To Loch Tarbert

Trip Start May 06, 2008
1
21
130
Trip End Sep 30, 2008


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Flag of United Kingdom  , Scotland,
Tuesday, May 27, 2008

As it happens, I woke at 03:30 and so we were off in good time ie. with engine started and sails up and on our way by 04:00. It was cold and breezy (so what's new??) but we were treated to a glorious sunrise and speeds over the ground of 11 knots at times. Our goal was to try, if the wind and tides were kind, to make the Sound of Islay with the ebbing tide, so that we could be carried through on the 3 knot current. If however, the winds / tides were not cooperative, we would merely sail and take an additional 6 hours to make the following ebb. The sound of Islay separates Islay from Jura and it is only half a mile wide or so in places, with its resulting strong tidal stream, hence the need for tidal assistance to make the passage northwards through it. Our destination was the remote Loch Tarbert which nearly bisects Jura. There are no roads nearby and no habitation, it really is cut off.

The winds and tides stayed with us and as a consequence, we were half way through the sound before we detected a counter current. An hour or so later and we were safely at anchor in Cuan Mor Bay, which is on the north shore, just by the constriction that demarcates the middle loch. There was one other boat here (now gone), a pretty Nantucket Clipper and we were joined by another boat later in the evening. However, at the time of typing this on Weds 28th at 15:00, we are quite alone. It's lovely here.

We decided to have lunch in our 'conservatory' and we spent the afternoon reading and dozing in the warmth generated by our cover keeping the wind away. We were disturbed at one point by the sound of a pair of Great Northen Divers, calling to each other as the fished and bonded. Very pretty sight.

 
Dinner on board - (where else?) and an early, peaceful night, once again pondering as to just what is it that makes us enjoy this? I mean getting up early with little sleep to face the cold wind and fairly rough sea to plonk yourself down in the middle of nowhere and do precious little apart from recover? It only makes sense to other cruising yachties, I suppose!
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