Slept on the boat as we were going to set off earlish (8am!) but realised that the halliards were poorly organised and so waited until Rob and one other had sorted them next morning. Pushed off about 2pm - couldn't reef as Ramshead was upside down (!) and got into Loch Spelve at about 4pm to anchor in the South West arm. Dropped the hook and made sure we were fast at about 5pm and then had pasta/bolognaise and a beer. Turned in reasonably early.
Next day we up anchored, (the hook had got caught in an old mooring rope) and set off back across the Firth. We had a great sail and after a false steer, we were heading up the Sound of Kerrera looking for our next anchorage ... the castle shaped hill misled Richard ... it was too tall for the one he was looking for, we found our way and motored
gently went into Phuilladobhrain (pronounced Pol dor an, meaning Pool of the Otter in English) for the night. We were sharing this with maybe six or seven other boats when along came another five or so .... luckily some were Drascombes and took up little room. The most worry aspect was dragging anchors, too big an anchoring circle and boats adrift - happened at least once, with an old chap shouting across to me that he was Jeremy Roger's Brother-in-Law - just as his brig was about to crash into a sloop!
Richard took the tender and rowed up the Pool to see if he knew the guys in the Drascombes.
When he came back we left the boat for dinner at the Tigh na Truish Inn. After using the tender to get ashore and following the shore line path we went up the path, over the small hill to first take in the views from the legendary
"Bridge Over The Atlantic" .... built in 1792 by John Stevenson - a man of the Oban area: the rare Fairy Foxglove (Erinus alpinus) covers the bridge in a gentle purple haze in the early summer, further enhancing an already beautiful structure. (Innish faces you as you cross the "Bridge over the Atlantic Ocean" on to the Isle of Seil).
Tigh na Truish Inn (The House of Trousers - after the Jacobite Risings when kilts were banned, the islanders were reputed to change out of their kilts and into trews here, when going the mainland). The footpath taken going back (same a going) has views over the Firth of Lorne to Mull, Kerrera, Lismore and other small islands, with Morven in the far distance.
The next morning I readied the boat as Richard did a voyage plan - got the dinghy aboard and deflated / tucked away ... and sorted out the halliards etc. (Didn't realise it but reefs not tied off at the clew ). We pulled up the anchor - pretty easily though she had bedded well in mud - and motored gently out the Pool. Whilst Richard sorted out the sails I took the helm and then we switched off the engine and sailed for a good few hours. I spent a bit of time following up on what Richard had started - cleaning the mud off the deck. We decided to take advantage of a broad reach and sail up the Firth of Lorn, Lynn of Lorn and into Loch Linnhe, through the Corran Narrows and aiming at Fort William.
The Corran Ferry links the main A82 road with Morvern, Moidart and Ardnamurchan, via the village of Strontian. It also provides a link to Lochaline, thirty miles to the south west, from where a ferry crosses to Mull.
Close to the western slipway are Corran Lighthouse and the Ardgour Inn. The route lies on one of the ancient drove routes from the Hebrides to the cattle markets in Central Scotland.
We anchored (!) in a bay called Inverscaddle Bay. Though we tried (twice) to get a solid anchor bite we ate (!) and looked upon the South-East side of Ben Nevis which still had snow on some of the slopes. After worrying about the anchor we upped hook having decided that we were not happy ... so at about 11:30pm we motored back to Dunstaffnage and got in at about 4am. Moored up with slip lines etc. and then slept at 4:30 through til around 9ish.
