Best route for a charter week sailing cruise to Islay?

Ravi said:
May I refer the OP to a wonderful forum called www.bluemoment.com.
Like this forum, it is populated by wise, witty and caring folk but, for some reason, that particular forum seems to have been taken siege by the finest Scottish sailors on the West Coast. (When, I say "finest", I mean the most entertaining and knowledgeable. They may well be duffers on board for all I know.)

Anyway, every time I have made passages up the West or East Coast of Scotland, I have benefited from the considerable local knowledge on that forum. And now, even when my sailing is in sunnier climes, I find myself going back there. It is a quite unique sailing forum in that it is always friendly and humorous and the camaraderie on there is great fun, even if you are just lurking.

So, as well as the advice on here, you could do worse than make a visit to that site and see what you think. I think that you will find some very useful and friendly local knowledge.
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Alright, how much is Nick paying you?
 
KenMcCulloch said:
Now I'm really confused. Springbank, as a'body kens, is in Campbelltown, the wrong side of the MoK for Islay and although a fine Malt, far outclassed by Ardbeg or Laphroaig.
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I am also told by people who know about such things that the Campbeltown distilleries were closer in product to Norn Ayrish rather than Scottish ones, and that Springbank is more a whiskey than a whisky. I don't know where that leaves Bladnoch.
 
KenMcCulloch said:
Now I'm really confused. Springbank, as a'body kens, is in Campbelltown, the wrong side of the MoK for Islay and although a fine Malt, far outclassed by Ardbeg or Laphroaig.
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I think you are getting confused, young Ken. I believe Aquaplane is referring to the quaint englander institution of them all, and no just the banks, stopping work for a Spring Bank holiday which for some reason is referred to as Whitsun despite the two being separated by 2 weeks this year and both remote from oor Whitsunday enshrined in law by oor ain parliament as 15th May, even if it's no a Sunday. Naught to do with whisky/whiskey or that other Islay export - hideously expensive gin.
 
awol said:
Naught to do with whisky/whiskey or that other Islay export - hideously expensive gin.
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but it's good stuff (for gin), as doled out liberally by Bruichladdich at the Crinan Classics a couple of years ago.

If whisky's your thing:
- If you sign up in advance for friends of Laphroaig you can get a free miniature if you visit the distillery.
- similarly you can get a free nip from the pub next to the Jura distillery
- if you want to visit an operational distillery most tend to stop working over the summer months
- Laphroaig is a nice one to visit, but the anchorage is a bit exposed
- lagavulin is computerised, commercial, charges a fee to visit, but they have good sheltered visitor moorings.

Nautical things in the area:
- VIC32 is based in Crinan and can usually be found puffing around the Sound of Jura - well worth a visit if you like steam
- Crinan Classics is a great spectacle (but I've feeling it might be off for 2014)
- west highland week; great to be around if you like that sort of thing. Areas away from the fleet are usually even quieter that week, but tend to be busier for the fortnight following as many of the racers take to cruising before returning to the Clyde.
- and of course the Waverley might be around, if she's not dahn sarf or on the Gantocks
 
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The Caol Ila distillery on the North of the island has a pier.

I am not sure if you are meant to tie up there, but the lads in the distillery were very obliging when we were stranded there for a few days on a charter mishap.
(Stranded in a distillery! It's a hard life! The morning air never smelled so sweet!)

I am not sure if they do official tours of the distillery but it was an interesting place to walk around and I can recommend their product!

Rav.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I think it's dead. According to the Scotsman it "took a sabbatical" in 2012, it was planned but then cancelled last year and there is no online sign of it at all this year.
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I think the OP is planning for 2015. He said "next year", but I suppose might mean this year.

Whit's sun? :p

Pickletillum said:
...want to start planning a sailing trip to Islay for 4-6 people over a week for next year...........Any suggestions of a route with stops would be great.
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If it were me I would charter from Craobh, Ardfern or Crinan. I would head south down the Sound of Jura. Carsaig Bay-Craighouse-Gigha-Ardmore Islands/Lagavulin-Port Ellen. I wouldn't go to the west side of Islay. Port Ellen-Lagavullin/Ardmore Islands-Caol Isla/Bunnahabhain-Loch Tarbert-Colonsay-Puilladobhrain-Ardinamir(via Cuan Sound)-Home. If time & weather allows, you could go out towards Iona or North to Oban.

See also www.scottishanchorages.co.uk/
 
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dunedin said:
Unless there is an overriding reason you need to get to Islay, I would recommend planning a number of options and at most considering heading "towards" that area (per seaman like tradition)

Lots of good options for charter start points

Largs etc on the Clyde - if weather suits can be a lovely trip round via Arran, Sanda, Rathlin to Islay, perhaps back via Gigha or the Crinan Canal. If weather doesn't suit lots of great places within the Clyde itself.

Ditto Ardfern / Dunstaffnage etc on the west. Need to look at tide times for heading down the Sound of Jura before choosing your start date. Again if the weather doesn't suit masses of good sheltered locations around - and if you miss Islay completely and end up in Tobermory because the wind suits better then that should be great.

Fixed destinations can ruin holidays, flexible routing and considering options can make the best cruises.
Our summer cruise destination this year - "well somewhere west-ish, we'll let you know when we get back"!
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I would also say that if you are going to be an inexperienced skipper with some amateurs on board and you don't want to be knackered by the weather then maybe the Clyde is a better bet. Still good sailing, bit more sheltered, masses of destinations with choices of moorings, pontoons and anchorages, plenty to see and way less chance of being weather bound and not being able to get back. Just an opinion but worth considering! Also, if it hasn't been suggested, bit of reading here :-

http://www.welcome-anchorages.co.uk/view-publication/

Rob
 
robmcg said:
I would also say that if you are going to be an inexperienced skipper with some amateurs on board and you don't want to be knackered by the weather then maybe the Clyde is a better bet.
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With all due respect, and as someone who kept a 21-footer at Crinan for many years and now keeps a 26-footer on the Clyde, I think that's a bit pessimistic. There is nothing particularly hazardous about the Sound of Jura save some strongish tides, and even the Dorus Mor can be avoided by detouring south bit. Like the Clyde there are plenty of places to go; the area between, say, Gigha and Tobemory is full of sheltered anchorages even if one doesn't go further afield.

I like sailing on the Clyde and I love sailing on the outside, but if I was coming up from England and splashing out on a charter, I'd definitely go for the wilder bits.
 
JumbleDuck said:
With all due respect, and as someone who kept a 21-footer at Crinan for many years and now keeps a 26-footer on the Clyde, I think that's a bit pessimistic. There is nothing particularly hazardous about the Sound of Jura save some strongish tides, and even the Dorus Mor can be avoided by detouring south bit. Like the Clyde there are plenty of places to go; the area between, say, Gigha and Tobemory is full of sheltered anchorages even if one doesn't go further afield.

I like sailing on the Clyde and I love sailing on the outside, but if I was coming up from England and splashing out on a charter, I'd definitely go for the wilder bits.
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Even as a novice skipper? I would say that the Clyde is easier for the novice with amateur crew, tides, shelter, distances, moorings, on land distractions, all of it! Maybe wilder bits for the next charter when confidence has increased.
 
robmcg said:
Even as a novice skipper? I would say that the Clyde is easier for the novice with amateur crew, tides, shelter, distances, moorings, on land distractions, all of it! Maybe wilder bits for the next charter when confidence has increased.
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Yes, even as a novice, as long as one exercises reasonable prudence. One could spent a happy week (and indeed last summer I did spend a happy week) pottering around between Ardfern and Gigha with great anchorages and fantastic views every time. Plus there is much less traffic than on the Clyde, which is nice.

Not that I am knocking the Clyde, you understand, and there is lots of fun to be had there.
 
robmcg said:
Even as a novice skipper?
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I sailed my first boat from Troon to Ardrishaig, got a hand through the canal then set off for the west. Prior to that I'd done some dingy sailing on lochs. I was most definitely a novice.
The tides can be a challenge and combined with some bad weather they can really ruin your day( and confidence) but common sense a good forecast makes it all just fine.
In the early days I did spend a fair bit of time watching the scenery not changing one little bit as the boat charged through the water
 
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