Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020 by dtech

Clyde Cruising Club

Jo u r n a l 2020

Cover to be changed

Journal 2020

Some of the boats we sold in 2019

euroyachts Supplying CCC members since 1965 Largs Yacht Haven Tel: 01475 687204 Troon Yacht Haven Tel: 01292 318002 www.euroyachts.com

Contents 4

Clyde Cruising Club Flag Officers, other Office Bearers & Committee Members

5 6 12 18 26 36 42

Welcome to the CCC Journal 2020

On board – Atalaya of Argyll and Lady Naomi

Greenheart goes south coast sailing

Stones and Scalpay – so good we did it twice

Cruise of Lotta in the Kvarner Archipelago, Croatia

Monkey Business’s Icelandic adventure in 2019

Rebel’s West Highland and Islands tour

To the Wizard Pool… in a spell of good weather

Late season misadventures

Admiralty charts, sailing directions and Murdoch Mackenzie

The CCC Sailing Directions – the new digital option

Chart folios to match the CCC Sailing Directions

98 102 106 108

Halcyon’s challenge – race in 2020

112

Winners of prizes, trophies and awards 2019

114 118 122 126 127

Prize-giving and dinner dance 2019

Coats Cup Donald McNamara Trophy CCA Trophy R G Mowat Trophy Murray Blair Trophy Ogg Cup

Swallows and Amazons– and Bardowie Update from Rory The CCC Dinghy Section

Coruisk Plate winners 2019 Members’ cruises 2019 Editor’s Acknowledgements Obituaries

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Clyde Cruising Club Flag Officers, other Office Bearers & Committee Members

Flag officers

2019

2020

Commodore

John Readman Nona

Alastair Torbet Spirit of May

Vice Commodore

Alastair Torbet Spirit of May

Geoff Crowley Contender

Rear Commodores

Geoff Crowley Contender

Glenn Porter Taeping

Ian Macdonald Significant

Office bearers

Secretary

Jennifer Rolland

Cruising Secretary

Graham Crawford

Vacant

Racing Secretary

Peter Edmond

Treasurer

Fraser Gray

Membership Secretary

Alistair Carter

Clive Reeves

Captain Dinghy Section Treasurer Dinghy Section

Jason McKenzie Alison MacCalman and Maria Seery

Jason MacKenzie John Bushfield and Alison MacCalman

Editor of the Sailing Directions Assistant Editors of the Sailing Directions

Edward Mason Iain MacLeod and Geoff Crowley

Co-ordinator of the Yearbook

Patrick Trust

Editor of the Journal

Thorold Mackie

Assistant Editor

Penny French

Members of the Committee Ken Andrew Ross MacNish Anne Morrison Euan Morrison David Peach Seonaid Reid Bronwen Angus Callum Leslie

Other assistance Tidelines Editor

David Denholm

Webmaster

Geoff Crowley

Log Judges

Geoffrey Johnston and John McCowan

Clyde Cruising Club, Suite 102A, The Pentagon Centre, 36 Washington Street, Glasgow G3 8AZ Tel: 0141 221 2774 Web: www.clyde.org Cover Photo – Stones and Scalpay. 2019 Prizegiving and dinner dance photos by Mike Forbes. Prizes presented by Anne Morrison. The views expressed in this Journal are those of invited contributors and are not necessarily those of Clyde Cruising Club Ltd, the Flag Officers or Committee. No responsibility or liability shall be accepted by the Clyde Cruising Club Flag Officers or Committee for any injury, loss or damage that may occur as a consequence of any inaccuracies in or omissions from any material contained within this Journal. Published by DTech, Suite 3.3, Station House, 34 St. Enoch Square, Glasgow G1 4DF. Telephone 0141 222 2202. Advertising sales by Contact Publicity Telephone 0141 204 2042. This journal is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be printed wholly or in part without the written permission of CCC Ltd. and the publishers. The proprietors of this publication are publishers and not agents, or sub-agents of those who advertise therein. They cannot be held liable for any loss suffered as a result of information gained from this publication. The views expressed by authors of articles published in this publication are solely those of the author and are not necessarily the views of or shared by the publisher or the directors, shareholders and/or employees of Clyde Cruising Club, DTech or Contact Publicity.

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Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Welcome to the CCC Journal 2020

friend recently lent me a copy of the 1966 CCC Journal that she had found in her house at Colintraive and a number of aspects struck me. With more than 60 articles, there were 24 cruising logs – from Oslo to Benodet. It was interesting to re-read the article on the dismasting of Christina of Cascais during the North Channel Race en route to Bangor, ably escorted home by Arcturus. Also interesting to reminisce on many of the old names, so many of whom I looked up to as a youngster. I mention this because we all are part of what I believe to be a truly great Club which next year will have supported the Scottish sailing community for 110 years. The Club continues to respect its long traditions throughout successive generations. Sailing would not be the same were it not for the Clyde Cruising Club. I never want to forget the Clyde yachts and characters who built the Club and made such a huge contribution to sailing. I was introduced to sailing as a four year old by my godmother, Miss Lita Edwards, who at that time owned the old Fife ketch, Sybil of Cumae. My early days were spent learning to row the owner and crew ashore and to pick them up again somewhat later. When sailing, if I could make a mark to windward, I was rewarded with 50 pence. Lita Edwards was a formidable racer and Sybil was raced from the Clyde to Scandinavia to Ireland – it was the most wonderful apprenticeship a youngster could have. Against that background, I feel humbled, honoured and very underqualified to be the next Commodore but I hang on to the great values of this Club. Sailing demographics are changing at a fast pace as members lead ever busier lives and it is really important that the Club keeps adapting to changing lifestyles. I believe it is also a time to re-assert the traditional values of the Club, notably: •

One Club: to reinforce the relationship between the Keelboat and Dinghy Sections, Bardowie remains key to succession within the Club

•

To improve communication and listen to and support the interests of all of our members including the creation of a new sub-committee consisting of the younger generation, who will have the opportunity to influence or plan new events to encourage the next generation onto the water

•

To support sailing at every level – events are only great when well supported. The Club welcomes every member, dinghy and keelboat to join events, winter and summer

•

Camaraderie and respect – I believe there is no better place to make new acquaintances and our values actively encourage support for other members

Spirit of May

2020 is an exciting year on the water. Some great events are planned and, to celebrate 110 years of the CCC, the committee has lined up some special activities. Events include our Opening Muster, a three day event including racing and unique RNLI fundraiser which aims to attract many boats from all over the Clyde to a massed flotilla. Also the traditional Tobermory Race is being revived to its original format of three days with a cruisein-company to Vatersay over the following week. And of course there will be all the usual favourites including the Loch Spelve Muster on 8 August. Hopefully these events will provide something for every member. We are also proud to be an affiliated club to RYA Scotland and we offer RYAS our thanks for the ongoing support. Finally, our thanks go to Johnnie Readman who has led the Club tirelessly over the last two years and made a number of important changes behind the scenes to improve the financial position of the Club as well as promoting the Club at every opportunity. Further work requires to be undertaken to secure the long term viability and future of the Club and this forms a big focus for the Committee moving forward. And finally, I look forward to seeing you all at the winter meets or for a pint after a race next summer – the Heart of Scottish Sailing beats on.

Alastair Torbet Commodore

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Winner of the Coats Cup

Lyrebird Maxi 1000

LOA 10.0 metres

Crew Clive and Flora Reeves

Dates 29 May – 30 May; 9 – 15 June; 21 – 29 June; 6 – 7 July 2019

Lyrebird in 2019: four cruises in memory of Andrew Cameron 6 |

Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Winner of the Coats Cup

Roseneath Point near Helensburgh

First cruise Rhu Marina to Loch Ranza and back again to Rhu

s a new member of the Irish Cruising Club, the first non-Irish member for 16 years, I was keen to attend their first muster to Gigha on 31 May with a BBQ on the beach, followed by dinner the next day. After returning from the CCC Scottish Series we provisioned Lyrebird for the trip to Gigha and left Rhu Marina on the Wednesday morning. We made for Loch Ranza in a rising south-west wind, motor-sailing most of the way in continuous rain. We had an early night ready for the long haul in the morning.

We woke to another dreadfully rainy day and to make matters worse both Flora and I were not feeling well – Flora with an infection, me with a bad cold. However I was determined to carry on, so we made way at 09:00 with a reefed main and wee self-tacker. However once out in the Kilbrannan Sound conditions deteriorated even more with the wind now more than 35 knots from the south-west. We were making little progress and, with the bad forecast set to continue for the next few days, I was ordered to turn back. It rained the whole way back to Rhu soaking us and the boat.

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

Winner of the Coats Cup

Second cruise Rhu to Oban via Rathlin Island After recovering from our ailments we resumed our cruise to the West Coast with the aim of reaching our favourite island of Berneray in the Sound of Harris. We departed on a lovely morning in a light south wind and sailed to Millport. However on arrival there was a large swell coming into the bay so we diverted to Kilchattan Bay on Bute and anchored opposite the former hotel with no swell on a lovely evening. We sat and watched a wedding party on a horse-drawn carriage doing a photo shot at the old pier. Another lovely morning next day but we encountered near disaster when attempting to raise the anchor as it was obvious something was wrong and the electric winch was struggling. Eventually the anchor was raised together with a huge cast iron rusting anchor. However, after much hassle plus two cut fingers, we were free. We continued our journey sailing slowly to Brodick where we picked up a mooring, topped up our stores at the Coop, then finally moved to one of our favourite anchorages at Kingscross in Lamlash Bay with its wonderful views of Holy Isle and Arran’s mountains. Later on the wind filled in from the north-west at 15-20 knots, making it a bit uncomfortable, but we were still there in the morning. The shipping forecast for 11 June – Irish Sea N F4-5 increasing F6-7, possible gale F8. We departed for Pladda at 08:45 with the engine on and no wind. However at 10:00 the wind filled in from north-west and the sun came out, giving us a super sail right up to the pontoons at Campbeltown, averaging nearly six knots. We were just able to catch the shops before they closed as Flora had forgotten some of her pills. I also refreshed my cans of diesel at D McNair, a short walk from the pontoons. I have been going there for 30 odd years. We finished off a fab day and went to the Old Picture House which has had a total refurbishment with old and new theatres. We saw the Elton John film and enjoyed the great music. We left the pontoons at Campbeltown at 07:15 to catch the tide at the Mull under a dry, overcast north-west wind. In an ever increasing wind we took in a reef when rounding the Mull with the intention of sailing to Islay 25 miles away. However, the wind direction was right on the nose with a very large sea running. Moreover it was now blowing 30 knots. On the port tack and close-hauled we were just making Rathlin, so we headed there and with the tide we averaged more than seven knots to Rue Point on Rathlin where the overfalls were absolutely huge. We arrived in the harbour by 12:30 with the sun coming out but it was still very windy. We had a pleasant afternoon with a wee nap after lunch and finished the day with music at the pub. With the forecast still north-west F8 and as the wind was going southerly on Friday we stayed the day on Rathlin and explored this lovely island again where the locals are so friendly. We were here last year in beautiful weather together with more than 1,000 tourists arriving by ferry from Ireland.

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Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

The next day we departed at 09:40. It was dry and sunny with a 10-15 knot west wind and the usual big sea off the west tip of Rathlin. We wouldn’t like to be there in a westerly gale. We then had a great sail to Craighouse. We had arranged to meet up with the in-laws, Dorothy and Alistair Cameron – Dream Catcher, for dinner that evening. However, during our sail there we had the most upsetting phone call from Dorothy, she had just received news that her eldest son Andrew had been found dead at a conference he had been attending in Australia where he lived. We were all devastated. The four of us had been with Andrew just a few weeks before on a trip to Australia. We all decided to go home leaving our boats at Crinan and at Oban. After an uneventful sail and with the tide up the Sound of Jura, on 15 June we tied on to one of the Oban Bay Community Moorings opposite the Oban Sailing Club and returned home by train to Helensburgh to support Al and Dot on their dreadful loss.

Third cruise Oban to Berneray and back to Oban We returned to Oban by train on 21 June. Al and Dot had jetted off to Australia to arrange the funeral of Andrew, so we decided with heavy heart to continue our cruise. Thinking of Andrew, he was always at his happiest on the helm sailing into the sunset. The next day we departed at 09:50 in a light northeasterly wind to catch the tide at Duart for the Sound of Mull. With wind filling in at Loch Aline this gave a good sail to Tobermory where we tied up at the pontoons and went shopping to the Co-op. We also filled up with some diesel and left at 15:00 hours for Ardnamurchan, originally for Sanna Bay. However the wind was now in the north-west and very light so we drifted into Kilchoan Bay: 5.5nm in three hours. Having only ever stopped here for lunch before, we tied on to a visitor’s mooring next to another boat in very quiet conditions. After dinner we rowed ashore to the excellent landing jetty, paid our mooring dues at the honesty box and had an enjoyable walk through the village to the local hotel about one mile away. That was followed by a quiet night on the mooring. 23 June – we departed 12:30. The late start was timed to catch the tide, there was no wind but 30 minutes later it filled in, giving us a glorious sail hard on the wind in 12-15 knots. The sun was out as we sailed past the south end of Muck and the towering cliffs of Rum past Glen Harris, arriving at Canna 18:05 and managing to anchor – yes, anchor, safely amongst seven other boats on moorings. None of them had club burgees or red ensigns flying. Most crews were ashore sitting out at the wee restaurant. We did not go ashore. It was a bit late to

Winner of the Coats Cup

Berneray harbour

go after dinner but we enjoyed a few drams on a beautiful evening watching the wildlife and savoured the tranquility, swinging gently to our anchor. The next day we had the anchor up at 09:59 with two concerning issues. We couldn’t get a signal on my phone so didn’t have a weather forecast, the last one I had gave 20 knots north-west. Also the tide at the Sound of Harris would be very low when we were due to arrive there. In a rising wind we beat up towards Neist Point against the tide and wind. Although only about 15 knots as we passed Neist Point the sea from the north-west was becoming rather large, so I took in a reef on the main and with the wee self-tacker were bowling along at six knots. About halfway across the Minch the wind increased to 30 knots, gusting 35-40. We had too much sail up and were surfing down the waves. Unfortunately I did not have the second reef set up and was preparing to drop the main altogether. However by dropping the main fully down the track we were managing but only just. We arrived at the entrance to the Cope Passage. It was now blowing 40 knots, lashing rain with a huge sea running in the shallow waters and we had trouble picking up the entrance with rocks all over the place. It was also now dead low spring tide. So we turned and made for Lochmaddy Marina, registering a top speed of 11.6 knots on a super sleigh ride to the entrance of the loch, and sailed right up to the marina in thankfully calmer water, but still the wind was howling. The marina was chock-a-block with the main pontoon full. However

we managed to go in astern in 30 knots onto the end section with a few folk rushing out to take our warps – the joys of sailing. After clearing up the boat we plugged in the electricity, only to find there was none. The power cables had been damaged in a gale, so we had a wee dram instead. Next day, 25 June, the wind was still 30 knots or more but it was sunny so we decided to get the bus to Berneray. One was due just before lunch but unfortunately we were at the wrong bus stop and missed it, so with the next one not due till after lunch we decided to stay at Lochmaddy. We had lunch at the centre with a walk around the village, then dinner at the hotel that evening. Since our last visit both the tourist information office and the bank have been closed. On 26 June we motor-sailed to the entrance of the Sound of Harris and navigated our way through all the islands via the ferry channel. We always go on a rising tide and as near high tide as possible – this being about our 15th transit. On the very last leg from the ferry route to Bays Loch the depth was down to two metres. Thank goodness we had not tried to transit on Monday as with the large swell we could have hit the bottom. We arrived at the harbour and tied on to a large aluminium ketch, Ocean Search. We were followed by a small wooden boat which tied up on the mooring in Bays Loch. Later we were informed by a local diver that the mooring chain is dangerously thin as it has not been serviced by the council. 

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Winner of the Coats Cup

After lunch we walked to our favourite west beach. Unfortunately it was cold and dull and the walk over the machair seemed very long for two ‘auld yins’. Still we managed it and were rewarded by the wonderful view of the seven mile long beach and the Atlantic breakers crashing in. There was not a soul in sight and no plastic or rubbish. We have been coming here since 1988 in the old Hanky Panky, a Highland 28, with lots of fond memories of the welcoming local fishermen and dancing into the wee small hours on our first trip to St Kilda from Berneray in 1990. The next day, 27 June, we departed at 11:00 on a rising tide back though the Sound and sailed south in a light north-east wind. According to the weather forecast it was baking hot down south but we had 10ºC. With the tide against us it was slow progress. We were wondering where to make for as over the years we have visited nearly all the anchorages on the west coast of Skye.

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Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

As it was a northerly wind direction we decided to venture into one of the lochs normally exposed to the prevailing south-west wind and arrived at Loch Eynort. It was totally exposed to the south, however, but there is a small leg to port giving a little protection but it shallows very quickly at the mouth of the loch. So we anchored in three metres in a completely empty loch. I explored in the dinghy after dinner. There is a house at the mouth with various fishing boats on the hard and a small one on a mooring but no sign of life. A quiet night with the loch to ourselves but a bit creepy. A lovely morning next day but little wind – the wind was south-east on the nose plus the tide against us again. But the sun was out and it was even warm. We sailed slowly passed the west of Eigg and I decided to visit the ‘Singing Sands’ in the Bay of Laig, which we last visited 40 years ago. Well, what a wonderful experience it was to anchor and land in this normally exposed bay, something I have long hoped to achieve. It is a magical place.

Winner of the Coats Cup Davaar Island, Campbeltown

Final cruise Oban to Rhu by way of Gigha and the Mull of Kintyre

The north end of the beach was full of folk in swimming so I landed to the south for a photo shot and contemplated all the wonderful places we have managed to visit on the West Coast with my dad in Zuleka and Nomad from 1959. Three yachts over 37 years. At this point Flora was keen to get home and catch up with her sister Dorothy on her return from Australia, so we up-anchored and sailed to Sanna Bay just before Ardnamurchan, another one of our favourite anchorages. It was sheltered in a south-east wind. After a slow but sunny sail we anchored well into the bay avoiding the rocks at the entrance with one other yacht at anchor. We had a wee dram to toast nephew Andrew, whose funeral it was in Australia that day. So next day we departed at 10:30 in hazy sun and little wind and sailed, motored, sailed with the tide to Oban and picked up a mooring off Oban Sailing Club. We rowed ashore to book the train home to Helensburgh the next day. This had been an enjoyable short cruise with our objective of Berneray achieved.

I arrived by train at Oban on my own the evening before to bring Lyrebird back to the Clyde. I departed at 07:30 to catch the tide at the Doris Mor in a light northerly breeze. I sailed off the mooring at Oban and anchored under sail at Gigha. What a great sail, the tide with me most of the way and an average of just over six knots achieved in a soldier’s wind. It is now difficult to find somewhere to anchor as the moorings cover most of the anchoring area, although the availability of so many moorings is certainly attracting many boats. The place was packed, I could only see one spare mooring and the pontoon was full. As I was on own and anxious to get home, I decided to have a short sleep, then after a meal, I headed for the Mull in perfect conditions. I departed at 20:00 for the Mull, sailing the whole way in 10-15 knots. Right at the lighthouse the wind died completely, so I switched on the engine and in the pitch dark rounded the headland 100 metres from the shore to miss the overfalls. After 10 minutes the wind filled in strongly to more than 30 knots but I still had the full main sail up and the winches were now under the water. The boat was sailing on her side. I quickly set a reef, turned off the engine, pulled out the wee self-tacker and we were off. According to the GPS the boat was surfing at 17 knots with a strong tide with us – 20 minutes later the wind was back down to 10 knots. I sailed on and anchored in the lee of Davaar Island, Campbeltown Loch at 02:30. I had a wee dram to celebrate rounding the Mull, then it was off to bed for four hours. I departed on a lovely morning with the wind still in the north and made for the south of Arran. I sailed all the way in calm conditions. However, as I turned towards Holy Isle the wind died completely and I had to motor the whole way home to Rhu, which gave me a good chance to tidy up the boat. It also gave me time to contemplate the ups and downs of our time on the West Coast and remember the good times we had with my nephew Andrew racing at the Scottish Series and other CCC events. He shared my passion of sailing and the sea, may he rest in peace.

Clive Reeves

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Winner of the Donald McNamara Trophy Isles of Fleet looking north-east

Arran Comrades Freedom Ketch – long keel version

LOA 10.5 metres

Crew Mike Johnston, Kirsty, ye very olde piratie doggie, and Erratica, the autohelm

Dates 30 June – 21 July 2019

One man and his dog … all over the place 12 |

Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Winner of the Donald McNamara Trophy

Mull of Galloway from the east

Poor old Kirsty. She was fading away, almost blind, deaf and stupid and sore about the legs, but her tail still wagged and her tummy and coat were remarkable for one approaching fourteen years. We could still get in and out of the dinghy and she has always made friends everywhere. So we came home after the Orkney Folk Festival and then cruised to the west coast of Skye, gladly taking the opportunity to get back south without hassle.

all on the off-chance of getting round Malin Head. It was not to be with the wind onshore, big tides and a NW swell. There was also a risk of not being able to stop for Kirsty, if Culdaff, which I’ve never visited, was exposed. There’s only a two-hour tidal window westbound at Malin Head by the inshore route.

And then the Solway Over to Ireland So what next? I wanted to go to Donegal again before Brexit and saw a possible window which needed a fast passage to Islay. So we left Crinan on Sunday 30 June in the afternoon in a very fresh south-westerly and motor-sailed across the tide rips for a wretched night at Kinuachdrach Harbour on Jura. It was a wasted effort as next morning it was too wet and windy for anything other than the engine and a two-reefed backsail. Creeping along the weather shore we could only get as far as Craighouse. The tide was starting south about 0400 or 1600. Not a great start. Tuesday proved too fresh for Ireland but we sailed much of the way to Port Ellen where we took advice from a Coleraine crew. This meant a mid-flood departure next morning, unfortunately this was too early as the wind was ‘Not Obeying Forecast’ (NOF). We needed the engine for a while until the intended north-westerly lifted us into Portrush where again we got a great welcome. This was

So it was down eastwards by sunny Ballycastle, Copeland Island and then on Saturday over to the Mull of Galloway with more NOFs justifying some motoring to take the tidal slots. The wind freshened as we approached the Mull. We were 30 miles away and aiming to be in the right place for half an hour before HW springs. Blowing down under bare poles, the tide turned early thus we popped round, straight into a three-knot foul stream but for only half a mile. We turned into East Tarbert Bay and pulled up a huge lump of weed at the first attempt. Then the anchor reluctantly held and survived a good tug astern. This place is said to be sheltered through to north, but was jumpy in a NW F4 and splashy getting ashore. To carry on east was another 20 miles against 2-4 knots of tide. The bay has cliffs to the south and low land to the west but is open north and east. Sunny and warm with an irregular dog-infested camp and some motor-homes at the top of the beach we were joined by a herd of cows and calves in the early morning. Fortunately the animals took themselves away for milking before Kirsty needed ashore.

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

Winner of the Donald McNamara Trophy

Ardwell on Luce Bay at low water

It was a NOF calm during Sunday’s flood to Isle of Whithorn for lunch. This was a better anchorage than I had expected with an all-tide slipway for more than six metres rise and fall. Here we met Martin Wilson, a member of Largs Sailing Club and Fairlie Yacht Club, in his 19’ gaff cutter Mollusc. A forecast of the wind going through north to the southeast meant we couldn’t stay but we had a gentle sail to the Isles of Fleet on the north-east shore of the next big bay. Of the two best anchoring spots, landing seemed impossible on Murray’s Isles and was less than indifferent on Ardwell

Island where we spent a quiet night. It’s much rockier than the chart or SDs might suggest. Open to all west winds and some miles of shallows to the north-east which I guess would produce a slop, so hardly a snug berth. I planned to motor to windward, at the end of the morning ebb, helped by an eddy then the first of the flood to Little Ross Sound. This was comfortable in a south-east F4 with the stream pointing us out to sea but would have been horrible after high water. Not spacious but quite pretty. We motored up the river to Kirkcudbright where we spent four nights rafted on the pontoon, with Mollusc in port, with the wind veering slowly through south, plus some drizzle. It is however a delightful wee town which offered a musical evening in the square courtesy of the local pipe band. A nice family event which we could enjoy with pint in hand.

South to Douglas, Isle of Man

Tender to Arran Comrades

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Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

A front blew through on Thursday night so the WNW F4-5 was ideal for the 25 miles of open water to the Isle of Man, which contrary to my previous report is UK dog friendly. We drifted slowly out of the river but as we passed Little Ross Island plenty of wind filled in to justify one reef in each sail. I was a little disturbed to speak to a large cargo ferry off the Point of Ayre which claimed to not see us at two miles – he fixed us by VHF direction finder and we agreed mutual course changes to avoid collision.

Winner of the Donald McNamara Trophy

Harbour at Kirkcudbright

This north point of the island is spectacular in an understated way, being miles of high shingle beach topped by two lighthouses and a big fog horn. On we raced to Ramsay at low water, chosen for slack water at the point, and anchored precariously off the harbour with the wind rather fresh and the sea roughish. We ended up landing on the beach as there wasn’t even water for the outboard in the channel between the high breakwaters. Eventually I spoke to Douglas Harbour by mobile phone and established that the harbour master was away for the rest of the day and an overnight stop would not be possible. This was a pity as Arran Comrades had been moulded in Ramsay in 1986. Clearly we couldn’t stay but just round the next point was Port Mooar, an attractive bay with good protection from the sea and swell where we anchored in 3m. Still it was a long putter to the beach at high water. Saturday was even fresher. Knowing what I discovered the next day, we could have sailed on for a sheltered mooring at Port St Mary, but well-reefed we took the less risky option of a ‘pontoon’ at Douglas, through a gate and bridge +/- two hours of high water. We were directed to an ‘echelon’ berth which was the tightest I’ve ever been in – no room to turn and no second chance, so just had to push in on the fenders and hope for the best – the wind strength was F6 even in this ‘marina’. For this privilege we were charged £34.00 but the mariniero did admit that we should have been given a better spot and came down to help us out in the morning.

On a whim we jumped on the wee steam train, which was refreshing after all the faffing about at sea. The nearest dog-friendly bar closed its kitchen at 17:00 – you couldn’t make it up.

And round to Peel More sunny NOF on Sunday. After a ‘no food here’ pub lunch at Port St Mary we motored by Calf Sound to Port Erin, a thoroughly pleasant bay in the offshore breeze – but fully open to southwest. There is fine cliff scenery at this end of the island. I watched the simultaneous World Cricket and Wimbledon Finals in a pub with two big screens but there was no food there, nor in the waterside wine bar which had a very tempting ‘boutique’ menu. Aaaarrrggghhh! I couldn’t face a take-away pizza which was the only alternative within Kirsty’s limited walking range. However all were very friendly. The forecast continued to follow us round, likewise the late-morning high water enabled a reach to Peel with another gate, bridge and a £34.00 fee, slightly better value as it’s a gem of a place. Being Monday, most of the wee food shops and some pubs were closed with the notable exception of the Creek Inn – steak and chips at last. Apart from the challenge of parking the punt on a holiday beach, we could have anchored or taken a mooring as several others did in the light to moderate south-easterly. 

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Winner of the Donald McNamara Trophy

Port Erin, Isle of Man

Back home The wind direction was more in the south by Tuesday and again NOF but enough puff and favourable streams for a swift motor-sail to Ballyhalbert Bay just north of Portavogie on the County Down coast, passing astern of Yeoman Bank in mid-channel. Anchoring in 4m off the quay we found a sunken buoy astride the chain, so moved a few yards and fell back – to where a loop of creel line came to the surface at low water beside the rudder. I was not impressed. Wednesday was showery but produced a simple ‘sails up, reach 35 miles, sails down’ trip using every inshore eddy and an early turn of tide to Glenarm. £20 for two nights, free laundry and spotless showers. Two Kirstyfriendly pubs but no food. Various fronts were passing and the best option was Friday at 03:00 to motor 21 miles to Rathlin, full moon, 2-4 knots fair tide but a windless NOF. As usual we hit a foul stream going into Rathlin Sound, but of only 2 knots. Dined in the Manor House on the ephemeral promise of some fiddle music.

Hidden danger at Ballyhalbert

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Saturday was brilliant but a rather fresh 18-24 knots WNW in harbour so I tied down reefs and powered out an hour before high water Dover for the second deliberate motor to windward five miles, passing the west end and out to the 100m contour in the gurly sea and north-going stream before soon setting full sail for Islay. In a good NOF, it even freshened again as we came in under the Oa at eight knots. We had music ashore that evening in the Islay Hotel. On Sunday 21 July we ran all day to Crinan via Craighouse, again playing every nuance of the tide which was only fair for an hour off Keills. Rain started – blown over from the Royal Portrush Golf Club where The Open was finishing. Home again after three weeks of mostly fair winds and not too much precipitation.

On reflection The Solway Firth had been on my bucket list for years. Never achieved, partly because I was looking for full neap tides and didn’t find these in conjunction with a suitable forecast – and it’s some days’ sailing from Crinan or the Clyde. With hindsight, the forecast would seem to be more important: winds with north in them. Landing was difficult with hardly any shingle, lots of rocks plus any sand running shallow for miles, and of course the tidal range of 6-8 metres. A light dinghy and/or crew that can carry it would be an advantage. The Isle of Man was similar but less extreme. I’ve long had negative feelings about the Isle of Man which I sailed round while crewing on Mary of Dorset in the Blue Water Race of 1966, but never landed upon. I’m pleased to report that it was fine and not as congested as I feared in places like Port St Mary. And the beer was cheap!

Mike Johnston

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Winner of the CCA Trophy

Contender Rival 32

LOA 9.7 metres

Crew Geoff Crowley – owner, Matt Crowley

Dates 28 May – 16 June 2019

How not to sail to the Faroes

Approaching Orkney

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Winner of the CCA Trophy

ver since I’d lived in Iceland in the early 1990s, I’d wanted to visit the Faroe Islands. To sail there and explore by boat would be even better. When the opportunity arose to have enough time in May and June to do it, I had to take it.

Planning I did quite a lot of planning. This started in 2018 with getting some charts. It seems that the area is covered by the Danish Geodata Agency who produce marine charts for the Faroes, Greenland and Denmark. Then there’s the fact that the Faroese waters have ferocious tidal flows: think Corryvreckan round every headland. And what about ports of entry, so that I won’t fall foul of immigration? My son Matt didn’t have enough holidays to take all the planned three weeks, so we agreed that he would fly and I would sail single-handed there. We’d meet up in Torshavn, the capital, and sail around for a week or so, then sail back to Scotland the third week. We knew a few people there that we’d met when living in Iceland. One lived in Fuglafjørður, and that’s a small port, so that had to be on the list. ‘You can anchor in front of my house’, he said in an email. There would not be The Faroese Tidal Atlas

enough time to explore the whole of this archipelago of 18 islands, but we could see a fair amount and then sail south for home. It’s about 210 miles from Stornoway, sailing almost due north, to the southern island of the group, Suðuroy, and its port of entry, Tvøroyri. In Contender, a pretty slow boat, that would take about 48 hours – a manageable distance. But I had to get to Stornoway first, and I was in Tarbert Loch Fyne following the Scottish Series, and wanted to be in the Faroes within a week. Better remember my passport.

Lead-up to departure Roll back to mid May. For several years I’ve entered the Scottish Islands Peaks Race. This race is a bit gruelling. It’s a combination of running and sailing. A team of five comprises two runners and three sailors. The runners must run to the summits on Mull, Jura and Arran, and the sailors must get them there. Starting with a road race in Oban on Friday at midday, the fleet – often 40 boats – sails to Salen on Mull, rowing the runners ashore where they run a marathon and climb a Munro to the summit of Ben More, returning in the dark. We then sail overnight to Craighouse, Jura, and repeat the exercise. The runners run the three highest hills on that island, and then we sail round the Mull to Arran, anchoring in Lamlash, while the runners ascend Goat Fell. Then it is a mad dash for Troon to finish, typically on Sunday night or Monday. Our runners won the women’s section, but the slowness of our boat put us in the latter half of the fleet – nine out of 12 in our class and 29 overall out of 40 entries. I’d had to get the boat to Oban first, so Iain Brown and I left Gourock on Tuesday night, getting round the Mull on Wednesday, reaching Oban on Thursday, and with registration and checks all done, we were ready for Friday’s start. There was little wind at times, but in this race rowing is allowed. Some years back I’d made two large oars which means two people can get the boat to do two knots, but it’s tiring. After the race, it was Troon to Gourock, and back to work for two days. Then on Thursday night I set off alone for Tarbert for the Scottish Series. As in the previous year I helped with anchor handling and mark setting duties. Anchoring race marks in Loch Fyne can be problematic. It is deep, and there’s tide. The chart shows the deepest part, between Tarbert and Portavadie, as 193m depth, but it’s more normal to set the courses in waters varying from 30m to 150m. That’s a lot of rope when the race officer asks you if you could ‘move that mark another 25m to the north?’. So after three days of mark laying I’d planned to head north alone on Tuesday.

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Winner of the CCA Trophy

Leaving Stornoway

Departure So that was the lead-up to my expedition to the Faroes. Tired after the SIPR and the SS, I departed Tarbert on Tuesday 28 May at 09:00 singlehanded, sailing south for the Mull of Kintyre. I’d calculated that a morning departure would set me about right for the tides. I’d rounded the Mull eight times in 2018, so passage planning was becoming a bit routine. It was a fine trip south, passing

A pod in the Sound of Jura

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Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Campbeltown, Sanda, the lighthouse and then heading north. Now the wind was on the nose for a while, so I motored for a couple of hours. By evening I was tiring a bit, so thought to stop off at Gigha for some sleep. I pulled into Ardminish Bay and anchored at 23:30. At 06:00 the next morning I weighed anchor and was away again. Thinking I really need some miles under the keel, and taking the weather into account, I carried on without stopping. Jura rolled on past, Scarba, Luing, Seil, and then I was rounding Duart Point in bright sunshine at 14:00 and, as often happens, I lost the wind. Motoring for a while in the Sound of Mull, eventually Tobermory passed on my port side at 17:00, and now with a F3, Ardnamurchan. Then it started to rain, and with wind now in the north, I was struggling to head for the Sound of Sleat, but just managing. Mallaig was barely visible through the rain at night, but a feint glow was reassuring. Through the Kyle, under the Skye Bridge at 06:00 on Thursday, and onwards – Scalpay, Raasay and Rona all passing behind. The wind was better now, from the east and a nice sail across the Minch saw me pulling eventually into Stornoway on Thursday afternoon and tie up at the marina at 16:30. I was tired, and it was still raining.

Winner of the CCA Trophy Even with my self-steering gear, that route didn’t lend itself to any sleep. I could not be bothered to cook, so wandered into town in the rain and found a Chinese takeway. After a delicious meal and a shower I crawled into my bunk and slept soundly. Next morning I found the harbour master’s office, and paid my berthing fee. Filling in the form, it felt quite nice to state last departure point as Tarbert, Loch Fyne, and intended next port of call Tvøroyr, Faroe Islands. I set off from Stornoway about 10:00, rounding the Eye Peninsula and set a course for north. The wind was in the south about F4-5 – about the winds Contender needs to move at any respectable pace, but the sea was confused and lumpy. I could not get the self-steering to settle reliably sailing downwind. I tried for hours. It just doesn’t like a tail wind, and the lumpy sea meant the boat was bouncing all over the place. The forecast was for more of the same. I had about 40 hours to go but I sailed on by hand steering. When I figured out the smudge on the horizon was North Rona I started to think. I’d been tired when starting out from Tarbert. I’d sailed three days on six hours sleep at Gigha, had another six hours sleep at Stornoway, but was now facing another 35 hours of this.

Turning back Whether by good calculation of what was the sensible thing to do, or by sheer exhaustion and dread I’m not sure, but looking at the chart and weighing the options I turned around and headed back south-east. I’d figured that Loch Inchard and Kinlochbervie would be a safe place to stop. By now the wind was up to about F6 and from the west, so it was a lovely exciting sail. Contender seemed to appreciate my decision to turn back, and she fair romped along, at times hitting seven knots surfing down the increasing swell. I tied up alongside the tiny pontoon in the dark just on midnight, and I immediately crawled into my bunk. I slept soundly in that sheltered harbour, and next day I saw not a soul. I wandered ashore to find the harbour master. I didn’t even see a stray dog. Not a person, not a vehicle, no signs of life. Kinlochbervie was once a bustling fishing port. Now the market lies rather empty. Perhaps it gets used occasionally? I phoned Matt, and said, ‘Don’t go to the Faroes, meet me in Scrabster in two days and we’ll go to Orkney for a week.’

Scrabster

Berth in Scrabster

I sailed out of Loch Inchard with two days to get to Scrabster, so I could break that journey somewhere. I’d never been into Loch Eribol, so that might be a nice easy stop. And so it was. I anchored off Ceannabeinne beach, and watched the surfers riding the waves right into the darkness of night. At 08:00 next morning, I sailed off eastward. Past Whiten Head, Strathy Point, Dounreay, and eventually rounded Holbourne Head into Thurso Bay and Scrabster. On the VHF the harbour master said ‘The hairbour’s aa fu’ bit ye kin tie up ootside by the RNLI hoosie. Ye’ll be saif there, y’ken.’ It was blowing about F4 from the east when I tied up at 17:00 that evening, and while bouncy, it was indeed safe there. Another sound sleep, and a shower in the fish market and I felt great. Disappointed not be in Tvøroyri, but alive to tell the tale. There was to be a fish auction, and I had a day to use up waiting for Matt to arrive. Now a fish auction is a sight to experience. Several hundred boxes had been landed by a trawler, Loch Inchard. Surely they’d be from Kinlochbervie? ‘Yes, but the prices are better here.’ And so they were. Two big turbot got £130 each. But they were 15kg or so. I wandered round the wharf of this busy little fishing port. A crabber was making a new line. Brand new rope, splicing in a dropper every few metres, they piled this rope up on the pier, and the heap was over one metre high. ‘How long?’, I asked. ‘About 5000m’, he replied. I remembered the creel rope I’d caught round my rudder in the Sound of Mull the year before.

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Winner of the CCA Trophy

Island signs in Kirkwall

Matt arrived from Thurso train station that night and on Tuesday 4 June we set sail for Stromness. We’d been in here in 2015 and anchored off the north end of Graemsay Island, a great position to watch the traffic in and out of Scapa Flow in the west entrance. They must have thought us nuts anchoring there, but we have a reliable anchor. Scrabster fishmarket

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Orkney We went to Scrabster and, as before, wandered about the town. It’s really quaint – cobblestone streets in some places wide enough for a car only and no pedestrians, but with great shops and welcoming people everywhere. Next day we got a bus to Kirkwall, and spent the day there. St Magnus Cathedral, the Orkney Wireless Museum, and other tourist places make this a really interesting place. Next stop after a nice sail across the Flow was St Mary’s Bay. We encountered an ethylene tanker. So big was it that the Orkney Traffic Control called us to keep clear – they’d seen our AIS signal. There’s a single visitor mooring at St Mary’s. Approaching it and attempting to start the engine, there was nothing. Dead. It turned out later to be a faulty relay, and swapping it for another solved the trouble, but meantime the art of sailing onto a mooring in shallow water was good practice. It took a couple of goes. Nearby here is the Italian Chapel. Built during WW2, this Nissen hut-style building built by POWs from scrap is maintained today as a visitor attraction. The rain bucketed down, so we got the bus back to the boat, across one of the Churchill Barriers – another WW2 legacy designed

Winner of the CCA Trophy to block many of Scapa Flow’s entrances from enemy submarine invasion. We could do with some of these on the Clyde – I thought. Back to the boat, and next day we sailed south to Lyness. There’s a museum here, but we found it shut. We still explored the outdoor exhibits and the dead carcass of a wave generator, and then set off for Longhope, where we picked one of the two visitors’ moorings. This is the town that lost eight of its lifeboat crew in 1969 trying to save a Liberian tanker in trouble. There’s a good shop in Longhope, and you can buy almost anything there. It’s fascinating just seeing the variety. From cabbages to concrete blocks, durum wheat to diesel, they sell it all.

Lyness

Back south After our time exploring round Scapa Flow, we sailed south for Gourock. The Pentland Firth has a reputation. But the CCC Sailing Directions are of great assistance. Just when do the Merry Men of Mey dance their jig? When do the Tails of Tarf lash out to ensnare errant passage makers? And what of the Duncansby Race, the Lowther Race? And the seven knot tides? It’s all there in the Sailing Directions and once again we made a safe course across that notorious stretch of water. Next stop Wick. What a transformation that harbour has had since 2015, our last stop there. The Beatrice Wind Farm’s 90 turbines keep a workforce of about 90 occupied maintaining and monitoring those offshore generators, each about 7 MW and standing 160m to the tip of the rotor. The geography of the east coast is a bit boring compared to the west, but there’s always something interesting going on. Passing Invergordon, heading to Inverness, we saw a gaggle of AIS signals on our chart plotter. Something was happening there, it seemed. We could see an oil rig in mid entrance, not moving. And about six attendant service boats like bridesmaids round a bride. Later we found out that it wasn’t any love match, we’d managed to avoid getting caught up in the hijacking of an oil rig by protesters. The journey through the Caledonian Canal was, as usual, delightful. It’s a contrast in many ways to the Crinan, and an experience to try if you have not done so yet. I was through there again in August sailing from Norway to Oban, and for my first time went swimming in Lochs Ness and Oich. Cold but refreshing. This time however it was nice sailing though not hot weather. Exiting the canal at Corpach, there was a near gale. The German yacht with which we’d descended Neptune’s Staircase decided against sailing and stayed in Fort William, but we sailed on south. After all, a Rival loves strong winds. It was a northerly, perhaps F7-8. We surfed on downwind on genoa only, but the full 140% of it. The Corran Ferry avoided us as we tramped on through the Narrows, but it was getting late and we decided we should anchor somewhere for the night. We looked into Cuil Bay, but it was pretty exposed, and we’d have a bouncy sleep if we anchored there. On southwards then, past Shuna, Port Appin, and into Airds Bay, just outside the entrance to Loch Creran. This should be a good anchorage, and so it was. The wind blew all night, touching 40 knots many times. I tried out an app I’d downloaded on my phone. It’s GPS based, and measures deviation from a set point, activating an alarm if the phone exceeds a pre-set distance from a set point. But we were yawing 20m either side of the point. We didn’t budge downwind a metre – within the accuracy of the system, despite this yawing all over the bay. 

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Winner of the CCA Trophy

Running down Loch Ness

Next morning another vigorous sail south led us to Crinan. The wind was forecast to turn to the south. That would mean a beat all the way to the Mull of Kintyre, so we took the soft option and entered the Crinan Canal. In the Caley Canal, everything works, and the staff operate all the locks. In the Crinan, some of the equipment works, and you do some of the work yourself. But this shared responsibility brings its own problems. Finding one lock with a sluice open top and bottom, we thought ill of the previous boat leaving it like that and proceeded to empty the lock properly to gain access. There were no sluice handles there. ‘Silly people who drop handles into the chamber’, I thought as I used my own handle that I’d made years back. And then along came a lock keeper annoyed that I’d prevented him from ‘running water’. All he needed to do was to say what was happening. Eventually escaping from the Crinan at Ardrishaig, we called briefly at Portavadie for fuel and water, then onwards and home to Gourock. We got to our Gourock mooring at 14:00 on 16 June, 25 days after I’d left the Clyde for Tarbert.

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Lessons learned The summer of 2019 was one where I learned how far I can go without sleep, but how important that is for safe sailing. I wonder about those who race round the world, napping for 20 minutes at a time, but doing this for weeks on end. I can do it for a few days, but there’s a limit, and this year I found where that limit lies for me. Despite not getting to the Faroes we enjoyed a great sail. Why I didn’t think to stop at North Rona for a sleep I don’t know. It was much closer than Kinlochbervie, and on the route I’d intended. But that’s what happens when one is really tired. Thinking gets clouded – at least more than usual.

Geoff Crowley

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Winner of the R G Mowat Trophy Anchored at Jutevikneset

Ataraxia Dufour 40

LOA 12.0 metres

Crew Stephen and Susan Pickles – owners, Trevor Watson, Peter Struthers, Orla Hilton, Nikita Krähenbühl, Pauline Vik-Vestly, Barney Eliot and Joe Boyle

Ataraxia A to the Arctic

Dates 9 May – 3 August 2019

round 10 years ago a new laptop landed on my desk. A screensaver one morning stopped me dead: the iconic view of Reine in Lofoten. From then on, whenever it was mentioned in club talks or CCC Journal articles, I took a keen interest. In 2018 work was put to one side, and planning in earnest started for a Lofoten trip in the summer of 2019. Crew were lined up for the summer, and we had a week of intensive boat preparation at Craobh Marina over the first week of May.

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Winner of the R G Mowat Trophy

Loch Hourn sunset

Craobh to Lerwick By 9 May 2019 the boat was readied for a long sea passage and we departed Craobh heading north to overnight at Oban. An early start set the tone for the next few days, we needed to reach Lerwick to meet crew on 20 May. First stop was Isle Ornsay, Skye. A Turneresque sunset into Loch Hourn saw us in our berths early. Ice on deck in the morning prompted mutterings about Arctic training, but it’s a clear blue sky and we headed north with a fair wind to Tanera Beag in the Summer Isles. We had the anchorage to ourselves and sunbathed on arrival. The following day we started late to hop up to Kinlochbervie, a good sail initially, but motoring as the wind died. The tide around Cape Wrath allowed a late morning start. Under stunning blue skies we headed north, dolphins greeting us as we entered open water. Cape Wrath failed to concern us as we cruised flat water and worried more about sunburn than sea conditions, heading north-east for Stromness to arrive with the tide. Orkney loomed and we arrived around 04:00. Tired, we managed to figure out the harbour lights and get onto a visitor’s berth. We had a friendly welcome from the harbour master, and another beautiful spell of weather persuaded us to stop in Orkney for a few days. The next day we were up early, bikes unfolded, heading off under an azure sky towards the oldest settlement in Europe. It was moving to see how well-built the village of Skara Brae is, 4,500 years old and still standing.

Another stunning day dawned, and this time we took the bus to Maise Howe. A fantastic Neolithic cairn, complete with Viking graffiti. We left the charms of Orkney and departed for Fair Isle. The starter motor started playing up. Duncan’s in Glasgow forwarded a spare to Lerwick. The sail started fair, but early afternoon we sailed into fog, we had radar contacts and foghorns. The wind faded so we motor-sailed, all contacts safely passed. In the late evening the fog cleared, and we sighted the Fair Isle lights. A torchlit check of the berth showed we were fine on the pier, and we moored using the huge fenders provided for visiting yachts. We were all shattered by the tension of sailing through the fog. Next morning, after a celebratory brunch, we walked the island. We stopped at a knitwear producer where souvenirs and woollen hats were purchased. We started at 05:00 the next morning and cleared North Harbour, sailing into a murky, dreich day, with our radar and foghorn on. The weather cleared at Sumburgh Head, we set full sail and romped up the east coast of Shetland, passing Mousa and large ships anchored off Lerwick, and onto the visitor’s pontoon. We spent a few days in Lerwick, visiting chandlers and restocking. Peter and Orla joined ship. A weather window opened for a crossing on the 23 May.

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Winner of the R G Mowat Trophy Midnight sun

Lerwick to Lofoten 23 May 2019: up early, we planned to head to Lofoten first and then cruise south with the prevailing north-east wind. Motoring north, the swell took its toll on the crew. Susan made the sensible suggestion and we tucked into Balta Harbour on the north of Unst. Early the following day, we were out into a lumpy sea, with a good forecast. At 12:00 watches began, three watches, three hours on, six off. We set course for Lofoten 500nm distant. Sailing along well, drizzle set in by evening as the first oil rigs loomed. There were some rig support ships and plenty of fishermen about. The wind changed, we were headed, and turned toward Ålesund. After a fine night it dawned clear next day, and with the wind fading we motor-sailed. The Norwegian coast appeared, dark and craggy in low cloud. Our approach into Ålesund in poor visibility was helped by the leading lights into Bredsundet. Entry into the inner harbour was made at 03:00 and our visitor berth was in daylight. Grinning like loons, Trevor, Peter and I shook hands. The laundry was started. Getting the laundry done was to become a bit of a theme during the cruise. The weather looked fair tomorrow, and we planned to head north. The following morning we refuelled and got some useful tips on rounding the Hustedvaka headland from a local skipper. Departing Ålesund in crystal clear weather and fair wind we followed a ‘road’ of fixed large perches through Lepsørevet toward the open sea. We cleared the inner lead and out to calm open sea heading for Lofoten on 025°T.

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At midday we slipped into watches and sailed north on a fading wind. We crossed the Arctic Circle in calm, mild conditions. Later the wind increased and the sea became confused, but as we were only a few hours off Lofoten, we plugged on. The wind increased to more than 30 knots and the seas steepened. Værøy loomed, the weather was foul. Although it was not dark, it was 24 hour daylight, the visibility was poor as we arrived off Moskenesøya. Hail and squalls off the mountains greeted us as we entered Reine harbour. We got a space on the visitor’s pontoon, parking in the lull between squalls. The harbour had a distinct whiff of rotting fish from drying stockfish, but the smell didn’t put us off. We had arrived in the Arctic and we headed to our berths with a real sense of achievement. We spent a few days catching up on sleep and meals. On cue the weather was forecast to improve on 1 June, so we planned to head north again.

Perch corridor at Lepsorevet

Winner of the R G Mowat Trophy

North of Lofoten

We had a wary trip to the fuel berth because of some confusing, askew, uncharted perches and also because the echo sounder was hovering around three metres as we came alongside. We left as we arrived, in a squall, and headed north along Lofoten. A westerly F3 provided a genial sail up to the stunning anchorage of Stromøya in the Nusfjord. Pete and Orla headed ashore to collect mussels. Trev and I fished with large 10cm lures. In minutes we were reeling in cod that seemed as daft as mackerel at home. Pete and Orla returned with a bucket of fat mussels, it seemed like manna overload. After the previous night’s feast we were late starting. The anchor laden with kelp was an effort to clear. Eventually we were away, sailing briskly under full canvas to Leknessjoen. We were up early and walked into town to get the bus to the Viking Museum. Back to the boat, we left and headed for Stamsund. It was a glorious sunny ‘night’ for a sail and we took advantage of the midnight sun. In F5 north-east winds we blasted up to Stamsund. We raced in before the Hurtigruten ferry. Stamsund had excellent shelter, we berthed on a beautiful new visitors’ pontoon. Next day smir greeted us. We were losing Trevor for a couple of weeks that night. He caught the Hurtigruiten, we waved him off into the daylit night. After yesterday’s miserable weather it broke clear as we left Stamsund. Sailing north in light airs, fishing and drifting Orla caught a monster cod, but as it broke the surface the 20kg rated rod snapped. It escaped, but we caught another making up for the loss. 

Nusfjord anchorage view

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Winner of the R G Mowat Trophy

We sailed onwards to anchor behind an island at Malnesshammen. It was scenic, but tight for swinging room. Come 21:00 the tide was ebbing and our swinging room shrank. We hauled anchor and headed north under clouding skies and rising wind to Storvågen: an anchorage in a mountain-encircled pool. The scenery was jaw dropping. It was 02:00 and bright daylight when we arrived. With the laundry situation now serious, the nearby hotel had space on their visitor’s pontoon. A friendly hail from the French yacht on the pontoon saved us from an unmarked rock. We started a committed raid on the laundry room.

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Up early the next day in drizzle and poor visibility for the hop around to Svolvær, with no wind it was a gentle motor in clearing weather. We attempted berthing at the inner pontoon and ran aground on a sandy bottom. It was under 2m. We got alongside the outer pontoon in good order. An early departure the following morning, a fine F4 northeast breeze saw us rockhopping east through the sound between Stormolla and Litlmolla. We tacked up the east side of Stormolla. The scenery was fantastic, mountains descending straight into the sea, fjords every few miles. We headed up Raftsund, Peter started fishing, in four minutes he had reeled in a 60cm cod. We headed into the dramatic entrance of the Trollfjord, motoring as the wind died completely in the towering, slab-sided entrance.

Winner of the R G Mowat Trophy

Nordskot to Træna

Sailing toward Traena

The fjord then opened up, the backdrop was all grandeur with snow-traced mountains ringing the tree-lined fjord. We headed further north to the anchorage at Grunnfjord for lunch. At 68° 22’.573 N 15° 00’.325 E this was our northernmost point. We headed south down the east side of Stormolla, into the stunning anchorage at Gullvika. The following day with a favourable north, north-west F4 we sailed south and made a brief stop in Svolvær on the new visitors’ pontoons in the north end of the port. We restocked, then headed over to an anchorage on the south of Litlmolla. The shelter was poor, with gusts of fjellwind knocking the boat. With three weeks of daylight available, we upped anchor, and rock-hopped out of the pool toward the mainland. It was a rolly sail with a quartering F5 wind and we found one space on the visitor’s pontoon at Nordskot at 22:00.

The long ‘scend’ into the bay caused a large swell, and a disturbed night. It was sunny when we departed, and we headed for our first passage down the inner lead. Multiple perches and marks led south. We motor-sailed in light winds past fantastic mountains that looked like scenery from middle-earth. Around 13:00 the lead opened, the wind filled from the north-east and we sailed to the local capital of Bodø. We were in shirtsleeves and shorts by the time we entered the port. It had excellent visitors’ berths, and we tied up just off the town centre. The next few days were a flurry of boat tidying and maintenance. We manage to get our Calor propane cylinder refilled. We stayed up late in the seventeenth floor Skybar in a Bodø hotel to enjoy amazing midnight sun scenes as tourist and locals alike appreciated the blazing sun just kissing the horizon. We sailed away from Bodø in light airs that soon faded in the bright sunshine. We started to motor-sail south, still in the sheltered inner lead. We crossed some shallow patches where Susan caught a 3kg pollack that set up the larder for the next few days. More shipping was now appearing, we were constantly checking out ships, they were limited in their ability to manoeuvre in the narrow leads, so we ended up giving way. After a beautiful windless day we anchored at 21:00 in the pool between the islands of Ringøya and Svinvær. Next morning we cleared the anchorage and set sail in light airs towards the Svartisen glacier at Engen in Hollandsfjord. As we motor-sailed in fading wind, the sea turned milky green with glacial deposits. The Svartisen glacier, second largest in Norway, sat above the anchorage, sparkling in the sun. We headed up to the glacier. First by bike along a trail, then by foot across glacial worn slabs till we were standing, awestruck, at the base of house-sized blocks of ice. We gathered some chips of ice in a flask to use for drinks later. Back at the pontoon the weather was stunning, and we swam in the Arctic waters. Away early next morning, the sun appeared as we left, and after a motor down the Hollandsfjord we set full sail. It was champagne sailing out of the inner lead and across towards the Træna islands. We crossed the Arctic Circle. The islands’ sugar loaf profile is a fabulous sight, and we squeezed into the tiny port of Kerningvågen on Husoya.

Træna to Trondheim Another early start, the sky sullen, but a fine sailing breeze from the west, south-west. We entered the inner lead north of Dønna, ships started to appear immediately. It was noticeable how much busier with coastal shipping Norway is. The rain started around 14:00 and it got gloomier. We saw a dayglo ambulance boat, powering out of Sandnessjøen at high speed. We headed to the spacious Boat Club Marina, with excellent warm showers and laundry facilities. 

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Winner of the R G Mowat Trophy

Track of cruise to Lofoten and back

Next day we departed Sandnessjøen in similar murk to our arrival. There was no wind, we motor-sailed under dramatic bridges toward Mosjøen, where we were meeting Trevor. The rain cleared, and we motored up Vefsnfjorden, keeping watch for the many lurking, only-just-floating logs. Mosjøen isn’t the prettiest of places, but it’s convenient for the rail connections and crew changes. The sail up the fjord was beautiful. The Mosjøen Boat Club Marina was small and new, the clubhouse was weeks old with excellent facilities. Next day we headed down Vefsnfjorden in a sundrenched cockpit, for a short day down to an anchorage off Tjøtta. In a flat calm we motor-sailed. At the junction with Sørfjorden several boats were fishing. As we got close the sea was boiling with disturbed fish. We got all three rods out, even with fish everywhere we only managed to catch one coley. We headed to the stunning anchorage at Kjerringstranda. Opposite, the dramatic red island of Rødøya was glowing in the bright evening sun. Peter, Orla and Trevor decided on a swim. I tried fishing. Our luck returned, and in a few seconds another big cod struck. It was a fabulous evening. Fish medley for dinner and superb views in any direction. Away in a murky grey morning. Heading south southwest toward Vega with rising south-easterly winds of F4-5 we tucked in a reef and surged off toward Bronnøysund. As we entered the sound we dropped sail and motored past the town. We planned to return here tomorrow and celebrate Susan’s birthday, but first we headed on south to Torghatten.

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We dropped anchor in the small bay at Brakholmen. Changing into walking kit, we headed ashore to climb the Torghatten, the iconic mountain with a hole. An hour’s walk saw us at the base of the short tourist path. It was a quick walk to the cave, 40 metres high and as broad. We climbed down wooden steps, and walked right through the natural cathedral space in the mountain. It was caused by erosion when the sea level was a lot higher. It was just another of the ‘only in Norway’ moments of this trip. Next day it was drizzle and low cloud, so we lazed and took our time as we were only going the 4nm north to Bronnøysund. In light southerly winds we slowly ran up to Bronnøysund. We were greeted by a brass band playing aboard a small ferry, they cheered and saluted us as we pass. There was a brass band festival in Bronnøysund that weekend. Susan’s birthday was taking a surreal turn. We headed off that evening to celebrate Susan’s birthday at Hildurs Urterarium, a large wooden country house with restaurant and gardens. Departing Bronnøysund into a grey morning heading south the wind was dead on the nose. We motor-sailed until the wind backed west and we were off, surging along under full sail. Sailing the inner lead in these conditions was a joy. Plentiful marks, fantastic scenery, and protected water. We passed east of Leka and tucked into the quiet anchorage of Solsemvågen on the southern tip. There were Neolithic cave paintings nearby. Peter arranged for the guide to get into the cave. The weather had improved, and it was now blue sky. Trevor and I tried to catch dinner.

Winner of the R G Mowat Trophy In a few minutes I had a large pollack, in 30 minutes Trevor had another. Our guide joined us at the path to the cave, and led us up with a talk on the local geology. At the cave we were asked not to use flash photography, and were given torches. It was a short stumble up to the cave painting. The red ochre stick figures of men and women, plus a large cross that is considered to be a boat representation, were stark, beautiful, and reached out across 9,000 years. Next morning, the sun was splitting the sky. We headed toward Rørvik under genoa with a north-easterly F4. The lead was busy with shipping. For a town of 3,000 people the harbour was huge, as was the Boatclub Marina. We got onto the visitor’s berth with an awkward squally wind blowing us off, then headed ashore for the coastal museum. Next day we refuelled, then departed south. Initially we motored south into a head wind, but the wind lifted to the south-west and we close reached with the first reef in the main. I decided to try the tight pilotage into the Fanøya anchorage. After getting into the narrow rock channel, we eventually ran out of depth, and came to a halt on a rock. No harm done, we had been inching along with just enough steerage way, but pride was dented. The flood tide lifted us even as we got the dinghy inflated to set a kedge. The channel was only about 18 metres wide, but we swung around off the rock without jamming against either side. Breathing a sigh of relief, we exited the channel and decided to try the western, open entrance. Once squeezed into the small pool we abandoned it, it was tight for swinging room and the holding was poor. This day was turning into an anchor saga. We headed across the sound to the pool on the east side of Villa, but the bottom shelved too deeply for the anchor to hold. With the weather worsening, we abandoned Villa, and headed south to the sheltered bay and holding at Dolvika on Nova. The foredeck crew heaved a sigh of relief once the anchor gloves were stowed. After a windy night at anchor, there were hints of a better day. We motored to the outside, inner lead and set full sail in a westerly F3-4. It was lively sailing and slightly hectic navigation as we identified the marks of the sound as they seemed to race up to meet us. Everyone was grinning as we romped along. Yesterday’s hassles were forgotten. We were pushing the boat along at more than seven knots, ‘racing’ three other yachts that appeared. We sailed all the way up Stocksund and into the tiny Boatclub Marina at Kuringvågen. The weather was forecast to turn so we snugged down here for two days. We were woken by an otter fishing under the pontoon. We decided to grab a weather window and headed south to Kråkvågfjorden. It was great sailing, with an east, south-east F3-4 wind, and we made good time under full canvas. We got into the snug harbour of Kravholmen on Kråkvåg. It was a good place to sit out the stormy night.

Next day with a northerly F4 we stormed south into Trondheimfjord. We tucked in at the small Boatclub Marina at Sjursvika. We headed out to visit the WW2 German gun emplacements and fortifications. In a swords to ploughshares moment, we picked wild strawberries around the bunkers. They were delicious. We left Sjursvika in showers and overcast skies, with the wind a westerly F5. We cruised under genoa towards Trondheim, then up the fjord towards a small anchorage Åsenfjorden. Next day we headed north-east in variable winds, motor-sailing towards Verdal and its large shipyard and harbour. We visited the excellent Stiklestad culture museum, covering Norwegian life from the tenth century. Nikita joined us next morning, Verdal wasn’t the prettiest of berths, but good for crew changes. We cruised in a north-east F1-2 wind. Someone suggested the spinnaker, and a flurry of enthusiasm by the foredeck crew had it set as the sun appeared. We dawdled towards Trondheim and berthed on the large visitor’s pontoon in the marina. Trondheim was the first big city we had visited, and it was a slight culture shock. We spent a few days here. Nidros Cathedral was beautiful. We restocked with provisions. We managed to get a gas bottle re-filled. Trevor left us for two weeks, and Pauline joined ship.

Trondheim to Molde On 10 July we departed from Trondheim. As we headed back north up the Trondheimfjord, the wind increased, on the nose. We motor-sailed in lumpy seas and grey skies around to a small hotel marina at Børøysund on Hitra. Next morning, with a friendly north-easterly F2-3, we sailed in fine weather, broad reaching down the Trondheimsleia in sheltered water. It’s a busy channel. A Norwegian frigate, coasters, lots of motorcruisers and a few yachts passed. We picked our way into the Lya anchorage at the southern end of Hitra. It’s well marked with perches, lights and transits, but requires full concentration to get in and anchor. 12 July – Orla’s birthday, we gave her a card, then asked her to haul anchor. We headed off in north-east F2-3 winds, we motor-sailed down to Kristiansund, arriving under blazing blue sky. The visitors’ berths were busy, and we got the last berth on a comically short finger. Facilities were great. Everyone was off to the showers to spruce up, and then we took Orla out for dinner to celebrate. The following day we headed to Molde. We left the boat there for a week, while Susan and I headed back to Scotland for a wedding. Our concern was that, as the Molde Jazz Festival was on, the visitors’ berths may have been busy. The wind picked up as we headed down Harøyfjorden and into Moldefjorden, so we had a final blast up to the Molde visitors’ berths. It was busy, but we grabbed a space on the outside of the pontoon at Reknes Guesthaven. 

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Winner of the R G Mowat Trophy

Molde to Florø Susan stayed at home to do dog care. On 21 July I returned to Molde. Trevor, Peter and Pauline were ready to go. Orla and Nikita had finished up their time with us and had gone home. We made for Ålesund, the wind rising as we headed down Midsund, and was hitting F7, right on the nose, the sea lumpy. With the second reef in the mainsail, we hugged the coastline to the south to try and find some flatter water. We diverted into Brattvåg, a small commercial harbour, it had a pristine new visitor’s berth. Next day our plan was to get down to Statt, the big headland that has all kinds of myths and horror stories about its tides/seas/conditions. Blazing blue sky and an east-north-easterly F4 meant we headed south past Ålesund under genoa. The wind faded and we motorsailed. Our plan was to hole up before the Statt headland and await fair conditions to round it, but our weather window was now, and we kept on in benign conditions. Clearing Statt we turned east, into the small port of Seljevågen, where we found a ramshackle visitor’s berth. We headed south to Refvick Bay, in fluky light winds, motoring and sailing when we could. Fjellwind was gusting down the valley behind the beach, but the firm sand was excellent holding. With sun forecast for tomorrow we stopped for a day’s break in blazing, warm sunshine. The beach was crowded, and we all swum as the heat builds. We departed Refvick early to make Florø 40nm south, where Peter and Pauline were leaving us for a few days. It was a stunning blue sky, but fjellwind, gusting 35 knots, made anchor retrieval difficult. The boat yawed, as Trevor and Peter worked the anchor out. One by one, the bolts holding the anchor roller sheered. Trevor and Peter managed to get the anchor home with one bolt holding the roller. The wind was on the nose for our passage south-west so we motored. The scenery was stunning. Hornelfjorden and the tallest sea cliff in Norway, Hornelen, were spectacular. As we headed south down Årebrotsfjorden towards Florø the skies cleared. Florø looked industrial from the northern side, there were oil rigs and support shipping in the commercial harbour, but it had a pristine guest harbour. We were up early to see Peter and Pauline away on the Hurtibåt at 08:00.

Florø to Bergen From Florø we headed south on a northerly F1-2 breeze. We dawdled the 7nm heading for the island of Askrova, we paused to catch some mackerel, then headed into the pretty anchorage of Valvikevågen, an enclosed bay with a few fishing huts and cottages on the shore, the sunset and view stunning. Next morning, another fine day, we motored and sailed through Åfjorden and then south through sheer-sided Storakersundet into Sognefjorden. We anchored on the

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south side in the stunning archipelago of the Kyrkøyna islands. We dropped anchor in the beautiful pool at Jutevikneset in good holding. We were overheating in the warm weather and we swam. Early next day it was already hot, and we headed south out of Sognefjord, and with a north F3 to 4 wind we sailed easily down through the islands and along the east side of the island of Byrknesøyna. Near the southern end of the channel we anchored in the large secure pool of Vikingevågen. Another clear evening, but this time we got the citronella candles out to keep the bugs at bay. Next day it was a still calm, we motored down Bakkøysundet, our narrow channel south. It was like a canal – so narrow in places. At the north end we really needed the tide with us. It was busy, lots of motor-cruisers and the odd yacht. The canal nature was emphasised by the ‘street lighting’ along the banks, and as we headed further south there was a guest berth area at Feste that was almost like a motorway service station. We lazed along under engine enjoying the view and the different scenery. Lots of leafy glades and picture postcard holiday homes. As we neared Bergen, we headed into the large Lennsmanflua Marina at Litlebergen. We had a lazy start in the heat next morning. We sailed up the magnificent Bergenfjord towards Bergen. We passed liners and Hurtibåts speeding into the city. Peter and Pauline took our lines and moored us on a guest berth right in the city centre opposite the Bryggen.

Bergen to Kirkwall On 1 August with our two new crew, Joe and Barney, we departed Bergen. We sailed south in light winds to an open bay on the west side of Trollsøya, anchoring in good holding. Our last evening in Norway was spent swimming and fishing in the bay. We were away early next day with an excellent weather window to sail over to Orkney. With a north F3-4 wind we set full sail and waved farewell to Norway, romping along, broad reaching at more than seven knots. By mid-morning the wind was rising and we reefed the main. At midday we moved onto watches. With the wind rising further we tucked some rolls of genoa away as we steamed along. I was woken at one point by Trevor and Peter whooping as they got the boat surfing along through the oil rigs. With the wind increasing to north F6 we reefed the main yet again around midnight. The boat was going like a train and it was great, fun sailing. With dawn came a haze on the horizon, the wind dropping. We shook out reefs, by midday we were motor-sailing toward Kirkwall. Puffins welcomed us, Fair Isle was raised in the haze and Shetland Coastguard popped up on the VHF. We grabbed the last space in Kirkwall Marina. It was good to be home.

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Winner of the Murray Blair Trophy Sheildaig

Eager Beaver Sadler 32

LOA 9.6 metres

Rain, showers, good…

Eager Beaver’s summer cruise

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Crew Bill and Alison Logie, septagenarians

Dates 7-24 July 2019

he cruise was a modest trip from Loch Craignish, where Eager Beaver is based, up to Plockton and back; a short trip in familiar territory and familiar unsettled weather.

Ardfern to Muck One spends a lot of time before a sail watching longterm weather forecasts, hoping that one will get the fine weather one remembered from past years. In this instance we found that the forecasts changed frequently and we set off not really knowing what to expect. And as the fortnight passed we found that the unsettled pattern continued. A late start from Ardfern was blessed initially with a light air, which, as we rounded Craignish Point, picked up from the west. It would have given a lovely sail had it not then veered and headed us as we made for Fladda, and its tidal gate. So we had to motor but caught the stream which carried us surprisingly far north towards Insh.

Winner of the Murray Blair Trophy There was a gentle wind and the western sun on the sea and its eddies around the Black Isles was a beautiful sight. Puilladobhrain would have been the obvious first stop, but Easdale Sound looked appealing, and it had been very many years since I had anchored there. So there we went and very pretty it was. Nevertheless, though the breeze had fallen away there was a persistent rocking – the Sound of Insh never seems to be at rest. The next morning was bright and fair. The anchor came up with a bit of weed but no mud, and we were on our way to the next tidal gate at Duart. Again contrary to forecast the light wind was from the north-west, so motoring became necessary. A little tidal help past Duart and then a long passage up the Sound of Mull, joined by a bumble bee who seemed to be looking for succour. We offered it chocolate spread but it seemed to enjoy the sweat on our mobile phone. Towards Ardnamurchan we got some sailing from a rather fickle wind and then the open sea towards Muck – a bit lumpy, but that was mitigated by the joy of seeing wheeling shearwaters and more gannets. There were a few drops of rain as we approached Muck. We turned the north-west point and felt our way into Gallanach Bay, now made relatively easy by sat-nav and Bob Bradfield’s survey. Difficult not to be distracted by a host of seals. By late evening there were five yachts in, and the rain was light but persistent, and cold. Sound of Sleat in rain

Plockton

tumbling down the cliffs. Now some dry patches, but always damp as we ran up the Sound of Sleat – with pretty white Skye cottages in the distance. And into the Isle Ornsay anchorage in the rain at 17:05. Cold crew resorted to hot whisky and honey. The following day brought similar conditions as we made our way to Plockton. Once again one was reminded of the days when the approach had to be made with compass and sight lines and a lot of care and attention. The bay was quite full of yachts, many, I suspect, taking advantage of its shelter from the strong winds that were forecast. A lazy afternoon and in the morning a trip ashore in full wet weather gear, coffee out of the rain then a damp walk above the town which afforded such lovely views of the charming bay. We left in the afternoon, motoring to the west before heading north and hoisting full sail for a good but brief reach to the entrance to Poll Creadha on the  Applecross peninsula.

Muck to Shieldaig The rain was heavy through the night and morning and we were tempted to stay where we were, but by 11:00 we got restless and at 11:30 we brought up the anchor – no weed or mud. Visibility was less than a mile and there was not much to look at. A big ghostly cruise ship loomed out of the mist with words resounding from the tannoy – but we couldn’t make them out. The wind was behind us, not strong enough to provide much drive, but enough to make a lively sea. For a short respite we passed by Eigg and through Eigg harbour, admiring the amount of water

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Winner of the Murray Blair Trophy View of Acarseid Mhor

A new harbour to me with a tricky entrance and sub-surface rocks. The Antares chart made it more manageable. A nearby seal, sitting on a submerged rock, was both a guide and a warning. The anchor went down in seven metres. The weather had at last come good and we enjoyed a bright peaceful evening sitting in the cockpit. At low water in the morning we could see the entrance passage, and we left with confidence. Heavy mud and no weed on the anchor appeared to confirm that the holding was good. Our next destination was Shieldaig and the passage there was mostly by motor in light winds from the north-west. So that would be straight into the anchorage. It was very light, however, so we felt we would be comfortable. We were ashore in the afternoon, and in wet weather gear again because of the scotch mist. The anchorage was comfortable enough, but I felt that it might have been more comfortable to the south-west of the reef. I couldn’t find reference to that as an alternative location, and we were a bit too idle to move.

Shieldaig to Portree Initially motoring into the wind, but with a good breeze we decided to beat our way out of the loch and then we could free off round Stron na Carra and run into Gairloch. The wind died as we approached Badacro and we motored into the busy bay, fortunately finding a buoy as I remembered there was some difficulty in finding a good place to anchor.

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The dull weather had improved sufficiently for lunch in the cockpit, and then we pumped up the dinghy and went ashore to the busy little community. No tea at the inn – the outside furniture was being replaced by substantial new pieces. All hands to the pump and we even helped a bit too. Back to Eager B to smarten up for an evening meal in the pub – there are no showers available there now, and then back in the dinghy and to disaster. The able mate found the slipway too slippery to clamber ashore and fell between jetty and dinghy. The ineffective skipper failed to provide help with the river pushing the boat out. Poor Alison, in her finery. Helpers came from the pub and dragged her ashore. Uncomfortably chilled, the skipper motored her back to the mother ship and dry clothes. And after all that we were not too late for our meal back at the inn. It went down well and there was plenty to talk about. The next morning, Sunday 14 July, was calm, bright but overcast. We slipped the mooring and left the sleeping harbour just after 09:00 and made our way to South Rona. Such wonderful visibility: Raasay to the south; Skye and its northern cape; Harris and Lewis in the distance. Views that temped one to set off for the horizon. But with no wind we motored but with the mainsail up which gave some help now and again. We saw just three yachts. Puffins, gannets and some big flocks made us wonder whether there were some predators below but we saw none. We found the inconspicuous entrance to Acaseid Mhor, and being low water could see the rocks – the mooring buoys made life simple; we tied up at 12:45 and basked in what was now hot sun.

Winner of the Murray Blair Trophy Ashore in the afternoon, we found the new managers of the lodge very charming and helpful and we walked inland and up the hill in the heat. The views were superb – the harbour, the Sound, Skye and the Cuillins. We were ready for a shower when we got back to the harbour, and used those provided by the estate. They are home-made and effective. Our visit had more to offer, by way of fresh and kicking langoustines from the lodge team. What a feast we enjoyed in the cockpit. By evening there were eight boats in the harbour. Sun in the morning was dancing off the water and into the saloon. Too pretty to rush but before long we were motoring out, then sailing towards Portree in a fine F3, looking out for whales. We had been assured ‘They are definitely out there’. Into Portree – it seems a very long entrance from the north and a visitor’s buoy. The town was very busy particularly outside the chip shops and ice-cream parlours, the latter doing well with the heat of the day.

Portree to Canna It was a prompt start the next day to catch the tide through the Kyles. The weather was deteriorating but a compensation was the sight of a distant minke not far off Portree. Nothing spectacular, but it was good to confirm the assurances made earlier. Otherwise there was not a lot of wildlife, and visibility was not great. Clouds coming and going, but bright patches kept missing out to a gathering gloom. The wind was gusting as we got into the Kyles, and it was on our nose as we pushed on to Mallaig. It was kicking up a steep wee sea, so we resorted to motorsailing. Mallaig was getting busy – after all some bad weather was coming. We like Mallaig; the marina is very effective and the town has a cheerful buzz about it with people eagerly coming and going; the steam train is a big fascination. Like others, we were there to avoid some heavy weather that was due, but the present evening was fine. Next day,

Pick up pole use in Loch Scresort

however, it was wet. A day of chores lightened by the culinary delights of the local bakehouse and the superb fish and chips from the railway station. The latter was eaten using a cable reel on the dockside as a table in a break from the heavy rain that had lasted all day. The bad weather persisted and it was with some trepidation that we left the following morning. It was into a steep sea and a chilly F4-5 on the port bow. When it backed enough to sail we used a reefed genny instead of the reefed mainsail that I had prepared. We almost laid the Point of Sleat on our way to Rum, but had to put in a short tack. The wind mounted to F6 as we entered Loch Scresort and we tried to pick up a buoy. A gust hit us, the boat hook caught on the buoy pennant, and came apart. We had half in hand, and half in the sea, and we set about recovering the small erratic stick. After a lot of weaving about we managed to get the boat hook handle under the tip and lift it up. Back in use, we got onto a buoy with some relief, and were able to amuse ourselves watching others succeeding or failing, whether mooring or anchoring. A subjective judgement suggested that the foreign boats did better than the Brits. The wind and rain deterred us from going ashore. There were black clouds over the hills with cold white light finding an occasional gap. Next morning onto Canna, going round the north of Rum and finding a good breeze once out of the lee of the land. Overcast but brightening. The wind gave us a good close reach and, though it came more ahead as we got nearer to Canna, we laid the course for the harbour entrance. Rather than fiddle with a buoy lacking a pennant we decided to anchor and seemed to find good holding straight away. The weather was now good, and we enjoyed lunch in the cockpit before going ashore, meeting an old friend, and walking. Beautiful views over the harbour and to Rum and the mountains far away on the mainland. Back in the harbour we met up with friends in their boat and enjoyed drinks in the open. Such a  contrast from Mallaig.

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Winner of the Murray Blair Trophy Gull at Mallaig

Canna to Ardfern The medium term forecast was looking unattractive, and we felt it best to get closer to home, so we left the next morning for Tobermory. As we left, up to the north we saw a small pod of dolphins playing. Of course we hoped that they would come and join us, but no luck this time. A lovely day with a light breeze from the north giving us a gentle run, except that the sea, as ever in this area, was a bit turbulent. As we approached Ardnamurchan more yachts hove into view and we wondered whether they were all heading for the last berth in Tobermory – should we hurry? We might have done better with the engine on but it was delightful sailing, and only at the harbour entrance did we motor. Tobermory was certainly busy, and contrary to habit we sought a pontoon berth. There weren’t many available but we were guided to a concealed corner where we were very snug.

Loch Torridon pilotage

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Next morning it was raining, and it rained all day so we pottered around town, in and out of cafés and walking up above the harbour to enjoy beautiful views – even with the rain. And it was rain and wind the next day too, but we went for a wet walk through the woods to the lighthouse, bringing back the damp to the boat. Next morning, however, dawned bright, even if overcast, and everyone seemed ready to move on. We were too. We cast off at 09:50, putting in a reef as we headed out and meeting a F5 right on the nose as we set course for Puilladobhrain. We thought of motor-sailing but realised we could make good progress under sail even though it was a dead beat. The wind was a bit unsteady, going up to F6, and so the genoa was getting furled and unfurled. Tack after tack made for hard work but the Sadler was designed for it, if not the skipper. Spirits weren’t too depressed, but were lifted by the sight of the square-rigged brig Royalist under full sail. The conditions continued across the Lynn of Lorn and we finally gave in and started the engine by Kerrera to motor-sail. Our original plan was to try the anchorage in Barnacarry Bay, but the gusts were a concern so we carried on for Puilladobhrain where they would be less of a worry. And so it was, and the sun came out and the evening was a delight with a superb peaceful sunset. That left a modest trip for the next day, and it dawned fine. There was no rush to leave because of the tidal gate at Fladda, and contrary to expectation after having a lot of chain out and having swung in the wind, the chain came up with little mud. We motored into the fluky southerly wind. But round Craignish Point, with the breeze now behind us, we had a delightful gentle run under genoa up the loch to our home port of Ardfern.

Bill Logie

Mall aig Marina magnificent sailing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; magnificent setting

Wi-Fi Mallaigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50 berth yachting pontoon facility provides the perfect location for experiencing and exploring the magnificent sailing opportunities available on the West Coast of Scotland. Contact Harbour Office on VHF Channel 09 prior to entering/departing the Marina Pontoon.

9 Visitor Moorings Toilets Showers Laundry Facilities Engineering Services Welding Services Electronic Services

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Chandlery

Harbour Office, Mallaig, Inverness-shire PH41 4QB T: 01687 462154 Pontoon office: 07824 331031/01687 462406 info@mallaigharbourauthority.com | www.mallaig-yachting-marina.com

Fuel Water

Winner of the Ogg Cup Sunset to the west of the Corryvreckan

Blue Damsel Sun Odyssey 45DS Performance

LOA 13.8 metres

Crew Owner Boyd Holmes Transport crew Dick Cuckson, Andy Ross Engineering crew Alan Prescott, Stephen Prescott, Mark Hodgson, Paul Carter

Commissioning cruise –

Blue Damsel 42 |

Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Dates 3-12 April 2019

iving in rural Cumbria is not for those happier in warmer climes, but most Cumbrian sailors draw the line at cruising off the West Coast of Scotland in winter. Sailing in Scottish waters in early April has its attractions but is not without risk. Snow on the ground on 3 April answered one of those risks, as did the car thermometer and the drifting snow on the M74 on our way to Argyll. Dick and Andy never advocated aborting the trip, although the deep snow around Andy’s home in the fells of the Lake District suggested he might have wished to do so. Dick and Andy reported for transport duty in Hayton at 07:55 and proceeded to fill Dick’s estate car with the usual collection of boat kit, including dinghies, outboard

Winner of the Ogg Cup motor and a Honda generator. So successful was Dick, a retired chartered surveyor, as loadmaster that my 4x4 had an easy time of it. The customary fortifying Scottish breakfast at the Tarbet Tea Room on Loch Lomondside prepared us for stowing Blue Damsel at Ardfern in the early afternoon, and in much better conditions than those prevailing in sub-Arctic Cumbria.

Ardfern to Loch Aline Whilst filling the water tanks with the boat alongside the Ardfern visitors’ pontoon we discovered a ‘minor’ problem with the pressurised water system: the domestic water pump ran almost constantly. Our solution was to switch the pump off at the control panel and get out of the boatyard and down Loch Craignish in order that real life could begin. After a night spent in the hurricane hole behind Eilean Righ the in-service water tank was less than half full whilst the large volume of water in the bilge was definitely fresh. So, after adding two and two together and arriving at the answer four, we decided that our tank was haemorrhaging its contents into the bilge. Failing to identify any obvious leak, we opted for the easy solution and put back in to Ardfern Yacht Centre to ask the workshop to investigate. After an inquisition about disconnected transom showers and the like, Mike from the boatyard spotted that a pressure relief valve on the calorifier had popped – or possibly had been used to drain the system in the autumn lay-up. Having missed the last of the south-going tide in the Sound of Jura, we headed north up the Sound of Luing with the first of the flood tide for a brisk and chilly sail to Loch Aline, triggering voltage alarms after only three hours’ sailing. As this part of the cruise was with the transport crew rather than the engineering crew, we decided to let the boat engine and then the Honda generator take the strain and sort out our deficiency of electrical power until the engineering crew could come aboard and investigate. A blowy but secure night at anchor at the head of Loch Aline followed.

With the wind coming from dead ahead and reaching 30 knots in the Sound of Mull, we had a bumpy ride under engine until reaching Duart Point. There followed a bracing early-April sail across the Firth of Lorne before entering the Cuan Sound with the tide just before 10:30. Happily, the boat’s chartplotter reconciled with the chart of the Cuan Sound anchorage in Antares Charts produced by CCC member Bob Bradfield, MBE, and so entry to the anchorage was not as hazardous as it might have been in the days before GPS – we had two means of electronically plotting our position in real time. The greater hazard was the unwillingness of the anchor chain to run out with the windlass set to freewheel, and the windlass then only running at half speed when dropping the anchor under electrical power, causing us to fall back too close to the rocky shore. That problem resolved itself as we set the anchor for the third time, but the windlass had booked itself an appointment with the engineering crew, which was to arrive the following day. After a hearty cooked brunch and having exclusive occupation of the well-sheltered anchorage, we enjoyed a restful afternoon in the sunshine. The return to Ardfern on Saturday morning in a light and chilly breeze, with only five knots of wind aft of the beam, was uneventful until we encountered four warships entering the Gulf of Corryvreckan from the east. Sailing folklore has it that HM warships are not permitted to transit the Gulf as a result of some wartime disaster, but either that apocryphal instruction has been revoked or was unknown to the captains of these unidentified ships, which were all observing AIS silence.  Keswick Mountain Rescue Team at sea

Back to Ardfern As the novelty of anchoring in the Cuan Sound appealed to Dick and Andy, Friday morning saw us weighing anchor by 07:20 and, having put two reefs in the mainsail whilst in Loch Aline, we arrived at the channel into the Sound of Mull just in time to meet the incoming ferry, causing an abrupt U-turn on our part and a further short delay whilst the ferry reversed into its berth from the narrow, and shallow, channel.

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Winner of the Ogg Cup Anchored off Staffa

The south coast of Mull

The west coast of Mull

Dick and Andy jumped ship in Ardfern to be replaced by the engineering crew comprising my future son-in-law Steve, Steve’s dad Alan and two of Alan’s chums from the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team, Mark and Paul. I wasn’t sure how useful the team’s fast-water-rescue training would be on a recreational sailing vessel, but their advanced first aid skills might come in handy. After I had told the team of my plan to pass through Corryvreckan with the flood tide and that their first night would be spent at anchor in the Garvellachs, the everinquisitive team members surreptitiously consulted the Clyde Cruising Club Sailing Directions. The SDs describe the Garvellachs as well worth a visit ‘but the anchorages are too exposed to be suitable for staying overnight, except in settled weather and even then a swell can set in’. With that there was some consternation amongst the team about their skipper’s sanity and what might be in store for the rest of the week. I had visited the Garvellachs before Bob Bradfield had started work on Antares Charts, but his chart of the approach to the anchorage off Eileach an Naoimh affords considerable comfort when passing south of the rocky spit at the south-eastern entrance, and in choosing a suitable place to anchor. Sunday’s passage from the Garvellachs to Craigaig Bay, Ulva, via the deeper water route on the east side of the Sound of Iona, passed quickly thanks to a steady breeze of F4-5 from the east. The sailing novices from the team tried their hands at the helm and later took to deploying and recovering the anchor buoy. With four energetic crew on board every little distraction had to be engaged in order to generate the impression of meaningful activity. Another night: another Antares anchorage.

On Monday 8 April, with a gentle but steady breeze from the east, landing on Staffa for a visit to Fingal’s Cave was on the cards. Anchoring in about 14 metres in the usual anchorage off the south-east corner of Staffa, and not in the rather tight anchorage found by Bob Bradfield north-east of the landing place, the team rowed ashore in the dinghy, but decided against taking it into the cave because of the swell in the cave and off its entrance. With the crew ashore I took a call from Alan’s wife to inform him that their son Matt, who had just completed his superyacht crew training with UKSA, had been offered a couple of jobs in the Mediterranean and needed Alan’s advice on which offer to accept. My chances of an onboard masterclass from Matt later in the season were looking slimmer than ever. After Staffa we crossed to Coll via the Treshnish Islands and anchored off Arinagour beyond the beacon in Loch Eatharna, encouraged by the Antares chart to go further in than prudence might otherwise suggest. Noting that the CMAL moorings had not been recommissioned after their winter break, and wanting to remind CMAL that yachties have an eye on CMAL’s not-always-yacht-friendly activities, I sent a short email to the amiable harbour master at CMAL’s HQ in Greenock about this omission. OK, I don’t generally pick up a mooring in Loch Eatharna, but I just might have preferred the security of one. I received a prompt response. My point had been made – and noted. On running ashore in the dinghy to the well-regarded Isle of Coll Hotel we found that a substantial extension to the hotel had almost been completed. How this will change the cosy atmosphere of the hotel and its iconic back bar is a question for another visit.

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Winner of the Ogg Cup

The Sound of Mull Engineering duties caught up with the team on Tuesday after several long tacks had taken us across from Coll to Tobermory, where we had the pick of the pontoons. With no other yachts on the pontoons, I phoned the harbour master for the usual access codes only to be told that these would be issued after attendance and payment at the harbour office. Happily, the pontoon manager, Rob, with knowledge of the ‘ancién regime’, offered to come down to our pontoon and take our money. We repaid the favour by fishing his blown-away £5.00 note out of the water with a boat hook, for which he offered a discount of £2.00 on the mooring fee of £36.00. Sadly, his card machine was playing games and so we paid £35.00 in banknotes, settling for a discount of a £1.00. Whilst alongside the Tobermory pontoon Alan set to work on electrical tasks, including replacing blinking LED lights with new, brighter lights and investigating our battery problem; Steve and Mark refreshed the markings on the anchor chain; and Paul serviced the aft head’s toilet pump with a kit of parts acquired from the Tobermory chandlery. Unsurprisingly, neither the chandlery nor Mackay’s harbour garage could supply an alternator belt for a Yanmar 4JH5E marine diesel engine at such short notice. Supper on board was followed by an early bed as ‘reveille’ was to be at 06:00 in order to exit Tobermory Bay by the Doirlinn passage at 07:50. The Doirlinn dries 0.7m at LAT, according to the Antares chart again. Blue Damsel draws 2.3m and my Absolute Tides app told me that we should have 2.5m of water in the shallowest part of the channel at 07:50. Alan’s Navionics app was indicating 20cm more, so, unless we

were very unlucky, the depth at 07:50 should be enough for our purpose, remembering that here we are talking of a seabed of Scottish rock and not sand or mud. Having left the pontoon at exactly 07:30 we entered the Doirlinn at 07:50, when the least depth recorded in the passage was 2.9m. We were then able to long-tack down the Sound of Mull until just after Duart Point when the wind died away for the rest of the day.

Round Jura clockwise from the north Whilst Bagh Gleann nam Muc – Pig Bay in the southwestern entrance to the Corryvreckan had been identified as a possible anchorage for the night, this had seemed a bit optimistic – until the wind died. With no wind and a calm sea there was an evens chance of motoring down the Firth of Lorne and past the Fladda light before the tide turned against us in the Sound of Luing. The tide did turn about a mile north of the Corryvreckan, but motoring on we were able to make use of the pull of the Corryvreckan as the flood tide picked up and carried us into the Gulf and along to Pig Bay. Heeding Bob Bradfield’s latest warning that that the charted depth shown on the UKHO chart as 3.9m should be shown as less than 1m. However, we took advantage of his observation that the 1.2m sounding is much further out from the shore than it should be due to a cartographic constraint imposed by the scale of the chart, we entered Pig Bay by the channel east of Eilean Beag to anchor in just over four metres in the south-eastern arm of the bay shortly after 14:30. 

Blue Damsel in Pig Bay, Jura

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Winner of the Ogg Cup Entrance to West Loch Tarbert, Jura

The team, always keen to stretch their legs, took a run ashore to Jura in the dinghy and walked over the hill to get a good view of the Gulf in full flow. A beautiful sunset, its appearance enhanced by the customary sundowner, followed on from a clear blue sky which had been with us since leaving Duart Point. The tide was kind the following day, Thursday 11 April. After weighing anchor at 08:50 and hoisting the mainsail in the anchorage we were bound away for Craighouse, Jura, with a fair tide and a steady SSE wind from forward of the beam. After a great sail down the Sound of Jura we entered Loch na Mile and the Bay of the Small Isles by the south channel. Whilst the community moorings were in place and unused, we dropped the anchor for a lunch stop. As expected, the anchor failed to set in the thick kelp, so we added an extra 10m of chain for good measure before Alan and Paul set off ashore in the small dinghy to replenish our supply of tea and coffee in the shop in Craighouse. The team had depleted the boat’s stock of these essentials through their unrelenting enthusiasm for a brew. After lunch we motored from Loch na Mile to the south of Jura and we then caught the tide turning north up the Sound of Islay. Sailing up the Sound with a freshening wind, and passing the Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain distilleries, we were soon in Loch Tarbert, Jura, – commonly known

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as West Loch Tarbert, and ready to engage with the beacons and transits installed by the Cockleshell Hero and transatlantic single-hander, Blondie Hasler. Avoiding Boghachan Baite, a series of rocks which cover at high water, we picked out the first two transits without difficulty. In the afternoon on a sunny day the beacons for the final, back transit are often difficult to locate – as proved to be the case. The most anxious part of the route into the middle loch is the pinch point in Cumhann Mor, at which point the transit expires, but the Antares chart helpfully shows ‘Optional route – inbound or outbound’. We dropped the anchor in the recognised anchorage just after Cumhann Mor, endeavouring to land the anchor on the very spot identified by Bob on his chart. My previous studies of the tides in the waters around Jura had taught me that if it is possible to sail south down the Sound of Jura in time for a lunchtime visit to Craighouse on the way to Loch Tarbert. The following morning it is possible to sail up the west coast of Jura and through the Corryvreckan and the Dorus Mor with the ebb tide before reaching the tidally-calm waters of Loch Craignish. With two reefs in the main and a decreasing amount of headsail we made the passage from our Loch Tarbert anchorage back to Ardfern in just four and a half hours whilst recording gusts of more than 30 knots, with the wind blowing a healthy F6 from the south-east and east.

Winner of the Ogg Cup

Back to Ardfern

Boyd Holmes

Our plan to take on diesel at Ardfern was thwarted by a vessel which appeared to have been glued to the fuel pontoon, but as we had only used a quarter of a tank in ten days this didn’t much matter and, at this time of the year, were able to pick our spot on the long visitors’ pontoon. Blue Damsel was back at home after logging 170 miles under sail out of a total of 251 miles logged in ten days of dry but chilly weather. I never had to call upon the team members to administer first aid, nor was Alan able to cure the failure of our tired but youthful batteries to hold charge. Given the constraints of time available and the tools on board, this was inevitable.

Boyd Holmes

Chart of the Doirlinn reproduced with the permission of Antares Charts

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Atalaya under way

On board –

Atalaya of Argyll and Lady Naomi

Atalaya of Argyll Nauticat 40

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LOA 12.0 metres

Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Crew Gordon Paterson – owner, Hugh McLean and Bill Gray

Dates 23 May – 6 June 2019

Ipswich to Dunkirk

Dunkirk to Honfleur

Gordon, Bill and I arrived at Ipswich by train to the usual jigsaw of boat parts, rigging, sails, tightening screws, ensuring everything was ship shape and then victualling the boat for our trip to Southampton, via France. The following morning, we set off from Ipswich down the River Orwell and into a fairly bumpy north English Channel. We were en route to Ramsgate under engine. We arrived in the late afternoon in blustery conditions, having motored about 60nm. The forecast was for strong south-westerly winds for the first couple of days, and we were not to be disappointed. The following day, with our usual early start, breakfast was all cleared up and we were off by 08:30 into a windy outer harbour. A couple of other boats struggled to get started in the breezy conditions, but not Atalaya. Her big engine just gets on with it and soon we were motoring into the Channel. The forecast was F6 and above with the wind coming over our starboard beam. Setting the main, genoa and mizzen we sailed briskly towards Dunkirk. With the wind rising we adjusted our sails accordingly, sailing at a constant seven to eight knots, taking care of the swell that was running towards us, but Atalaya’s on-board companion sorted all that out, with Gordon on his pilot seat. We arrived at Dunkirk in the late afternoon, and strolled into the town. A few provisions were purchased, lots of photos taken and then it was back to the boat.

The following day was F4 to start, the distance to cover was about 60nm to Boulogne. We left the harbour with the wind on the nose so we were unable to hoist the sails. As we progressed the winds got stronger and the sea was very rough, at times uncomfortable, but we arrived at Boulogne somewhat windswept but safe. We experienced the most wind on these two days. As a sailor I found I was continuously looking at the charts, the French coastland, the high rocks, the expanses of the beaches, the openness of the sea and then the charts to see the thousands of wrecks. I have never really had a heart to visit the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s cemeteries, On shore there were many towns making ready for the influx of WWII veterans. It was very humbling. Our journey continued, the wind abated, the sun came up and we appreciated the great view of the land. Walking into the many small towns it was good to feel the relaxed atmosphere, the bands playing, street carnivals for the kids and cafes. One such town was Honfleur, the inner harbour of which had a great atmosphere, lots of boats – both local and cruising – arriving and having such a good time into the evenings.

Honfleur to Southampton Arriving eventually at Cherbourg, with its vast marina, there was a 20 minute walk to the showers. But it was a great place to relax. Watching the classic yachts sailing into 



Running before the wind

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Evening at Cowes

Lulworth Cove

Logan Rock, Cornwall

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the harbour was such a sight. Cherbourg was making ready for an American invasion of its own, cafes had painted cartoon-like GIs, waving flags and landing on the shores. Many of the waiters dressed up for the occasion. Alas we were ready to return to the UK. Gosport, Portsmouth, and then Southampton were our objectives. The weather was now quite hot, with light winds as we made our way across the busy TSS, like ducklings crossing a busy road, to UK waters. Arriving in Gosport, there was a lot of hustle and bustle. Many dignitaries were due to arrive, helicopters hovered above, some landing on HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is docked at Portsmouth. There were commemorations and celebrations due to take place. We took a trip over to Portsmouth, wandering around HMS Victory, the boatyards and the many museums and workshops. If you are looking for a marina to visit, Gosport has fantastic facilities. We motor-sailed round to Southampton to find our berth before disembarking. We had a great two week holiday on board Atalaya. Gordon is a super host and Bill and I would like to thank Gordon for the many miles we have travelled together on Atalaya.

Minack Theatre, Cornwall

Lady Naomi crew

Lady Naomi – chartered Hunter 36

LOA 10.9 metres

Crew Hugh McLean – skipper, Jim Graham, Jimmy Watson, Gregor McMeekin, Sara Diegoli, Keith Dunney, David Hanley, Ewan Thomson, Bob Balmer, Alister Wyper

ady Naomi, a charter yacht, was waiting for us at Largs on the 5 October. The forecast was for a south-westerly to south east F5-7, gusting to F8, which was not great, but we were confident and briefed our new-to-big-boat-sailing adults from Bardowie. The crew were ready to go and we sailed to Port Bannatyne for our first night, with a hot meal on board and encouraging chat. On Sunday the forecast was no better, but it was dry and we set off for Portavadie. A great sail up and down the Kyles with some exciting sailing in the strong winds which inspired all on board. The good news was that no one seemed to have been put off by the strong winds. Dinner at the Lodge was great and set us up for Monday, although the forecast was for stronger winds. We needed to change over some crew members at Largs so we got going early afternoon and had a brisk and bumpy sail, arriving back in Largs in the dark. The week was split in two to maximise sailing opportunities, with a crew of six and then one of seven. Tuesday was for even stronger winds and we

Dates 5-12 October 2019

decided it best to stay in the marina, so we relaxed and enjoyed a lazy day. On Wednesday we set sail from Largs, the forecast was for a south-easterly to southwest F5-7 and gusting. In reality the wind came in from the north-west and it was a long slow sail along the west shore-line. We eventually abandoned the idea of going to Tarbert and went back to Portavadie for another great meal. The forecast for Thursday was for the wind to drop, and being a slightly warmer day we set sail for Holy Island to anchor at Lamlash Bay. The winds rose again to 30 knots from the south-east and a lumpy sea set in, which made for challenging conditions. After many reefs followed by torrential rain, we finished the week’s sailing early and returned to Largs. We had had a great few days of very challenging winds but our date with the Lady had come to an end.

Hugh McLean Senior Instructor, Adult Sailing, CCC Dinghy Section

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Greenheart

goes south coast sailing Greenheart Dawn 39

LOA 11.9 metres

Crew Peter Dunlop – owner, Tina Dunlop, children Daniel and Ann and nephew Toby Floyer

Dates 1-18 July and 8-13 September 2019

Staande Mast lift bridge

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New spritsail barge on the Orwell

Warmond, the Netherlands, to Harwich On 1 July we left our winter quarters at Jachthaven Juffermans in Warmond and followed the ‘Staande Mast Route’ though the canals to Vlissingen on the Scheldt. Among the interesting places that we visited was the historic fortified town of Willemstad where 129 Belgian troops died defending the town in 1940. Our fourth night was spent at the historic town of Veere, known in Scotland as Campvere, the staple port for the wool trade with Scotland till 1799 when Napoleon’s Continental System and Britain’s blockade stopped the trade which had started with an initiative by the Abbot of Melrose in 1296. In 1996 Winnie Ewing, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, was made Honorary Conservator of Scottish Privileges in Veere. On high days the saltire flies outside the interesting museum. We joined the ‘Blue Wave’ morning convoy from Middelburg for the bridge openings to Vlissingen, where the local club VVW Scheldt provided our last box berth between posts and excellent mussels and chips. It was completely calm at midnight as we motored along the deepwater channel, hugging the starboard-hand buoys and avoiding traffic to Antwerp. Dawn brought a filling south-westerly wind and we made a very good passage. We passed Galloper, Black Deep and Cork Sand buoys

and their drying sands and were alongside at the very hospitable Royal Harwich Yacht Club on the River Orwell by 15:30. We had struck our Dutch courtesy flag on entering the UK economic zone and hoisted the Q flag. I phoned the National Yacht Line which asked a series of questions: name, address, registration, whence, where, master, people needing immigration control, dutiable items, VAT status, veterinary matters and having seemingly satisfied them was told that I might lower my Q flag. 

Handsome cutter on the Orwell

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The RHYC club has a stylish modern building standing a broad lawn away from the waterfront and its marina with four hammerhead visitors’ berths. The berthing master was a friendly Scot whose aunt, a member of the Camp Coffee family, had owned the famous Clyde yacht, Mariella, once owned by RM Teacher and last heard of being expensively rebuilt in Auckland for an American owner. We walked across the fields for dinner and a pint at the Butt & Oyster at Pin Mill. This was the very place where the Walker children had met Jim Brading, skipper of Goblin which they sailed in a gale to Flushing in Arthur Ransome’s ‘We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea’.

Harwich to Eastbourne Our next objective was to get to the Solent and, on the advice of a local who likened it to sailing up a drain, I abandoned the notion of visiting the famous yachting centres of the Rivers Crouch and Orwell, so an exploration of the swatchways will have to await the use of a shoal draft boat. It is a difficult tide-dependent coast with little shelter and the prevailing wind means that uncomfortable short seas are likely. All in all it is much more difficult than our West Coast and one to be done with quickly. The wind veered southerly so it was motor-sailing through the Fisherman’s Gat – the Dutch word ‘gaat’ means ‘hole’, though I like to think of it as ‘gate’ – and the vast

View from Royal Harwich YC

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London Array wind farm. The Ramsgate Marina fee was a whopping £37.09 for our 11.9 metres – welcome to the UK and the south coast in particular and compare it with the €16.80 paid for better facilities in Vlissingen. In the morning while waiting for the tide we found excellent local shops, butcher, bakers and a large traditional greengrocer which is a rarity these days. Also a boatbuilder and a street market, where we patronised the quay-edge cockle and whelk stall. At Dover we were entertained by Kees and Elly of the Dutch Ovni yacht Wavedanser who were on their way to the Transat Rally. During the passage we had enjoyed the change ringing by the bell on the Goodwin Fork South Cardinal. Indeed, we met several bell buoys along the south coast. Another 45 miles, half motor-sailed, took us past Dungeness and on to Eastbourne’s Sovereign Harbour, named after the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse visible in the distance. We shared the sea lock with a local fishing boat whose deckhand was from Dundee. That evening we entertained Kees and Elly to dinner. He works in the yachting business and explained at length how diesel bug preventers work. Apparently there are those which work using the heat of the return fuel to help the enzymes work and then there are the ‘bugicides’ which because of their poisonous nature can be hard to get hold of. He kindly sold me several years’ supply so I shall see how good it is.

Suhaili at Gosport

Eastbourne to Southsea We managed to sail most of the way to Brighton round Beachy Head and its white cliffs, crossing the Prime Meridian and into westings for the first time since June 2016. We were a little late and had an exchange on the VHF about depths, so we crept in close to the port hand buoys with the least depth of 2.3 metres. Brighton has many attractions, including the Lanes and the Pavilion, and excellent fish and chips and good rail connections to London and Gatwick, both of which we made use of. It was singlehanded from Brighton and after much thought about tide levels to get out of the marina and the streams at Selsey Bill I left at 22:40 and motor-sailed almost all the way, passed the Nab Tower marking the eastern entrance to the Solent and anchored at dawn off Bembridge for a few hours sleep. At noon I had a good sail across the eastern Solent and into Langstone Harbour and the very narrow and twisty channel, not made any easier by a sudden switch halfway in from large port and starboard posts to some very small buoys, to Southsea Marina on the south-east extremity of Portsea Island. I had bought 30 nights at the excellent and always friendly Premier Marinas – Eastbourne, Brighton, Southsea and Gosport at a very useful 30% discount on the advice of an English sailor when we were still in the Netherlands – bless him. Back to the diesel bug, Premier Marinas dose all their diesel with a product called Soltron.

Southsea to Yarmouth On 18 July I left Greenheart and flew to the Netherlands to complete our house sale, supervise the packers, drive a grossly overladen car by way of Harwich, Ely and Lincoln to Edinburgh where we took delivery of our effects before driving back south to Greenheart.

On 8 August Tina and I motored Greenheart from Southsea through the Small Boat Channel in the submerged defence barrier to Gosport, whence we drove to Bristol to collect our twins Daniel and Ann from the airport, returning by way of the Roman Baths at Bath and Salisbury Cathedral. It was Cowes Week and there was some very blustery weather, sufficient to cancel races. We had two good days of sailing in sunshine and fresh winds as far as Spithead and the Cowes breakwater where we watched the many classes racing including RS, big Js, Dragons, and several local one designs such as Bembridge Redwings, SCODs and X boats racing over different courses. On the wilder and wetter days we lunched with a cousin and visited Fishbourne Roman Villa with its beautiful mosaics and Winchester as well as HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. We then had a long wind-over-spring-ebb beat to Yarmouth where we spent four nights waiting for better weather, exploring the interesting town and taking a trip to Osbourne House, Queen Victoria’s favourite. We swam from the beach with its Victorian bathing machine. I was intrigued by the name on Yarmouth’s Severn lifeboat Eric and Susan Hiscock, Wanderer. I asked the elderly lady in the RNLI shop who turned out to be a relative of Susan, who had come back to Yarmouth to live after Eric died in New Zealand. She left her money to fund a lifeboat specifically for Yarmouth. Apparently her trustees were told that Yarmouth was not due a new one, so said that they would wait. They also insisted on the name Wanderer being added. We strongly recommend the Blue Crab for its excellent seafood as well as the small harbour-front baker – free wasps with every purchase. The chandler is also good, supplying as it did a new mainsheet to replace our very worn one.



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Dinner aboard at Braye

Breakwater at Braye

Yarmouth to St Helier A relative break in the weather was forecast so we made a 24 mile beat in F5-6, rising to F7 at times, to anchor in Studland Bay. The anchorage proved to be beautiful, sunny and sheltered. It was a pity to take the Hurst Channel and not sail out by the Needles but it was the better course in that weather. One really needs a fair tide to get out of the Solent but it made for steep seas against the west wind. The next day we had a very good 66 mile passage to Braye Harbour in Alderney. I made a classic error with the tides, ending up a few miles too far east and having to motor-sail to avoid being sucked down the Race to the east of the island. It was not till a couple of days later that I worked out what had gone wrong, I had been confused at the apparent conflict between Reeds and the tidal stream data on my new Imray charts. The latter has a full side of tables, so many that both alphabetical and numerical diamonds are used, with some referenced in very small print to Dover and some to St Helier. We flew our Q flag and obtained clearance. Braye is protected by a long breakwater built in the mid19th century for the Royal Navy, inside of which are many moorings. We took the last free one but moved to an inner one the next day.

St Helier drying harbour

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At busy times it is three yachts to one buoy. We went to the museum and enquired after information on my brother-in-law’s family and the wellbeing of the charming portraits of the 19th century vicar and his wife that he had donated some years ago. The helpful archivist arranged an inspection in the government offices: all was well. Better tide work made for a very good passage to St Helier where we only waited ten minutes for enough water over the sill. We spent two days exploring St Helier, where I found the arrangements for mooring deep-keeled yachts in the drying harbour to be interesting. In principle they use a form of cradle into which you motor your boat so that she is supported when the tide ebbs away. These cradles are moored very close together allowing many boats to be accommodated.

St Helier to Falmouth Another good sail brought us to Sark where we joined others at anchor in Porte de Sailes to swim before crossing to anchor off St Peter Port before entering the inner harbour over yet another sill. We positioned to Beaucette, a marina in a flooded quarry on the north-east corner of Guernsey to benefit from the early morning tide out past the Casquette Shoals on our 75 mile passage to Portland. Much motor-sailing was needed to ensure a favourable tide at Portland Bill and we arrived at dusk to anchor in Portland Harbour. During the short trip to Beaucette I discovered that last year’s alternator mounting problem had recurred and Greenheart had neither alternator nor circulating water pump. I managed a make do with a wire coat hanger – shades of 1970s car radio antennas. In the morning we sailed to the famous horseshoeshaped Lulworth Cove, finding it to have many moorings and tripper boats. Within an hour of berthing at Weymouth the excellent Don Tuttle, mechanic to the RNLI, was aboard from his workboat. He removed the engine mounting, drilled it through overnight, and brought it back in the morning complete with a spare high strength bolt.

Last year’s German fitter had tapped in a very shallow socket leaving a piece of broken tap and charged more than Don for an inferior solution. My crew departed for school and Indonesia and I continued alone, making three well-sailed passages to Falmouth anchoring in Torbay and Cawsand Bay before going to Queen Anne’s Battery Marina in Plymouth. On a visit to the monuments on the famous Plymouth Hoe I discovered the original home of the Continuous Plankton Recorder invented by Sir Alister Clavering Hardy FRS during RRS Discovery’s 1925-27 voyage to Antarctica. The CPR, still widely used today, consists of reels of fine silk driven by a log like impeller and trailed behind the surveying vessel.

Falmouth and lift out Once in Falmouth I visited Gweek Classic Boatyard on the Helford River to discuss Greenheart’s winter layup. My nephew Toby, who works for the company that runs the passenger ferries on the Fal including, on the tide, all the way up to Truro, came aboard and steered Greenheart for a sail of many tacks up beyond the King Harry Ferry. We anchored for the night below Trelissick House where we studied my 1820s chart marked in fathoms. Toby’s local knowledge pointed out that the ‘tree – conspic’ that marks the seaward end of a leading line into the estuary is not only still there but is a listed monument. This led on to a discussion about using fathoms charts with WGS84 GPS systems. So we took bearings and plotted them on the chart and added the position from the GPS with due conversion from decimal minutes to minutes and seconds and concluded that the error was less than one and a half seconds which is a ¼ cable, 50 yards or 46 metres if you

Evening race, Falmouth

prefer. We then debated whether this error is significant. My conclusion is that my running fixes and transits when passage making are much less accurate and that I would aim for a much greater clearance than a ¼ cable except when entering very tight places where the accuracy of the data has been proven. On the due date, the Friday afternoon before the midSeptember peak spring tide, I motored into the Helford River, picking up a mooring at Helford Passage to await the exact timing that the yard had advised. A slight panic ensued when I discovered that I had taken a wrong branch of the steeply wooded and rather featureless river. Backtracking with the aid of my tablet Navionics I ran aground with the echosounder indicating an embedment of about a foot. I managed to motor off and found the yard’s launch which guided me up the last mile past a series of small marker buoys. It took full revs to push through the silt to the lift out quay. The atmospheric pressure of 1033mb had depressed the water level more than a foot. That night I slept aboard a yacht firmly propped up on the hard.

Peter Dunlop

Lift out at Gweek

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Hecate Voyager 40

LOA 12.0 metres

First trip Crew George Dunwoody, David Wyatt and Patrick Trust – owner Second trip Crew Mike and Hazel Powell, Roger and Annabel Williams with Patrick and Jenny Trust

Stones and Scalpay – so good we did it twice 58 |

Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Dates 16 – 26 May 2019 and 24 June – 2 July 2019

fter the Scillies in 2018 it was time to head north and I fancied sailing to the Callanish Standing Stones on the west coast of Lewis. Reading the CCC Outer Hebrides pilot it all seemed possible provided the wind was south or east. So I thought May would be a good time to check it out.

First trip – Rhu to Ardfern The first go would be an all male affair, so it was three men in Hecate who departed from Rhu at noon on 24 April with a 20 knot east wind. We had brought the boat down from her winter quarters at Sandpoint the day

Ardfern to Loch Carloway 16 May dawned with a light south-east wind 8-10 knots and we departed at 09:45 sailing with the tide but once we passed Inch the wind died and it was flat calm all the way to a busy Canna, where we anchored at 21:00. The next morning a gentle east wind allowed us to sail north but at noon it had dropped to four knots and our boat speed was down to 2.8 knots, so it was motor on again as we wanted to make Rodel that evening.

Neist Point lighthouse

Moored at Arinagour

before and the port engine had overheated after five minutes. Last year the refurbished starboard engine had done the same and caused us grief all the way down the Irish Sea but David sorted the port one in five minutes – what a star. We arrived at Loch Ranza at 17:15 and went to bed early after supper. We departed at 02:30 to go round the Mull but the easterly had gone to south and was only five knots so it was a motor all the way round with a flat calm at the lighthouse. Gigha was our destination, arriving at 12:30, and a great meal at the Boathouse was again followed by early bed for a 04:00 departure for Ardfern. Motoring to the MacCormaig Isles we had sun but then it became dull and a new westerly allowed a sail all the way up to Ardfern arriving at 10:00. The three men left Hecate and promised to reassemble for the trip to Callanish on 16 May.

Passing Bracadale about seven miles south of Neist Point we had a minke make five rises very close to the boat. At Neist Point the wind increased and went north and it was a motor to Rodel arriving at 18:30. There was slight confusion as I was looking for the road sign on the perch but it had vanished and the red basket was underwater, but we were in and we took a mooring with one other occupied. The hotel is sadly closed and being converted to a private dwelling but we had a run ashore to St Clement’s Church as the evening was sunny and warm. It had been a windy night with a northerly and the barometer was 1020 at Canna but was now 1011. The wind was light as we motored out at 07:30 to Leverburgh and tied up on the pontoon but had to wait until 09:00 to shop for the bread and milk we needed. The wind was still in the north but was very weak and we motored all the way up the west side of Harris and Lewis to East Loch Roag and the Stones in very calm seas. The 43 miles up the coast had taken us eight and a half hours to reach the inner anchorage but the Stones were clearly visible just up above us. I had promised the crew a full Sunday lunch at the visitors’ centre, only to discover next morning as we walked anti-clockwise round the Stones that the centre was closed as it was the Sabbath. So we departed at noon in no wind and a steady drizzle to visit Loch Carloway and the broch. It was low water and there was only a 

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Anchorage at Rodel

metre under the keel at the very narrow passage by Eilean Kearstay but the Tin Rocks at Carloway were well above water and they are marked with a green buoy. Anchored in the position indicated in the Sailing Directions we then motored in the dinghy across to the fish pier where there was little water and asked a local fisherman if we could get fresh water after 09:00 at the pier the following morning. He said of course and apologised that he might disturb our anchorage at 05:00 when he departed to get his pots. He kept his lobsters until December when they fetched three times the summer price. He then gave us four damaged lobsters which had been hit by the crane jib as he had to throw them away – it was difficult to give him any cash but I managed to persuade him to accept the money. We then went across to the very slippery ramp leading to the village and walked to the broch at Dun Carloway after a great chat with an elderly retired local fisherman.

At 08:30 we left Carloway after refilling the water at the fish pier and headed south with overcast skies but very calm and no wind. At 14:45 we anchored off the farm buildings at Taransay, having entered West Loch Tarbert on the north shore and sailed round the east of the island. Then the sun appeared and the gentle northerly breeze cleared the haze and we walked ashore up the hill and had a 360º view all around West Loch Tarbert with stunning vistas of the sandy beaches of Luskentyre to the east and south to Scarasta and Toe Head. We came across several nests with eggs and the ground on the hill was dry so it was a pleasant change to get the sea legs walking again. The next morning, 21 May, it dawned sunny with a little north-westerly breeze and we motored round Toe Head into the Sound of Harris to Renish Point. There the wind on the beam allowed us great sailing up to East Loch Tarbert, arriving at Tarbert at 13:15. The new pontoons

Loch Carloway to Loch Nevis A well preserved broch was good to clamber round after the Callanish Stones but I was keen to cook the lobsters for a splendid supper and only then did the other two tell me they were not keen on lobster. After a bit of persuasion I managed to get them to partake of the claws but I then had to manage the cooking of four lobsters which lasted me several days of sandwiches for lunch and lobster suppers.

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Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Jenny on Scarista beach with Taransay behind

Anchored at Taransay

were very welcome, and we met Fred Taylor who had been instrumental in getting the pontoons here and at Scalpay. We shopped for bread and milk and on the return to the boat visited the new distillery and purchased some gin for the bar aboard Hecate. It was then dinner at the North Harbour Bistro at Scalpay which had been highly recommended by Andrew Thomson on Tarskavaig in his 2016 Journal report. I failed to mention this bistro in the Yearbook with my proof checking but it should be there for 2020 and it has the best food on the West Coast with superchef George who hails from Glasgow but has a world of experience. The new pontoon is excellent and it is a very short walk to the bistro which is a bonus on returning from such a good dinner. Would Hecate fit under the bridge at Scalpay? Fred had assured me that we would fit no problem and Captain Bob at Scalpay pontoon agreed that we could fit under but it was a tense crew and skipper as we slowly approached and reversed as we arrived at the bridge. However both Fred and Captain Bob were correct and we slid under the bridge with feet to spare. It was then a good sail to the Shiants where we walked to the bothy and met a party of birders staying there for a week. After lunch aboard it was off to the Inner Sound and a night at Acarseid Mhor on Rona where we anchored but found new moorings and a notice of charges for walking ashore. Then it was on to Loch Nevis and the Old Forge for an excellent supper from our Belgian host after a brief stop at Loch Na Dal for lunch.

Loch Nevis to Ardfern The next day was windless and I hoped the first day of the Scottish Series had a bit more wind on Loch Fyne as we rounded Ardnamurchan in a flat calm, taking six hours motoring the 41 miles to Tobermory. There was a splendid Oyster 60 called Osprey on the hammerhead and she looked a beauty. I accepted the offer of a wee swally and look around from none other than ‘Antares Bob’ who has a splendid new sailing machine to rival Otter. Then it was off to the pier and a great meal at Café Fish. The following day it was grey and dreich and we motored down to Duart and anchored for lunch before going on via the Cuan Sound to view the new North Cardinal perch on Cleit Rock which was well seen despite the foul weather and poor visibility. We were due to meet a friend at the 

Cleit Rock perch, Cuan Sound

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The new pontoon at Scalpay

Loch Melfort Hotel and had an excellent bar supper there but then decided to carry on back to Ardfern as the tide was going south and it meant no delays in the morning for the crew to head south. We arrived back at Ardfern at 23:55 and slipped into the fuel berth for the night. According to the log we had travelled 437nm and the next day the crew departed south and I changed bedding for the post Edinburgh Marathon Man, our eldest son, with his wife and family for a recovery trip in late May to Carsaig Bay, Lowlandman’s Bay and Craighouse, returning to Ardfern via Loch Keills.

Second trip: Ardfern to Scalpay The next trip to the Stones was for three couples who have skied and sailed together for about 50 years. I wanted to take them to Lewis and Harris to view the Stones I had already reached. They flew up from London and Jenny met them at Glasgow. I had the boat waiting for a quick getaway to catch the tide north and we moored at Cullipool on Midsummer’s Day for an excellent supper aboard watching seals and an outing by the local gig. Before dinner we confirmed that the Harris gin was excellent and I said they could visit the distillery for more supplies. Poor Hazel was in a sorry state as she had fallen off her bike in Italy the previous week and had to sit up in the saloon as her ribs were so sore. The next morning was windless and sunny so we motored to the Sound of Mull

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and then on up to Tobermory, sailing into a north, northeast F3 breeze in glorious sunshine. We arrived in time to get scallops as a starter from the van at the pier before dining at Café Fish. We departed at 08:00 the following day and motor-sailed up to Canna with a north, north-east F4-5. At Canna all the moorings were taken so we took four attempts to drop the hook and only after going out to the entrance did the CQR hold. We ploughed the bottom and must have removed most of the kelp on Canna. It didn’t help that the windlass failed to work and the four attempts were done by hand. That evening the solenoid was bypassed and the anchor raised by motor in the morning. We had an excellent meal at Café Canna and retired to the boat for a wee nightcap. The following morning was bright and sunny and the north-east wind allowed us to sail. We felt for the poor Dutchman who was firmly aground on the perch by the ferry ramp after upping his anchor but not reading his CCC pilot before departure. He would have to wait for the rising tide. We had the lightest of winds from the north so motored all the way to the new pontoons at Scalpay where George produced another stupendous seafood repast. Time was now a problem and as a return flight to London was only a few days away I organised Steven Brown to convey us in his taxi to see the Callanish Stones and the west coast beaches on Harris. The taxi arrived at 10:00 prompt and on a windless, warm and very sunny day we were off to

I decided that a return to Loch Nevis was not possible and we diverted to Isle Ornsay and a Duisdale Hotel mooring. I called Mallaig to see if they had a berth but they were full, so it was a trip ashore to the hotel for cream teas and to check the forecast. The weather was still dire with a howling wind and rain from the south-west and Ardnamurchan was out. However the wind was due to back to the north-west in 12 hours. We dined aboard after the cream tea.

Isle Ornsay to Ardfern

Callanish and then Luskintyre and Scarista beaches for a late picnic lunch. As we passed the distillery at Tarbert we managed a short stop to buy more blue-bottled gin.

Scalpay to Isle Ornsay Leaving Scalpay next morning there were no worries about the bridge as we had been under a month before and after thick fog the wind filled in from the south-west and we were sailing at last across a flat Minch to the north of Skye. The wind lasted for a few hours until we had seen about 20 minke whales and hundreds of birds fishing. Then the sun got hotter and we motored to the Inner Sound and Rona where we walked ashore and had amazing views from the top across to the mainland. On the way back to the boat we purchased some venison sausages and burgers. It was a wild and windy night with 20 knots in the sheltered anchorage and heavy rain. The crew were worried next morning as the forecast was dire with south-west F5-7 winds and heavy rain and they had flights booked in two days from Glasgow. So it was a very rough and wet motor-sail in 20 knots of driving rain and poor visibility. AIS and the chartplotter were brilliant as we couldn’t see the Skye Bridge until it was less than a mile away and we knew there were several large cargo vessels coming towards us. It was a cracking sail past Kyle and into Kyle Rhea where the wind was on the nose and gusting over 20 knots.

We made an early start at 07:00. There was a north-west wind but only at 10 knots and we were sailing. As we left the Sound of Sleat the wind started to howl and I hastily rolled away the genoa and up went the storm jib but not before the dinghy tried to escape from the davits. I only just managed to get the stern supports off, yelling at Mike on the helm to come up into wind and this then allowed me to drop the tender for towing. We shot off at 7-8 knots with the tender leaping along behind us. Mal de mer was suffered by some and Hazel renamed Ardnamurchan Point as Armageddon. However, we arrived in Tobermory by 13:30 and as the pontoons were full we went to the two moorings by the town and picked up the one by the Co-op. It was low water and luckily we only draw 1.5m so just kept afloat. As a bonus we went to the fish van and had scallops and chips for lunch and shopped at the Co-op for pudding of raspberries and cream. The sun now appeared and it was warm and the wind moderated, so we goose-winged down the Sound of Mull but eventually had to add an engine as the wind died. We spent the last evening anchored at the west arm of Loch Spelve and had the excellent venison from Rona. We left Spelve at 07:00 and returned to Ardfern at 10:30 and after tidying the boat it was back to Glasgow to catch the 20:35 flight back to London after 303nm on the boat. We even arrived two hours before take-off.

Rest of season For the remainder of the season we had a family trip round Mull in mid-July visiting Loch Aline, Tobermory, Arinagour, where we rescued a tender left high and dry, Lunga, David Balfour’s Bay, Ardalanish and the Garvellachs. We also took the vicar from Helensburgh for a day trip to the Garvellachs in late August which was a wee bit choppy with the Dorus Mor trying to remove the dinghy form her davits again – strangely the Corryvreckan was fairly calm. Our return via the Mull of Kintyre was boisterous at the Mull and the promised easterly became a north-easterly which made our trip back up to Rhu and Dumbarton more challenging. However we had managed to travel 1,466 miles over the summer and had some superb weather.

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The Osar Channel

Lotta Dufour 386 Grand Large

LOA 11.3 metres

Cruise of Lotta in the Kvarner Archipelago, Croatia 66 |

Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Crew Willie Paisley, Anne Paisley, Simon Pender, Linda Pender

Dates 21 September – 7 October 2019

ollowing three very successful cruises in the Baltic in the last five years, the Paisley – Pender women decided they wanted to go warm for the next trip. Simon and Willie however were talking about the Lofoten Islands; the girls replied, ‘Send us a postcard.’ Last year we didn’t go sailing but went on a bike trip riding from Vienna to Budapest. This year we chartered a boat from Pula in Croatia. Since we were flying to Venice we decided to get from there to Pula by bike, making this year’s cruise of the northern Adriatic a combination of cycling and sailing.

Venice to Pula, mostly by bicycle On Saturday 21 September Willie and Anne flew in from Philadelphia in the morning, meanwhile Linda and Simon arrived closer to 20:30. We met for dinner and had our first pizza of the trip. The next day we took the tram from Mestre into the city and had a great day sightseeing in Venice and on the island of Burano, where the famous glassworks are. Sunday was a beautiful day. We cycled from Mestre over the causeway to Venice, and took two ferries to Punta Sabbino, then cycled up the barrier island to the resort of Lido di Jesolo and a welcome swim in the sea. We were entertained by the Italian Air Force equivalent of the Red Arrows. Monday was a long day on the bikes, with a welcome stop in the pretty fishing village of Caorle for coffee and grappa. The rest of the day was spent sightseeing in the medieval town of Portogruaro, and an excellent dinner al fresco. An option in our itinerary was to take the short train journey to Latisana, which we decided to do. It would cut our mileage and allow us some time to see the sights along the way, so we didn’t consider it cheating. After disembarking from the train we rode to Marano Lagunare, where, after an excellent lunch of squid and baby octopus we took a RIB ferry across the bay to Fuime Aussa. After crossing the bridge we made a bee-line for the coffee shop. ‘Four coffees and four grappa, please.’ We stopped in Aquileia to visit the impressive Roman ruins, then on to Grado, with a hard last few kilometres over the causeway into a strong headwind. A very enjoyable evening was had in the old town in Grado. On Wednesday morning we left Grado, and one of our favourite hotels, in search of Trieste, a large commercial port at the top of the Adriatic. After a pause for a broken chain, we cycled on and visited the famous Castello Miramare on the way. The hotel we stayed in, the Victoria, had recently been converted from apartments into a very plush hotel. While apartments, their claim to fame was that the Irish writer James Joyce had started to write his book, Ulysses, while living there. It is a lovely hotel, made all the more special by us both being upgraded to suites on arrival. We woke on Thursday to find a full-on bora still blowing – around 60 knots in the gusts. After a hearty breakfast we set off to find the 09:30 ferry departure point. It was so windy it could have blown a dog off a chain. We took a short ferry ride to Muggia to avoid cycling through the busy streets of Trieste. A shortish day on the bikes, but with quite a bit of uphill, finishing through a tunnel, so the G&Ts and Aperol Spritzes at the hotel pool were well earned. We always knew the best would be saved for the last. This was our hill day – Friday. The first part was easy riding round a large bay and through salt pans to the border with Croatia, where we had to go through passport control. Then we hit the climbs. Firstly a long climb followed by a

long downhill to the coast. Then through the coastal towns of Umag and Novigrad, then inland with a lot of climbing, and finally downhill into Poreć. Quayside at Osar at dusk

Sailing from Pula to Osar We arrived by bus in Pula around 10:50 and took a cab to the marina. We were hoping we might be able to pick up the boat early and set off before dusk. While Linda and Anne went off to forage for food, Willie and Simon loaded the bags on to the boat. A near disaster was averted as Simon handed Anne’s bag to Willie. It slipped off the gangplank and almost fell into the water. We decided not to admit to Anne what had happened until we had reached our evening stopover. After taking numerous photos of obvious existing damage on Lotta, we went over the inventory, first on our own and then with one of the charter team. The boat looked in good shape until our neighbour pointed out a large scrape on the port side. On reporting it we were told ‘don’t worry, we know about that.’ Our boat was a 2017 Dufour 386 Grand Large that had had more than its fair share of close encounters with other boats. The boat next door cast off before us. A young couple were on board. In what looked like a simple lack of husband/wife communication – he didn’t tell her to cast off – the husband gunned the throttle before his wife had released the bow line only to have their bow abruptly smash into ours. The entire exercise was watched by a multinational audience of Brits, Germans, Croatians and the odd Austrian. Woops, yet another scrape to mark on our list of pre-existing conditions and we hadn’t even cast off yet. Admiration goes out to the husband who kept calm throughout, not saying a word to his wife about it… at least not while we were watching. We motored for about two hours and came to a lovely anchorage where we dropped the hook and settled into a celebratory glass of rosé with Simon preferring to nose up to a glass of Monkey Shoulder. Meanwhile, we planned our next day which had the promise of some healthy wind. 

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We rose early on Sunday to find the wind was up and, since it was blowing from the south-east, we decided to head for a shortcut through a narrow channel between the islands of Cres and Losinj that had been built by the Romans. Arriving in Osar – population 60, after what seemed like a very long beat. Osar was a bit like being in the Crinan Canal. Ahead of us was a hand-wound iron swing bridge over a narrow, fast-flowing channel. We knew the bridge would open only twice a day and had arrived in good time for the 17:00 opening. After surveying the pontoon and anchoring situation south of the bridge, we decided to stay put for the night lashed alongside the pier to the north. We’d go for the 09:00 bridge opening the following day. It was here we witnessed an extraordinary phenomenon with the current. Due to the narrow channel, it flowed strongly for about ten minutes, and then stopped almost completely, only to start roaring again about ten minutes later in the same direction. Very strange. We looked for causes but found none. After securing the boat and locking up, we went ashore to explore and look for the local purveyor of adult beverages. We knew we were in the right place when we saw the bridge keeper at the bar, but decided not to buy him a drink in case it made him late for the morning bridge opening. We returned to the boat for dinner and after a small nightcap turned in for the night around 22:30.

Osar to Rab Next up, a visit to the island of Rab to the east. We were up at 07:00 on Monday to a beautiful morning, and through the swing bridge at 09:00. We motored for about nine miles due to lack of wind and to allow for breakfast to be consumed. As we cleared the headland at the south end of the island of Cres, the wind began to fill, allowing us a broad reach to Rab in a 15-18 knot breeze from the north-west. Since we were expecting another visit from the bora, we decided to bite the bullet and take a marina berth for the night. After the dock master helped us into our slot – no pontoons – he asked for our papers and told us we’d get them back when we paid, but no rush. Fortunately, we were in early and they had room. After docking we watched a string of boats arrive, almost all charters, and the marina filled up quickly. When we returned to the boat, on one side we had a Polish flag, on the other a German one. We also spotted a charter boat a few down from us with a bottle of golden coloured liquid and some shot glasses on the cockpit table. That should have been an indicator of things to come. When the occupants returned it was full-on party time with singing all night long. We went ashore to have lunch, see the town, and to re-provision. Linda and Anne bought postcards. Showers were in the forecast but, being Scottish, we paid little heed to the threat and ended

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High fashion in Rab

up being stuck a good distance from the boat when the heavens opened. Time to improvise. We looked at the price of umbrellas and settled for black bin bags with holes for our arms and heads instead. We were attracted to Rab initially because we felt an affinity with the name, given Simon’s father was also named Rab. Of course we toasted him with a grappa or two. However, our lasting memories of Rab will be the soaking we received, the overnight visit from the bora wind and our friends singing their Croatian hearts out.

Rab back to Pula At 08:00 on Tuesday Linda and Willie went to pay the marina and get our papers back. We motored out of the harbour and immediately hoisted the sails and set off on another broad reach in sunshine for the island of Ilovik. We were being a bit competitive that day and challenged ourselves to catch the boats that had left earlier, one of which was a 50 footer. This particular boat had been across from us in the marina and was of such proportions that we gave it an uncomplimentary nickname. We won the race. Arriving in Ilovik around 15:00 we found a mooring and had plans to row ashore to explore, but when we splashed the dinghy we found we had not been provided with a seat for the oarsman, so we cancelled that plan and the boss sat in the cockpit with a refreshment to watch the goings on while the girls had a swim. It proved to be an exciting couple of hours. Next to us was a Bavaria 37 chartered by some Germans. We both watched a boat arrive and make eight attempts to pick up

a mooring. When they eventually succeeded the Germans clapped and gave us the thumbs up, to which we said, ‘come for a drink.’ The next hour was spent getting to know our neighbours, one of whom was a pilot who flies Boeing 737s. It was his wife’s birthday, so of course we had another drink to celebrate. Earlier in the day they had sent someone up the mast to take photos which they shared with us. One of them took a liking to Simon’s Monkey Shoulder, and had they not Drinks with the German neighbours at Ilovik

been pressed for time the bottle would have been severely depleted. They told us where they were going for dinner and mentioned the word seafood, so naturally we were going there too. Big mistake. It turned out to be expensive and the food was not good. This was our worst meal of the entire trip. The good news is we were able to get a water taxi in and out, so we didn’t have to mess with the dinghy.

The next day we waved good-bye to our German friends and headed north. We sailed for a while, but the wind gradually died, and we had to motor most of the way. The pilot book we had been given by the charter company was in German, which made life a bit more interesting. However, the now-retired sheriff dug deep into his education and translated as best he could, which was good enough to get from ‘A to B’ safely. We identified a cove on the west side of Losinj that we could possibly stay in overnight and steered a course towards it. On arrival we found a beautiful location but decided not to stay overnight so we dropped anchor and had lunch. Then on to a nice anchorage on Otok Unije, where anchoring was prohibited. It was compulsory to moor using a complicated four-point arrangement between a small buoy and the shore; picking up two warps from the buoy for the bow, with two further ropes which attached the stern to large concrete blocks just under the surface of the water near the shore. There were about 60 of these buoys and blocks in a line, and very close together – we decided that it would not be fun in high season. Willie and Linda swam in the beautifully clear water, then we had dinner aboard and a nightcap, before spending a slightly uncomfortable night being held by the mooring arrangement at right angles to the wind and waves. We had been warned that refuelling in Pula could be very busy so decided to return to the anchorage we had been in on our first night out, which we had liked. So on Thursday we took a detour of a few miles to Medulin to the north, in search of diesel, but to no avail. Then we had a very pleasant sail to windward, motoring the last few miles as the wind died. After admiring some of the other yachts in the anchorage, we were treated to a wonderful sunset for the last night of our cruise. 

Unije – blissfully empty

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Cruising down the Grand Canal

Back to Pula

Pula to Venice

We decided to set off early on Friday for Pula to refuel before the rush, so that we would have time to explore the town later. There was no wind, so we motored. After refuelling we went back out of the harbour. The wind had come up and we spent a few hours reaching up and down the coast in beautiful sunshine and a moderate breeze. We enjoyed a last lunch aboard, before returning to the marina in Pula to attend to the end of charter formalities. Then an evening was spent exploring the incredible amphitheatre and other Roman ruins in Pula, followed by an excellent dinner. Saturday saw us up early to finish packing and let the charter company complete the paperwork. After that we took a bus to Rovinj, a very attractive seaside town. We spent the afternoon exploring, followed by a very good dinner outside at a restaurant in a tiny alley. Exploring included a visit to the cathedral of St Euphemia, which was very impressive, since Willie and Simon both had grandmothers of that name.

On Sunday morning we had an early start to catch the 07:00 high speed ferry. Linda had us at the dock an hour earlier. We were second in line to board. Meanwhile Willie and Simon went off to forage for breakfast. The ferry took us back to Poreć and picked up more passengers before heading to Venice at 35 knots. When we arrived in Venice we had to clear passport control which took about 30 minutes. Then it was off to a café to decide what to do next. Over beers and an Aperol Spritz we tossed around the idea of hiring a water taxi to take us down the Grand Canal. Linda made a call and was told the fare was €130. She tried to negotiate but was told ‘no.’ We decided to forgo the water taxi ride and ordered another beer. An odd phenomenon then occurred. After the second beer, Willie said, ‘if we have another beer, we’ll not feel so much of the pain of spending €130’… so we did and Linda ordered the water taxi. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the holiday…a private taxi ride down the Grand Canal. It was spectacular. What was even more spectacular is that Simon paid for everyone as his retirement gift to us all. Thank you, Simon. We finished our trip with a lovely dinner outside in the square in old town Mestre. On Monday 14 September we left the hotel and went our separate ways at the airport, already starting to plan the next one.

Willie Paisley

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Cliffs at West Streymoy, Faroe Islands

Monkey Business Beneteau First 38 S5

LOA 11.5 metres

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Crew Charlie Craig – owner, Chris McCondichie, Colwyn Jones Iceland – Orkney, David Cooper Faroes – Orkney

Dates 26 June – 30 July 2019

celand, outbound double-handed with Chris McCondichie, inbound with the addition of Colwyn Jones to Faroes and then collecting David Cooper for the return to Scotland, would provide a challenging and rewarding cruise for Monkey Business. The plan was straightforward.

Tighnabruaich to the Butt of Lewis On Wednesday 26 June we set off from Tighnabruaich. The pressure was 1028Mb, the air temperature hot with a light breeze. Progress was slow with anchorages in Torrisdale Bay, Carradale, to allow for a favourable tide at the Mull of Kintyre, and at Am Fraoch Eilean for the Sound of Islay.

Here we considered setting up the barbeque, but it was so warm we closed the blinds, opened all the hatches and rested below out of the sun. The Ardnahoe distillery, Islay’s most recent addition, added to the interest of the Sound. In Bunnahabhain Bay we came across Olympic Intervention, a cable laying ship, undertaking repairs on the Colonsay to Islay subsea power cable. The evening news carried stories of the European heat wave as we anchored at Oronsay. Next morning anchor we were up before 05:00 by which time the sun was warm and fully above the horizon. The forecast was for the south-easterly breeze to increase, perfect for a sail to Castlebay. By 07:30 we were north of Colonsay and by 14:00 south of Tiree making fast progress. However by late evening it became gusty until we gained the lee of Vatersay, by 20:40 we were secure within Barra Marina having logged 191 miles. Castlebay was bustling on Saturday morning due to the Barrathon half marathon. We re-provisioned ready for our next leg, however with the low pressure forecast of 995Mb expected Faroes we decided rather than sail west through the Sound of Barra to head up the Minch in the lee of the Hebrides. Conditions were excellent as we departed at 13:00, although there was little colour contrast to the Outer Hebrides. The wind started to build during the evening and the small hours brought rain. It had been the hottest day of the year on the mainland; extreme temperatures had been recorded at Glastonbury. Why did it have to rain on us?

The Butt of Lewis to Kinlochbervie North of the Butt of Lewis the winds continued increasing, building a heavy swell. Although under a bright sun, conditions were rapidly deteriorating. Nevertheless we continued for 50 miles until the latest shipping forecast reported ‘Gales in sea area south-east Iceland continuing, low Bailly 995Mb, Faroe NW F8.’ It was the moment the Butt of Lewis became a pain, we were still in control of the situation but as it was unsafe to continue on our course we considered our options. Orkney was 120 miles directly downwind, but unsure of our arrival time we could find ourselves at Hoy Sound with tide against wind, never a good option. A better plan could be to head south-east 50 miles to Kinlochbervie with the wind on our port quarter arriving in darkness into an unknown loch. It was disheartening watching the southeast track forming on the plotter, although the resulting tick resembled acknowledgement of a well-made decision. Running fast off the wind the conditions grew tougher with stronger winds, mist and darkness on the approaches to Loch Inchard where, adding insult to injury, an aggressive skua harassed us for 30 minutes. With great relief the leading light was identified and we entered the loch. A tight turn to port brought us into the stillness of Kinlochbervie, revealing only one yacht alongside the sheltered pontoon where we secured at 22:30, 36 hours and 186 miles from Castlebay but back on the mainland, which was never our plan. 

Alongside at Kinlochbervie

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Hestur, Koltur, Faroe Islands

Monday 1 July became a welcome rest day; even within the sheltered harbour it was breezy as we watched the arrival of Carina and Sparkling Star, two impressive modern trawlers. Meeting the skipper of the Carina and asking if he had had a good trip, with a satisfied smile he replied confidently ‘Oh yes, it’s been a good trip’. We were subsequently invited into the dockside sheds to watch the auction of his catch, and it was fascinating. The porters complained of their hard shift pulling the plastic fish boxes across the auction hall and arranging them precisely in size and species order. We learned that Carina had landed 1,200 boxes following a nine day trip, and with the premium boxes selling for £150 each, little wonder the skipper looked pleased. A pallet which caught our attention held a halibut nearly two metres long and a huge turbot, which possibly had been feasting on this ample shoal of cod before ending up in Carina’s net.

Vagur. They are almost identical and have all the required facilities. During the evening it rained heavily as we made our approach in mist, taking care to avoid the fish cages outside the fjord. We rounded up to starboard into the harbour and secured alongside a Swedish flagged yacht at 04:00, having covered 200 miles from Kinlochbervie. Next morning after a long lie we met Jacob the harbour master, a former Danish merchant marine captain. He arranged for customs to attend, wished us well on our cruise and told us he too was going on holiday for a few weeks. The customs officer who came onboard was friendly and duly recorded all that we declared without search. The difficulty however was in granting Chris the status he deserved on the customs crew declaration. We were sailing double-handed and being equals it was wrong to list him as crew, the customs officer smiled and accepted without question.

Kinlochbervie to the Faroes Next morning with the pressure rising we departed Kinlochbervie at 08:45 and found a heavy swell running but only 18 knots of wind from the north-west. Sailing under a blue sky and in sunny conditions was enjoyable. During the late afternoon we had a period of strong gusts which preceded a favourable wind shift allowing us to sail on a direct track to Suduroy. Both sunset and sunrise were beautiful and although we were sailing double-reefed progress was swift. On previous cruises we have used Tvoroyri as our landfall port in the Faroe Islands but having been advised this harbour was now untenable for yachts we headed for

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Monkey Business alongside Seydisfjordur, Iceland

Chris views approach to Seydisfjordur, Iceland

Well rested we departed Vagur at 14:00 heading for Sandur on the island of Sandor. As we sailed north the views of Lille Dimon, Store Dimon and Skuo were stunning with their precipitous western aspects contrasting with their verdant easterly aspects onto which small farmsteads clung. It was a dramatic landscape. Midway between Lille and Store Dimon in powerful tides we found ourselves making 11.4 knots SOG. The day had started warm but it grew breezy on approaching Sandur which proved to be very sheltered within the outer harbour. We took an evening walk ashore to the turf-roofed church, enjoying the seaward views. We departed late the following morning to catch favourable tide streams. Outside the harbour we passed a lone fisherman, he lifted a large cod from the deck of his boat and waved it proudly at us with a beaming smile. He appeared as pleased with his catch as the skipper of the Carina. Our course was north-west leaving the spectacular islands of Hestur and Koltur to starboard before entering the Vestmanna Fjord between Vagar and Stromo, the principal island of the Faroes. The precipitous cliffs teeming with birdlife on our port side contrasted with the grassy slopes on which random sheep grazed to our starboard. The entrance to Vestmanna was almost concealed until the deep sheltered bay opened, revealing many older disused boat houses which had been tastefully converted into modern designer homes. We entered the main harbour heading for the pontoon listed in the guidebook but found it no longer existed. Fortunately the Swedish crew of a HR36 beckoned us alongside as they were secured to an abandoned trawler. We readily accepted their offer and invited then onboard for a dram.

By coincidence both yachts were planning on departing in the morning heading to Iceland. Weather, routes and destinations were discussed, Chris informed the Swedish crew that we had confirmation from both his daughter and my girlfriend that conditions were favourable for the next leg; they were jovial and asked who were the beneficiaries for our life insurance. Prior to our departure, as requested in the pilot guide, I sent an email to Iceland Coastguard containing our details and cruise plan.

The Faroes to East Iceland Departing about 11:00 on Sunday 7 July from the Vestmanna Sound towards south-east Iceland with both favourable wind and powerful tide we were spat out seaward and once clear of the islands the spectacular cliffs came into view. Initially the sea state was confused due to the strong circular Faroe current clashing with the south-east Icelandic current. This gave slow progress under the crisp blue sky, but the cliffs remained visible at more than 30 miles. Once we crossed the 200m depth contour the sea conditions improved to a long swell giving comfortable conditions. Due to the latitude the night was never dark with sunset and sunrise combining to give a broad golden band across the horizon. We recorded our position every six hours and realised that our performance was continually improving due to the improving sea state and constant winds. We sailed predominantly on a port tack reaching to our intended waypoint and occasionally put in a shorter starboard tack when sailing too far from our optimum 

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Pontoons at Klaksvig, Faroe Islands

track. Sightings of whales and dolphins were frequent but the highlight was a humpback whale breaching close alongside with a classic tailfin display. By midday on 9 July the snow-topped mountains and glaciers of East Iceland were visible including Reydarfjordour with its prominent red cliffs. At 12:55 an Icelandic Coastguard Bombardier aircraft flew over and called us on VHF asking our call sign, last port, number onboard, intended port of entry and finally estimated time of arrival. We replied as requested and after a short pause were granted permission to proceed as per our cruise plan. The mountains on the coast are comparable to Scottish Munros but we were surprised with the snow coverage, and as we sailed into Seydisfjordour the scenery was breathtaking with the bright sunshine highlighting the extensive coverage of Arctic lupins on the lower slopes, spectacular waterfalls and a snow-capped skyline. Around 17:30 we sailed up to the eponymous village at the head of the fjord, and were beckoned by the harbour master who caught our lines. ‘You are late, but welcome to Seydisfjordour’. He explained that the Coastguard called him to expect us. We had logged 276 miles in 54 hours from Vestmanna and were delighted to be in Iceland. Rather than visit similar coastal villages we decided to remain at Seydisfjordour enjoying the fine weather. Our basic berth on the wooden quay had been provided with shore power and water; the village had a decent store and atmospheric cafe bars. Several large cruise ships arrived during our visit bringing tourists mainly from North America. We met up with friends Colwyn and Ann fresh from their mountaineering trip and on 11 July were joined on the quay by Torklie, a German who had sailed single-handed from the Faroes on his yacht, Lolta. Both yachts attracted much attention including a group of polite local teenagers who asked to board Monkey Business and look around her.

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Back to the Faroes About 09:00 on 12 July with Colwyn as additional crew we departed Iceland; the conditions were damp with light winds creating horizontal mist banks on the hillsides as a Norwegian-flagged yacht passed us as we headed seawards. Our track to the Faroes was generally southeast but lay under an occlusion caused by high pressure to the south and low pressure to the north. By early evening we had sailed into fog and mist which persisted in various densities until just off the Faroe coast, depriving Colwyn of the views of the cliffs, of which we had previously enthused. Our three person watch system worked well allowing much sleep. By 17:00 on 14 July, as we entered Kalso Fjord in north-east Faroe, a blast of warm air blowing offshore struck us. I had fond memories of sailing here in 2006 onboard the previous Monkey Business and although the symmetrical triangular peaks to starboard were unchanged the town of Klaksvik appeared much developed and busier. Our next crewman, David Cooper, was waiting for us on arrival. At the marina the harbour master directed us to a hammerhead berth and stated ‘no charges, because we have no shower facilities’. We had sailed 291 miles since Iceland in 59 hours – perhaps he was being polite about our hygiene. An afternoon departure the following day saw us in very strong adverse tides. Neither the celestial curves on the chartplotter, our moon’s meridian passage calculation or the Faroe tidal app corroborated each other, although the tidal app proved more user-friendly and closer to actual observations. We diverted briefly into Leirvik, which David, a Shetlander, informed us means ‘village of the muddy bay’. The harbour had formerly been the ferry terminal but a tunnel had recently been constructed and the excavated rock used to improve the breakwater. Once the tide turned

we set off towards Torshaven but by evening a low mist had set in closing off views. Torshaven appears to have prospered substantially in recent years, including massive expansion of the outer harbour and breakwater and additional visitor berths for yachts. We probed deep into the inner harbour searching for a vacant berth and were greeted by our Swedish friends last seen in Vestmanna who directed us to the last available berth. We were delighted to learn that they too had been successful in their cruise, but in the company of their wives they declined to join us for a dram. A partial lunar eclipse should have been visible but for the persistent low mist. Tuesday became a rest day allowing everyone to enjoy sightseeing around Torshaven. At 08:45 on Wednesday we departed following the Smyrill ferry in the thick fog out of the harbour. As we made progress south visibility improved and we enjoyed the double benefit of strong wind and current allowing us to make a return visit to Vagur, arriving about 15:30 under heavy rain. Not long after securing, Jacob the harbour master arrived in his car. Although on holiday he was keen to chat with us about our cruise to Iceland and provided the latest forecast. We appreciated his visit. It was typical of the seafaring attitude found throughout the Faroe Islands.

The Faroes to Stromness, Orkney Departing Vagur at 06:15 on Thursday 18 July the harbour was reflective. still and calm, and although the barometer was 995Mb the forecast was for light south-east or southwest winds for the next two days. Once clear of the strong current south of Suduroy we sailed directly on track in 16 knots of wind. Chris and Colwyn formed one watch while David and I made the other; it was looking like a swift passage to Stornoway. By late evening the wind had shifted 30 degrees and increased. By 06:00 on Friday it was directly on the nose. The reality was that the south-west wind had gone south then south-east, increased and brought resulting big seas. The feeling onboard was that Chris and Colwyn were getting the heavy watches while David and I were getting the breaks, but whatever the feeling making Stornoway was proving problematic. A further complication was that David had flights booked and essential work commitments. This made Orkney the best option. About 19:00, while Chris and Colwyn were off watch, we bore away and built speed towards Hoy Sound. Given his experience of the outbound trip Chris immediately realised what was happening from the comfort of his bunk. We continued to make fast progress. At the entrance to Hoy Sound and with views of the Old Man we were met by a pod of dolphins. With further good luck a

strong ingoing tide enabled us to enter Stromness Marina at 09:00 on Saturday, having covered 226 miles and in time for David and Colwyn to catch public transport home.

Stromness to Tighnabruaich A complex low system was forecast over Scotland with warnings of rain and gales; we timed our departure to enjoy favourable tides in Hoy Sound, adverse weak tides along the northern coast then favourable tides rounding Cape Wrath with views over Carnstackie and Ben Hope. After 76 miles, at 21:00 we returned to Kinlochbervie, finding an international fleet of six yachts alongside. Departing at 09:00 in drizzle and light winds we headed for Lochinver but progress was painfully slow due to the strong inshore counter-current; however the Old Man of Stoer was astern by 14:00. While on the approaches to Lochinver we disturbed some of the largest flocks of seabirds we have ever experienced. Next morning the blustery conditions and clear sky revealed Suilven and the Assynt hills which had been concealed on our arrival. In recognition of another day of slow windward progress, we accepted that we could not make the Kyle of Lochalsh tide. ‘What!’ was Chris’s exclamation when I announced ‘Isle of Ewe’ before rapidly explaining that Camus Angus anchorage, Isle of Ewe, would provide good shelter. By 17:30 we were anchored, enjoying the hot weather and views towards An Teallach. Next morning was still as we departed. However off Rubha Reidh, as the skies became overcast, we could feel pulses of warm and cool air, Chris on the helm felt static on the back of his hands the instant before a tumultuous bolt of lightning exploded immediately ahead of us. Fortunately after this the lightning storm moved inshore leaving a decent breeze which conveyed us under the Skye Bridge at 16:00 and dropped away at Mallaig by 20:15. Thursday 25 July was the hottest day of the year on the mainland; three CCC yachts in the marina enjoyed the 24ºC temperature – Goodbye Girl, Great Escape and Monkey Business. Chris and I basked there for a couple of days treating Monkey Business to an extensive interior clean. Just as our 1,800 mile cruise had started in benign conditions it ended similarly with easy days to Tinker’s Hole and the Ardmore Isles before returning to Tighnabruaich. At times it had been two against nature but nature and Icelandic scenery had provided immense reward. I am sure the conditions that we experienced were not typical. Distances to the Faroes and Iceland are not too great. Further cruises in that direction could offer greater reward.

Charlie Craig

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Rebel leaving Holy Loch Marina

Rebel Rush 31

LOA 9.2 metres

Crew Jim McCrossan – skipper, Kieran, Brian, Gwen, Susan, Tom, Stuart, Dot, George, Margaret, Lawrence and Anne

Rebel’s T West Highland and Islands tour

Dates 9 June – 29 July 2019

his year’s summer cruise took in the West Coast, the Inner and Outer Hebrides.

Not round the Mull We had intended to go round the Mull of Kintyre on the outward leg of the trip, stopping at Campbeltown en route. However, as we were coming down the Clyde from the Holy Loch, we were sailing into a big head sea, with a lot of slamming. Given the forecast, if it was this bad at Toward Point, it was going to be very unpleasant the next day rounding the Mull. There was an instant change of plan, we rounded Toward Point and headed for Tarbert so we would go through the Crinan Canal. This was interesting and scenic as always. We even had a Para Handy moment. The old puffer, Vic 32, was coming into the sea lock at Crinan as we were waiting to leave, and she completely filled the lock, quite a sight. Round about the time I was planning the trip I heard a piece on the radio about the people of Ulva buying the island. I also saw from the Sailing Directions that

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Party time in Oban Transit Marina

there were pontoons now at Ulva Ferry and a crossing of only about one hundred yards to the island itself. I thought it would be good to spend a couple of days there as I had never been before. It was an interesting bit of pilotage coming in from the north end of the Sound, winding through rocks and islets without much depth to spare. We decided that we would take a boat trip to Staffa the next day as it left from the end of the pontoon. I had passed Staffa on quite a few occasions but never had very good conditions for landing. It was like Sauchiehall Street when we got there. Boats with trippers were queuing up to get into the slip to drop their passengers off. There must have been a couple of hundred people on the island. Despite that it was still great fun, we saw the puffins and Fingal’s Cave was stunning. We got back at lunch time and took the small ferry over to Ulva where we had a wander about and a lovely lunch in the sunshine outside the café that the locals have opened.

Canna re-visited We sailed to Mallaig, where we stayed for two days due to bad weather, then we had a lovely sail out to Canna. I had not been in Canna for more than twenty years, it

was purely an anchorage then, now there are ten visitors’ moorings and a really nice restaurant and shop. It was very busy, there were thirty boats in the bay. This pattern of putting pontoons or moorings in some quite small places has been replicated in lots of places where we would have anchored before. It’s almost always being done by local community associations and does seem to be making a difference in bringing in visitors and helping keep these places viable. I was intrigued to see a notice outside the shop saying, ‘Open 24/7’. When I went in there were two clipboards, one for your boat’s details for the mooring charge and another to note down anything you buy from the shop. Once you have entered all these details you put your money in an open cash box and take any change you are due. Lovely to see such trust and presumably it works.

Ceilidh time on Barra We left Canna and headed for Barra. Another beautiful, sunny passage. And to make the day perfect we had dolphins, a big one and a wee one. We got into another small new marina. We had planned our visit to coincide with the Feis, the Gaelic festival. What we didn’t know was it was also the day of the Fishermens’ Mass and the Blessing of the Boats. 

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In the Crinan Canal

This was just finishing as we tied up, then all hell broke loose, all the fishing boats came out and went careering round the bay like dodgems, with huge wakes. The lifeboat was out too, firing off yellow smoke flares. We had a break of a week on Barra and had a wonderful time. We went to a ceilidh, the Vatersay Boys were playing. Their motto is ‘Beware the Vatersay Boys’. The event was

in Vatersay Village Hall, so this involved a hair-raising drive in a completely packed bus over a hilly and very winding single track road. The ceilidh was great, it’s the only occasion where I’ve danced an Orcadian Strip the Willow and ended up in the car park when you got to the end of the line.

Homeward-bound It was now time to turn homewards. We visited quite a few of the same places on the return journey. We stayed again at the new transit marina in Oban, which is a welcome addition to the facilities. We had a slight mechanical problem in Tobermory. There was no cooling water coming through when I started the engine. After checking everything without success I went back to the impeller and found a tiny split which I had missed the first time. I replaced it and, hey presto, it worked. It had only taken three hours and two very dirty hands. A final challenge was going back through the Crinan Canal. Lawrence, who has been on some of the previous trips, had said he couldn’t make it this year but that he and his friend Anne would be on holiday near the Canal at the time we were coming back and they would come and help us. So there were five of us to work the boat through, sheer luxury. Then it was home to Toward, a bath and a sleep in a big bed.

VIC 32 in the sea lock

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Jim McCrossan

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Leaving Shieldaig

To the Wizard Pool… in a spell of good weather Seol na Mara Fastnet 34

LOA 10.4 metres

Crew Peter McAlister – owner, Alex Meikle, Angus Matheson

A false start Hoping to sail to Orkney this year meant that our cruise should have started from Plockton, but unfortunately a delivery trip to Plockton mid-July went sadly ‘aglay’ when my crew member was violently seasick as we were heading for the Mull of Kintyre. We had departed Lamlash in south, south-east F4-5 but the long fetch had kicked up a bit of a sea and after rounding Pladda he succumbed to the dreaded mal de mer. Over the next couple of hours, as the boat bowled along at more than six knots on a close reach, he clung tenuously to the pushpit, retching horribly. My concern for his welfare escalated when he started complaining about pins and needles in his arms and legs followed by loss of feeling and some extreme shivering. I hove-to to assess the situation and got him below, firstly to the heads, and then into his bunk. I then realised that I couldn’t see him surviving a further

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Dates 5-17 July 2019

eight hours of this through rough seas and overfalls at the Mull of Kintyre and up to Gigha. Reluctantly, I pulled the helm up and bore off downwind for Campbeltown, thus ending the delivery trip and any aspirations of visiting Orkney.

Kip to Puilladobhrain We left Kip at 12:30 on 5 July and despite a west, north-west F3 or 4 being forecast we made very good progress under power and tied up in the sealock at Ardrishaig at 20:00. Our entrance to the sealock was one of confusion as the pontoon that we had intended to tie up to had been removed and all that was left was a large red buoy. The question was – on which side do we pass? I assumed it marked an underwater obstruction associated with the missing pontoon, so we left it to starboard but it was confusing.

Next morning, Saturday, we locked in at 08:30 with two other larger boats. It was low water and the wash off the sluices threw the boats about wildly creating lots of brown sludgy foam which stained our topsides. However, the lock was soon full and once we had all attended to the formalities to obtain our canal passes, the road bridge opened and we moved through to the second lock. As this was smaller than the sealock only two boats could be accommodated, and we were accompanied by a much larger yacht, who, like us, wished to transit the canal that day. We made very good progress, stopping for half an hour at Cairnbaan for lunch. We both locked out at Crinan at 17:00. It had been a fine and unusually midge free passage but we were glad to be back in saltwater. We hoisted the main and motor-sailed into a light northerly, catching the last of the north-going stream through the Dorus Mhor and Fladda, dropping anchor in Puilladobhrain at 20:00 amongst seven other yachts. It was a fine evening and the anchoring drams went down well in celebration of our excellent progress.

Avoiding a windy Tiree I happened to overhear a phone call Roddy had with his sister Catriona, who lives in Tiree, where he remarked that he hoped to see her on Sunday for the last day of the Folk Festival. The forecast for Sunday was for north, north-east F4-5 and I was less than keen to head over to Tiree as Gott Bay is very open to any wind from the east. Instead, I suggested that I take him to Oban in the morning so that he could make use of the excellent service provided by Caledonian Macbrayne.

And so it was that we hauled anchor at 04:30 the next morning and motored up to Oban where we berthed in the Transit Marina so that he could make the 07:30 boat to Tiree. Having seen Roddy safely ashore for the ferry, after breakfasting we too set off, leaving by the North Channel and hoisted main and genoa to reach downwind heading towards Tinker’s Hole at the Ross of Mull. At first we made excellent progress but gradually the wind dropped until we rolled away the genoa off Loch Buie and motor-sailed west inside the Torran Rocks. The wind of course now filled in, about F4 or 5 from the north, and we opted for David Balfour’s Bay instead of Tinker’s Hole, anchoring just off the beach in emerald green water at 15:00. It was quite squally and the boat tacked about its anchor as the wind funneled between the headlands, but the sun shone and it was warm for a change. We were joined by three or four yachts later in the day but they anchored much further out, before going ashore to explore in the stunning beach in their RIBs. Next morning, after a restless night due to the wind swinging round to the south-east, Angus told us that he had an urgent family problem he had to deal with and had decided that he needed to head home. That was sad news as we would not only miss his fine company, but he was also our cook. We decided that we would drop him off in Ulva where he would be able to get the community bus to Craignure for the ferry, and so we raised anchor at 07:15 and motorsailed through the Steamer Passage to the Sound of Iona,  anchoring in Cragaig Bay for breakfast.

The pontoon at Ulva Ferry

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We eventually dropped Angus off at the pontoon at Ulva Ferry at noon to catch his bus and Alex and I headed off with heavy hearts, sailing most of the way to Arinagour in Coll where we picked up a visitor mooring. My experience of Coll as an anchorage is the same as that for Millport – I never get a good night’s sleep, and sure enough the wind had filled in from the south, south-west F5-6 and we snubbed heavily on the mooring and rolled our beam ends all night. We awoke to find ourselves surrounded by thick fog and after musing over breakfast as to what our best plan would be, we decided that another night in Arinagour wasn’t an option and decided to head for Canna.

Canna to the Wizard Pool By 09:00 visibility had improved slightly, although heavy rain had set in. The wind was south-west F3 to F4 but we persevered with sailing as it gave us the chance of hearing any other vessels. Fortunately our chartplotter also shows the position of any vessel transmitting an AIS signal and we were able to keep track of a couple of large fishing boats and one large yacht. Visibility never improved to more than a quarter of a mile. At 14:00, just as we were dropping the mainsail, a minke whale passed close by heading south through the Sound of Canna, just before we motored into the harbour picking up one of the few vacant moorings. Needless to say the harbour was very busy and filled up even more as the day progressed, most late arrivals having to anchor. We

Canna Harbour on a grey day

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pumped up the dinghy and went for a walk ashore, only as far as the shop, where we bought a few supplies and paid our money into the honesty box. It was still foggy on the Wednesday morning so we sailed off the mooring passing several huge yachts anchored in the bay. Our passage plan was to head for Loch Skipport on South Uist but the wind fell light and we had to start motor-sailing. Fortunately visibility was better than the previous day but we didn’t see much for our crossing of the Sea of the Hebrides. However, our spirits were lifted when a large pod of dolphins accompanied us for about half an hour, dancing and breaching all around us. Closing South Uist the fog lifted and we entered the anchorage in bright sunshine, anchoring in Wizard Pool behind Wizard Island at 14:00. What a stunning place. During the course of the afternoon several yachts looked in to the anchorage but ultimately chose a different spot in which to anchor. A stunning Hebridean sunset drew the day to a roseate close. Perhaps this signalled a spell of good weather?

Lochmaddy to the Summer Isles Next morning the 07:20 forecast promised south-east and variable winds which were too light to enable us to sail any distance, so we started the engine at 08:00 and motored

The magic of the Wizard Pool

out of this lovely anchorage. We were in no hurry and motored slowly north with a fair tide eventually opting to call in to Lochmaddy for diesel and stores. We berthed in the small marina at 11:45 and made use of the small shower block to improve the ambience on the boat before going shopping. On our way back we tried in vain to contact the harbour master to sell us some diesel but he had apparently gone walkabout and wasn’t answering his mobile, so we decided to press on under sail to Loch Scadabay, Harris. The entrance to this anchorage is slightly daunting as the approach is between two high headlands only about 20 metres apart. As we started to make our approach another yacht, a Wanderer 34, disappeared through the gap and by the time we inched our way in he had anchored. There were quite a few mooring buoys cluttering up the anchorage and I didn’t want to foul their moorings, so it took a couple of circles before we found the right spot in which to drop our anchor at 18:20. Needless to say it had a tripping line. After a very quiet night we upped anchor at 09:30 and headed north once more, motor-sailing in a variable F3 wind. We had considered heading to Loch Shell but at the last minute decided on Stornoway to replenish our diesel. We have a very small fuel tank which holds only 45 litres

and so we carry another 60 litres in canisters. This isn’t normally a problem but as it is quite difficult getting diesel in the Hebrides I like to fill up whenever I can. As the day progressed we motored in light and variable winds through the Shiant Channel towards Stornoway, tying up alongside in the marina at 15:15. We were delighted to meet Helen and John Anderson on their boat Mara and were joined later by Ken Linklater who not only offered us a meal on his Atlantic Clipper Rebecca but promised a ‘boat ceilidh’ later onboard Seol na Mara with some of the musicians from the local folk club. Ken also took us in his car to a local garage where we successfully managed to top up our diesel cans. Next morning, Saturday 13 July, we joined Ken at the Bridge Centre for breakfast before heading off at 10:30 bound for Loch Broom. We ran goose-winged across the Minch making reasonable speed in a north-west F3 to 4 wind and anchored in Tanera Beag in the Summer Isles at 17:10. It was a beautiful spot and well sheltered out of the swell and we had yet another peaceful night at anchor in the company of one other local yacht. At least I’m guessing he was local by the speed at which he motored through the rock strewn narrows and picked up a mooring buoy.

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Leaving Scadabay

Ullapool and Shieldaig The weather continued to hold for us and on a bright Sunday morning we motored slowly south-east, leaving Tanera Mor and Horse Island to starboard, heading for Ullapool where we picked up a visitor mooring at 11:30. As we were enjoying lunch we were kept entertained by a large cruise liner, the Viking Sun, which came and anchored further up the loch. The wash from its passenger boats ferrying passengers ashore, however, suggested it was time for us to go and so we cast off and headed west motor-sailing in bright sunlight. The mountains of Torridon provided a stunning backdrop as we passed Gruinard Island and Mellon Udrigle. We rounded the various headlands and crossed the entrance to Loch Ewe before passing through the emerald green waters inside Horse Island to pick up the last visitor mooring in Badachro at 19:00. It is quite a while since I had been here and I was quite overwhelmed at the number of boats and moorings. It doesn’t seem that long ago that you used to be able to anchor close to the hotel, whereas now we were lying just off Horrisdale Island. We decided to treat ourselves to a meal ashore and with the outboard on the dinghy we made short shrift of the distance. Soon we were enjoying a couple of pints of Guinness as we waited for our meal. The hotel was very busy but it was also very noisy, so we didn’t linger long

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before heading back to the solitude of the anchorage. We sat in the cockpit for a while, watching the sun go down before turning in. The calm of our Monday morning was disrupted when the skipper of a motorboat on the next mooring asked if we had heard anything during the night as his dinghy had been apparently stolen. Needless to say he was a little embarrassed when Alex pointed out that it was lying alongside his boat. The explanation: his motorboat was tide rode but the dinghy was wind rode. In any case he was relieved that all was well. At 08:45 we cast off the mooring on yet another warm sunny day. Although the weather wasn’t very conducive for sailing it certainly showed off Scotland’s West Coast at its best. We motor-sailed round Rhu Readh in a calm sea, anchoring at low water in Shieldaig village at noon. It was so warm that neither of us felt like going ashore so we stayed onboard, where there was at least a bit of a breeze and carried out various tasks on the boat. Several other boats came to join us in the course of the afternoon. It always surprises me how far from the shore some boats anchor. We draw 1.5 metres and so at low water we had anchored in 3 to 4 metres of water. Most of the other boats, some of which were much smaller seemed to have anchored in 10 to 12 metres of water, albeit that it was high tide. Maybe they just had electric anchor winches. By evening, the barometer had started to fall, signaling an end to the spell of fine weather.

Portree

Portree and Plockton Next morning the wind had filled in from the southwest F4-5 and so we had an enjoyable stiff beat from the entrance of the loch to the narrows at South Rona. I had thought that we may have needed to tack but as we closed the Rona shore the wind backed and we even managed to get through Kyle Rona on the one tack. Once through, the wind increased and veered giving us exciting sailing for a change. We tacked down the Sound of Raasay to the entrance of Loch Portree where we dropped sail and motored the last mile, picking up a mooring at 13:20. We were surprised at how exposed the anchorage was to a south-west wind and it was already slightly uncomfortable. As the forecast overnight was south-west F5-6 we decided to move down to Kyle of Lochalsh for better shelter. Leaving Loch Portree it was blowing close to F6 as we rounded the headland into the Sound of Raasay and Caolas Scalpay where we were passed by several yachts heading north under full sail. I hope they survived the stronger winds around the headland we had just passed. Needless to say the wind eased as we sailed past Scalpay across Broadford Bay and under the Skye Bridge where we tied up on the inside of the pontoon at 17:40. To celebrate we treated ourselves to a fish supper ashore before retiring aboard. The forecast for the morrow was not good.

We decided to stay put next morning as heavy rain and the forecast for south-west F5-6 wind was making it very uncomfortable for the yachts lying on the windward side of the pontoon, and their crews spent most of the day trying to keep their fenders in place. We on the other hand were held off the pontoon by the wind and the worst we had was some snubbing of our mooring lines. The rain battered down for most of the day but it eased later in the afternoon, enabling us to walk up to the garage and buy 40 litres of road diesel at an extraordinary price. However needs must as this was our last chance before heading to Plockton where we would be leaving the boat. By 19:00 the worst was over and we decided it was calm enough to attempt the tricky manoeuvre of reversing out past a couple of other yachts as there was little sea-room to leeward. Fortunately it all went well and soon we were motor-sailing out through the Kyle Narrows and down to Plockton, tying up to the pontoon at 20:30. This was to be the end of our summer cruise and so we went ashore to see Calum and Jane, even squeezing in a pint in the Plockton Inn before heading back to the boat and picking up a visitor’s mooring for a few weeks. We had covered 428nm in 13 days in mostly fine weather which wasn’t bad considering how the rest of the summer turned out. It must have been the magic of Wizard Pool.

Peter McAlister

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Westbound Adventurer moored at Ballachulish

Westbound Adventurer Sigma 33

LOA 9.9 metres

Crew Paul McNeill – owner, Lawrence McBride

Dates November 2018

Late season misadventures

estbound Adventurer was tugging gently on her Ballachulish mooring when I arrived late on Sunday 18 November 2018. I could just make her out by the light of the moon when I emerged from the five minute forest walk which had been assisted by my head torch. I have visited most places during my 30 years of cruising the West Coast of Scotland but had always passed by Loch Sween while heading up or down the Sound of Jura. I had had two overnight anchorages at the MacCormaig Isles and one overnight in Loch na Cille but had never found the time to make a passage up Loch Sween to Tayvallich. A perfect weather window now presented itself. Several days of settled weather with light to moderate easterly winds should ensure a trouble free single-handed passage, or so I thought.

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A fouled anchor and gearbox failure I departed Ballachulish at 09:00 the following morning and with a mixture of motoring and sailing Alfred, the autohelm, and I managed to catch the last of the southbound tide through the Sound of Luing and Dorus Mor to drop anchor off the Crinan Hotel. There was a good offshore breeze while I dug the anchor in with more engine revs than was probably needed for the sandy bottom. It had been a long day but my ten hour sleep ensured that I had the energy for day two. The first surprise was a one hour battle with a fouled anchor. I cursed myself for not using a tripping line the previous night but prior experience of anchoring here had always been good. With glorious sunshine, flat sea and only four metres of water I could see the anchor on the seabed fouled by a wire. Where did I put that short length of chain which was hidden somewhere on the boat after many years of non-use? The textbook trick actually worked. A bight of chain was lowered down the vertical anchor rode and a line taken back to cockpit. You free off the anchor rode

from the foredeck and pull on the line from the cockpit. In the overall scheme of things this was a minor irritation compared with the events of later the same day. A north-east breeze kicked in allowing a pleasant downwind passage towards Loch Sween. I calculated that I needed to motor up the loch to ensure my first visit to Tayvallich was done in daylight. The engine started without fault but a gearbox failure meant that I had only the sails for propulsion. Not a problem in itself but four hours of tacking up the loch in light winds left me with the challenge of sailing singlehanded into an unvisited and unlit harbour in the dark. I don’t have a chartplotter in the cockpit so I had to commit the sailing directions to memory for the very narrow entrance to the inner harbour. With a light wind on the beam in the outer harbour I dropped the main and crept into the inner harbour with a scrap of headsail. With tiller in one hand and searchlight in the other I discovered that the unlit port and starboard perches in the very narrow entrance had luminous red and green paint. The confidence this gave me soon evaporated when my searchlight revealed an inner harbour still congested with many boats on moorings. Not good for the blood pressure.

Anchor, mooring and pontoon experiences in Tayvallich Bay My searchlight missed the small unlit south cardinal mark until it was too late. I was on the wrong side of the mark and braced myself for impact at two knots. By good fortune the boat did not ground but there must have been inches of water between the submerged rock and the bottom of the keel. The next challenge was to dodge the moored boats, kill the headsail and drop anchor. Job done, but as the boat settled at anchor the stern was too close to an unoccupied mooring. I collected this mooring strop from the cockpit with the boathook and tied a line to it which I led to the foredeck. I then buoyed and dumped the bitter end of the anchor rode and warped the boat back onto this unoccupied private mooring. After a short period of ‘R and R’ I inflated the dinghy and rowed ashore in search of the Tayvallich Inn. By good fortune the bar staff was a member of the local moorings association and made some phone calls on my behalf. This established that there was no local engineer who could tackle engine gearbox failure. The following morning I used the dinghy to recover my buoyed anchor. I also checked that the throttle cable linkage to the gearbox had not come adrift but it was secure and when gear was engaged I could still turn the prop shaft by hand which meant that the problem was internal to the gearbox. Definitely a job for a marine engineer. I saw another yachtsman in the bay doing a

little boat maintenance. He agreed to assist me by towing Westbound Adventurer upwind towards a visitor mooring which I had missed in the dark on the way in. We thought that two dinghies with outboard engines would do the trick but we were wrong. The wind picked up to 20 knots just as we slipped the private mooring and we could not get the boat’s head through the wind. I was about to drop anchor again when I noticed that Westbound Adventurer was conveniently heading towards an unoccupied pontoon and so we let her do just that. A local fisherman engaged me in conversation while we made Westbound Adventurer secure on the pontoon and as he was going to Lochgilphead by car he gave me a lift. Then it was a bus home to Glasgow to buy time for a rescue plan. I sent an email to the secretary of the local moorings association explaining why my boat was on their pontoon. The reply was that there was no charge as it was a breakdown but a donation via the pontoon honesty box would be welcome.

An engine-less sail to Loch Feochan After considering various options I decided that a winter lift out at Ardoran Marine in Loch Feochan was the best solution but sailing Westbound Adventurer there would require crew. A few days later with a favourable wind still in the east I had an early morning drive to Tayvallich with Lawrence as crew. By prior arrangement a local fishing boat towed us out of the harbour and we had a quiet sail down Loch Sween in a light north-easterly wind. The main anxiety was the possibility of drifting in light winds at the mercy of the strong tides at the upper end of the Sound of Jura. So we planned to sail up the east side of the Sound to allow an anchorage at Carsaig Bay or Crinan if we were going to miss the northbound tide. We did not put that plan into action. The north-east wind increased to F6 so we had a great sail by the direct route towards the Sound of Luing at an average SOG of eight knots in the Sound of Jura and ten knots at the north end of the Sound of Luing. We only had 30 minutes of anxiety when passing the Gulf of Corryvreckan as the west going branch of the flood tide battled with the northgoing branch. We were surprised to see another yacht making a westbound passage through the Corryvreckan close to the Jura shore at half flood but as wind and tide were together perhaps they had a smooth passage. Perhaps not. It was dark as we cleared Inch Island and tacked towards Loch Feochan in a failing wind. We crept slowly into Barnacarry Bay with Lawrence on the helm and me at the chartplotter below. It was reassuring to note that both the UKHO chart and Antares Charts equivalent via my hand held GPS agreed with each other. We safely anchored 

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for the night. By prior arrangement an Ardoran Marine workboat towed us into Loch Feochan at 08:00 HW the next morning and Westbound Adventurer was in the boat hoist by 10:00.

The return to Tayvallich With my senior Saltire Card I was singing the praises of the Scottish Government as I travelled back to Tayvallich to collect my car. Oban to Inveraray for me, while Lawrence continued on the bus to Glasgow. Inveraray to Lochgilphead on the Campbeltown bus arrives two hours before the direct bus from Oban to Lochgilphead which would have meant missing the last local bus to Tayvallich. The local Lochgilphead to Carsaig bus dropped me in Tayvallich as it was getting dark. I drove my car back to Ardoran Marine to unload items from Westbound Adventurer which were not suitable for winter storage. I then remembered there was still a job to be done back at my Ballachulish mooring. With the intention of returning by boat to Ballachulish I had left my boarding dinghy on my Ballachulish mooring which would be fine for a few weeks but not for the winter. By the time I deflated and stored the yacht’s dinghy in my car I was very tired and had already been driving in the dark for some time.

Reproduced with the permission of Antares Charts

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A phone call to the Regent Hotel in Oban offered me a bed for £20.00 and the decision-making process lasted a nanosecond. It proved to be clean, warm and comfortable to say nothing of the hot shower. The following morning I drove to Ballachulish to inflate the yacht’s dinghy and tow the boarding dinghy from my mooring and secure it ashore for the winter. The last task was to deflate the yacht’s dinghy and stow it in the car for the drive home. A new engine gear box was fitted over the winter and without this late season coastal passage it would have been a problem waiting to happen early this last season. As always, the dividing line between adventure and misadventure can be very thin. In retrospect I should have dropped anchor in the outer harbour at Tayvallich and entered the inner harbour the following morning. In 30 years of cruising the west of Scotland I have never broadcast a May Day or Pan Pan but would not hesitate to do so if the circumstances demanded it.

Paul McNeill

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Admiralty charts, sailing directions and Murdoch Mackenzie

Rhum and Sleat from Sgurr Coire Choinnichean

Introduction

Admiralty charts, sailing directions and Murdoch Mackenzie

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Murdoch Mackenzie was born in 1712 in Kirkwall, Orkney, and was the principal figure in the early development of accurate coastal charting in Britain and Ireland. His work, over two centuries ago, laid the basis for Admiralty charts and for sailing directions published in the 21st century. The marks and symbols on charts that we take for granted are, in a great part, due to the life-long work of this man. In 1739, the famous Scottish professor of mathematics, Colin Maclaurin, was asked to arrange for a survey of the Orkney Islands. He recommended that Mackenzie, who had been his student at Edinburgh University and was then a teacher at Kirkwall Grammar School, be asked to carry out the survey. Mackenzie accepted the invitation. In 1743 Mackenzie published ‘Proposals for surveying and navigating, by subscription, the Orkney Islands’. He observed that ‘from the Thames and other parts of Britain a great number of ships, especially in time of war, sail through these islands, yet a draught of them, with any tolerable accuracy, has never yet appeared.’ Of particular concern was the coast of North Ronaldsay and Sanday (with low elevation and often poor visibility). There had been many wrecks as ships attempted to navigate the channel between North Ronaldsay and Fair Isle.

Admiralty charts, sailing directions and Murdoch Mackenzie

Survey of Orkney Mackenzie surveyed the islands, their coastlines, outlying rocks and shoals. He used triangulation that had been known about for several centuries and which was beginning to be used for cartography. The basic principle is to set out a baseline of measured length and then to use only angular observations to establish the positions of points on a network on land. He arranged for beacons or landmarks to be built on ‘the Summits of all the remarkable Hills and Eminences’. He borrowed a theodolite and other measuring equipment from the Admiralty, including a long length of iron chain – with a standard length of 22 yards. The measurement of a baseline over land is very difficult but he had some remarkable luck. Early in 1744 Orkney had a very cold spell of weather. Harray Loch froze over. It proved to be the ideal flat surface that Mackenzie needed to lay out a straight line and measure it with the chain. This enabled him to establish a base line of 3.75 miles long. The idea of setting out a baseline on ice was not new, having been used previously in Canada and Lapland. From the ends of the baseline he measured angles to other points whose positions could be established using trigonometry. He repeated this process until he had a series of accurately measured triangles that covered the whole of Orkney. He then made observations and measurements from the sea. He did this by manoeuvring a boat to each end of offshore rocks and skerries and then plotting their positions accurately in relation to the adjacent island shores. He recorded the direction and strength of tidal flows around the islands, noting potentially dangerous stretches of water. He included the high and low tide levels. He took soundings noting the nature of the sea bottom where shoals or shallows were present.

What was new in Mackenzie’s charts? [1] ‘all the churches, buildings, gentlemen’s seats, villages and most remarkable hills necessary for directing vessels how to keep clear of rocks, to enter into harbours, or to

the best anchor ground, will be marked in their proper places.’ He marked noticeable features on the land such as the colour of a hill compared to green grazing. [2] topographical views of the coastline as they would appear to mariners. [3] textual commentaries about the strength of the tides, and potentially dangerous stretches of water. In this age of metrology, linear distances had not been standardised. Where appropriate he included – along with English miles, for example, the Swedish and Danish league and the Dutch league.

Mackenzie’s publications The survey began in 1744. By 1749 he was able to submit a paper to the Royal Academy on ‘The state of the Tides in Orkney’ and in May 1750 his atlas was published containing eight charts – five of the Orkneys and three of Lewis in the Hebrides, with Kirkwall being taken as the meridian rather than Greenwich. As a result of the quality of this work, Mackenzie was commissioned by the Admiralty to carry out a survey of the west coasts of Scotland and of England. When he retired from surveying in 1771 his nephew, also Murdoch Mackenzie, continued the survey on the south coast of England. Alexander Dalrymple, also a Scot, was appointed as the first Hydrographer to the Navy in 1795. He arranged for Murdoch Mackenzie Jnr’s charts to be engraved and they therefore made an important contribution to the establishment of the Admiralty charts as available today.

Summary In summary Mackenzie’s charts, as they became known, are noteworthy for being based upon a rigid triangulation framework. He developed new techniques which are described in his ‘Treatise on Maritime Surveying’ – 1774. While it may not be realistic to claim that Murdoch Mackenzie Snr was the ‘father’ of the Admiralty chart system, we can say with confidence that he made a very important contribution to setting standards for these publications.

Iain and Barbara MacLeod

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CCC Sailing Directions

Memory-Map Marine charts and CCC Sailing Directions displayed on an iPad using the split screen function

The CCC Sailing Directions – the new digital option

An aerial view of Ardminish Bay

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igital charts have been with us for many years and the majority of yachts now use one or a combination of systems for chart-plotting. For almost as long, we have been talking about digital versions of the CCC Sailing Directions and I am pleased to report that at last all our books are now also available in digital form. After several years of experimentation with various methods and formats our publishers, Imrays, have opted for the tried and tested PDF format. Whilst this might not possess some of the sophisticated searching and referencing functions of other eBook formats it has the advantage that what you see is a facsimile of the printed book and will immediately be familiar to all users. A PDF also has the great benefit that, on a touch screen device, both text and illustrations can be instantly enlarged and reduced with a simple finger movement, unlike most eBook readers that involve the use of a dedicated menu for enlarging or reducing text. I have tried PDF versions of our Sailing Directions on an iPad for over five years but found that invariably I returned to the paper book. The breakthrough came when I learnt that it was possible to run both a chart plotting application and the PDF Sailing Directions concurrently and see both at once by splitting the screen – googling ‘iPad’ or ‘Android split screen’ will tell you how

CCC Sailing Directions

Antares Charts displayed using the Memory-Map app alongside CCC Sailing Directions using the split screen function on an iPad

to do this. At first sight both the chart and the book seem to be hopelessly small but the ability to zoom in and out rapidly and slide the window around with just one or two fingers easily overcomes this problem. For chart-plotting I use MemoryMap, which also has the ability to merge seamlessly with Antares charts, and when this is running alongside the relevant section of the Sailing Directions it is as near as you can get to a fully integrated system of charts and directions. For almost fifty years a close relationship between text and plans has been one of the principal aims of our printed Sailing Directions and it is fitting to see that this is now possible in digital form with, of course, the added advantage that the chart shows your position, speed and direction of travel. One day such integrated chart and text programs, where a single ‘click’ on an anchorage will bring up written directions and an enlarged plan, will become commonplace and Imrays have such a product in their sights but say that it will entail a considerable investment in time and money. In the meantime, for the sum of £50.00 for a full set of UK MemoryMap charts, £22.00 for a PDF book of CCC Sailing Directions, two free apps and a tablet, you can enjoy a similar experience tomorrow.

All the digital books can be bought from the ‘Google Play/Books’ site which is best accessed using the links on the publications page of the Club’s website. These take you straight to the appropriate page where a copy of the book can be downloaded instantly at a price that is about 35% less than that of the printed book. The file can be viewed on a wide range of smartphones, tablets and computers, although a good touch-screen tablet is probably the most versatile. If you are uncertain as to how it may look on your device the site gives an option of downloading a free sample. The accompanying screen shots – approximately 85% of the actual size – taken from an iPad give some idea as to how the windows can be re-sized according to need and the content enlarged or reduced. However, static illustrations give no hint as to the speed with which this can be done with just a few intuitive finger movements, assisted occasionally by the contents and bookmarks menus. Can I suggest that if you have a tablet with charts already loaded on to it that you download a sample from the ‘Google Play/Books’ site and give it a go?

Edward Mason Editor of the Sailing Directions

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Chart folios to match the CCC Sailing Directions

ith the Admiralty Hydrographic Office proposing to cease the production of their Leisure Folio navigation charts, CCC and publishers Imray have teamed up to produce a set of charts to accompany the CCC Sailing Directions set of books. From 2020, when we’re aiming to have the first folio of charts on sale covering the Firth of Clyde, the new folios will be produced to match the coverage area of each CCC book. In a similar format to the UKHO A2 size charts, a wallet of charts with useful coverage and scale is in preparation. Designed specifically to complement CCC Sailing Directions, duplication will be minimal, popular anchorages and marinas highlighted and frequent routes for sailing covered. Imray started publishing their 2000 series charts some years ago, and these are popular, but there are aspects of local knowledge that would make them better. The new charts will have a greater coverage area – the Clyde series will, in line with the CCC Sailing Directions for the Clyde, cover an area from the Solway to the Mull of Kintyre, and all the folios will have more charts than previously, somewhere between 15 and 20. So look out for the new charts, another new product from the CCC Publications team.

Geoff Crowley

Clyde Cruising Club @ the heart of Scottish sailing CCC the active club at the heart of the Scottish sailing community, connecting people, exploring, cruising, racing and learning

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The thrill of racing (Yachting Images photo)

Halcyon’s challenge – race in 2020

Racing without wind at CCC Closing Muster

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kay, I have your New Year resolution for you. After all the times you have thought about it – this year promise yourself you are going to ‘race’. No more excuses, no more delays, just do it. We took the leap a few years ago and have loved it ever since. Racing is really just a cruise-in-company but friendlier. For the last two years Halcyon has been based in Denmark and we have enjoyed some wonderful sailing including a circuit around the Baltic to Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Denmark. I would have been happy to be based in Denmark for at least another season – and mooring and storage is less than half the prices here. However on a dark February night in the pub the crew said they were missing racing and persuaded me, after a few drinks, to bring Halcyon back to Scotland. So, our friend and occasional racing rival, Janet, offered to help us across the North Sea in time for West Highland Yachting Week and ultimately the CCC Closing Muster. We made Peterhead in less than three days, and rushed through the Caledonian Canal – facing the Loch Ness monster winds head on. But we pretended we were racing and made it to Oban with two days to spare.

‘So why would I want to race?’, you may be thinking. Don’t get me wrong – I know where you are coming from. I had a fear of racing too and it just seemed so complicated. Handicaps, rules, the need for big crews, scary starts and people shouting at you. Each huge obstacle is actually very small. First we shall examine some of the initial ‘obstacles’.

Handicaps I had heard complicated stories about weighing the boat and giving all sorts of measurements. This is true if you are going to compete at a serious level. But you are going to start the easy way with a Clyde Yacht Clubs Association (CYCA) handicap. They have lists of all types of yachts and unless you have a very unusual boat the chances are that they will have a basic handicap for you. You might get a better handicap, for example, if you have a roller furler or a fixed blade prop. I found the staff at CYCA incredibly helpful and after admitting that I had no idea what I was doing the lovely lady talked me through the process and very quickly sorted me out. The CYCA has a very helpful website where you can find more information than you really need at this stage! As well as a handicap they will give you a sail number – remember to get the sail maker to add this when you have the sail off for the winter.

Racing rules Let’s be honest these can be complicated but by choosing a passage race rather than one round the cans you can avoid the complex overlap rules when approaching a buoy. So choose a CCC race which is usually a passage race, and avoid Scottish Series – at least to begin with. West Highland Yachting Week, a great event, has a mixture of passage races and boats can enter for these races only – as does Scottish Series. However, very quickly you start to enjoy the ‘cans’ races too. If you are really unsure of the rules try to persuade one of our Dinghy Section members to come out with you. They will know the rules and might even teach you a few things about boat and sail trim. Most of the rules are based on the standard rules of the road that we are all familiar with and if you are unsure of them, should you really be out on the water?

Insurance You will need third party insurance – sometimes up to £3m. However club racing is usually covered in most insurance policies at no extra cost – just make sure you do tell your insurer if racing does not appear on your policy cover document. 

The post race debrief at Tobermory

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Malene on the helm and leading the fleet

Crews Don’t aim to fly a spinnaker in your first race. Join a restricted sail class or white sail class – though these days not all sails are white. This way you do not need a big crew. Two handed is fine – it is how we started – but one or two extra crew helps. You will very quickly develop a system that works for you. I usually helm if closehauled, Malene helms downwind and Dave does anything in between with Richard on the main sheet traveller and gourmet galley duty. You will find that racing really helps your cruising and you will be less worried about gusts and reef less – gusts are your friends, not your foes. And if you get the odd bad tack you will learn next time – we once lost an eight hour race to Tobermory by seven seconds – each bad tack then haunts you.

Starting I think this is what scares new skippers the most. Starts can be stressful particularly in a big fleet with multiple starts. Once you are going it is like any two yachts sailing in the same direction – you are racing. Restricted sail class usually go first, so make sure you know the countdown sequence usually 10 – 5 – 0 i.e.

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a 10 minute warning then a five minute ‘preparatory’ – you will have switched off your engine before the gun, then start. If you are not sure then hold back for your first race or two – or have a dinghy sailor on board – to avoid the clamour to be first over the line. This is a learning experience – don’t expect to win your first race. And remember to fly your class flag – usually code flag 3, from a back spreader and remove your red ensign. I made that mistake initially until some kind committee vessel put me straight – apparently it is a signal that you have retired. My best start during the early days was when we had to race to make the start line in time. Engine full throttle, switched off before the five minute preparatory signal and first over the line. We had overslept after a good night in the pub… I now love the excitement and challenge of judging the wind and other boats’ strategies just right and on those rare occasions when you cross the line with only seconds to go it is very satisfying.

Enjoyment? So we have now reduced the obstacles to manageable little steps. Still, what is the attraction – apart from lovely big trophies and learning to sail well?

Fending off competitors at Closing Muster

I confess I love how our little team has gelled and the satisfaction we all get from doing well in a race. When we don’t do so well then we now know what we did wrong. In our first West Highland Yachting Week we came second last everyday but at least we beat the same boat each day which gave us some comfort. It was only on the last day when our rival for last place got ahead of us did we realise that our rival’s helm was strapped into a wheelchair. It was a learning curve and we knew we had to do a long list of things better but we committed to returning. This year after more years than I care to remember we got four seconds and a first out of five races. Inevitably crews celebrate their wins and drown their losses. Drinks and debriefing. You soon pick out a few favourite rivals. The rivals become friends and debriefing and drinks become a joint highlight. The social bit is equally important to the racing. Like this year at the Closing Muster when a few Class 3 boats lay side-by-side in Rothesay and Puffin had at least four rival crews on board for drinks the evening before the race. Finally, if you keep your promises, our promise is: if you race for the first time in 2020 against Halcyon – win or lose – we will buy you a beer.

Strategy discussed at WHYW 2019

Stephen Owen

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Sailing in the sun in the 1970s

W Swallows and Amazons– and Bardowie

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hen I was very young I read avidly all the ‘Swallows and Amazons’ books by Arthur Ransome. Then when I was 14 years old I joined Bardowie and found the real thing. There was probably an inevitable similarity since Bardowie came into existence at the same time as the ‘Swallows and Amazons’ books were written in the early ‘30s and the ethos of both was so similar – have fun but accept responsibility. I had sailed a bit with my father and his friends but that was always with adults and I was relegated to being a spectator. But at Bardowie I was in charge of my own boat, I had responsibility, I made my own decisions. True we had to spend 10 hours being taught before we could take a boat out on our own but that was over quickly and the instructors didn’t seem like adults, they were simply older boys and girls. We were, I suppose, supervised at all times but the supervision was benevolent and never intrusive. We didn’t just learn to sail a boat from A to B at Bardowie. What we really learnt was seamanship. We had novelty races sailing backwards and forwards; without mainsails; without jibs; without the centreboard – upwind of course, and even without the rudder. And then we would do it all picking up a mooring or coming alongside the jetty.

I think coming alongside a jetty with the wind on the beam and stopping the boat exactly where you want must one of the cleverest pieces of boat handling anyone can do. And not all the experience was gained at Bardowie. We were always being asked to crew on various boats on the Clyde and beyond. By sailing with a huge variety of different skippers we quickly learnt what was good and what was bad. The word very soon went around that one was a great boat to sail on whereas another was to be avoided. There is no such thing as bad experience – all experience teaches you something. Along with sailing we learnt responsibility. I am sure all was properly insured but it never crossed anyone’s mind to do other than carry out all repairs and maintenance ourselves. All the boats were maintained by the members and since they were wooden they were repainted over the winter. Competition to ensure a mirror smooth racing finish on the paintwork was intense and woe betide anyone who dared to sand a boat while another nearby was being painted! I was put in charge of boat No 2 when it was brand new and I would be about 15 years old. After only a few weeks I caught the bow on the transom of another boat and holed mine. I went ashore to tell the Captain Bill Carey what I had done and he simply said to me ‘Well fix it.’ ‘How?’ I asked. ‘Find out.’ said Bill. He wasn’t being unkind, like Captain Flint in Swallowdale he knew that it will happen to everyone eventually unless they stick to wheelbarrows – but you have to fix it. I duly

went to the older boys who showed me how to repair a wooden boat and I am proud to say that patch was invisible from the outside until the day the boat was sold. But the real lesson from that episode was not how to fix a hole in a boat. The lesson was to take responsibility for your actions and to be self-reliant. Not only essential requirements for any sailor but even more useful for life itself. Some of the high jinks we got up to don’t bear repeating even after this passage of time but we cannot deny the Morris Minor being driven round course one – North Bay, Middle Deep, Sandy Bay and Home – in the winter of 1963-64 when the ice on the loch reached 14 inches thick. I still wake up sometimes thinking of the consequences if the ice had broken. We also had a motor bike on the ice as well as a home-made ice yacht which to say the least was somewhat difficult to control. There was, of course, a social side and friendships forged at Bardowie are never, ever broken. We were all growing up at the time. The club was rather simpler in those days. At weekends everything would stop for tea and around 17:00 someone would go up to the local farm for milk for the tea brewed on a primus and we would all eat our sandwiches in or around the clubhouse. As we got older and had access to cars it wasn’t unusual for a massive order of fish and chips to be brought from Milngavie. When the nights started drawing in the tilley lights would be lit. We even had dances in the clubhouse lit by tilley lights and with a record player powered by a cable laid across the fields to a nearby house. With teenage boys and girls mixing we soon learnt a lot more than sailing. We would all queue to put our names down in the log-book and then skipper and crew for each boat were allocated by the steward in strict accordance with their time of arrival. It was an art form to manipulate the queue to ensure you went out with the girl or boy of the moment

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We had to come in to change boats every hour but there was always a spot in North Bay where, with a bit of good seamanship and feigning a flat calm, a couple could keep a boat circling for as long as they wanted well out of sight of the clubhouse and the Steward who couldn’t call them back. Hands-on tuition took on a whole new meaning. Oh happy days. How many marriages in the West of Scotland owe their existence to Bardowie? Long before gender equality and political correctness became hot topics – we had it all at Bardowie. Whether it was racing boats or a water fight on a hot summer’s day the boys and girls were all treated the same. To this day I cannot understand golf clubs and their segregation. I well remember one new member, a girl, in her innocence standing at the edge of the jetty during a water fight. I ran across and by way of introduction pushed her into the water. She rather appealed to me so I stuck around long enough to help her back out and some years later we married – more than 50 years ago. Bardowie has given me so much. Bardowie has changed beyond all recognition and so it should but I hope the ethos is the same – have fun but take responsibility. I took great heart at the opening of the clubhouse some years ago when, amid all the formality,

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I saw three young lads behind the clubhouse knee deep in the water and each armed with a bucket. All soaked to the skin. Just as it should be. I can think of nothing in my life that has influenced me more than growing up at Bardowie.

John Carmichael Captain 1976-77

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Update from Rory Dear fellow CCC member,

Rory on the water

As the sailing season draws to a close, I thought it was about time that I updated you on my achievements in the second half of the year. Last time I sent an update I had just returned from the World Para Sailing Championship with a ninth place under my belt and was getting ready for the Hansa Nationals at Rutland Water. However, before this, following my training as a race instructor over the winter, I finally had the opportunity to pass on what I have learned to new sailors. I signed up to work at Bardowie for three weeks of the Summer School. I was put in charge of or helped with the Start Racing groups – those that knew how to sail and were keen to learn how to race. It was a great experience and was very successful, with many of the kids passing their Start Racing level and those that didn’t making dramatic improvements over the week. I’m looking forward to doing it all again next year. Soon after were the UK Hansa Nationals at Rutland Water on 2-4 August. However, mixed conditions throughout the competition meant I did not sail as well as I would have liked and I ended up coming fifth overall. I was disappointed with this result but it only made me more determined to do better. This was soon followed by the third leg of the Scottish Hansa Travellers Trophy (TT) at Bardowie on 18 August as part of Duncan’s Regatta. On the Saturday I acted as race officer for the Challenger fleet which allowed me to watch some very interesting racing in very strong winds. These conditions continued into Sunday for the Hansa TT. The wind made for some pretty hair raising moments out on the water. I came second on the day and was runner up for the Scottish TT trophy. During the Para Worlds, the Dutch had invited me to their Hansa Nationals on 30 August-1 September. I flew out on Thursday night and was racing by Friday morning. Conditions were excellent, the racing was great, and it’s always nice to get on the water with a good number of 303s. After some very close finishes I won the trophy for first place on the Saturday. However, in a dramatic turn of events, just as I was about to leave, it was announced that the race officials had got the results wrong, and that I had actually come second with a Dutch sailor coming first. I plan to return next year to reverse these results. That was my last competition before the Europeans, apart from some non-Hansa competitions back home that I took part in for some practice – most notably the RYA Scotland Youth and Junior Sailing Championships at Dalgety Bay on the Forth. As there are no other Hansa Sailors in Scotland I raced with the Topper fleet.

Rory at Para Worlds in Spain

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Rory presents at Stirling

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En route to training on Loch Linnhe

Para World Sailing

Rory nearest camera (courtesy Rodrigo Moreira Rato/LX Sailing)

We travelled to Portugal on Thursday 3 September for the Hansa Europeans, being held in the city of Portimao, allowing for four days of practice. The British boats were not arriving until Friday night, so the Portuguese team let me borrow one of their boats to get out on the water as soon as possible, in exchange for cleaning it for them. Unfortunately the wind died on the Monday, which was supposed to be our practice race day but fortunately I had already had three days on the water. However, conditions improved on the Tuesday with a steady wind blowing. It stayed pretty constant throughout the rest of the week, making for some excellent racing. The leading group of boats is definitely getting bigger, going from one way out in front to at least eight at a time, which made for some last minute gains and losses on the finish line. By the last day I was sitting fifth overall and as there was thick fog, there was no further racing. I am extremely happy with this result and it is a huge step up from finishing 18th in the last Hansa Europeans only two years ago. One of my main achievements this year has been my consistency in results on the international circuit, which is helping me keep in touch with the more experienced sailors, giving me some challenging competition. Now that my sailing season has ended for the winter, my plan is to promote the sport as much as possible. I began at Stirling on 23 October with the Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) Para Sports Festival. I had arranged with SDS to take my boat to promote disability sailing. We set the boat up in the sports hall and gave the children and parents an opportunity to sit in the boat and ask any questions. I also presented to key personnel from various sporting organisations. It was a great success and I will be presenting at the next Para Sports Festival in the spring. I would like to take this opportunity to thank CCC, the Dinghy Section and the trustees of the Seamanship & Pilotage Trust for their continued help in supporting me and therefore disability sailing as a whole. Kind regards

Rory McKinna

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The CCC Dinghy Section

Season 2019

Solo carnage at the leeward mark, Bardowie

Racing

Bardowie Regatta 2019

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Dinghy racing has been a regular feature at Bardowie for many years. In its heyday there was racing five nights a week. Currently there is points racing on a Thursday only, but there is informal racing, as part of race training, on a Tuesday. One of the best aspects of the racing is that sailors of all ages and abilities can take part together. So whether you are a young squad racer looking for more practice, a novice club racer or just enjoy sailing and racing, everyone is welcome. Thursday evening racing runs from mid April through to mid September, split into a Spring, Summer and Autumn Series. Generally there will be two starts – Fast Handicap and Slow Handicap – but if there are sufficient Solos – Bardowie has a large fleet of Solos – then they may secure a separate start. An innovation for 2019 was the introduction of two races per evening which has been an unqualified success, effectively doubling race time on the water and allowing courses to be reset if the wind or general conditions change. The largest class is the Solos, which regularly has six or more racing every Thursday. Most are privately owned but in 2019, with a view to encouraging more experienced dinghy racers to join the fleet, the club purchased its own

The CCC Dinghy Section Solo. The Fast Handicap fleet includes two state-of-theart RS Aeros and a number of Lasers, both radial and full-rig boats. Some are club boats and some privately owned. There are also usually a couple of the club Laser 2000 dinghies. The Slow Handicap fleet includes the club Hansas, Qubas, Toppers and Fevas. Away from the club Bardowie sailors at all levels have had another very successful year. It has been particularly encouraging to see our younger members venturing further afield, taking the skills they have learned on the loch to events such as the Brown Cup, the Scottish Club Trophy and the Youth & Junior Championships. It has opened their eyes to what opportunities there are for making friends and enjoying great racing around Scotland, the UK and abroad.

training and competition she still found time to return to Bardowie to do some race coaching at summer school. In 2020 Christine will be training with the UK Under 21 Radial Squad and the Scottish Performance Laser Team. Morven moved up from racing Optimists to Toppers this year. She has transitioned well, coming First Girl in only her second national event in the class. She was selected for an Under 15 UK Team for the Irish Topper Nationals in Ballyholme, competed at the Topper World Championships in Medemblik, Holland, and at the UK Nationals at Largs. She has just been selected for the UK Junior Topper Squad 2020 and for the Scottish Performance Topper Team.

Christine Wood and Gordon Sivarajan compete in the Laird Trophy Morven Wood racing her Topper

Rising stars – the Wood sisters and the Sivarajan brothers Sisters Christine and Morven Wood have both had another very busy year, as have their parents. Christine has had another very successful year in her Laser Radial, training with the RYA Scotland Development Squad and the RYA UK Youth Squad, including a spring training camp in Malta. Her main events were the Under 19 Europeans in Greece and the Under 19 Worlds in Kingston, Canada, where she finished 11th. Between

Brothers Gordon and Alex Sivarajan have been flying the flag in their respective classes. Gordon competed at the Laser Radial Europeans in Greece and was third in the UK Nationals. Younger brother Alex won the Scottish Junior Boys Optimist Traveller Trophy. Sailing as a team they won the club’s own inter-schools competition for the Laird Trophy.

Bardowie team at the Brown Cup

Christine Wood taking a celebratory splash in Malta

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The CCC Dinghy Section

Racing prize-winners for 2019 Many members of the CCC Dinghy Section have had an outstanding year, not just at Bardowie but on the National and International stages as well. Stuart Gibson has had an amazing season sailing his Solo dinghy. He dominated at Bardowie, winning the Spring, Summer and Autumn series and was once again awarded the Lyall Trophy as club champion. He won a number of the events comprising the HD Sails Scottish Solo Travellers’ Series and as a result won that series overall. We wish him well in the UK Nationals in 2020, which returns to North Berwick.

Stuart Gibson, Dinghy Section Club Champion 2019

The Thursday Trophy awarded to the overall winner in the General Handicap class was won by Diane Whyte, sailing an RS Aero. Alex Servic was awarded the Lindsay Shield as the best Junior. He raced in several different club boats but had the best Junior results sailing a club Laser Radial. Orla Vennard and Meera Kaiser, sailing a Feva, won first prize in the slow handicap class at the club regatta in August, and were awarded the Cairnie Cup. Christine Wood was awarded the Opie Quaich for her outstanding performance at the Laser Radial World Championships held in Canada. Rory McKinna was awarded the Youth Championship Cup for his outstanding performances in the Hansa class. The club has three of these dinghies, all kindly donated by Incorporations of the Trades House of Glasgow. An account of Rory’s season can be found elsewhere in the Journal.

Solo dinghies Solos were first introduced to Bardowie around 2000 after Alistair Angus, then an ‘older’ Laser sailor, had seen one at Loch Vennacher and been told that that was what he

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should have been sailing. Moving on two decades and Bardowie now has a fleet of fifteen Solos, more than half of which are regularly raced. The club has a number of helms who have either been placed at or won events around the country, giving Bardowie not only the largest Solo fleet in Scotland but probably one of the most competitive. Each spring the club hosts the first event in the Scottish Solo Travellers’ Series. Solos are currently probably the most active dinghy fleet in Scotland. Not bad for a dinghy designed over 60 years ago. The new club Solo has attracted the attention of a number of aspiring racers and all the signs are that there will be some new Solos coming to the club in 2020.

Challengers racing at Bardowie

Other club boats Bardowie has a fleet of around sixty club boats available for members to sail - something for everyone, whatever the skills level, age or experience. The club boats range from the brand new to some from two or three decades ago. Maintaining the fleet in seaworthy condition is only possible through the hard work and long hours contributed by some dedicated members. The fleet includes: • Three new RS Zest dinghies purchased this year to replace the RS Quba dinghies that had been damaged. The Zests have been a popular addition to the fleet. • Half a dozen Topper dinghies, used both for teaching and racing. • Six RS Feva double-handed dinghies, used for training including sailing with an asymmetric rig. • Six Laser 2000 dinghies which, despite their age, are still regularly used for training and racing. • Four single-handed Laser dinghies, again quite old but well-used throughout the season for racing and skills improvement. This is a fleet we’re looking to upgrade over the winter months and perhaps supplement as onedesign racing, whether in dinghies or keelboats, is always better fun and a truer test of skill than handicap racing.

The CCC Dinghy Section • Three Hansa dinghies - Red Bonnet raced by Rory McKinna, leaving two others, Access Ability and The Glasgow Cooper, for members’ use. • Three Bahia dinghies - large rotomoulded dinghies, great for training and developing skills with an asymmetric rig. • A large fleet of training Optimist dinghies, supplemented by four lightweight racing Optimists to encourage the more competitive youngsters to develop racing skills. • There are several Challenger dinghies that members sail at Bardowie and an active group who dismantle the boats to take to racing events around the country.

The Bardowie instructors’ team gained a new Senior Instructor this year in Scott Smith who planned and delivered a very successful summer school despite the (at times) horrendous weather.

Rainy evening at Bardowie

He was ably assisted by a team of dinghy instructors and assistant instructors who also provided training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings throughout the season. One of the club’s Qubas

Training One of the greatest strengths of the CCC is the Dinghy Section instructors’ team led by Derek McLean, RYA Principal Instructor. In November, in recognition of his many years of leadership and dedicated instruction at Bardowie, Derek was given a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Princess Royal at the annual RYA Volunteer Awards Ceremony in London.

DS instructors from the Summer School

Diane Whyte Secretary of the CCC Dinghy Section

Derek McLean, RYA Principal at Bardowie

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Winners of prizes, trophies and awards 2019 Trophies, prizes and awards Trophy or award

Yacht name

Owner(s)

Winner of

Alexander Craig Memorial Trophy

Encore

Scott Chalmers

Tarbert Race – Class 3

Aros Trophy

Celtic Spirit

Brian Robertson

Tobermory Overall – Class 3

Arran YC Mug

Synergie

Chris and Anne Morrison

Inshore Championship – Class 3

Bute Challenge Trophy

Lingo

Bill MacKay

Bute Race – Class 2 CYCA

Bute Team Trophy

Lingo

Bill MacKay

Bute Race – Best Overall CYCA LcT

Cadet Torque Trophy

Tangaroa

Anna Balmforth

Best Cadet – Ladies' & Juniors' Race

Camusfearnan Chalice

Pinnochio

Joanna Peach

Best Lady – Ladies' & Juniors' Race

CCA Trophy

Contender

Geoff Crowley

Awarded for long distance voyage, cruise or achievement

Coats Cup

Lyrebird

Clive and Flora Reeves

Best cruise of the season unrestricted to duration

Stephen Pickles

Photographic competition

Coruisk Plate Donald McNamara Trophy

Arran Comrades

Mike Johnston

Unrestricted cruise of merit but no credit to distance under power

Duart Cup

Celtic Spirit

Brian Robertson

Tobermory 2 – Class 3

RIB crews SS and GSS

For a person (responsible attitude to art of seamanship during season once or over period)

Ferrier Seamanship Trophy Glencairn Trophy

Crusader

Graham Crawford

Special award

Glenlee Decanter

Jigsaw

Ian and Avril Galbraith

Special award

Ian Michie Salver

Arran Comrades

Mike Johnston

Sailing Directions Award

ICC Decanter

Glenafton

Brian Young

Special award

John Dobie Memorial Trophy

Contender

Geoff Crowley

Highest achievement in cruising and racing

John Rodger Trophy

Leaky Roof II

Alan Harper/E and K Robertson

Best Performance outwith Clyde & West Coast

Murray Blair Trophy

Eager Beaver

Bill Logie

Best cruise by a smaller yacht

Ogg Cup

Blue Damsel

Boyd Holmes

Cruise of merit under 21 days

Ormidale Trophy

Lemarac

Sir Boyd Tunnock

Inshore Championship Class 2 – CYCA

R G Mowat Trophy

Ataraxia

Stephen Pickles

Best maritime narrative in line with aims of CCC

Saboo Trophy

Synergie

Chris and Anne Morrison

Ailsa Craig Race – CYCA

Sinbad Family Trophy

Synergie

Chris and Anne Morrison

Family racing

Sirevaag Quaich

Synergie

Chris and Anne Morrison

Bute Race Saturday – Class 3

Strang Silver Tankard

Sloop John T

Iain and Graham Thomson

Inshore Championship Class 1 IRC

Sunflower Salver

Zephyr

Steven Cowie

Awarded by Commodore

Swedish Lady Trophy

Jings

Robin Young

Opening Muster – Overall Winner CYCA LcT

Tarbert Rose Bowl

Lemarac

Sir Boyd Tunnock

Tarbert Race – Class 2 CYCA

Tarbert Trophy (Dunlop)

Sloop John T

Iain and Graham Thomson

Tarbert Race – Class 1 IRC

Tobermory Cup

Sloop John T

Iain and Graham Thomson

Tobermory Race Overall – Class 1 IRC

Tobermory Trophy (Bell)

Sloop John T

Ian and Graham Thomson

Tobermory Race Overall

Todrick Commodore's Cup

St Bridget

Ian Nicolson

Special award

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Winners of prizes, trophies and awards 2019 Tomatin Trophy

Synergie

Chris and Anne Morrison

Inshore Championship – Best Overall CYCA

Tringa Trophy

No Worries

Jim Dervin

Rothesay-Tarbert Race – Class 1 IRC

Valentine Trophy

Maximoose Too

Douglas Lang

Ailsa Craig Race – IRC

Victoria Trophy

Lemarac

Sir Boyd Tunnock

Rothesay-Tarbert Race – Class 2 CYCA

W Paton Jones Trophy

Sloop John T

Iain and Graham Thomson

Bute Race – Class 1 IRC

Wright Trophy

Celtic Spirit

Brian Robertson

Rothesay-Tarbert Race – Class 3

Trophy or award

Yacht name

Owner(s)

Criteria for award

Alfred Mylne Trophy

Hero

Geoff Howison

Causeway Cup

F’nGr8

Rory Fekkes

Clyde Bowl

Celtic Spirit

Brian Robertson

Crawford McInnes Trophy

Reflection

Theo Hoole

Crinan Cup

Celtic Spirit

Brian Robertson

Joe Deane Cup

Salamander XXII

Stephen and Craig Corson

La Rochelle Trophy

Lyrebird

Clive and Flora Reeves

Lemarac Tankard

Celtic Spirit

Brian Robertson

Rose Bowl

Chimaera

Andrew Craig

Scottish Series Trophy

Chimaera

Andrew Craig

The McIver Salver (Mudhook YC)

F’nGr8

Rory Fekkes

Tunnock’s Cup

Reflection

Theo Hoole

Scottish Series trophies

Valhalla of Ashton Salver

Scottish Series – best family crew

IRC Scottish Championship

The Raynet Team

Volunteers at Scottish Series

GSS trophies and awards Trophy or award

Yacht name

Owner(s)

Criteria for award

AIE Trophy GSS

Jacob VII

John Stamp

GSS Regatta – Best Overall

Old Gaffers Trophy

Busy Beaver

Mark Bradshaw

GSS Sigma Class

Torch Trophy

Jammin

Ally Paton

GSS CYCA

Wosjog Sword

Animal

Kevin Aitken

RC35 Class

Yacht name

Owner(s)

Criteria for award

Commodore’s Jug Trophy or award Commodore's Jug

John Readman

A fuller description of the criteria under which cruising trophies are awarded is given on the CCC website

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Prize-giving and dinner dance 2019

Bill Logie

Brian Robertson

Stephen Pickles

Roy Summers

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Robin Young

Anne and Chris Morrison

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Geoff Crowley

Prize-giving and dinner dance 2019

Clive and Flora Reeves

John Readman and Alastair Torbet

Brian Young

Graham Crawford

Winners of the Ferrier Seamanship Trophy

Ian Nicolson

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Prize-giving and dinner dance 2019

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Prize-giving and dinner dance 2019

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Coruisk Plate winners 2019

Winner of the Coruisk Plate: Anchored at Jutevikneset by Stephen Pickles

Sundowner in Pig Bay by Boyd Holmes

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Coruisk Plate winners 2019

Jellyfish and masts in Craobh Haven by John Watson

Fingal’s Cave looking in by Boyd Holmes

Iona beach by Jennifer Rolland

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Coruisk Plate winners 2019

South Rona by Bill Logie

Cleit Rock perch in Cuan Sound by Patrick Trust

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Coruisk Plate winners 2019

Liaison and Rajah at Opening Muster by Malene Owen

Canna plastic remedies by Patrick Trust

Cookie the talking koala by Clive Reeves

Crinan from a drone by Norman Keen

David Balfour’s Bay by John Watson

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Members’ cruises 2019 Yacht name

Anna Mae

Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Contest 41 GBR 4117C Stewart and Dorothy Ritchie Owned Salen Bay (Loch Sunart)

Anchorages visited

Puilladobhrain, Lagg Bay (Jura), Ardmore Islands, Campbeltown, Lamlash, Largs Yacht Haven, Tarbert, Carradale Bay, Campbeltown, Ballycastle, Rathlin, Portrush, River Band, Derry Foyle Marina, Port Salon, Rathmullen, Sheep Haven, Cruit Bay, Church Pool, Killybegs Harbour, Sligo, Killala Bay, Broadhaven, Ballyglass, Elly Bay, Blacksod Bay, Inishbofin Harbour, Kilronan, Inishmore (Aran Islands), Galway Harbour Marina, Rossaveel Marina, Calabh Mhor (Inish Mann), Carrigaholt, Killrush Marina, Fenit Marina, Dingle Marina, Knightstown, Sneem (Kenmare River), Lawrence Cove Marina, Castletown Bere, Glengariff, Bantry Harbour, Crookhaven, Baltimore, Sherkin Island, Glandore Bay, Kinsale Marina, Dunmore East Harbour, Kilmore Quay Marina, Arklow, Howth YC Marina, Bangor Marina, Ballycastle, Port Ellen, Crinan, Loch Aline, Tobermory, Salen Duration 26 May/30 August 98 days, 1,450 nms, 47 Harbours/ marinas/anchorages. While at anchor in Inishbofin a Warrior 40 anchored ahead or us which I recognised as Joe Baird’s former yacht with a Irish ensign. It is now owned by Norman Kean, editor or the ICC Sailing Directions, he and his wife Geraldine joined us for a glass on their way ashore for some music. A highlight – no more a dry mouth experience – was the passage through the Dursay Sound. AM has a 21.5 metre air draught and the cable car clearance was 21 metres, cables 28 metres no cable car in sight so onwards we headed. Just short of the cables the car appeared from the mainland. I don’t know how the cable car is controlled but it stopped halfway and let us pass under the cables. Dry mouth quickly cured with a large G and T.

Yacht name

Arctic Tern

Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Malo 40 128 Hilary and Freddie Moran Owned Largs

Anchorages visited

Lady Bay, Bangor, Killough Harbour, Ardglass, Howth, Carlingford, Warrenpoint, Audrey’s Road, Bangor, Red Bay, Gigha, Ardinimar, Lochaline, Kilchoan, Tobermory, Lochaline, Oban, Melford, Craighouse, Gigha, Torrisdale Bay, Largs We set off for Padstow and got to Howth in unrelenting southerlies. That was after picking up two rocks in our anchor fluke in Killough Lough and needing to go into Ardglass Marina to sort out – the joys of anchoring. North again after decision on the HYC balcony after looking at a Hallberg Rassy going south and then returning – then got a westerly F8 on our way to Carlingford as Met Eireann were saying F5, maybe strong F6 on west coast – we got hammered. Then another rock in our fluke in Audrey’s Road after going into Strangford in a a peasoup fog – we know it well so were OK.

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Red Bay in a southerly but bouncy, left at 03:00 for a wonderful sail to Gigha in the sunrise. Then north again and Lochaline and the castle gardens and walks – just superb. Set off for Kilchoan in strong winds from the north, not comfortable, Tobermory less so, so back to Lochaline – super days sailing to nowhere! Oban for a night, then Craighouse, where we needed to rush back home via Gigha, Mull of Kintyre, Torrisdale to Largs in just over a day to attend to Hilary’s sister. Not what we set out to do – so different to the settled weather to Galway in 2018, but in other ways equally good. Cruising is what you make of it.

Yacht name

Arran Comrades

Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Freedom Ketch 3435C Mike Johnston Owned Crinan

Anchorages visited

Springtime: Largs YH, Port Bannatyne, Largs YH, Inchmarnock, Otter Ferry, Port Ann, Tarbert, Stonefield, Cairnbaan, Crinan, Easdale, Craobh North, Crinan, Castle Sween, Tayvallich, Crinan Festival Cruise: Easdale, Rubh’ Ardalanish, Fionnphort, Camas Tuath, Bunessan, Pennyghael, Loch Scridain Beg, Ulva Sound, Salen (Sunart), Tobermory for the Mull Music Festival, Camas an Daraich, Mallaig for a scary trip to the masthead by crane, Kyleakin, Lochcarron, Loch Toscaig, Churchton, Portree, Badachro, Flowerdale, Mellon Charles, Isle Martin, Lochinver, Rhiconich, Kinlochbervie, Talmine, Melvich, Scrabster, Stromness for the Orkney Folk Festival, Longhope, Wick, Helmsdale, Portmahomack, Cromarty, Rosemarkie, Clachnaharry, Fort Augustus, stuck at Gairlochy with broken bridge, Banavie, Port Appin, Easdale, Craobh, Crinan Failed Cruise to Skye: Loch Don, Salen (Mull), Tobermory, Loch Scresort, Portnalong, Carbost, Loch Scresort, Pol nam Partain, Glenuig, Loch Moidart, Sanna, Kilchoan, Savary, Asknish, Crinan South in July: Kinuachdrach Harbour, Drum an Dunan, Craighouse, Port Ellen, Portrush, Ballycastle, Copeland Island, East Tarbert Bay, Isle of Whithorn, Isles of Fleet, Little Ross Sound, Kirkcudbright, Ramsay, Port Mooar, Douglas, Port St Mary, Port Erin, Peel, Ballyhalbert Bay, Glenarm, Rathlin, Port Ellen, Craighouse, Crinan Failed Cruise to the Moray Firth: Loch Spelve for the Mussel BBQ, Port Appin, Corpach, Laggan, Fort Augustus, Gairlochy, Laggan, Fort Augustus, Clachnaharry, Avoch, Rosemarkie, Clachnaharry, Fort Augustus, Laggan, Corpach, Dallens, Easdale, Crinan. Later to East Tarbert, Craighouse and back to Crinan September to Tarbert: Ardminish, Port Righ, Lochranza, Wood Farm, Tarbert for the Music Festival, White Sand Bay, Largs YH for dentist and doctor, Port Bannatyne, Stonefield, Otter Ferry, Tarbert for the Closing Muster, Dunaverty, Port Ellen, Plod Sgeirean, Loch na Cille, Crinan. The biennial lay-up ashore at Largs brought two major changes – a power windlass, unconventionally mounted on

Members’ cruises 2019 the coachroof, and a ‘winter’ frontsail – a modified Moody 34 mainsail which emerged from my neighbour’s basement some years ago. It’s good in a breeze, good for motor-sailing, but no easier to handle. I used it to Orkney and back and for September’s cruise round the Mull. The big plus is that I can get the big red frontsail off dry while the weather is still fair at the end of August. The season was marred by a number of minor problems – buggy chartplotter, jammed halyard block and the likes which were dealt with individually but made the year feel unlucky. We got stuck at Carbost and again the forecast turned on us in the Moray Firth, curtailing these cruises. Kirsty Dog’s fitness was declining and I lost her at the end of August – great sadness. For many years, my mileage figures have been one third each for sailing, motor-sailing and engine, so I determined to increase the sailing to 50% and just about achieved it, despite three transits of the Great Glen. It seems to be less a matter of going where the wind wants to take you than of not going when it doesn’t.

Yacht name

Aurora III

Type of Boat Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Sigma 33 Oliver Ludlow Owned Loch Creran

Anchorages visited

period of three days of poor visibility, especially on the return to Fair Isle, when the fog was down to about 50 metres. At Kirkwall some crew departed and again the medium term forecast of several days of south-easterly winds made us decide to head west back round Cape Wrath before having a few days in Harris and North Uist. Our month-long period of sailing with a free wind finally ended after rounding Ardnamurchan and we had a hard beat down the Sound of Mull.

Yacht name

Clar Innis

Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Westerly Oceanranger 1932C Ian Buchanan Owned Kip Marina

Anchorages visited

Kip, Brodick, Bangor, Glenarm, Port Ellen, Ardfern, Oban, Kerrera, Lochaline, Tobermory, Salen (Loch Sunart), Tobermory, Salen (Sound of Mull), Lochaline, Oban, Kerrera, Craobh, Start of Westerly Scottish Cruise: Kerrera, Tobermory, Kilchoan, Arinagour, Ulva, Kerrera, Dallens Bay, Tobermory, Canna, Rum, Mallaig, Loch Hourn, Isle Oronsay, Arisaig, Tobermory, Oban, Craobh, Ardfern, Tayvallich, Gigha, Campbeltown, Tarbert, Wreck Bay, Kip

South Shian, Port Ramsay, Eignaig Bay, Craignure, Oban, Puilladobhrain, Crinan, Goat Isle, Ardfern, Tayvallich, Lochaline, Tobermory (Doirlinn), Loch Drumbuie (Ornsay), Ulva Sound, Iona, Arinagour, Kilhoan, Mallaig, Kyleakin. Badachro, Lochinver, Talmine, Scrabster, Kirkwall, Backaskill Bay (Sanday) Fair Isle, Bigton Bay, South Voe (West Burra), Scalloway, Bixter Voe, Grutness Voe, Channerwick, Lerwick, Cat Firth, Symbister, Hammars Ness (Fetlar), Uyea Sound, Balta Sound, Burra Firth, Lunga Wick, Whale Firth, Hanna Voe, Hills Wick, Braes Walls, Hamnavoe (West Burra), St Ninians, Fair Isle, Whitehall (Stronsay), Kirkwall, Rousay, Kyle of Tongue, Kinlochbervie, Loch Roe, North Harbour (Scalpay), East Loch Tarbert (Harris), Loch Finsbay, Lochmaddy, Loch Eport, Isay Island, Dunvegan, Loch Beag (Harport), Arisaig, Loch Drumbuie, Salem, Inninmore Bay, Barcaldine

This summer cruise was centred on the Westerly Owners Association Scottish Cruise 2019 (the first time the national cruise had come to Scotland). As I was doing most of the organisation our summer cruise did some pre-checking of the planned events before the WOA Cruise started.

Yacht name

Coire Uisge

This year’s cruise was around the Orkney and Shetland Islands, with no set itinerary other than to start heading up the West Coast. Starting in mid-June we found a strong northerly which obliged us to shelter at Kilchoan for three nights, but thereafter the breeze settled in the south, so reasonable progress should have been possible. Unfortunately somewhere between Rhum and Canna the foil sheered just above the furling drum, so a rapid change of destination took us to Mallaig. After raking through the rubbish skips around the harbour I managed a bodge job on the foil that proved robust enough to get us to Shetland, where a new foil and forestay were fitted while alongside in Lerwick. The plan was to sail clockwise around the islands, starting from Scalloway after a crew change. However, after a forecast for three days of northwesterlies, it was decided to turn about, so we headed back round Sumburgh Head and eventually up to Lerwick. The circumnavigation was completed in almost perfect conditions, with virtually no rain and no tacking. Muckle Flugga was rounded in bright sunshine and a F4 easterly wind. The only downside was a

Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Warrior 40 2208C Norman Kean Owned Courtmacsherry

Often a few days were spent at each port, enjoying some walking and meeting people. The earlier plan to go further west and north was changed when the weather seemed better south, which turned out to be the case. All in all a good summer cruise, even if only a couple of new anchorages were used.

Anchorages visited

91 in Ireland (including Toberdenny harbour near Clifden, hitherto undocumented) and 11 in Islay, Jura and the Firth of Clyde. Round Ireland cruise of 77 days from 11 June to 26 August, clockwise from Baltimore, Co Cork, with a side trip from Rathlin up the Sound of Jura, through the Crinan Canal to Rhu and Dumbarton and back via Lamlash to Glenarm. We were researching for the new editions of the ICC Sailing Directions, and carried a drone to update the aerial photographs. All the way round Ireland we never had a wind of Force 7 or a wave bigger than two metres, and we could have sailed every day if we’d wanted to.

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Members’ cruises 2019 Yacht name Curlew Type of boat Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Cromarty 36 Norman Smith Owned South Shian, Loch Creran

Anchorages visited

April: South Shian, Camus Nathais, Puilladobhrain, Garbh Eilean, Ardalanish, Traigh Gheal, Port nan Ron, Knockvologan, Acarsaid Mor Gometra, Calgary, Acarsaidh Mor, Calve Island, Tobermory, Port na Croisg, Loch Drumbuie, Loch Aline, Scallastle Bay, Port Morlach, South Shian May: Fishnish Bay, Portuairk, Waiting Room Arisaig, Loch na Cuilce, Camusunary, Boreraig, Poll nan Partan Eigg, Sanna Bay, Kilchoan, Tobermory, Loch Drumbuie, Glen Borrodale, Loch Aline, South Shian June: Calve Island, Isle Ornsay, Caolas Scalpay, Fladday South, Acarsaid Mor (Rona), Loch Scadabay, Loch Uidhe (Taransay), Traigh Rosamul, Tarbert West Loch, Hushinish, Scarp, Cean Chuisil, Traigh na Cleavag, Leverburgh, Scalpay, Loch Maarig, Bun Callagrich, Loch Beacravik, Loch Eport, Loch Portain July/August: Lochmaddy, Hermetray, Traigh Rosamul, Loch Bunaveneader, Loch Uidhe Taransay, Vallay, Aird a Mhorain, Lingay, Boreray, Berneray, Sursay, Opsay Basin, Lochmaddy, Haunary Sound, Caolas Wiay Beag, Wizard Pool, Linne Arm, Loch Sheilavaig, Caolas Luirsay, Loch Eynort, Loch Boisdale, Hellisay/Gighay, Cairns of Coll, Calve Island, Tobermory, Loch Aline, South Shian September: Port Ramsay, Achaphubuil, Corpach, Corran, Loch a’ Choire, Loch Aline, Loch Spelve, Puilladobhrain, Little Horseshoe Bay, Eilean na Cloich, South Shian October: Ardtornish Bay, Bunavullin, Sailean Mor Oronsay, Loch Drumbuie, Fishnish Bay, Loch Aline, South Shian, Creran Marine

Yacht name Greenheart Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port away for some years

Staysail sloop 3900C Peter Dunlop Owned Colintraive (Glasgow) but to be

Anchorages visited

The Netherlands: Juffermans Yard in Warmond, Gouda, Willemstad, Zandkerak Slius, Veere, Middelburg, Vlissengen, Cadzand Bad United Kingdom: River Orwell (Royal Harwich Yacht Club), Ramsgate, Dover, Eastbourne, Brighton, Bembridge (IoW), Southsea Marina, Gosport, Yarmouth (IoW), Studland Bay Channel Islands: Braye (Alderney), St Helier, Port de Saies (Sark), Havelet Bay (Guernsey), St Peter Port, Beaucette (Guernsey) England: Portland, Lulworth Cove, Weymouth, Portland, Torbay, Cawsand Bay, Queen Anne’s Battery Marina (Plymouth), Falmouth, Trelisik, Falmouth Haven, Helford Passage, Gweek

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A very late start to the season on 30 June was followed by an enjoyable voyage along the ‘Staande Mast’ Route of the Dutch canals to Vlissingen (known to many British sailors as Flushing) and the port where Arthur Ransome’s young heroes were blown from Harwich in We didn’t Mean to go to Sea. We set off at midnight to catch the last few hours of the ebb in the Schelde and had a very good passage to Harwich. The onward voyage to the Solent was not very interesting and our sailing in the Solent, though it coincided with Cowes Week which we watched on two days, also coincided with stormy weather which deterred much exploration. The Channel Islands were better but thereafter the weather was very mixed, meaning that windows of opportunity to make the passages had to be grasped when they came.

Yacht name Harrier Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Bowman Classic Sadler 34 GBR 5759T Graham Bisset Owned Inverkip/Craobh

Anchorages visited

Rosneath, Inverkip, Tarbert (Loch Fyne), Lochranza, Troon, Lamlash, Bangor, The Wig (Loch Ryan), Brodick, Campbeltown, Port Ellen, Plod Sgeiran, Eilean Dubh (Carsaig), Eilean Dubh (Ardfern), Fearnach Bay, Craobh, Lochaline, Gott Bay, Bunessan, Tinker’s Hole, Ardlanish (Ross of Mull), Tobermory, Castle Bay, Acarseid Mhor (Eriskay), Lochboisdale, Wizard Pool, Lochmaddy, Loch Stockinish, Loch Maaruig, Tarbert (Harris), Tob Lemreway, Stornoway, Lochan Saile (Badcall Bay), Aultbea, Badachro, Acarseid Mhor (Rona), Plockton, Arisaig, Sanna Bay, Loch Spelve, Salen (Sound of Mull), Salen (Loch Sunart), Puilladobhrain, Cairidh Mhor (Jura), Tayvallich, Craighouse, Ardminish, Caladh, Millport, Portavadie, Arrochar, Swine’s Hole The season started and finished on the Clyde with visits to the usual haunts including Loch Ryan and Bangor. In June, we repositioned to Craobh, with a passage round the Mull, followed by a trip up the Sound of Mull taking in Tiree, and returning by the Ross of Mull. Then, for the first time in 30 years, a return to the waters of the Outer Hebrides, circumnavigating Skye by way of Stornoway and Wester Ross. The latter part of the summer was spent visiting Lochs Sunart and Sween together with a trip round Jura. A total of 1,700 miles logged.

Yacht name Isobel Type of boat Westerly Centaur Sail number 1936 Owner or skipper Dr C N Donoghue Owned or chartered Owned Home port Linnhe Marina, Dallens Bay, Appin

Anchorages visited

Dallens Bay, Salen (Mull), Gallanach Bay (Muck), Loch Scavaig (Skye), Camasruary & Port Giubhais (Loch Nevis), Mallaig, Upper Loch Moidart at meeting of North & South Channels, Tobermory, Upper Loch Don (Mull), Dallens Bay Dallens Bay, Port Ramsay, Arisaig, Tobermory, Dallens Bay

Members’ cruises 2019 Yacht name Kiloran Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Humphreys 43 GBR 5026T John and Erica Kerr Owned Oban

Anchorages visited

Saltsjobaden (Stockholm), Osterhamn (Nattaro Island), Arentorp, Loftahamnar, Vastervic, Oskerhamn, Kalmar, Ronne (Bornholm), Sassnitz (Germany), Klintholm (Denmark), Mons Island (three times!), Brondby, Dragor, Vadero Island (Sweden), Varberg, Kallo-Knippla, Mollon Island (via a most impressive ‘on the water’ boat show at Marstand), Rodbacke Kile, Vindo Marin (Orust Island). Our Scandinavian cruise this year split into three parts. First a delivery trip from Stockholm to Copenhagen, then two weeks with friends and family in Denmark, finally a delivery north to Vindo Marin on Orust for a winter refit. The first part went well, sailing with two of our sons who had not sailed together for many years. They were dropped off at Kalmar and two crew continued to Copenhagen via Bornholm and Sassnitz (former East Germany). Sassnitz was the first port in four years where we have felt unwelcome. The harbour master would not accept an ‘English’ debit card and we had to borrow some Euros to pay our dues! We were also intimidated by a heavy trip boat showing a remarkable lack of seamanship, to say nothing of good manners! However there is an excellent Italian restaurant onshore, no problem with a card there! Bad weather curtailed our Denmark cruise and we did not reach some of our planned destinations, perhaps next year! Final leg to Vindo went well, though we still experienced some heavy weather. Just over 1,000 miles covered, mostly under sail.

Yacht name

Sirius of Carron

Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Starlight 35 Mk II GBR 7589T Janet and John Trythall Owned Plockton

Anchorages visited

Ardfern (overwintering), Tobermory (3), Isle Ornsay (4), Plockton (mooring), Kishorn Island (2), Flowerdale, Loch Kirkaig (Enard Bay), Loch a’Chadh-fi (2), Kinlochbervie, Skelda Voe, Shetland, Walls, Uyea Sound South, Voe, Ronas Voe, Cullivoe (Yell), Balta Harbour (Unst), Lerwick, Grutness Voe, Pierowall (Westray), Lochinver, Fladday South, Loch Scresort (Rum), Loch na Dal, Loch Drumbuie, Goat Island and Eilean Righ (Loch Craignish), Oban Sailing Club, Mallaig, Caolas Scalpay South East, The Black Isles, Traigh Bhàn (Cragaig Bay, Ulva), David Balfour’s Bay (Erraid), Puilladobhrain Taking advantage of the solstice daylight, we departed Plockton towards Shetland in mid-June, the cue for persistent northerlies. We spent four nights in miserable weather in Kinlochbervie although with creature comforts and time to crack the deviation problem with the new compass. A mainly free, sometimes fresh wind took us to Skelda Voe where we investigated the bar from the dinghy. Thanks to the (new to us) outboard we achieved our objectives, being able to leave

the boat securely anchored and land further away than ideal rowing distance: Vementry with its guns and chambered cairns, Ronas Hill’s summit plateau Arctic flora and another chambered cairn, and Keen of Hamar, Unst with more rare wild flowers including Edmonston’s Mouse-ear Chickweed. Needing gas, we stopped at Lerwick for an uncomfortable night crammed into Albert Dock, the Small Boat Harbour being occupied by 2 yacht races and the most sheltered pontoon in use by cruise ship bumboats. With a headwind southwards, we bailed out at Sumburgh, and then again at Pierowall with a depressingly adverse tide. Away for three weeks, we saw new anchorages and had some fine sailing, despite the unseasonal weather. As a consequence of a larger yacht dragging its anchor onto us at Plockton, and the premature trip to Ardfern for repairs, we also enjoyed a late season mini-cruise in perfect weather to west Mull. Armed with Antares charts, we visited the newly surveyed west anchorage in Carsaig Bay, taking in a close view of McCulloch’s Tree, Ardmeanach, en route.

Yacht name Splash Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Scanmar 40 T7515 Niall Campbell Owned Ardfern

Anchorages visited

May 2019: Lochaline (NW end), Loch Na Droma Buidhe (E end), Tobermory Harbour, Lochaline (NE end), Ardfern Lagoon (home mooring) June 2019: Lochaline (NW end), Loch Na Droma Buidhe, Canna Harbour, Loch Skiport (Kettle Pool), Ronay-Fhalaich Acairseid, Loch Finsbay, South Rona (Acairseid Mhor), Plockton, Tobermory, Ardfern Lagoon Lochaline (NE end) July 2019: Loch Spelve (S end), Ardfern Lagoon Lochaline (NW end) August 2019: Muck (Port Mor), Canna Harbour, Loch Boisdale (pool west of Rubha Bhuailt), Loch Skipport (Wizard Pool), Loch Finsbay, Portree, Mallaig Harbour, Loch Na Droma Buidhe, Loch Spelve (NW end), Ardfern Lagoon Lochaline (NW end), Salen (Loch Sunart), Tobermory Harbour, Loch Spelve (NW end), Ardfern Lagoon Lochaline (NW end), Loch Na Droma Buidhe (E end), Tobermory Harbour, Canna Harbour, Loch Nevis (Glaschoille Bay), Mallaig Harbour, Lochaline (NW end), Ardfern Lagoon Sadly this year was marked by heavy weather at least in the Inshore Waters forecasts which restricted our movements rather, even if the heaviest winds did not always materialise. However we got about a reasonable amount. We covered about 1,270 nautical miles this year so Splash was not neglected.

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Members’ cruises 2019 Yacht name Stroma

Yacht name Tarskavaig

Type of boat Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Type of boat Sail number Owner or skipper Owned or chartered Home port

Regina 35 Thorold Mackie Owned Colintraive

Anchorages visited

Colintraive, Ardrishaig Basin, Puilladobhrain, Tobermory, Loch Moidart, Inverie, Mallaig, Sailean Mhor (Oronsay), Craobh, Crinan Basin, Tarbert, Colintraive The plan had been to go round the Mull of Kintyre but adverse winds suggested an easier time in the Crinan Canal. We made a rapid passage through by foregoing the traditional pint at the Cairnbaan. Going up the Sound of Mull the wind shifted to the north and stayed there for four days. We diverted to Loch Moidart, entering by the south channel, where we had a very peaceful night in the unnamed anchorage in the central part of the outer loch. We circumnavigated Riska the next morning at high tide. The winds were still against us going up the Sound of Sleat so Inverie was the furthest north we got, before heading south again. Sailean Mhor was delightful even in pouring rain. Heading south and aiming for Gigha the leech pulled out of the furling main in the midst of the MacCormaig Isles, so the decision was taken to run for the Canal and Wm Leitch at Tarbert for repairs. The Canal did not ease the skipper’s blood pressure, as a novice in the boat behind us ignored every word of advice given. Once at Tarbert Willie Leitch set to at once and repaired the leech in four hours. We managed to reach Colintraive just as the weather broke.

Hanse 400 2531C Andrew Thomson Owned Craobh

Anchorages visited

Craobh, Ardtornish, Gallanach Bay, Loch Scresort, Mallaig, Loch Scresort, Loch na Cuilce, Isle Ornsay, Barrisdale Bay, Inverie, Mallaig My own sailing on Tarskavaig in 2019 was limited to five days in May, but fortunately this coincided with a spell of dry and sunny conditions, if lacking in consistent winds. The wildlife highlight was a wonderful encounter with over 50 dolphins off Rum; otters and great northern divers were also spotted. A good but short trip, and a chance for my two crews to visit some new anchorages. All being well a longer cruise will be scheduled for 2020.

Editor’s Acknowledgements

his year there have been more articles – as opposed to logs – than we have had in the past. While we welcome these, it is the CCC members’ cruises, experiences and adventures which members have said make the Journal an enjoyable read. Feedback on the Journal is welcomed. I for one would like to see more logs from younger members, either keelboat or DS members, and even video logs. As there are thousands of sailing vlogs on YouTube, I throw down the challenge to a CCC member to do one of his or her cruise for next year.

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I would like to thank the Assistant Editor, Penny French, for her help and guidance in producing this Journal. Also Jennifer Rolland in the CCC Office who is the first point of contact for all log contributors. There is a new team of judges in place for assessing the logs and photographs – Geoff Johnston and John McCowan on the cruising logs and Barrie Waugh and his colleagues on the Coruisk Plate. The Club’s thanks should be extended to them.

Thorold Mackie

Obituaries

Bill McKean

1937 – 2019 Former Commodore

Bill’s life was all about his family and friends, friends from his schooldays at Kelvinside Academy, from rugby club days, from sailing, from skiing, and from curling. He loved being with his friends and doing things with them, he loved the fun of bringing his friends together. Everyone was welcome, no one was left out, as anyone who came to our Clyde Cruising Club Sunday party over the years would know. Just after we met, Bill invited me to the Clyde Cruising Club annual dinner dance in November. He suggested that I stay at his flat in Glasgow overnight to save a journey back to my parents’ house in Rhu at the end of the evening. The following morning, he mentioned casually that he had invited a few friends round for lunch in a couple of hours time. That was 42 years ago and we held that party every year since until last year. At its height, more than 70 friends joined us in the flat in Fotheringay Road. Sailing was Bill’s great love. As he used to say himself, he was sailing on his father’s yacht, the first Siolta, before he was even born. When his parents bought him a Dragon, Ahto, on the understanding that he would never ride a motorbike, he enjoyed racing on the Clyde with his friends and in his fourth year at Kelvinside Academy, he skippered the winning crew to take the Clark Cup at the Mudhook Yacht Club Schools and Universities races. In 1966 Bill and his father sold Siolta, a beautiful wooden sloop, to the Royal Reykjavik Yacht Club, and bought an Excalibur 36, one of the first fibre glass boats on the Clyde, keeping the name Siolta. Bill loved offshore racing over to the sailing clubs in Belfast Loch, where he and his crew were entertained with wonderful Irish hospitality. He raced round Ailsa Craig, round the Isle of Man, down to Brittany and over to Norway. These races over long weekends and several days forged lifelong friendships. Bill loved all the fun and adventure and he and his friends picked up many trophies along the way.

Winner of the cup When Siolta was dismasted racing across the North Sea to Norway in 1972 and was towed into Norwegian waters by a friendly fishing boat, Bill’s friends in the CCC used a Norwegian spruce to bring the two sections of mast together, collecting a bucketful of screws from the racing fleet to secure it, whilst the girls repaired the many tears in the sails. The mast was re-stepped from the davits of the sail training ship in attendance and Bill and his crew sailed back over the North Sea to Inverness with a CCC boat or two as escort. Bill loved cruising on the West Coast of Scotland and was a member of the CCC for all of his life, flying his Rear Commodore’s burgee in 1976 and 1977, his Vice Commodore’s burgee in 1977 and 1978 and his Commodore’s burgee in 1983, 1984 and 1985 when the Club celebrated its 75th Anniversary. By coincidence his father had been Commodore in 1960 when the Club celebrated its 50th Anniversary. In the run up to the 75th Anniversary in 1985, Bill and many of his friends were on the organising committees for the various events which took place that year, including a cruise-in-company of around 200 boats. The cruise started with a monumental party in the boatyard at Crinan, followed by a beach barbecue on Vatersay in the Outer Hebrides on a wonderful Western Isles day of blue skies and sunshine and a spectacular final party in the grounds of Loch Melfort Hotel on an evening of massive thunderstorms. Bill enjoyed his memberships of the Irish Cruising Club and Royal Cruising Club and attended their many events, both afloat and ashore. He organised a winter dinner in the Western Club in Glasgow for the RCC for many years and summer sailing meets on the West Coast which involved some sailing, getting together in interesting anchorages, barbecues on the beach and dinners ashore, often all in the same weekend. Bill did a tremendous amount for yachting over the years. He undertook work for the CYCA and represented RYA Scotland on one of the RYA’s UK committees for several years in the late 1970s. He was Chairman of RYA Scotland 1991-1993. He sat on RYA Scotland’s Cruising and General Purposes Committee in the 90s and noughties and during this period was a coast watcher for RYA Scotland for proposals and developments in the Clyde estuary which might affect yachts and sailing. He was Rear Admiral of the Mudhook Yacht Club in 2008 and 2009 and Vice Admiral in 2009 and 2010. Bill was on the race management team for the Scottish Series on a number of different committee vessels for more than 20 years. Bill’s other great loves were skiing, especially in Murren, and curling. As his daughter Jane said, what is the point of having firm ground beneath your feet when you can move so much faster on water, snow and ice. Bill also loved building model ships. He could sit painstakingly working on them for hours on end, often into the early hours of the

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Winner of the cup morning. He paid meticulous attention to detail, travelling far and wide to photograph original plans or listening to sounds on a website to choose the right one to purchase for his puffer steamer’s horn. What words capture the Bill that I was married to for more than 40 years: zest for life, huge spirit, generous and hospitable, loving and gentle. He will be missed so much by so many.

Rosemary McKean

Harry McDermid 1941 – 2018

Obituaries Years of fantastic sailing followed, mainly on their favourite cruising grounds of our West Coast, but also back in Irish waters, along the Antrim coast. In 2010 they took part in the CCC Centenary Cruise. After a day of sailing, to rest up with Evelyn in a peaceful anchorage, with a glass of malt in hand and a nice steak on the barbecue, watching the sun go down, was Harry’s idea of heaven. Harry also loved having company onboard, both members and non-members, as many of us will recall. Most members of the CCC will remember Harry for his exceptional contribution to the Club, as Chairman of the Bardowie Committee, which obtained the Lottery Funding necessary to reconstruct the new clubhouse and its facilities. Harry and his team oversaw the execution of this first-class project and were subsequently awarded the Sunflower Salver by the Club. Harry’s attention to detail, his approach to teamwork, decisiveness, wicked sense of humour and a love of company made him a special man who will be sorely missed by his family and by his many friends. Harry is survived by his wife, Evelyn, sons Craig and Ross and his grandchildren, Hannah and Harris.

Hazel Watson

1947 – 2019 Former Administrator of the CCC

After many years of family sailing in boats ranging from self-build dinghies, a Foxcub and a Sigma 33 boat share Quattro, Harry and his wife Evelyn bought Ellida, a Malo 39, upon Harry’s retirement in 2000. They joined the CCC that year and took part in the superb Millennium Cruise, their first real experience of enjoying CCC sailing and companionship. Harry’s passion for travel and family time was epitomised in his love for sailing. He and Evelyn were the perfect team and together they undertook some challenging trips with the CCC. These included the bluewater cruise to France and the Orkney cruise, rounding Cape Wrath along the way. The Orkney trip brought them back through the Caledonian Canal in the most glorious weather. During one season they also circumnavigated Ireland, with a trip past the Fastnet Rock, as part of a cruise-in-company organised by the Irish Cruising Club. In 2005, Harry and Evelyn, along with their son Craig and daughter-in-law Anne, bought their dream yacht, commissioned from new in Sweden, a Malo 40 Classic, which they named Eva. The summer of 2005, when they delivered the yacht back from Poole to Largs, was to be the first of many great memories onboard.

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Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

Our Club has more than its fair share of larger-than-life characters whose exploits and achievements on the water, both cruising and racing, enhance its reputation and standing within the sailing community. There are others, however, who work diligently in the background and are perfectly happy to leave praise and plaudits to others. Such a person was former administrator, Hazel Watson, who sadly passed away on the morning of 7 February 2019. Hazel ran the club office for many years, initially on the SV Carrick and eventually at the present building in Washington Street. Born in 1947 in Glasgow, Hazel often visited her mother’s cottage in Luing for holidays and family gatherings. These visits to her mother’s place of birth no doubt contributed to her warm, caring personality and instilled a deep love of family life. Much as Hazel enjoyed – very occasionally – cruising with husband Stewart on their Oyster 32, Ostrea, and Beneteau 41, Oran na Mara, the centre of Hazel’s universe was her family life with son Craig, daughter Mairi and grandchildren Josh and Nyah. The Scottish Series racing saw Hazel take charge of a shore-based army of volunteers, delegating various tasks, liaising with the results team and protest committee, handling competitors’ enquiries and finally attending the evening prize-giving before dinner and a nightcap in the back bar of the Tarbert Hotel. 

Obituaries The annual prize-giving and dance brought its own demands, arranging venues, menus and bands. In 2010 Hazel indicated that she would like to retire to spend more time with her family. The question of how to mark this was asked and typically she replied, ‘just a quiet lunch’. With flag officers, friends and a beautiful cake baked personally by Boyd Tunnock, everyone in attendance had a memorable afternoon in March 2011. Typically, Hazel delayed her retirement to ensure a seamless handover to her successor, Jennifer Rolland. Hazel Watson, a modest, hardworking lady, will be remembered by club members with affection and gratitude and with fondest love by her friends and family.

Winner of the cup

On 9 January 2019, loving husband, father of two children and grandfather of seven, John Clow, passed away at the age of 88. John was born in Uddingston, Glasgow, on 27 September 1930 to John and Ester Clow. He married Joan Cargill in 1956 and they raised two sons, Forbes and Iain. After a short period as a Royal Navy pilot, John made his career as an air traffic controller, based in Jersey, Cyprus and for most of his life at Abbotsinch, latterly Glasgow Airport. John’s passion was the sailing life. Every summer weekend and every possible day off work, he was on the water with his family. His introduction was sailing his father’s gaff cutter, Parrott, where he was given many responsibilities and learned quickly. In 1947 John joined the CCC as a cadet at the age of 17, and was a very active member of the Club for most of his life. In 1964 he bought his first boat, Whangamoa, a 26’ sloop: beyond

any doubt the slowest boat on the Clyde as evidenced by being the last to arrive in Ardrishaig every year in the annual Tobermory Race. Five years later on a very wet Saturday morning in 1969 John took his family on the Queen Mary steamer from Gourock to Helensburgh to collect Lady Prudence, a 41’ (by 8’ beam) sloop, the same age as John. This yacht was famous in its many years of racing and cruising on the Clyde. Later Feolinn, an 8-metre cruiser-racer, was bought, and she was immensely more comfortable and almost as fast. 1977 was a big year, when John participated in the CCC race and cruise-in-company to Benodet, France. For three days Lady Prudence ran down the Irish Sea under spinnaker, but she broke six ribs and was taking in water on her way back across the English Channel. This was the first of many offshore cruises for John and Joan. For 1988-89 John was Commodore of the CCC. This was a huge honour for him, and was probably the proudest moment of his life. John delighted in teaching his two boys everything he could as a yachtsman. In fact they were given Lady Prudence and Feolinn for weekends away with their friends, as skippers, before they were even old enough for driving licences. In 1995 John and Joan bought Capercaillie of Clyde, a 48’ Nicholson ketch. This was the start of many happy years of ocean cruising for John and Joan. The first four years were spent cruising the Caribbean, before crossing the Atlantic back to the Clyde in 1999, with just John and Joan as crew. From 2001 to 2005 cruising was in the Mediterranean, where his sons’ families were able to join John and Joan for summer holidays. John so enjoyed sharing his boat knowledge and stories with them all. As a qualified Ocean Yachtmaster, John’s seamanship skills were immense; these were seen in crossing the North Atlantic in a hurricane for two days, as well as some lively Force 9 conditions back home. Once the DunoonRothesay steamer even diverted to provide shelter to a bare-pole-running Lady Prudence. The CCC really was John’s second family, from 1947 until he stopped sailing in 2014. Many reading may recall his hospitality and friendly welcome, especially with a G&T, on the Clyde, the West Coast and further afield. John is survived by his wife Joan, his two sons Forbes and Iain, and his seven grandchildren.

Andrew Paterson, Ordinary member, Kilmun

Don Cameron, Ordinary member, Rhu

Agnes Pritty, Life member, Helensburgh

Ian Campbell, Ordinary member, Largs

Doug Smyth, Ordinary member, Northern Ireland

Neil McDougall, Ordinary member, Newton Mearns

Dr Tom Hill, Ordinary member, Dedham

Erik Ostman, Ordinary member, Glasgow

John W Clow

1930 – 2019 Former Commodore

Clyde Cruising Club Journal 2020

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