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June July August
9 May Saturday was too foggy to set off and Sunday looked as bad but locals said the fog cleared after Dounreay so we set off at 1340 and motored in slowly clearing mist till the visibility was 2 miles by Strathay point followed by a local ex fishing boat Sunrise who left us when the mist cleared. At 1900 as we approached Eilan nan Ron the visibility dropped to half a mile so we slowly crept past Rabbit Island towards Talmine where the sun was shining. We anchored in 4m, drew alongside Itch and lit the BBQ.
10 May Decided to head for Kinlochbervie with Itch leaving at 1200 motoring against the tide to get slack water at Cape Wrath. The rounding at 1630 was a bit lumpy with 1 mile visibility at sea level and low clouds above 50m. Stornoway Coast guard did not reply on ch 16 when we called to report arrival at 1915 so we called them on the phone. Weather forecast crap for a week. SW 4,5,6,7 just the way we want to go and wind against tide. So we are stuck here at £ 15.27 for 48 hours…
20 May The wind has just swung round to North after being SW 4,5,6 for ten days. Although the strength would not be a problem, unfortunately we would have had wind against tide round Point of Stoer which is said to be no joke. Itch and Sufiana set off single handed at 1315 getting an hour of sailing before the dreaded point. Although the wind was light there was a confused sea West of the point so we motored on in brilliant sunshine to Lochinver arriving at 1815 and welcomed by Martin who was doing a survey of marina users.
21 May I phoned the assistant harbour master at Ullapool and got a very negative reply “ You cant tie up alongside. This is a busy fishing port. If you anchor you must leave space for the fishing boats to turn.” It seems that Loch Broom is the arsehole of the West and Ullapool is halfway up it. There was not much point in going to Ullapool with a welcome like that so Itch and Sufiana decided to go to Loch Kanaird. We set off at 1315 and motored out of Loch Inchard after a fly past by three Tornadoes (or one three times). We were only able to sail for 45 minutes past Rubha nan Coigach then the wind dropped. We motored past the Summer Isles to anchor in 10m off Ardmair at 1835. Richard moored Itch alongside Sufiana and we had a Mexican meal and a touch of Tamdhu.
22 May Sandy Watters came alongside to look over Sufiana as he had a catamaran fishing boat and a mono hull yacht which he had not sailed much. Later he brought his wife Barbara and daughter Charlotte for another look around and invited us for dinner. During a convivial evening Hugh and Karen arrived to complete the party which moved to Sufiana.
24 May Sandy left us a grand bag of prawns. We were able to eat one third of them in the evening and put the rest in the fridge.
25 May Motor was on at 1150 to go to Loch Ewe and Itch set off under sail but we took half an hour to get a chain off our anchor even with the tripping line. It was 1305 before we were sailing. Approaching Loch Ewe we put up the chute and as the wind was dead astern we took the main down and practiced gybing several times till we got the hang of it with our new 40m sheet. At 1650 we were anchored and holding in Aultbea and Itch came alongside. We went to the pub met Karen and Stefan and returned for a final feed of prawns at 2200
26 May We motored out of Altbea against the Nly wind till we passed Rudha Reidh. The chute went up at 1420 till the wind dropped and we were ghosting along at 2.5 knots we motored for 2 hours till Longa Island was abeam then the chute took us to Gairloch harbour which is well sheltered and difficult to spot. Here we moored alongside the pontoon and paid for a 15 day mooring pass. A week of strong winds in the wrong direction kept us in Gairloch till June. Returning from the pub one evening with Karen we got a bag of prawns. We handed over 6 cans of lager in exchange.
6 June We left Gairloch at 1230 and motored all the way to Portree in occasional showers and 2 mile visibility arriving at 1840. Alastair was there in Sidaki and we had a chat when he left for Plocton on Sunday morning.
9 June Left Portree at 1145 with sails up but had to motor 5 miles against the wind till we passed through the Narrows of Raasay Then a great sail all the way to the Skye bridge over 8 knots when the wind reached the “force 6 locally”. We arrived at Kyle of Lochalsh at 1515. 21 miles of sailing in 3½ hours.
12 June We set off at 1520 for Isleornsay harbour through the Kylerhea narrows at slack water. By 1815 we were moored in the pleasant bay with Itch alongside. Sunday we went to the pub and swilled well.
14 June though the wind was SW 5-7 we motored down the Sound of Sleat to Mallaig arriving after taking 3 hours to cover just 10 miles. Karen was at Mallaig to cheer us up and help us moor alongside a red tug called Pushy Cat. The pub called where we met Grant whose band were playing for their supper in the Marine on the 15th also Sooty who promised us a “fry”. This turned out to be scallops and prawns which we collected in the Marine the next day.
16 June Itch went South and we went North to Loch Harport setting off at 1050. A fine sail once we turned round Point of Sleat. We picked up a mooring off the Talisker distillery and went ashore to the pub.
20 June After a bit of indecision whether to call in on Canna we set off for Castlebay on Barra and had a great sail once we reached the mouth of Loch Harport. 44 miles in 7 hours between turning off the motor in Loch Harport and mooring at Castlebay. Vodaphone got no signal here.
22 June We set off at 0715 and motored against the wind to the South cardinal mark at the entrance to the channel into Castlebay. Here we turned off the motor and sailed at 3 knots trailing a fishing line. At 1000 just south of the Sound of Barra we caught 4 mackerel for our tea and bait for the lobster pot. We anchored in 6m at Haun near the new causeway between Eriskay and South Uist. The pot caught 3 green crabs which went back into the sea.
23 June As the NW wind was kicking up quite a sea we moved to the North end of the causeway and anchored in the lee of South Uist.
24 June With a forecast of 6 to 8 later we motored to Loch Boisdale where we again picked up a visitors mooring and went ashore to see the scenery.
28 June 0925 tied up at the pier to fill with water as both tanks were low. Motored out of the loch and then had a fine sail to Loch Carnan where we tied up alongside a disused fish farm. The locals said, “You can stay there for a year if you like.”
29 June 1330 We set off for Kallin in light winds so motored all the way. Tied up in a very full harbour.
30 June 1040 15 minutes of motor to get out of the harbour then sail tacking downwind towards Loch Eport. A large blue ketch motored past us with no sails set! By 1215 we were at the mouth of the loch and the wind was against us so we took the sails down and motored 5 miles to the head of the loch arriving at low water with 1m depth. As the tide rose we dragged the anchor so we reset it and towed it into the mud. No more problems.
1 July 0700 Motor on and away with a light wind behind us we followed our incoming track on the plotter and avoided all the rocks we had seen on the way in. Once out of the loch we sailed to Lochmaddy arriving there in time to pick up the nearest mooring to the shore by 0955. For the next 3 days the wind was from the NW so we stayed visiting the Lochmaddy Hotel and the local shop. Various yachts arrived and left. At 0500 on Monday morning I was woken by a motor starting. Someone’s bright and early to get away. But it was a gentleman on the next mooring who ran his motor for two hours - selfish . Tanera II Largs RHYC.(we met him later in Westray and he seemed to be a sensible chap).
5 July We set off at 1425 to go to Poll Scrot, motored out of the loch and had a great sail NE in a westerly wind. The sun was shining and all was well so we continued to East Loch Tarbert arriving at 1925.
6 July Although other lochs called it had to be Stornoway. We sailed out of the port under posing chute but after ten minutes the wind headed us and on went the donk again. There were pauses for sailing till we got to the queen of the isles Stornoway. We paid for a week as Hugh had to go to Lossie for a quack. (interview with the doc)
14 July 1200 Wind was 4 to 5 occasionally 6 as we set of from Stornoway for Kirkwall. The sail went well. We passed Cape (Horn) Wrath at 2100 one hour ahead of schedule. Then the dolphins came. At least six riding the waves in pairs. Magic. Arriving at Orkney we raised the posing chute through Eynhallow. Eventually we reduced to the foresail and arrived at the marina at 0915. 21 and a bit hours for 133 miles.
17 July the Orkney Challenge yachts started to arrive and we decided to move to the old harbour to be near the club, toilets, showers, pubs, shops. The entrants who remained on Monday 19th sailed in a pursuit race for the Scargun Quaich which was won by a local boat White Magic followed by Krak-ATT and Saga from Lossiemouth.
20 July 1300 We set off for Stronsay with Saga and Shoestring having a fine sail when the wind was in the right direction. We arrived at 1645 and tied up at the east pier. We got a good welcome from Jimmy Stout the harbour master, the black guilemots (tysties) on the pier and in the pub.
21 July 1400 Off to Westray in a South wind that was sometimes 25 and sometimes 5 knots. We set off with one reef in the main but that soon came out and the posing chute went up. We carried this through Eday Sound and Calf Sound but took it down when the wind strengthened – and up again when it dropped. Eventually there was so little wind that our speed dropped to less than 1 knot. The motor took us in to Pierowall where Tom Randall was waiting on the pontoon.
23 July Saga and Shoestring left at 0830 for Kirkwall. We waited till 1000. After the forecast at 0915 SW 10-15 knots increasing 20–25 gusting 37 and the same for Saturday and decreasing Sunday. Saga decided to press on to Wick. We sailed out of Pierowall for an hour till the wind was on the nose and motored for 3 more hours into Kirkwall deciding to wait till Sunday before proceeding South.
24 July Saturday forecast SW veering W 20-25 knots gusting 35 Sunday NW 10-15 good call.
25 July NW 10-15 backing W and gusting 28 gave us a chance of a good sail to Wick. We set off two hours early with Shoestring at 1000 against the tide in the String (1.4 knots) as there were back eddies we could use in the bays. All went well and the tide turned as we reached Mull head at 1200. When we reached the Pentland Skerries at 1400 the autopilot gave up the ghost. All it would do was scream so we switched it off and steered by hand. We arrived in Wick at 1830 after a great sail.
26 July NW 5-10 backing through W to SW saw us out of Wick at 1100. We put up the cruising chute till the wind eventually died at 1400 then took Shoestring in tow alongside still 35 miles from Lossie. By 1700 the sea was oily calm and we swigged gin and tonic. We got into the marina to meet Nick and Martine at 2030 and rolled to the Steamboat to find Richard from Itch
1-6 Aug The 18’ National Championships at Findhorn. Boats from Cork, Findhorn, Monkstown, Isle of Man, Thamesis and some single entries Hugh and I had a great time thanks to the competitors so we changed our plans and will now set off for Isle of Man and Cork in early September. Bought a new autopilot (Raymarine ST2000 which did not work either (see 25 July). It switched itself off so fast that the digital voltmeter did not register the voltage drop due to a faulty terminal block. Replaced the connection and got it working. I expect the old one will work too once I rewire its plug.
7,8 Aug The Gael force series at Lossiemouth went well. One pursuit race and two port Olympics. All won by Gan Farr (Banff) with Elusive (Lossiemouth) second - both Laser 28,s.
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