Caledonian Canal - delivery trip

puddock

puddock

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Me: Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Boat: Lossiemouth
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I am looking for some useful advice for delivering my boat from the West Coast to Peterhead (it will be much easier for me to travel to do the jobs I want to do onboard; 40 mins as opposed to 4 hours).

I have given myself 6/7 days sailing for the trip - is this realistic?

Day 1: Dunstaffnage - Corpach
Day 2: Corpach - Fort Augustus
Day 3: Fort Augustus - Inverness
Day 4: Inverness - Lossiemouth
Day 5: Lossiemouth - Macduff
Day 6: Macduff - Peterhead

Also any recommendations for Pilot Books etc
 
Hi,

I've done this trip (well from Nairn) a couple of times:-

- you are of course hamstrung with tides at both ends - needs careful consideration.

- distances on the canal are deceptive - what matters is whether or not you can get the bridges swung etc and the traffic, e.g. it has twice taken me a day to get from the top of Neptunes staircase to the sealock - if there is traffic coming the other way you will just have to wait.

I'd allow a bit more time - I'm contemplating another trip down and have allowed four days for it - without hanging about anywhere (well any more than forced to - which is sometimes not unwelcome!)
 
puddock said:
I am looking for some useful advice for delivering my boat from the West Coast to Peterhead (it will be much easier for me to travel to do the jobs I want to do onboard; 40 mins as opposed to 4 hours).

I have given myself 6/7 days sailing for the trip - is this realistic?

Day 1: Dunstaffnage - Corpach
Day 2: Corpach - Fort Augustus
Day 3: Fort Augustus - Inverness
Day 4: Inverness - Lossiemouth
Day 5: Lossiemouth - Macduff
Day 6: Macduff - Peterhead

Also any recommendations for Pilot Books etc
Click to expand...

1) Early start--tide dependent for Corran Narrows.Get into Canal and up the staircase first day.
2) Leisurely jaunt to F/A---appropriate,ain't it?
3)F/A to Dochgarroch,sightseeing en route---don't miss the tortoises at D/garroch!
4)D/garroch---Seaport marina and if tide right ,on to Lossie,or better still Buckie.
5)Buckie--Whitehills or even PD
6)Whitehills to PD.

Take a look----- and reverse the process!

Reed's almanac gives you all th info you need.

Give me a bell if you want more info. It's bloody 'orrible 'ere so I got nothing else to do!
 
Rattray Head can be horrible. Don't push your luck too far.

Although Fraserburgh is a commercial port they will look after you if you are in trouble and grovel (I know)
 
puddock said:
I am looking for some useful advice for delivering my boat from the West Coast to Peterhead (it will be much easier for me to travel to do the jobs I want to do onboard; 40 mins as opposed to 4 hours).

I have given myself 6/7 days sailing for the trip - is this realistic?

Day 1: Dunstaffnage - Corpach
Day 2: Corpach - Fort Augustus
Day 3: Fort Augustus - Inverness
Day 4: Inverness - Lossiemouth
Day 5: Lossiemouth - Macduff
Day 6: Macduff - Peterhead

Also any recommendations for Pilot Books etc
Click to expand...

From experience ....

Day 1, no problem if tides are Ok ... and remember that they stop working at 18:00, but would have aimed to get up Neptune's staircase same day

Day 2 feasible, but very early start and hard work if you are not at top of Neptune's Staircase the day before.

Day 3, no problem and do get down to Seaport Marina

Day 4, Nice Journey ... look out for dolphins .... leave on high tide, otherwise you'll be slugging against 2 -4 knot tidal stream

Day 5, Forget Macduff and do Whitehills ... much nicer and a proper marina berth with pontoons....

Day 6, No problem ... Rattray Head a bit of a pig... otherwise OK...

You want me to talk to someone in Peterhead about space, or have you done so youself ?? A Westerly Seahawk have just left, as have a SeaRay 33, so you could slip in ahead of someone if you move fast... or do call Jim 01779 477868 and ask him yourself...give him my regards...

Cheers...
 
puddock said:
I am looking for some useful advice for delivering my boat from the West Coast to Peterhead (it will be much easier for me to travel to do the jobs I want to do onboard; 40 mins as opposed to 4 hours).

I have given myself 6/7 days sailing for the trip - is this realistic?

Day 1: Dunstaffnage - Corpach
Day 2: Corpach - Fort Augustus
Day 3: Fort Augustus - Inverness
Day 4: Inverness - Lossiemouth
Day 5: Lossiemouth - Macduff
Day 6: Macduff - Peterhead

Also any recommendations for Pilot Books etc
Click to expand...

just had a look at my 1975 log book when i was going in the opposite direction i logged 122 miles from peterhead to inverness with a stop at lossie and yes the timing seems realistic,you wont need a pilot between dunstaffnage and inverness as i assume you allready have one for west of scotland.going through the canal is straight forward.imray pilot north and east scotland is the one to get
 
Divemaster1 said:
You want me to talk to someone in Peterhead about space, or have you done so youself ?? A Westerly Seahawk have just left, as have a SeaRay 33, so you could slip in ahead of someone if you move fast... or do call Jim 01779 477868 and ask him yourself...give him my regards...

Cheers...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer Mr Divemaster but just had a call from Jim this morning, hence the haste to get " a plan" together :eek:

I will miss the West Coast but it will be much easier for me to do the planned upgrades to Rosally (Westerly Storm 33) as I live in Aberdeen and I won't have a 4 hour drive each way.
It also opens up my Norway plan again :D


NB - £3000 pa that I will save on berthing fees alone (not counting fuel expenses for the journeys) will buy a lot of shiny things for Rosally :D:D:D
 
EdWingfield said:
Rattray Head can be horrible. Don't push your luck too far.

Although Fraserburgh is a commercial port they will look after you if you are in trouble and grovel (I know)
Click to expand...

I left peterhead in a force 6 coatguard advised at least a 2mile offing of rattray head,by the time i got there the wind and swell had gone right down so it wasnt a problem
 
As far as the Canal part goes your times look ok. Normally the first locking from Corpach is up so you need to be there the evening before or at least when the canal opens in the morning.
Our times last year
Oban to Inverscaddle Bay (nice anchorage bit north of Corran Narrows) 8hrs. but included a trip into Loch Leven.
Inverscaddle bay 07-40, Corpach Sea lock 0.900, (bit late but caught up at rail bridge) bottom pontoons at Ft. Augustus 17-30
Fort Augustus 10-10 Seaport Marina 16 00 (with breaks at Dochgarroch and Tomnahurich)
I can't give times for a continuous east coast passage.
There is a visitors mooring off Fort William sailing club and a (very low) transit pontoon outside the sea lock at Corpach, normally if you lock in in the evening they will lock you up to a pontoon above the Corpach double lock for the night. Diesel water etc. is in the basin.
 
Other option is to leave the boat in Inverness Marina. Takes me 2 hours to get up there from Aberdeen and you have good facilities on site and nearby.

Another stopping option on the North Coast, depending upon progress, is Whitehills. You can easily do Inverness to Whitehills in a day.
 
The canal is ok in two days but you will not have time to hang around. I would second a stop at Whitehills before the push to Peterhead. Wish I were doing the trip with you. Good luck with the weather.
 
.
Done it once 'tother way in 6 days PD-Ballachulish (see below). A canal ticket lasts eight days (£16.80/m), so if you have time slow down a bit and enjoy the trip.

Day 1 - PD-Lossie

Day 2- Lossie - Inverness

Day 3- Inverness - Fort Augustus

Day 4 - FA - Laggan Locks (lazy day)

Day 5 - Laggan - Corpach

Day 6 - Corpach - Ballachulish

Let me know soonish if you are going to need your Norway pilot books back please . . .

- W
 
Last edited:
webcraft said:
.
Done it once 'tother way

Day 1 - PD-Lossie

Day 2- Lossie - Inverness

Day 3- Inverness - Fort Augustus

Day 4 - FA - Laggan Locks (lazy day)

Day 5 - Laggan - Corpach

Day 6 - Corpach - Ballachulish

Let me know soonish if you are going to need your Norway pilot books back please . . .

- W
Click to expand...

Don't worry about the Pilots Webby, it won't be this year. This year is going to see me playing "catch up" with all the cosmetic jobs and electrical upgrades - as well as plenty of time ON THE WATER :D
I still want a postcard from Norway though !
 
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