Island anchorages

Lady Campanula

Lady Campanula

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It must be the season, or the arthritis, or the ennui, but I find myself picturing meself and a smallish, easily-handled boat beating in a fresh, bright breeze into a fair haven like Canna in The Inner Isles, known as a sailor's refuge since before Columba, or swinging gently to her own anchor in the pool off Les Sept Iles, off the Breton coast, lamps lit and with a vivid sunset out to the west. There's great pleasure in good company, and there's also content with solitude and a good book.

Now, which good book would be suited to which anchorage....?

canna.jpg


sept-iles.jpg


Then there's....

StHelensPool.jpg



:)
 
By pure coincidence I once arrived at Loch Hourne while I was reading 'Ring of Bright Water'. As soon as we realized Sandaig was actually Camusfearna we shot over there for Breakfast.
 
Although not specifically about Canna, the best book I've found to describe the isles is "The Hebridees" by WH Muuray. His descriptions of the Islands and the lives of the people living on them in the early 60s are magic.
 
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Ring of Bright Water

Early this year we had an early Spring break at Tigh Beag near the entrance to Loch Feochan. This is where the "Ring of Bright Water" film was made. In honour of that I took the chance to read the book - I'd heard so much about it.

Up until then I had not realised that Gavin Maxwell was certifiably insane.
 
I can't imagine what sort of nut would go to such lovely anchorages & then read a book.Honestly,whenever I have taken a book I have never got round to reading it.The environment is just too lovely & I never like to miss a minute.:confused:
 
Amulet said:
This is where the "Ring of Bright Water" film was made. In honour of that I took the chance to read the book - I'd heard so much about it.

Up until then I had not realised that Gavin Maxwell was certifiably insane.
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Perhaps you'll want to read Gavin Maxwell's 'Harpoon at a Venture', which describes his hunting the Hebridean basking sharks to the point of extinction - and for what? Then abandoning the tiny isle of Soay littered with mouldering industrial junk. A parable for our own times, perhaps?

Early environmentalist, my fanny!


:eek:
 
Spinoza. Korte Verhandeling van God, de mensch en deszelvs welstand or even his Tractatus Politicus (shame he never finished it).

The latter makes Machiavelli sound like a social worker.



For something more serious and apposite

Alan Watts, Wind Pilot or
David Lewis, Ice Bird.


What is the yacht BTW ? Nich 55 or a Sparkmans and Stephens ?
 
kristifercolumnbus said:
I can't imagine what sort of nut would go to such lovely anchorages & then read a book.Honestly,whenever I have taken a book I have never got round to reading it.The environment is just too lovely & I never like to miss a minute.:confused:
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Yeah, it's madness when you can run a decent telly off batteries these days.
 
xxyyzz said:
Yeah, it's madness when you can run a decent telly off batteries these days.
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You've got a point there,I do tend to watch the telly a little bit in the evenings when there is nothing else to do + listen to a bit of radio.
OK I apologize but I can't imagine ever reading a book in the anchorages lady C has shown.
Has got me feeling a bit restless to get involved in boaty stuff.....or maybe just the sap is rising.
 
An acquaintance who had to travel to various far-flung ports in the way of business always to a Patrick O'Brian with relevant locations, thus for an Atlantic crossing eastbound, or atrip to the Baltic it would be 'The Surgeon's Mate', and 'Treason's Harbour' for a visit to Malta or the Dalmation coast, and so on. That doesn't however answer the question of reading matter for Canna.
 
For anywhere in the Inner Hebrides - Tales of Para Handy.

Anchored in English Harbour, I had one of Dudley Pope's epics on the bookshelf. Then I noticed that the adjacent boat was called 'Ramage'. No sign of the man himself but I gather from the fly leaf that he's been there for years.
 
Essential reading in the Hebrides:

The Scottish Islands

Hamish Haswell-Smith

History, geology, pilotage, beautifully written....
 
kristifercolumnbus said:
I can't imagine what sort of nut would go to such lovely anchorages & then read a book.Honestly,whenever I have taken a book I have never got round to reading it.The environment is just too lovely & I never like to miss a minute.:confused:
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Very occasionally, even in Canna, there are two or three consecutive days of horizontal rain and near zero visibility.


:D
 
Lady Campanula said:
There's great pleasure in good company, and there's also content with solitude and a good book.


StHelensPool.jpg



:)
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Thanks for the lovely photograph. Is that the Isles of Scilly? St Helen's Pool maybe? But the yawl is lovely. Typically beautiful 'American-looking' Proper Yacht. An Olin Stephens? (Now I've said that, she'll probably turn out to be a Vries Lentch, or something!)

A good read? I like to study the local Admiralty chart, in detail... (once I've got into the anchorage!)
 
JayBee said:
Very occasionally, even in Canna, there are two or three consecutive days of horizontal rain and near zero visibility.


:D
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Well it looks lovely in Lady c's picture & I did'nt know that but then I guess I am just spoilt sailing round the Solent (in as near perfect weather as is possible).:)
you are a hardy lot that would head North & not South :eek:
By the way I agree that is a lovely yacht.......a proper yacht that I would buy if I had the money:(
 
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How about Leaves from Rowan's Logs for anywhere on the West Coast of Scotland?

On another note, if anyone's willing to give me a lift out, I can give you a guided tour of the archaeological delights of Canna. :D
 
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