Quandary
Well-known member
Needed to move our boat from Ardrishaig to its summer berth at Crinan. Set off on a cold wet Monday afternoon, stopped overnight in a very dreary and depressed looking Tarbert, then a fast broad reach in 20ks. plus down to Campbeltown, W wind whistling out of the harbour made berthing difficult but we had help from a young lad off the OYC yacht. Great evening in the Ardshiel now my favourite pub in all Scotland. Wed. morning we decided to follow the local suggested timing and set off 2 hours before local h.w. motoring in negligible wind. By the time we left at 10-30 the visitor pontoons were empty. Kept close inshore until Sanda sound to cheat the still flooding tide, turned with us by the time we passed the Arranman Barrels, as we reached Southend the very light NW went dead ahead and increased rapidly to 17-22 kts, so too lazy to beat, the sails came down to save them from a thrashing, now making 9kts. over ground, very disturbed whitewater ahead off the South pointof the Mull with a very narrow smooth strip close inshore under the cliffs but with the wind onshore did not have the confidence to go in too close, as we hit the worst of the white water approaching the Light the slamming brought our boat speed down to less than 4 kts. but our speed over the ground was now reading over 12kts. Once past the Light things rapidly returned to normal, the excitement only lasted just over half an hour, then we were motoring on toward Gigha with not enough wind to assist our passage, everyone seemed to be heading for Ardminish bay so we hardened up a bit and headed for Craighouse.
By the way, Craighouse has not laid visitor moorings this year so with so much kelp and sunken chain in Loch Na Mile we carried on to Lowlandmans Bay and found a snug anchorage over clean hard sand in Drum an Dunan.
So what was learned, the tides are very strong (8kts) less than an hour after local HW and the smooth inshore strip is very narrow approaching springs, however any earlier means an adverse tide in Sanda Sound. The wind we experienced, around 22 kts. was more than one third tide and remarkably local, seemed to be generated by the tide and the obstruction of the headland and though we were following the shore through 360 degrees remained dead on the nose. Keeping very close to the shore would be much more comfortable if a bit slower but with the wind dead ahead and onshore all the way round would give no leeway with a missed tack or engine problem. I think I would still opt for the washing machine as the faster safer option, we got a few big splashes in the cockpit but nothing dangerous. We noticed a yacht bearing off toward Rathlin from the S point of the Mull. he would have been a lot more comfortable going south a bit earlier from Sanda. The 2 hours before C'town HW departure does give you a good lift northwards we were past Islay and closing Jura before we started to slow down.
Tides in the lower Sound Of Jura are far from straight foward with double high waters and flow changing every 3 hours but today was very clear, sunny and almost warm as we came north to Crinan.
By the way, Craighouse has not laid visitor moorings this year so with so much kelp and sunken chain in Loch Na Mile we carried on to Lowlandmans Bay and found a snug anchorage over clean hard sand in Drum an Dunan.
So what was learned, the tides are very strong (8kts) less than an hour after local HW and the smooth inshore strip is very narrow approaching springs, however any earlier means an adverse tide in Sanda Sound. The wind we experienced, around 22 kts. was more than one third tide and remarkably local, seemed to be generated by the tide and the obstruction of the headland and though we were following the shore through 360 degrees remained dead on the nose. Keeping very close to the shore would be much more comfortable if a bit slower but with the wind dead ahead and onshore all the way round would give no leeway with a missed tack or engine problem. I think I would still opt for the washing machine as the faster safer option, we got a few big splashes in the cockpit but nothing dangerous. We noticed a yacht bearing off toward Rathlin from the S point of the Mull. he would have been a lot more comfortable going south a bit earlier from Sanda. The 2 hours before C'town HW departure does give you a good lift northwards we were past Islay and closing Jura before we started to slow down.
Tides in the lower Sound Of Jura are far from straight foward with double high waters and flow changing every 3 hours but today was very clear, sunny and almost warm as we came north to Crinan.
