Sailing Trip – August 2016 with Stan

Sailing Trip – August 2016 with Stan

August 11th
Went up and stayed at Dunstaffnage … ate in Oban at Fish N’ Chip Shop – I had the hake - baked. Stan had sea bass - battered.



August 12th
Sailed up to Lochaline in rain. Moored too; we ate boeuf bourguignon and looked at weather prediction for tomorrow. Stan’s iPhone got wet. The whole thing was horrendous.



August 13th
Stayed at Lochaline. Stan went into Lochaline village for some rice to try to dry out his iPhone. Later – in the afternoon – he went for a walk up the loch and returned about 6-30pm. Had salmon.



August 14th
Sailed and motored to Mallaig. After mooring up on the pontoon and going to look at the local pub (turned out to be a Pizzeria!) so we returned and had steak later.



August 15th
Up to Plockton and met up with Richard. After mooring went for a meal (Monk Fish wrapped in prosciutto – Stan had pork and Richard haddock) at the local pub after Stan had a good look around Richard’s house ‘Marycroft’. Set off (badly) in tender. Afterwards, when Stan and I were ready to board Stan got out and I was sat at the back holding the dinghy to the ladder and the tender with me was back heavy and went over. Luckily my life jacket inflated automatically. I got out from underneath, then got aboard. Stan and I righted the tender and got the outboard on the back. Finally got to bed –having dried myself.



August 16th
Motored down to Tobermory in poor seas and the wind on the nose all the way.



August 17th
Sailed down the Sound of Mull - almost opposite and just down from the Lismore Light the engine packed in. Sailed to entrance of the marina but then the wind just died. We were starting to be pushed by the tide to some rocks but luckily got a lift in from a bilge keel yacht owned by Neil and crewed with him and a guy from Edinburgh, called Dave. We moored on the outside of the new breakwater. At about 9:10 we then went to the ‘Wide Mouth Frog’ but they had stopped serving; so we went into Oban for a sit down fish and chip meal but the restaurant was finished so we had a take out and ate it inside!



August 18th

Left a list for Stuart to have sorted.
Engine/outboard/mast wind direction guides/mast leak/fridge hinges/electric connection flap/Navtex aerial (Richard broke it)/front saloon windows leak/

Used Alba to produce some lines (4 - 2 bow lines and 2 stern lines + 2 springs). Gave Alba the life raft to service and 2 fire extinguishers to service. Dave of Alba e-mailed me to tell me that it would be cheaper to buy a new life raft. Agreed and he is going to keep it until I return. Also fixed We drove down – I missed the A65 turn off – and compounded the error by going wrongly to Preston via A6 and lost 20 minutes going to the junction with A59 on M6 which I should have taken. Got in at about 9 and dumped the sailing stuff and then went for a curry at the Aagrah.

August 19th

Stan and I walked at about 9:20 to the Buck Stones then down to top ridge walk via Black Beck to top of moors and down to the car.



August 20th Stan needs to catch the 10:10 to London from Leeds.

June 2016 Trip - Dave Hanna and I went to Coll, Gunna and Tiree.

Dave Hanna and I went to Coll, Gunna and Tiree.

I drove up on 26th at some unearthly time (4:30) and got to Dunstaffnage at about 11ish. Refuelled cans and put water on board as well as checked sails etc. and got ready for our trip.

27th June: At 9:30 (after Dave got some milk) we set off and went up the Sound of Mull. We sailed up past Ardnamurchan Point



and sailed in quite rough seas to Arinagour, Coll, where we moored up.



28th June: The next day we sailed down to Gunna and Tiree. We anchored near Gunna Sound - but just off Tiree - for lunch.



We sailed in a wet afternoon into a rather full Tobermory and moored - soaking. We had a meal on board and next morning Dave took the tender ashore for some bread.



29th June: Then we then set off in drier conditions to Dunstaffnage.

30th June: Home

July 2016 Trip ... Jura and The Grey Dogs

Richard and I went up to Dunstaffnage on July 26th . We prepared the boat and went into Oban for Fish N' Chips - at Oban Fish and Chips (Mrs MacDonald’s shop in George Street, run by the Di Ciacca family).



We sailed to Craobh Haven, (pronounced Croove) on 27th and moored up on a pontoon. Then we went to the 'Lord Of The Isles' pub for a meal.



On 28th we sailed to Loch na Cille (or Loch Keills) near Loch Sween.



We moored at Craighouse, Isle of Jura.



We enjoyed watching yachts mooring after we arrived!



We got storm bound next day and on 29th we set off for Dunstaffnage.



We sailed through the Little Corryvreckan (the Grey Dogs Channel) and had lunch in the Bay called Camas a'Mhòr-Fhir just west - beyond Grey Dogs at Lunga.



On 31st we tidied Cryptic and came home .... ate with our wives at Piccolino's

Been

o Sound of Mull, Duart Point, Loch Aline, Tobermory & Calgary as well as Oronsay’s Loch na Droma Buidhe, Salen in Loch Sunart
o Seil, Phuilladobhrain including Tigh na Truish Inn & ‘Bridge Over The Atlantic’, Garvellach Islands, Colonsay, Oronsay, Lunga, Sound of Luing, Shuna, Firth of Lorn, Lynn of Lorn, Loch Linnhe, Port Appin, Corran Narrows, Dunstaffnage, near Oban, Kerrera, Lunga,
o Loch Etive & Ardtornish Estate, Ardamurchan Point, Small Isles, Arisaig
Doune Bay, Loch Nevis - The Old Forge’ at Inverie at Knoydart Loch Moidart, Loch Hourn, Kyle Rhea, Loch Alsh (Skye), Loch Carron & Plockton
o Scarba, Jura, Sound of Islay, Gulf of Corryvreckan, Iona, Ulva, Gometra, Staffa, Dorus Mor, Cuan Sound,
o Kyles of Bute, Inchmarnock, Arran, Holy Isle, Largs, Rothesay, Little & Great Cumbrae, Tarbert
o Mull of Galloway, Ireland (Bangor & Glenarm), Gigha Ailsa Crag, Sanda Island, Campbeltown, Mull of Kintyre
o Milford Haven, Holyhead, Isle of Man, Workington, Maryport
o Hamble, The Needles, on edge of IoW, Portsmouth, Portland, Dartmouth, Falmouth

At Maryport

Ginny and I drove up to the boat today. We got up at lunch time and had a snack on the "beach" - She enjoyed a walk along the coast first - even getting her haunches wet in the surf and waves ... brrr! The day was odd - a few smatterings of rain drops but bright clouds and even some sunshine. It was similar to last week when I went up for the first time (without Ginny on that trip).

I have asked three outfits to quote and given all the information below. A Rigger based at Keswick, a company based in Northumberland (Amble!). So far only MPM North, at Maryport itself, have responded! (Recession, what recession?).

Invitation to Quote
I have just bought in July this year, from a couple of blokes based in Hamble, a boat - SV Cryptic - a 1978 built Contessa 32, built by Jeremy Rogers & designed by David Sadler. After quite a few adventures with a mate called Stan we managed to get her berthed at Maryport 11 October but not without taking refuge in Workington where some of the damage was inadvertently done.
Her specs are:-
LOA: 9.75m. (32′ 0″)
LWL: 7.32m. (24′ 0″)
Beam: 2.9m. (9′ 6″)
Draught: 1.68m. (5′ 6″)
Sail Area: 52.2 sq m. (562 sq.ft.)
Displacement: 4309kg (9,500 lbs)
Lead Ballast: 2042kg (4,500 lbs)
Head Room: (6′ 1″)
Engine: 20hp Beta diesel - reasonably new / low hours.
Keel stepped mast / with an odd boom
Self furling Genoa but with furling very low down at peak.


Cryptic needs some work. I plan to leave at Maryport for the winter and will probably lift her out once I have decided on the rigging investment (!).

Regarding that, and hence my mail to you, her rigging has not been replaced in at least 10 years of the previous owners, (and I don't know when the current rig was assembled). So I wouldn't mind a quote to replace all of it. Mast, Traveller / Cars, Boom Running & Standing Rigging, Sheets etc. The current boom I think was a furling system for the mainsail but has never been used so, and I don't like it. I do like slab reefing and lazy jacks but the current cover is removable and ties on from the top - whereas I have seen systems where the sail folds into the cover, via the lazy jacks and would like to follow this up. It is currently rigged poorly I suspect, for example it doesn't have very impressive reefing. I quite like the idea of installing something that let's the main sail and reefing all, (or as much as possible), get sorted from the cockpit. Maybe a ZSpar single line reefing boom system? I will take advice though. For one thing I haven't sailed long enough to know a lot. If I can afford a new mast, boom, standing & running rigging etc. etc. - including a better forestay and furling system for the Genoa too then I will need either my current suit of sails re-cut to fit or some new ones and am open to a quote on these items too.

PS I also think her guard rails could do with renewing too. (How much for a netting rig for the dog?).


I also want to service the Beta engine and repair some small damage to the starboard stern quarter toe rail and cleat that got ripped out while she was moored during some bad weather in Workington Port. I also need to replace the wood on the top of port locker. Could some or all of this be of interest too?

Sailing - 2nd to 6th June 2014 ...with Dave Hanna .. Around Mull

Monday 2nd - Went up after Amy visited us – at about 12:30 … Got up about 18:30ish and got the keys from the lad on reception (until 19:30).



Tuesday 3rd - Next morning Dave turned up at 09:00 as arranged … we went over the boat after settling him in and then unsecured and set off at about 12ish.

this is him helming SV Silurian

Had a late lunch in Loch Aline; (I let Fishnish Ferry through entrance) on a mooring and then sailed up to Tobermory to stay on a pontoon. We didn’t get in and moored until about 20:00 so we had a meal at MacGochans (Fish n’ Chips) then went for a walk and then bed.



We walked around and then look over the Northern Coast / Cliff I saw Cryptic at anchor ...



Wednesday 4th – Set off around 10ish and motored around the west coast of Mull – could see Coll and Tiree. Aimed for Coll and its forbidding and grim eastern coastline.

Then we sailed down – past Loch Mingary, Loch Cuan & Calgary Bay to The Treshnish Islands and anchored just off Lunga; inflated the tender and went ashore.



Populated until the 19th century Lunga still bears the remains of blockhouses up in the northeast of the island lies the remains of the now ruined village; (which was abandoned in 1857). Grey seals inhabit the waters surrounding the island, while birdlife breeds included storm petrels, kittiwakes and manx shearwaters, guillemots, puffins and razorbills and on the Harp Rock, - a sea stack separated by a narrow gut. Barnacle geese appear each winter.

Then we sailed on past Staffa & past Gometra Harbour (we could see some boats anchored there) into
CRAGAIG BAY where we anchored for the night in the South East section of the bay; (there were two yachts in the west bay). Saw cows, calves, goats and some deer (9!).



Thursday 5th Next morning from the anchorage we sailed to the entrance of and then motored down the Sound of Iona



- past Bull Hole on Mull and Iona Martyr’s Bay as well as Fionnphort. We looked into Tinker’s Hole, (motored around most of it),



then we went into David Balfour’s Bay for lunch.



After lunch we went past Traigh Gheal, Ardalanish, past Loch Buie. We continued, - past Ardencaple Bay then motored - and late at night – about 10:30 pm we anchored in Puilladobhrain.



Got to bed at about 12:30am and we were up at 08:00 and set off for Dunstaffnage Marina.



Friday 6th Plan was to get in and tidied up the boat and leave about 3pm latest. Left at 14:30 and got home at about 20:00.

West Coast Scotland - books etc.

West Coast of Scotland Pilot United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
North Coast of Scotland Pilot United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
The Yachtsman's Pilot to the Western Isles Martin Lawrence
The Yachtsman's Pilot to Skye and the North West Coast of Scotland Martin Lawrence
The Yachtsman's Pilot To The Isle Of Mull Martin Lawrence
The Yachtsman's Pilot Clyde to Colonsay Martin Lawrence
Imray Charts
Nautical and Astronomical Data HM Nautical Almanac Office
Tidal Stream Atlas: North Coast of Ireland, West Coast of Scotland United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
Tidal Stream Atlas: Firth of Clyde and Approaches United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
Reeds Nautical Almanac: 2011
Reeds Looseleaf Almanac 2011 UK & Ireland
Reeds Western Almanac: 2011 (Scotland and Ireland)
The Waypoint Handbook - West Coast M.D.Tuck