Out of the Harbour and Turn Left

Day 15 – 18^th June – Stromness to Loch Eriboll (Ardneckie South) – 53.4 NM

We slipped our moorings at 0610, intent on getting away before the ferry chased us out of the channel again. It was a lovely sunny morning with not a breath of wind and with the favourable tides we were in Hoy sound by 0635 and off the Old Man of Hoy by 0710, when the ferry passed us.

The wind eventually increased first to a NE2 and then gradually to ENE4/5, allowing us to turn off the engine at 1140, with sufficient breeze to push us through the water at a steady 4 + knots. The wind increased as we approached Loch Eribol, pushing us through the water at up to 6.5 knots with a reefed mainand foresail. We also had quite a lumpy sea with a good 2 metre swell which remained with us for the first couple of miles into the loch. We were both concerned that this would make our planned anchorage untenable, but as we cleared the lighthouse half way up the loch and turned slightly east all swell vanished.  

Day 16 – 19^th June – Loch Eribol to Kinlochbervie (Clash Bay) – 41 NM  

We raised anchor at 0610 primarily to give us 3 hours of westerly going tides and to hit Cape Wrath at slack water. We also wanted to get to the MOD firing range just east of Cape Wrath before 0730 when the area was supposed to be closed for firing practice; we had noted on our trip into Loch Eribol the day before that a couple of Tornado aircraft were continually practising bombing runs just offshore. We therefore motored out of the loch to get some miles under the belt before setting sail at 0705 into a rough sea and wind that was ENE5/6.

We were very comfortable with two reefs in the main and about 60% of the Genoa unfurled sailing on a broad reach, and as we closed on the firing range at 5.5 knots it was comforting to see no red flags or approaching MOD vessel warning us off. Mary jokingly surmised that it was probably too rough for those that manned the boats, but joking apart the alternative was a trip at least 5 miles offshore which would have added probably another 10 miles to our planned 40 mile trip. We saw no aircraft until we had cleared the area, and then they were in, diving down and roaring up over us, and had obviously waited for us to clear the range. Mary calculated that with the cost of each flying Tornado running at £30,000 an hour delaying the start of the practise session as we had by two hours had saved the taxpayer £120,000. I was just glad they hadn’t practised bombing us!!  

However, it was not all “plain sailing” because as we got clear of the inshore rocks to get a clear run to Cape Wrath we realised that the course would be just that - a straight run downwind. With the swell and the choppiness of the sea this was simply too risky as the boat was continually corkscrewing off course. We didn’t even try the autohelm as we doubted whether the system could have coped and the manual steering required continual concentration. 

The downside was an adverse current; by 1220 our speed had dropped off to just over 2.5 knots and we once again resorted to the engine. We eventually anchored at 1420 about 150 metres off the old fishing pier at Kinlochbervie in Loch Clash. 

I’d only once before been to Kinlochbervie some 15 years ago and remember the harbour stuffed with fishing vessels all flying the Canadian flag (it was the time of the Cod Wars between the EU and Canada). It was a shock now to see so few boats and according to the locals there are now only 6 vessels still operating.  

We decided to visit Oldshoremore, one of the sites that Mary camped at when she was a kid. It was about 4 miles north of the harbour and we started walking, thumbs out at any passing car. It wasn’t long before two tourists from Norfolk picked us up and took us all the rest of the way.

The beaches at Oldshoremore were clean and spectacular, and we had a relaxing picnic on the rocks watching the sea before venturing back. Our trusty thumbs didn’t seem to work so well on the way back, but we eventually got a lift with some French tourists in a Renault Espace who took us where we wanted to go – the local hotel. Kinlochbervie has few facilities, but the hotel struck us as a very friendly place offering good value accommodation and food. It certainly did a great cream tea ….

We chilled out with just a few short walks ashore, as the night had been one of high winds (with 40 knot gusts) and I had spent a substantial part of the night on anchor watch.

 In the evening we had a mediocre Fish Supper in the local Fisherman’s Association, which had obviously been a thriving club in its heyday but now was a shadow of its former self. The only other visitors were two divers and a couple of Yotties we had helped to tie up earlier. The divers had hoped for a number of dives off Cape Wrath, but with the big seas for the last week they had not yet managed a single dive. The Yotties were from Lowestoft and were on a circumnavigation of the UK and in our view doing it too quickly. Their plan for the following evening was Ullapool, with Portree the following day.

Day 18 – 21^st June – Kinlochbervie to Badcall Bay via Loch Laxford and  Handa Island. – 23.4 NM

We left Kinlochbervie at 0850 in flat, calm, sunny conditions and motored out into the Inner Minch. Our coffee break was planned for Loch Laxford and we carefully meandered our way around the Whale Back rocks and into the strange environment that was Loch Laxford. It was strange in that it was practically devoid of any signs of human habitation, yet there were large areas given over to fish farms and Mussel beds, being tended by motor launches.

We progressed slowly up the loch turning north to where the pilot had identified several anchorages and observed a strange site – a ketch rigged yacht that appeared to be set about 5 meters above water level. As we rounded the point we discovered an adventure centre with a 50+ foot yacht hauled up a concrete slipway. It belonged, along with the adventure centre, to Colin Ridgeway. 

We dropped anchor at 1030 in Loch a Chadifi with Mary making a quick sortie ashore while I brewed up.

Our stay was short and we upped anchor at 1150 for Handa Island and Lunch. Again, with no wind we motored most of the way, sailing the last mile or so where we trailed for Mackerel. For once the fish were cooperative and as we rounded the south of the island we pulled up 6 mackeral, eventually dropping anchor in the southerly sandy bay of Sanda at 1410.After lunch and a sortie ashore to chat to the Island Rangers we upped anchor at 1530 and sailed south to negotiate the Badcall Islands and into beautiful Badcall Bay, anchoring up for the night in a most idyllic spot at 1635. 

The local pub and restaurant overlooks the anchorage, and is well worth a visit for both the beer and the seafood. We, however, ate on board – after all, what could be better than fresh caught mackerel .....

Day 19 – 22^nd June – Badcall Bay to Summer Isles (and almost Culken Drumbeg) – 29.6 NM

We had planned to sail to the Summer Isles via a very interesting anchorage called Culkien Drumbeg, but never made it, and it was mainly down to the inadequacies of large scale charts and poor planning on our behalf.  

The large scale charts identified Drumbeg and identified Culkien, and as we usually use the pilot when close in to an anchorage we set the GPS coordinates for about 1 mile off Culkien, looking to navigate the rest of the way by eye. We set off at 0945, after spending 15 minutes cleaning the fine, soft black mud off anchor, chain and ourselves.

We reluctantly abandoned hope of an interesting coffee break and carried on south to the Summer Isles.

Day 20 – 23^rd June Summer Isles to Loch Ewe (Aultbea) via Poolewe – 23.1 NM

At 0925 we stowed the anchor and motored out over the southerly bar and for the next two hours had a leisurely sail with a NW 2/3 for the headland NE of Loch Ewe. As we approached the entrance to the bay the wind dropped off to a gentle F1/2, and we motored to just off Pool Ewe, anchoring up about 200 metres offshore at 1340. After lunch we went ashore to the local swimming pool for a swim and good clean, before exploring the National Trust Gardens.  

At 1750 we upped anchor and motored out to anchor off Aultbea, a small town near to the entrance to the loch which offered better shelter from the northerly breezes expected. We did think about the interesting and very secluded anchorage at Loch Thurnaig, just north of the gardens but we were told the holding was not great and the bottom was soft mud. We’d had enough of that ….

Day 21 – 24^th June – Loch Ewe to Gairloch (Flowerdale) – 24 NM

Our passage plan for the day was to make for a safe haven as the forecast was for a couple of days of windy weather. The nearest of these was Flowerdale harbour, just south of Gairloch town, which apart from being well protected from the anticipated winds also boasted pontoons, a real luxury.  

We weighed anchor at 1015 and motored out into the main loch in a light northerly breeze that increased to a NE 2/3 as soon as we got clear of the land. As we approached the lumpy open sea the wind increased to F5/6, and we put two reefs in the main. With about 2/3rds of the Genoa unrolled and the wind on the beam we really started flying, with the highest speed over the ground for the day recorded at 8.8 knots.  

As we crossed into Gairloch the wind veered and increased to F6/7 knots as we beat across the northerly part of the loch, and when the wind veered even further at 1455 we canned the sailed and motored the last mile into the harbour, arriving at 1515.  

Day 22 – 25^th June – Gairloch – 0 NM

We had an early start, visiting Gairloch for coffee and the Library for the internet. In the afternoon we explored the walks in the Flowerdale valley, which were very well presented – the area is quite outstanding.