Any advice on rounding Mull of Galloway?

[DavidMcMullan]

We shall soon be going from Whitehaven around the Mull of G, en route to Belfast Lough, probably via Isle of Whithorn. Apart from advice to time it for slack water and that it can be very 'bumpy' if windy, any forum members familiar with this rounding (E to W)?
Plan would be to try and get there for HW slack. How close in to the head should I be? If we are there a bit early or late, is it still OK close inshore?
Thanks in anticipation.

 

[earlybird]

If the wind is less than 4'ish, you can hardly get too close without hitting the cliffs, but look out for pots very close in. In stronger winds with west in them, then inshore is perhaps not advisable, keep a couple of miles off.. If you plan to arrive at the Mull at HW, that means crossing Luce Bay with a foul tide, a very tedious business. I think I'd leave Whithorn at or just before HW and go with the flow, with luck you will have a fair tide most of the way to Belfast. Don't ignore the race off Burrow Head, it can be unpleasant. An alternative to Whithorn is the excellent anchorage in E. Tarbert Bay unless there is E in the wind. If the wind fair, leaving Whitehaven 3 hours before HW will get you round the Mull with some fair tide remaining for the N. Channel.
Forgot to mention, with a W. going tide, there seems to be a considerable S. back eddy along the W. side of the Mull, but this shouldn't affect you too much if you head offshore for Belfast.

 

[savageseadog]

Only advice I can give is don't buck the tide, it takes forever, it's a long way up the Mull.

 

[jason -and the arguenauts]

just trundle off round it - there's nothing "special " about the mull. Just another headland.

 

[CET1]

If the tide is with you going North then close in. We've had more of a bump coming back from belfast as the tide whips round in to luce bay.

You can watch the mull from its web cam

http://www.nlb.org.uk/ourlights/history/mullofgalloway.htm

 

[mlthomas]

Great webcam