Loch Aline is a very protected all weather anchorage, surrounded by hills on all sides and a very narrow entrance at one end. We anchored at the far end from the entrance not far from the Aline Estate castle(s), one of which looks very much like something out of Disney. So after fixing the windlass (broken switch) and the outboard engine, we took a trip to shore and walked right round the loch to the little village. Its a beautiful estate and a nice walk along the shore of the loch past the sandstone mine where they produce crystal white fine sand. We watched the Mull ferry leave through the narrow channel and arrived at the village to find the shop shut!
Monday 19th July, Loch Aline to Loch Drumbuie
We found the spare parts for the traveller buried deep in a locker and we fixed the traveller, reinserting the 100 torlon balls without losing any of them. Then we took another trip to the village, this time in the dinghy and with about half of the beer bottles (at least two sacks!) that Ethan and co had kindly left us on our trip round Mull! This time the shop was open for supplies, including lots of local produce from the Aline Estate. Also open was the local cafe called the snack shack that serves the people waiting for the ferry to Mull. It was busy but we enjoyed a local venison burger. Get back to Azimuth, we pulled up the anchor and sailed the North going tide up the Sound of Mull past Tobermory and in to the narrow entrance of Loch Drumbuie, on the south side of the entrance of Loch Sunart. Its another enclosed all weather anchorage, although due to its depth, its difficult to find an anchorage. All the good spots had already been taken by other boats.
Tuesday 20th July, One month out!
Time to head further north, and today we planned to round Ardnamuchan point, the most westerly point on mainland UK. We left Lock Drumbuie at 11am in bright sunshine. The winds were very light and fickle and made sailing interesting in the busy Sound of Mull. Winds from 2 knots up to 13 knots at times meant a lovely relaxed take your time sail through spectacular scenery. Huge mountains and blue skies.
At one point we watched a 250m metre cruise liner edge its way in to Tobermory harbour entrance, presumably so all the tourists could take pictures? Not sure why you would bring a boat this large up the sound? Still they had to observe the rules of the road and give way to sail! Then we got buzzed by the Isle of Lewis Ferry steaming past at 20 knots.
The wind was kind and we had a lovely sail past Ardnamurchan point lighthouse and by mid afternoon, we edged in to the anchorage behind the reef at Sanna Bay. We were lucky that the weather was so nice, as its a very exposed point, and the anchorage is open to the west. The outer reef kills the atlantic swell, but it was still rolly. Worth staying though for the fine beaches, the views of the the small isles and the mountains of Rum, and what turned out to be one of the best sunsets of the trip.
Sunset from Anchorage at Sanna Bay looking out to Cullin on Rum
The new crew collected from Kerrera ferry terminal, it was time to for the quick hop from Kerrera to Duart Bay on the south-east corner of Mull, our first stop on the circumnavigation of one of our favourite Isles. We have a family history with Mull, of many happy family holidays, and I was really looking forward to experiencing Mull from the sea.
It was a great sail across the Firth of Lorne and in to the bottom of the sound and a good introduction to sailing Azimuth for the new crew. We pulled in to Duart Bay and anchored below the castle. The wind really picked up as we entered the Sound of Mull, but the anchorage at the North end of Duart Bay provided good shelter for the night even though it was a little rolly.
Tuesday 13th July, 2021, Duart to Tobermory
In the morning, the crew took the chance to explore Duart Bay with in the dinghy and canoe, then after lunch we took the flood tide up the Sound of Mull and tacked all the way in to a strong headwind. The crew were great and soon got the hang of the tacking process, which on Azimuth involves furling the genoa to get the sail through the gap between the two furlers (staysail). The Sound of Mull is a busy stretch of water shared by a host of sail and motor boats as well as the ferries leaving Oban and on there way to Mull and other islands, and quite a few cargo vessels. It made for some interesting tacks and judging intercepts. Thankyou for AIS. After 9 tacks in total, we arrived at Tobermory at 1900 and grabbed one of the last mooring bouys in the harbour. Everyone wanted to head to shore to the pub(s) for tea but at that moment, the outboard (which had been gradually dying over the past few days) decided it was not going to start! Crew to the rescue, they took it in turns to row us all in the long haul to the dinghy pontoon. Pub dinner was a hit and then a long row back to the boat!
Wednesday 14th July, 2021, Tobermory to Gometra
The crew braved another trip to Tobermory in the morning with the caput outboard to collect a few more supplies. There wouldn’t be another opportunity for a few days. We departed Tobermory at 1130 close hold sailed round to the South harbour on Gometra just off the west coast of Mull. The wind was quite strong 18-25 knots, and the sea state left a few crew members looking a little green, but all survived Ok. The sea state was quite choppy as we approached Gometra. Offshore we had our first whale siting. We think it was a minky or pilot whale. A large singular fin, much too big to be a dolphin. There are not many safe anchorages on this west side of Mull and as well pulled in to the protection of Gometra’s south harbour, it was obvious that quite a few other people had the same idea. We shared this small anchorage with about 5 other boats that night. Its a protected anchorage, but that night it was a little swelly from the south.
Thursday 15th July, 2021, Gometra to Ross of Mull
We left Gometra and motored the short hop to Staffa. The sea state was very rolly and we didn’t want to risk anchoring off and the crew taking the dinghy to shore. So instead, we did a slow drive by of Fingal’s cave and saw some puffins as well as the other spectacular rock formations
The big swell continued for a rolly trip in to the Sound of Iona past the Abbey and through the shallows and swell with the wind on the nose all the way. At the bottom of the Sound, we sailed East and and Anchored in Knockvologan. The crew took the dinghy and kayak to the beach to explore and even risk a swim in the cold Atlantic.
Later that afternoon, we motored round the corner looking for some shelter for the night and ended up in a narrow bolt hole (Aranaminish Bay). There was no room to swing, and not ideal as other boats had already secured the best spots. It was another swelly night.
Friday 16th July, 2021, Ross of Mull to Loch Spelve
We awoke to thick fog! The Scottish weather is never dull. We had to rely on the previous nights track and instruments to get out of the anchorage and then we headed down the coast. It was a real shame that we couldn’t see any of this spectacular coast! The wind provided a nice downwind sail and got us to the narrow entrance to Loch Spelve at 1700 just right to catch to the rising tide and ingoing stream. The fog cleared at last and we anchored in the beautiful bay at the North East end of the Loch next to the mussel factory. A flat calm loch meant a very comfortable night at anchor.
Saturday 17th July, 2021, Loch Spelve to Kerrera
When in Loch Spelve it felt imperative that we try and secure some local fresh mussels, so we took a canoe trip over to the factory in the morning. Another honesty box allowed us to buy 2 kilos of mussels from the ice box and head back to the boat. We left Loch Spelve at high tide at lunchtime and sailed back across the Firth of Forth on a great beam reach back towards Kerrera. The plan was to drop off the boys at the anchorage near the ferry terminal (to avoid the long walk we had earlier in the week …. although all the beer had been consumed :-)) It had been a great few days with Ethan and his friends and we felt sad to see them go.
A large ship was anchored in the bay so we squeezed in between them and the shore and dropped the hook. A request soon came on the radio to determine when we were going to move, as we were blocking them in. So Caleb rowed Ethan and co to the shore. I went to pull up the anchor to find that the windlass was broken!!! I had to pull the anchor in by hand, which proved to be nigh on impossible. Even with assistance from Caleb, two of us could not get the anchor in. With a lot of effort, we managed to free the anchor from the seabed and then we proceeded to drift through the anchorage nearly hitting other boats. I rigged up the anchor to one of the winches, and we used this to pull up the anchor whilst we drifted down Kerrera sound. Finally it was nearly on board, but only after Caleb had managed to remove about 50 kilos of kelp that was wrapped round the end!
A little stressed then, we motored through Oban harbour, and decided to head North again. Once out of the busy harbour it was nice to raise the sails again and relax, and try and forget the stress of earlier in the day. Azimuth is sailing along nicely when all of a sudden there is a loud bang …. and then the pitter patter of small balls falling on the deck. Looking up, imagine the horror of seeing the traveller, now removed from its track and swinging in the air on the main sheet below the boom! I realised those balls were the torlon balls from inside the traveller, about a hundred of them, now careening overboard. I knew this because I had had a similar experience when I tied to service the traveller a couple of years ago. These balls are stupidly expensive … we had to grab as many of them as we could as fast as possible!
Enough stress for one day thankyou very much! I was there thinking that these things normally come in three’s? What was going to happen next? So taking the sails down we made a beeline for the safe anchorage of Loch Aline just inside the Sound of Mull, negotiated the narrow entrance and breathed a sigh of relief when the hook was dropped in a very tranquil pretty anchorage. Time for a drink and to relax!
We woke up in the anchorage at West Tarbet to find the cloud had descended. A plan to walk from the anchorage and climb the biggest of the Paps of Jura was thwarted, as it now sat with its head in thick cloud. An exciting week was ahead though, as our son Caleb was coming out to stay on the boat. We had arranged to meet him at Gigha in a couple of days, so it was time to make our way back that way.
We left Loch Tarbet after lunch and motored for a couple of miles to the entrance to the Sound of Islay to catch the south going tide. Then we put the sails up and took the light downwind airs to about halfway down the sound until just the tide was carrying us with no wind at all. Motor back on again until the end of the sound where the wind picked up and let us sail all the way across the Sound of Jura to the North end of Gigha. We anchored on the east coast of Gigha in Drumyeon bay at 8pm just in time for the England versus Denmark football match. Right next to the local mobile phone tower… good signal!
Thursday 8th July, 2021
We chilled out on the boat … waiting for Caleb!
Friday 9th July, 2021, Gigha to Loch Keills
We collected Caleb from the Gigha ferry terminal and headed back to Azimuth. Pulled up the anchor and started North up the Sound of Jura. The wind was light again, so we had to resort to motoring. A short trip took us up to Loch Keills, a small tributary loch on the East side of the sound of Jura. We anchored at the end of the loch in lovely calm conditions.
Saturday 10th July, 2021, Loch Keills to Achanarich Bay
We decided to visit the chapel at Loch Keills. Its the 12th century St Charmaig’s chapel (after St Cormac, the Irish Saint) which has been beautifully restored, albeit as a quite dull box-like structure (which presumably it once was). The roof is new and inside there is a marvellous collection of medieval grave slabs now protected from the erosive Kintyre elements.
Crosses in the chapelAzimuth at anchor in Loch Keills and views over the Sound of Jura
We returned to the boat and pulled up the anchor at 1400 and took the tide North up the Sound of Jura. The tide here was crazy, especially as we transited past the end of the Gulf of Corryvreckan and Loch Craignish headland. We arrived at Achanarich Bay at 15 30 and negotiated the narrow entrance between reefs and rocks to this fine anchorage. No wind!
A great place to explore with the canoe and many resident seals who took great interest in us!
Sunday 11th July, Cuan Sound
After a peaceful night at anchor, we awoke to another windless day. Leaving at lunchtime, we drifted up the sound of Shona and then gave up on the sailing and motored in to Cuan Sound. The tide is incredibly strong through here, and negotiating the rocks in the anchorage was a challenge. However, the anchorage was very sheltered once with lots of sealife. Good phone signal which meant we could watch the England final…. doh!
Seals on the rocks at Cuan Sound anchorage.
Monday 12th July, Off to Kerrera for more crew!
We had to do our sums right to get out of this anchorage and through the Cuan narrows. I calculated when slack tide was, and we left to find it was no problem at all in comparison to difficulties of the previous day. Finally some wind too, and a glorious sail out in to the Sound of Mull and up to the Isle of Kerrera where we dropped the hook, took the dinghy to shore on a beach populated by cows, met some locals and determined the route to walk across the isle to get to the ferry terminal where we were due to meet Ethan and friends Jo & Tom.
It turned out to be quite a trek, and the sun beat down on us as we negotiated the rough track and hill in the middle of the Isle. A steep descent too down to the ferry terminal and a welcome rest while we waited for the new arrivals. They arrived shortly after laden down with stuff and enough crates of beer to supply a small army! Now we thought how the hell do we get the 1.5 miles back to the boat over the hill again with all this stuff. Fortunately there was enough of us to split the load. The journey back was strategically helped by a stop at the local ice cream shop for cold drinks and ice creams where you helped yourself and left money in an honesty box, very nice. We all finally arrived back at the bay where Azimuth was lying at anchor, and several dinghy trips later, all crew was installed, and cold beers had been opened!
After a couple of days exploring Gigha and a trip to the local pub and shops, we decided to head for the remote spot of Loch West Tarbet on the Isle of Jura. This involved crossing the Sound of Jura, and sailing up the Sound of Islay. Both sounds have strong tidal streams, so we had to plan the time to hit the Sound of Islay to get the North going stream. We left at 9am on a beautiful sunny day to find no wind at all in the sound. Our faithful friendly wind app, Windy had got it wrong again…. a common occurrence in our experience since this time it had predicted 10-12 knots from the SE. So we motored across the Sound of Jura for 2 hours, dodging the fishing boats and the Ferries enjoying the spectacular views of the Paps of Jura. As we entered the Sound of Islay, the tide increased our speed up to 10 knots through the narrow channel and whisked us up past the whisky distillery and steep hills until finally the wind kicked in. Time to get the sails up, and sail round in to the entrance of the Loch with views of Colonsay to the West. The wind was short lived, and referring to the pilot book, we got the engine on and prepared to negotiate the inner narrows of the Loch and reach the fine sheltered anchorages. The instructions are thankfully easy to follow as you weave your way between some nasty looking very close rocks. It turns out the narrow channels are nice and deep and you breathe a sigh of relief as you exit in to the wide open inner loch.
We chose to anchor on the south shore just past the narrows. What an amazing place! We took the dinghy to shore and tied up at a small dam for a fishing pool and walked along the coast to take in the remoteness of this spot. Climbing a ridge gave us some great views of the surrounding area.
Climbing even higher, and we came across another land bound loch with views out for miles. This loch had a natural dam at one end formed by a raised stone beach, which we decided to go and explore in the dinghy about a mile away from the anchorage.
There are a number of raised beaches around the loch, but some are grassed over. This one is easy to access and a great place to explore. They were formed at a time of high relative sea level as the last ice sheet was melting around 15,000 years ago.
Azimuth at anchor in Loch Tarbet
Monday 5th July, 2021
Typical of Scotland, one day its sunny, the next its pouring with rain, so we sat and read our books and looked at the views. Eventually it stopped and we took the canoe out for a trip around the inner loch.
Tuesday 6th July, 2021
Now the sun came out again, and we took the dinghy to explore the north shore of the inner lock where we visited the bothy and climbed up the ridge to take in more of the breath-taking views. We met some fellow sailors and compared notes on the loch. Although the climb up the ridge was hard work with no footpaths to follow, it was well worth the effort for the views and when we stopped for a rest, three golden eagles were keeping watch on us soaring on the thermals over the ridge.
Negotiating the Bracken!
The view
When we got back to the boat, we decided to move to another of the many anchorages in the Loch. So we raised up the anchor and renegotiated the inner passage in to the outer loch this time with the advantage of having our track to follow. We dropped the anchor again in Glenbatrick Bay right at the foot of the Paps. Another glorious anchorage!
We had an early start to catch the strong tide that flows round the Mull of Kintyre. There was no wind, so we had to motor. We hit 11.5 knots on the SW corner of the Mull. Once we reached Machinish Bay the wind picked up a little, so we got the sails up and sailed / motored up to Gigha Island through the sound and anchored in a spectacular little bay with a white sand beach at the North end of the island. A really nice anchorage with a view over the sound of Jura, and the mountains of Jura in the background.
After a days rest to the recover from the rigours of the Bristol Channel overnighter, we left Milford Haven and sailed North through Jack Sound, across Brides Bay and transited Ramsey Sound hitting 11.8 knots past the bitches getting swerved all over the place by the crazy tide.
We stopped for the night at Porth Melgan, a fine anchorage just South of St Davids head. It feels very remote surrounded by cliffs and sea caves. We spotted the first of many jelly fish and also a pod of dolphins.
Thursday 24th June, 2021
Woke to not a cloud in the sky and not a breath of wind. Decided to head north across Cardigan bay to Aberdaron. 7 hours of motoring across a flat, glassy sea.
The wind finally picked up a little with 10 knots from the south west and 2 knots of favourable tide. On reaching Bardsley Sound, all hell broke loose with 25 knots of apparent wind against a strong tide, but it was short lived, and we arrived at Aberdaron to anchor in the east of the bay. Strong winds that night made the anchorage rolly but the bay still provided reasonable protection, and excellent holding with winds up to 25 knots.
We stayed another day at Aberdaron. It was way too windy to go anywhere!
Aberdaron Anchorage
Saturday 26th June, 2021
Sailing through Bardsley Sound
We left at 5 in the morning to catch the favourable tide through Bardsley Sound. Two other boats left the Aberdaron Anchorage at the same time, which gave us the confidence that we had done our tidal calculations correctly! It was a beautiful sunrise as we sailed through the at slack water. We got the sails up and enjoyed the favourable wind angle. A call on the radio from another boat called Grace was an unexpected surprise when they texted us the picture of Azimuth above that they had taken as we passed them in the sound. Many thanks to Grace!
Sailing through Bardsley Sound at sunrise
We had intended to sail to Anglesey, but the wind angle was perfect for a transit to Northern Ireland. It would have been a beat to Anglesey, so we decided to change plans and go for it. It was a little rough, but the wind and tide gave us a COG of 330 to 340 degrees for hours. 3 hours from Ireland, and the tide swung against us as well as the wind veered, so we made for Carlingford Lough, a large Fjord inlet right on the border with NI. We anchored at the first anchorage in the Lough called Greenpoint. The anchorage had little room with lots of boats on moorings, and the the tide ran very strong. We also had strong offshore winds coming off the mountains. Great views of the Lough and big hills mixed with castles and industry.
Sunday 27th June, 2021
We left Carlingford at lunchtime with the tide and motored North for an hour. The wind picked up and gave us some fantastic sailing conditions, force 4/5 with smooth seas giving us a long tack in to Dundrum Bay and a tack out in to the North Channel. Stopped for the night at a beautiful anchorage behind Kearney Point just North of the entrance to Strangford Lough.
Monday 28th June, 2021
We had to fight our way up the North channel! With wind from the North West, right on the nose, we had a 5 hour sail from the Anchorage at Kearney Point up to Bangor Marina. It was exhilarating tacking with 25 knots apparent, Azimuth cut through the moderate seas at 8 knots. We lost the wind for the last hour and motored in to Belfast Lough and onwards to Bangor Marina, where we were allocated a berth that was way too small! Luckily our neighbours to be were on hand and helped us get in to the berth. Thanks to Rick & Caroline off “Snowgum”. Time to head to the Salty Dog Pub for tea!
It had been a long time coming! The lead up to to this trip had been a long slog. 28 years of working came to an end on Friday 20th June and finally retirement started. What did it feel like? Well it started with a 3 day hangover after a night out with my work collegues. Then it felt stressful as we did the final preparations and dropped off the kids at a dodgy looking Air BnB in Bristol. Final shopping and rushing around and then it comes time to leave.
We left Portishead at 1430 to find that the wind prediction was actually right for a change? Enjoyed the downhill tide past Barry, steaming along at 10 knots SOG. Made it across Swansea bay at 6-8 knots until the end of the tide and then the wind shifted more downwind and we slowed to between 3 & 5 knots SOG for several hours towards Worms Head.
The wind filled in again at 2 in the morning giving us a beam reach with 12-20 knot apparent, and 8-11 knots SOG. Shifted to a close hold with SOG 5-8 knots off Milford Haven until it turned in to a 25 knot headwind! Motored the last 2.5 miles in to Dale anchorage and arrived 0530. Right now after a few hours kip… retirement feels great!
Watch the video roundup of our family trip sailing in Croatia in the summer of 2017. We had a weeks cruise out of Dubrovnik with Sunsail, to explore the Islands in the National Park.
