Sail Scotland 2014 by Sail Scotland

skye and the north west

Kyleakin and the Skye bridge, Highland © Dennis Hardley.

Isles, Muck is also the most fertile, and has been owned by the same family for more than a century. Although small it is also very welcoming to visiting yachts; the island web site www.isleofmuck.com gives directions to the two anchorages on the island, Gallanach and Port Mor. Of the two, Port Mor is much easier to navigate with a clearly buoyed channel, perches at the entrance and a sectored light. The holding in port is also good with a sandy bottom.

SOUND OF SLEAT AND THE EAST SHORE OF SKYE To the north of the Small Isles the ‘usual’ circuit would be to continue north eastwards up the Sound of Sleat, visiting the fishing port of Mallaig to the east or Armadale to the west – the latter has traditionally been favoured by yachts and offers moorings and other yacht services at Isle of Skye Yachts. However, as part of the Malin Waters Sail West project a step-ashore pontoon facility for up to 40 boats has now been built at Mallaig. Mallaig offers an excellent opportunity to fully re-provision the boat, and is also a useful point for crew changes with good train connections on what was recently voted one of the best railway journeys in the world, and ferry connections to Armadale, Inverie and the Small Isles. A visit into Loch Nevis forms part of the itinerary for many visitors, with the Old Forge at Inverie offering an enticing combination of free moorings, a landing pier, excellent food, drink and entertainment, whilst others will head for Isle Ornsay on the west side of the Sound where the Duisdale Hotel has five moorings. The northern head of the Sound of Sleat is formed by the tidal gate of Kyle Rhea where the mountains literally meet the sea. To the north lies Loch Alsh, with pontoon facilities for visiting yachts available at both Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland shore and at Kyleakin on Skye - both maintained by the Highland Council. The former offers train connections to Inverness and a good range of shops. The eastern end of the Loch is home to the castle Eilean Donan, whilst

the western end is crossed by the more recent Skye Bridge, under which all but the very largest of yachts can safely navigate (clearance 29m at H.A.T.). Immediately to the north of Loch Alsh is Loch Carron; many cruising boats will visit the picturesque village of Plockton in the south east of the loch, which has pontoon facilities for visiting boats as well as a large number of serviced moorings - pontoons are available for daytime embarkation only. Venturing still further north the busy port of Portree on the north east of Skye is often visited (now with upgraded daytime pontoon facilities and sixteen visitor moorings), www. portreemoorings.co.uk Portree offers a good selection of shore-side facilities but some people will favour the remote island of Rona. Here the most popular anchorage is Acairseid Mhor (Big Harbour) which has one mooring available and a dinghy pontoon. Ashore there are modest facilities and some interesting walks - www.isleofrona.com. Some sailors will choose to head for the eastern (mainland) side of the Inner Sound and perhaps visit Loch Torridon – dinghy pontoon at Shieldaig, Loch Gairloch pontoons available in Flowerdale Bay - or the sheltered anchorage at Badachro. From here the choice is to either continue north along the mainland shore, perhaps as far as Cape Wrath, passing places such as Ullapool (moorings), Lochinver (upgraded pontoons) and Kinlochbervie (pontoons) or visit some of the remote lochs on this part of the coast en route to the Cape, and then perhaps