK about 3-4 hours too late for optimum time. But he must surely also have suffered engine failure? Though I try to limit engine to battery charging and water heating while coming into a port, marina etc. Something in me rebels against using the engine for transit propulsion. Must be a relic of earlier days (in NZ), when I didn't have an engine, and sialed onto moorings etc.