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e looked distinctly rocky at the head of the chosen bay there is sufficient room between shore and farm to get good swinging room the shore looked to be less rocky but that may have been wishful thinking on my behalf the anchor went down and silence no rumbling or grating and hannah swung sharply to lie behind the anchor might be kelp of course but reversed as ever hard down so remain reasonably confident the blow is expected this evening and tomorrow although the gribs suggest gusts of 30k rather than 40 monday 24 th we spent a couple of days in eishort with strong gusts keeping us aware but the bonus of an eagle and four otters to observe despite its initial uninspiring impression on us we came to appreciate its qualities not least the excellent holding in thick mud but we wanted to get on and with a short lived quiet spell forecast we wanted to try scavaig a short 15nm sail found us entering at low water with the to be avoided patches clearly visible with basking seals atop the anchorage proved bigger than we d imagined and surrounded on three sides by high walled peaks in the corner sat a white washed climbers hut and the afternoon had a series of punter boats arriving to collect or deposit various groups of sightseers to be honest anchorages such as this leave me on edge as the escape route is not straightforward and the surrounding land is going to substantially increase any wind but all was quiet but we were up for another early start the following day with the destination of barra on our mind the forecast was for s or se 6 7 so a blowy day but if it came in se a fairly comfortable one passing soay we experienced the lumpy seas at the western end followed by the increase in winds off nearby rum off canna both wind and seas began to build although the boat remained comfortable jib stays l and a reefed main pushing along at 7k plus with 20nm to go however things had begun to deteriorate to the point the jib had been dumped and a second reef put in as we completed the job bee asked if i wanted the vang a line that controls the end of the gaff there s one for each side easing as it was tight but it was keeping the gaff off the shroud so i said leave it stan coped well but in an effort to keep to windward of our waypoint i had begun steering but as seas increased and we were shipping far more water we knew we needed to think of saner options and opted for skipport some 18nm to the north with the main out and a preventer rigged the stay l sheeted hard in we settled down for a fast if nervous run the headland we needed to clear was proving to be on the cusp of being cleared but was still 10 or more miles away we could gybe but would then need to gybe back again for the entrance and the seas were growing starting to roll and breaking making the manoeuvre a potentially fraught one but the downside was we were treading a fine line that required a lot of attention we re were stbd tack but sometimes a sea would hit us on stbd and shove the boat over causing the main to flutter dangerously the weather was pretty bad with heavy rain and a cold wind so the coffee bee produced was very welcome but stupidly i took my eye off the job in hand and in seconds we gybed the preventer stops the boom smashing over but the gaff of course doesn t have that restriction so comes over much further all hell was let loose with seas and wind seeming to up their game to take advantage we have had involuntary gybes before and with luck we re able to persuade hannah to come back onto the right tack by keeping the tiller over and that s what happened back came the boom with huge force the coffee was still just in the cups and as we took a welcome sip i happened to glance aloft and there hanging forlornly was the end metre or so of gaff finally down and lashed it had snapped in two heaving to and the struggle to get the main down in big seas took some time and was a hairy moment we had to get the boom tied down to stop it knocking one of us over the gaff was now a couple of lethal jagged spears and either hands or sail could suffer serious damage but it was finally under control and lashed down we were able to free the stays l and head on still managing 6k in the stronger gusts down below bee reported that our home was a mess and toots indignant that a couple of light cushions had fallen on her sea berth where she had been sleeping onwards we ran the headland disappearing in the rain and mist but getting closer the big advantage with no main is the gybe risk implication disappear and made us think again of a square sail benefits we finally rounded the headland and shaped toward the entrance where shelter from the waves was assured down the channel we raced in driving rain and down to where we d anchored many years previously sadly not to be as fish farm operations now take up most of the available room we went back to the first anchorage we d passed and eventually dropped there getting the stove lit as a priority the morning brings more rain and continuing strong winds though not yet talking it through we think the vang that bee mentioned was tight enough to cause the spar to snap and it s something we ll ensure we never do again is it repairable not sure certainly when hove to we noticed a couple of splinters fall into the water so parts of it are missing scarf rebuild a new one perhaps in stornoway we ll find out posted by mbt at 12 06 1 comment email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest wednesday 16 june 2021 the paps of jura as 2021 ticked off the months we gradually began getting hannah back together sails bent on in february so anxious were we to convince ourselves that this year covid restrictions would be eased enough for us to feel comfortable with cruising by april we knew we should be able to move and bee told her mates at cafe abundance that their all purpose washer upper would be heading out come the day and the very high tide we slipped our lines and headed out unfortunately not very far as my inattention put us firmly on the mud but as we d left earlier than we should the tide and daz in a rib eventually had us off first stop of course was cawsand bay rolly as ever and then the following day a brilliant return to sailing with a passage down to the helford for the night onwards the next day for the scilly isles and into st helen s pool on the few times we have gone to these islands we always been underwhelmed by their reputation whereas this time we were captivated albeit we were only there a couple of days at low water this pool offers a huge amount of protection and the ocean swell only really noticeable either side of hw but the forecast offered a soon to arrive stiff nw and we decided to head off to dale bay at milford haven in retrospect this was a dumb decision given our last experience and with this wind direction there was of a boat and mooring being pushed across the bay and sunk but we arrived and to our surprise found three other boats at anchor but worked our way inside of them and anchored soon after two boats left for their marina berths leaving a rival and us the wind began as sw ok before backing to nw and not ok the wind strengths were in the 30 s but gusts touched mid 40 s but the wind over tide situation had spray coming over the boat with a serious amount of fetch so not our finest choice the rival had it worse of course almost burying their bow and at the limit of their chain they can t have had an easy time but both boats and crews survived and when conditions eased headed off our plan was to poke our nose into skomer for the night and we slowly beat our way toward the island the seas immediately off it were not particularly welcoming and didn t moderate on closing the entrance bee checked with the bino s and reported little change further in which given this is a tight ish anchorage for us had us bearing away hastily checking the stream and making for the jack sound where our speeds rapidly shot over 8knots and we were through but to where st bride s bay offers few anchorages and not with protection from the east and the nearest place would be fishguard fg we plugged on but went around rather than through ramsey sound as i thought we might have missed the gate by the time we had rounded and left it to our south the tide was running against us and we motored slowly on ahead we could see another yacht and we both came into fg about the same time turned out to be the rival from mh fishguard has a poor reputation for strong winds from nw ne but we didn t think the forecast was for strong so took a chance it was rolly but the holding is good and we waited out the passing of this front we tried another anchorage but being further to the n of the bay meant it had far more swell and back we wandered on the sunday we heard those magic words from the forecasters gale now ceased and we made preparations to leave at 15 10 we hauled anchor and made our way out of fg the seas were minimal the wind decent and we were on our way the forecast had been for s6 7 occasionally 8 and that s what we got we knew some of it would be lumpy as tides run strongly between here and the mull of kintyre but other than a slowing of our speed we were able to truck on and on i contemplated various places we might pull in for the night but bee felt it a waste of the wind and she was right the seas ran perhaps 2 3 metres but mostly the wind stayed in the high 20 s sometimes gusting low 30 s so we were pretty comfortable i d made a change to stan our steerer over the break which meant he didn t foul bend bolts any more and things were hunky dory aboard on the second night i did consider pulling into the anchorage by bangor ni but pitch black big rolling seas and a beam wind would have meant a very uncomfortable trip in and gigha was only about 90 miles away we passed close to the iom but didn t really see it and even the mull of kintyre was nothing but a smudge of a shadow but the day came the sun came out though the wind remained cold as we slid up the west coast of this island to an anchorage we d never used before the last few miles were gusty and quick but thoughts were on the anchorage and whether it would work what the holding and all those other things we consider rounding the headland we found a broad deepish bay no houses but a couple of camper vans and two fishing buoys we dropped anchor a little under 48 hours after we d left fg now almost 250nm astern the trip itself was exhilarating but the views from the anchorage were just wonderful as was the sighting of loons in here with us ok they lack the call for the most part of their north american cousins but they remain one of our favourite birds away to the north could be seen the magnificent paps of jura the sea sparkled the holding was good and very little swell could be felt the fishing buoys turned out to be a temporary anchor for a fishing boat but we were clear enough not to cause a problem and he d left early the next day as we did to catch the tide through the sound of islay the scenery in this area is stunning and the short 10nm across to the sound is a joy even if the wind was less than impressive once into the sound the wind is almost meaningless as we were swept along hitting 10k at one point i did think of taking the reef out until bee reminded me that the last time we came up here with the wind in the se we experienced humongous squalls when we reached the end and so it was this time it s short lived but certainly wakes you up our destination lay ahead and one we ve thought about often over the covid times loch tarbert has an intricate entry that twists and turns using painted marks on the rocks originally to guide you in followed by a narrower passage into the loch itself this is a big loch so anchoring choices are plenty our first choice was almost as you enter but the following day we moved across to anchor off the bothy on the northern side where we stayed for a couple of days even dinghy ing ashore to check out the bothy and talk to a walker who was using it we wandered around and up the hill startled when the phone suddenly burst into action as it picked up a network and bee decided she d have a bathe in the pool that gathers beneath a waterfall it was cold apparently down at the bothy the walker cathy had developed problems in a leg and was resting up prior to tackling a particularly arduous part of the walk and back on the boat we thought perhaps she might appreciate a lift to get her back into the easier section so rowed back to make the offer much to her delight the following morning we picked up our passenger and dropped her off a few miles down the loch on our way out a few miles by boat but we were assured a tough day to get to where she now was and re united with her walking companions we upped and moved on up the coast pausing for the night in a small bay south of the corryvreken perfectly adequate for the night we were to have not perhaps a stop if winds were forecast crossing the great race the following morning presented no problems mostly because there was no swell and no real wind so the current just sent us bowling along somewhat off course but heading roughly n what wind there was picked up but moved into the ne giving a wearing beat until we gave up dumped the genny and motor sailed our way along the mull coast close in we dumped the stays l and simply motored up to the narrow entrance to loch spelve we ve never gone in here mostly cos the c map we use is inadequate for the entrance giving very little detail other than a contour line as i ve mentioned before some years back i came across antares charts large scale chartlets of various scottish lochs and they have been invaluable here was such an occasion as we entered under sail meeting an outgoing yacht in the narrowest part of the channel and then up into the northern part creeping between a huge mussel farm and a small island to reach the anchorage we chose to go further into the bay where there were no boats probably because the bed was a tad graunchy from rock but we had a couple of nights there before moving to another bay again with mussels growing and one other boat at anchor enough room and by evening a further two had arrived no pics until we get a stronger signal posted by mbt at 12 05 2 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest sunday 13 december 2020 a cautionary tale well this has been some year for all what with covid nonsensical conspiracy theories and a dangerous petulant narcissist wreaking havoc on a democracy but given that we haven t sailed even a metre of distance there hasn t been that much movement to write about consequently this update will really just be about repairs changes or cock ups last year i noticed the leather covering on the main mast hoops was showing signs of wear not the usual stitching coming adrift but the leather beginning to split given that they were probably made up 28 years ago i can hardly c...
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