Amongst the Western Isles of Scotland

Well we survived the gales in Oban ... actually on the island of Kerrara just off the coast. Fortunately the marina there operates an hourly 'taxi' service to the mainland, so we were able to get over to the town the same afternoon as we arrived and visit Mr T. for a mid-voyage re-provisioning shop. Mind you, when one only has Shanks's pony for transport, one becomes far more circumspect over optional luxuries (... that delicious red wine, this luscious fruit juice, not forgetting that excellent value 6-pack of Ruddles etc. etc.).
The following day, Friday, we caught an early taxi to town again as I needed a haircut. Found Flora - I was taken by her shopfront and what a happy chance! In fact it was Audrey who attended to my wayward locks and a brilliant job she made of it too, even to the point of giving me some helpful hints to pass on to my hairdresser back home. Somehow though, I don't think Yorkshire Tracey would take kindly if I were to say in mid-cut "now Audrey from Oban says..."!
Whilst in Oban, we took the opportunity to visit The Oban Distillery (no surprises there then). The guided tour was most interesting. And not only were we then treated to a wee dram at the end of the tour, plus a complimentary Oban whisky glass but we also tasted some of the over-proof spirit (65%) direct from a barrel. Very strong!

Back on board Follyfin, we enjoyed fresh fish for dinner from brilliant fishmonger on Oban pier (recommended by none other than Audrey): prawn tails as starter, followed by fresh sea bream. Delicious!
Forecast has improved and wind died down somewhat though still raining. So determined not to waste any more time in the fleshpots of Oban, we set off at 11.30 this morning, Saturday, in order to catch the north-west-going tide up the Sound of Mull. Perfect NE force 5-7 wind for sailing but quite rough until we had crossed the Firth of Lorn and the southern end of the Lynn of Morvern. Sped past Duart Point with its ruined castle looking very dour under the grey sky, and then once we had passed into the Sound of Mull, the sea calmed down.

The tide was with us all the way up the Sound and even though we did not have full sail up (as wind was gusting to 30 m.p.h.), a maximum boat speed of nearly 10 knots was achieved ... and that is fast for a sailing vessel! By tea time we reached the highly picturesque fishing town of Tobermory, on the NE coast of the island of Mull, where we are now tied up to a swinging mooring. [Much better pics are shown at the above website link.]

Tomorrow we plan to round Ardnamurchan Point, bound for Arisaig where we rendez-vous again with our former Canal Crew, Sylvia and Colin. They have been taking time out at their holiday 'station' but will join us for a few more days on a short cruise round the so-called Small Isles of Rum, Eigg and Muck (those names again ... wonderful!).

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Hardly a narrowboat!

Greeting us at Ardrishaig were our good friends and former neighbours from Whittlesford, Sylvia and Colin. They were to join us going through the Crinan Canal, which cuts across the 'foot' of the Mull of Galloway from Lower Loch Fyne to the Sound of Jura. Now Sylvia and Colin know Scotland very well indeed, having been visiting the area for 30 years or more. So their encyclopaedic knowledge of the area would be invaluable and there are 15 locks on this canal so extra crew would be welcome! As you can see, they are paying attention to the Skipper ...

Here they are again, still looking fresh after only 6 locks. The hard work is still to come ...

At last doing some real work ...

Follyfin looked quite majestic, if a little oversized, as she glided through the locks.

By 5 p.m. we had arrived at the top lock, just a stone's throw from the open sea below us. Much more relaxing than our usual days at sea, and rounded off with an excellent meal of fresh halibut at the Seafood Bar in the Crinan Hotel, all in all it was a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable day. Once again the sunset looking out towards Mull was splendid.

This morning, Thursday 14th June, we waved farewell to our friends who walked back along the canal to their car. Follyfin enjoyed an excellent sail up the Sound of Luing and then the Firth of Lorn (don't you just love these Scottish names?) towards the island of Kerrara just west of Oban. And here we are tonight, in the marina deliberately to wait out the gales that have been forecast. Fingers crossed that the pontoon remains anchored!

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Catching up

As predicted, the mobile signal has been very unpredictable over the last few days. So this is a 3-day catch up report ... As mentioned in the last post we eventually escaped Whitehaven where both weather and the broken sea lock gates had conspired to delay us longer than planned. The gates were finally opened manually for us and off we went again and I must say, the sea did not look too welcoming as we emerged into Whitehaven outer harbour.

The Isle of Whithorn, first port of call in Scotland, was gorgeous.

St Ninian first came here in 6th century, sheltering in a cave on the point. There is a ruined chapel, used by pilgrims visiting St Ninian's Shrine in the 13th century. The view from the window back down to St Bee's Head is fantastic.

Leaving Isle of Whithorn on sunny Sunday afternoon, we headed towards the Mull of Galloway to anchor overnight in a sheltered bay on the south-eastern tip. This position enabled us to make the 4 a.m. start the following day, necessary to round the Mull close in - luckily there were very calm conditions - thus avoiding nasty overfalls, and to catch a favourable tidal stream almost all the way up to Arran. This was an all-day trip, involving sailing across The North Channel (a fearsome stretch of water between Ireland and Scotland which is invariable rough even in otherwise calm conditions!) and on up the Firth of Clyde. We were glad to drop the anchor at 7 p.m. on Monday evening in the tranquil waters off Holy Island, a Buddhist sanctuary, just across from Lamlash on the East coast of Arran. Leaving there the next day, we continued up the Firth of Clyde, then turned north west into Bute Sound leaving Isle of Bute to our right, on into Inchmarnock Water and so into Lower Loch Fyne (the same of the seafood restaurant ilk), our destination being Ardrishaig where the entrance to the south end of the Crinan Canal is located. The view back towards Arran on Tuesday evening was beautiful. It stays light for so long in the evenings now.

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Scots wha hae!

Bye bye Whitehaven

Hello Scotland! Yes we are in Scotland at last.

At last we escaped from Whitehaven where we had been both storm bound and digestively challenged for three and a half days, mainly under grey skies and raining. Venturing north-westwards across the mouth of Morecambe Bay, we caught no glimpse of winkle pickers, of either Chinese or footwear variety, but did see in the distance the largest wind farm ever. There must have been hundreds of windmills; they made an impressive sight but had we been nearer I am sure they would have made an impressive noise too.
The wind direction was 'on the nose', requiring us to tack towards our destination, so in the end we covered 41 miles to Isle of Whithorn harbour, instead of the 25 miles by direct line. That is the joy of (skipper)/trouble with (mate) relying on the wind for propulsion ... it invariably prevents one from going directly to one's destination.
Eventually though Skipper was forced to resort to engine since the tidal gate at Isle of Whithorn was rapidly closing and we needed to get there for the night.
Phew! We just made it in with a few minutes to spare before we were left high and dry on the mud (thank goodness for the lifting keel again). Because we were late this meant waking at 03.00 to move the boat further into the harbour to make room for fishing boats coming in on the high tide. But hey, this place is so beautiful, what does the loss of a couple of hours sleep matter? Isle of Whithorn is home of St Ninian. More info and pics in the next blog, as the tide beckons again for our escape.

This blog post is late due to poor 3G signal at Isle of Whithorn. Looks like mobile signal will be slightly unpredictable from here northwards so posts may become even more irregular. Now on passage to Arran in Firth of Clyde.

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Whitehaven - a record passage for FF

Departed Holyhead 06.00 Tuesday, arrived off Whitehaven Harbour entrance 20.00 - a distance of 84 miles in 14 hours: a record for Follyfin! Only trouble was that the sea lock at Whitehaven was closed as tide was only just starting to rise after low spring ebb. We had done too well for our own good! Eventually berthed inside Queens Marina by 21.45. It had been a wet day but we had been able to motor sail all the way.
Yesterday evening we had visitors,

Yes, they are our very own local inhabitants, and very good friends Penny and Duncan. They live only 20 minutes away and D works in Whitehaven, so could not have been more convenient. P also provided some after-dinner sing-a-long entertainment, so all in all it was a very convivial evening aboard FF.

Our plan to depart for the south coast of Scotland today were foiled by tummy bugs attacking both permanent Follyfin crew members. And we may not even get away tomorrow since gale force winds are forecast. Never mind, Whitehaven has a long maritime history for us to investigate (although not the most picturesque of harbours) so sure we will find something to amuse us.
As one of our friendly followers has pointed out, we are now running about a week behind our original schedule. We hope to head to Isle of Whithorn tomorrow or Saturday and then attack the Mull of Galloway from there. Fingers crossed!

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Storm before the calm

Saturday night proved to be the stormiest so far for FF. Lucky we had been advised to move right inside to the back of the marina due to imminent arrival of strong north-easterly winds. Managed a quick walk into Holyhead Central again to replenish supplies at the ever-open Co-Op (where would we be without them?) before battening down the hatches and hunkering down below for the night. The link to the video clip below, taken Sunday morning, gives some idea of what it was like overnight (check out the wind noise), though by this time the wind had calmed down slightly ... strength of wind reached an unexpected gale force 9! This video clip, taken Sunday morning, gives some idea of what it was like overnight (check out the wind noise), though by this time the wind had calmed down slightly ... strength of wind reached an unexpected gale force 9!

Abandoning the plan for a sail along the coast of Anglesey to a quiet overnight anchorage with one accord, land cruising was voted the order of the day for Sunday. So off we went to visit a well known Welsh station,

then the Anglesey Sea Zoo where I came the nearest to a cuttlefish I'll ever get (apart from in the budgie's cage),

and the Menai Strait - view towards Caernarfon Castle with its infamous drying sandbanks "The Swellies", anathema to the unsuspecting yachtsman!

Monday dawned fair, sunny and, above all, calm. Determined not to send our passengers back to London without experiencing at least a short sail aboard Follyfin, we headed out to The Skerries, a small group of rocks and gullies surrounded by rocky shelves and platters about 6 miles out from Holyhead Harbour. Inside there is a lagoon, average depth only 3.5 metres, where wildlife abounds. But with strong tides over a rocky and sharply uneven ground outside, races and overalls also abound. The tide sets strongly across the entrance, which is only 50 metres wide and has rocks awash on either side. Nevertheless The Skipper, undeterred, thrust the throttle forward as soon as he saw the entry transit and just went for it. The rest of us were strangely (and unusually) silent during this surprisingly brief period ... then all of a sudden we were into this wonderful calm pool, sharing it with several seals, many terns, puffins, guillemots and gulls. Mooring up to the thoughtfully placed buoy in front of the lighthouse, we lunched and marvelled at the tranquillity of the place. A great place to watch wildlife, listen to the tide racing cross the entrance to the lagoon - and wonder if you will ever get out safely!

Laurel was so taken with the whole excursion, she was even persuaded to take the helm for a while.

Fireworks that night from the long harbour breakwater concluded an excellent day out. Next stop Whitehaven in Cumbria, an 80 mile passage which will be the longest yet.

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Wet, Wet, Wet

And indeed it was ... Thursday was the first really wet passage we have had, and to make matters worse, most of it was in thick fog too.

On the positive side, the wind was just right for sailing so we braved the various hazards around the Lleyn Peninsula under full sail, only having to put in a few tacks to avoid charted dangers. As there was time in hand once out of Bardsey Sound, and wind had dropped, tried fishing for about an hour but again without success. But that was nothing compared with what was shortly to follow.
Entering the picturesque and much feted bay of Porth Dinllaen at about 6 p.m., we expected to see clearly identifiable visitors moorings, as shown on the chart. But no - every one we looked at was marked with a private boat name. And when I phoned the inviting-looking Ty Coch pub in the bay, the landlord confirmed that there were actually no visitors moorings at all (and that they do not serve food in the evenings - hmph). Decided therefore to try anchoring in the area marked "anchorage" on the chart. Five failed attempts and almost 90 minutes later, not fancying a repeat performance of the St. Mawes incident, took the decision to use one of the private moorings anyway, trusting to luck that (a) the owner would not return for it that night and (b) it would be strong enough to hold Follyfin.
Fortunately our luck was in, the owner did not return and since we needed to get away by 4 a.m. on Friday morning to catch the favourable tidal stream to carry us up to Holyhead, the strength of the mooring did not need to be tested for very long.
More fog as we left and no wind, but the tide was in our favour all the way up and past the 'stacks' and their infamous tide rips on Anglesey west coast. Arrived in Holyhead Harbour at 9.15. The sun came out, the sea was calm and all was good in the world. After a couple of hours catch-up siesta, walked from the marina into Holyhead where the signage is somewhat challenging.

Later that evening, Mick's brother Andrew and wife Carolyn joined us, having driven over from Macclesfield. We celebrated in style, perhaps a little too enthusiastically as we all agreed the next morning!

Today, the 2nd of June, a special birthday was to be celebrated ... mine (coincidentally Coronation Day for the present Queen, and oh yes, of course, it's her Diamond Jubilee too this year; what a happy chance)! It seemed that everyone else wanted to help us celebrate our mutual anniversaries as there were union jacks and flags flying all over the place, even on Follyfin where the bunting was rigged on the forestay and union flags under the boom.

Daughter Laurel and friend Kathy arrived at 10.30 having driven up from London. They came bearing gifts aplenty, and supplies to replenish the ship's stores. Celebrations began with home-made baklava and coffee. Then a birthday lunch on board whilst the sun shone overhead, with more bubbly.

The crowning (sic) glory was the most delicious birthday cake - clementine and chocolate - from the '158 Bakery'. Laurel is taking orders now ...

Unfortunately the weather has now taken a turn for the worse, so the plan to venture out to sea this afternoon and find an overnight anchorage on the coast of Anglesey has had to be shelved for the time being. As I type this, the wind is whistling outside, the rain is hammering on the coach roof and we are safely moored right inside Holyhead marina. Even so, in the force 7 north east wind, FF is rocking about quite a bit. Jolly glad we are not swinging on the anchor in a lonely bay tonight!
But it's been a great birthday. Hope the Queen enjoyed hers as much as I did mine.