Going through Falls of Lora - Loch Etive.

[ianj99]

nice to see - thanks
waiting to leave wales for dunstaffnage soon - hope the weathers better than when we called to have a look a week or so ago !!! yuck !!! and ---- any recommendations for anchorages once through and into the loch please?

I second Derek's comments, but there is also a visitor's mooring in the west side of Airds Bay.
The village shops are about 1/2 mile from the head of the bay, around the golf course, or a mile from the jetty on the east side.

Successfully exited the loch this morning at LW slack but didn't dare look to see how much clearance I had under the Connel bridge - it just looked impossible.

The shallowest points were the narrows at Kilmaronag - 3.5m and about 1mile east of the bridge past Eilean Beag again down to 3.5m (below the keel). The UKHO charts therefore are fairly accurate apart from the growth southwards of Ledaig spit and Ardchattan shoal should be given a wide berth to the south.
Finally don't cut the corner if going through Bonawe Narrows, stay well out in the centre of the loch before turning onto about 68T to go straight through, and keeping about 15m from the northern edge where the clearance under the power cables is greatest. (if you can get under the Connel bridge you can get under the power cables, just not in the centre of the narrows where the sag is greatest. SSE should replace the cables as they have definitely sagged over the years)

 

[cpedw]

(if you can get under the Connel bridge you can get under the power cables,

Is that a dead certainty? Our new boat has air draft of 15.5m so according to theory, fits under Connel Bridge at slack low water (I measured it with a long rope too). I was less sure about the cables at Bonawe but I'm keen to go up Loch Etive as long as it doesn't involve a big flash followed by darkness over Argyll.

Derek

 

[ianj99]

Is that a dead certainty? Our new boat has air draft of 15.5m so according to theory, fits under Connel Bridge at slack low water (I measured it with a long rope too). I was less sure about the cables at Bonawe but I'm keen to go up Loch Etive as long as it doesn't involve a big flash followed by darkness over Argyll.

Derek

Neap slack LW Oban + 2hrs. The Oban depth was 2m today but assuming there's not been a major downpour in the previous 24hours, it should be reasonably tranquil down to 1.5m. giving you, in theory about 1- 1.5m clearance but it won't look like it as you approach!

As for Bonawe, the concensus locally is yes because the cables rise up steeply to the pylon on the north side so provided you keep very close to the north shore as you pass under at low tide you won't fry.

I went through very close: barely 10m from the shore and there was far more clearance than at the bridge. My draft is under 2m so there was plenty of water, otherwise you may need to stay off a bit more.

 

[Scomber]

I second Derek's comments, but there is also a visitor's mooring in the west side of Airds Bay.
The village shops are about 1/2 mile from the head of the bay, around the golf course, or a mile from the jetty on the east side.

Successfully exited the loch this morning at LW slack but didn't dare look to see how much clearance I had under the Connel bridge - it just looked impossible.

The shallowest points were the narrows at Kilmaronag - 3.5m and about 1mile east of the bridge past Eilean Beag again down to 3.5m (below the keel). The UKHO charts therefore are fairly accurate apart from the growth southwards of Ledaig spit and Ardchattan shoal should be given a wide berth to the south.
Finally don't cut the corner if going through Bonawe Narrows, stay well out in the centre of the loch before turning onto about 68T to go straight through, and keeping about 15m from the northern edge where the clearance under the power cables is greatest. (if you can get under the Connel bridge you can get under the power cables, just not in the centre of the narrows where the sag is greatest. SSE should replace the cables as they have definitely sagged over the years)

thanks again-

 

[Bravo739]

Thanks for all of that. I'm planning to go up Loch Etive at some point in the next couple of weeks so thanks for all of that extra information.

 

[QBhoy]

Good luck on the voyage.
Suppose you really need to time this right.
I've often watched the flood rescue (from all over the uk) service training here.
Fascinating to see the small inflatables up on full plane and almost sitting still against the flow.
The water must be running at 10knts plus at full flow

 

[Sgeir]

As for Bonawe, the concensus locally is yes because the cables rise up steeply to the pylon on the north side so provided you keep very close to the north shore as you pass under at low tide you won't fry.

I went through very close: barely 10m from the shore and there was far more clearance than at the bridge. My draft is under 2m so there was plenty of water, otherwise you may need to stay off a bit more.

We went through about 20m off the north bank - plenty of depth and air space for us (we'd have been about 13m, maybe 14 to tip of the aerial). The sag in the cables is considerable; the superimposed red dots show the line of the lowest cable;

More at http://www.bluemoment.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4939