KAM
Well-Known Member
Information is a bit sparse. Has anyone got any practical experience of this.
Landing on the west side of Benbecula
- Thread starter KAM
- Start date
Aja
Well-Known Member
Accordingly to the chart BA2722 there might be access from a jetty. Other than that there isn't any access on the west coast.
Regards
Donald
Regards
Donald
NormanS
Well-Known Member
You would need a stout heart, and preferably a shallow draught boat. There is a concrete jetty at the charmingly named "Stinky Bay", which is used in the summer by smallish lobster/crab boats. Stinky Bay is just to the south of the bay at Baile nan Cailleach, which is an open clean sandy bay, but is open all the way to America. Stinky Bay is slightly more sheltered, but not a lot, and is very shallow.
Small boats use the North Ford, between Benbecula and North Uist, and the South Ford between Benbecula and South Uist, when passing through between the Sea of the Hebrides and the Atlantic, but these are both very shallow, tortuous passages which involve passing under the road causeways, with minimal headroom.
What size of boat are we talking about here? It's really not a place to be messing about with.
Apart from the exposure, and shallow banks, this area is subject to frequent closures, when the rocket testing range is active. Sorry to sound so negative, but that's the way it is.
wully1
Well-Known Member
This spell of easterly winds is throwing up all sorts of new (to me) opportunities 
KAM
Well-Known Member
You would need a stout heart, and preferably a shallow draught boat. There is a concrete jetty at the charmingly named "Stinky Bay", which is used in the summer by smallish lobster/crab boats. Stinky Bay is just to the south of the bay at Baile nan Cailleach, which is an open clean sandy bay, but is open all the way to America. Stinky Bay is slightly more sheltered, but not a lot, and is very shallow.
Small boats use the North Ford, between Benbecula and North Uist, and the South Ford between Benbecula and South Uist, when passing through between the Sea of the Hebrides and the Atlantic, but these are both very shallow, tortuous passages which involve passing under the road causeways, with minimal headroom.
What size of boat are we talking about here? It's really not a place to be messing about with.
Thanks Norman that's very helpful. I found the jetty. Its a 10m yacht so would be a dinghy job. Picking crew up from Benbecula airport and just toying with the idea of collecting them on the west side to avoid going round to Lochmaddy. I've been to the Monach islands a few times so understand whats involved. North ford might work too but it looks as if there may be a bit of a bar. Not sure the range is very active these days. Can't find any info on line. Was getting a bit worried as I've sailed up and down the coast a few times in the past and don't remember any range problems. I just re checked my only slightly out of date chart which states "no restrictions at any time" so hopefully we won't get shot out of the water.
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Kelpie
Well-Known Member
The bus service on Uist is very good so your crew might be able to travel to an easier spot to meet you.
NormanS
Well-Known Member
If you're really keen to pick up crew on the west side, a possibility is Griminish, in North Uist, behind Vallay. It has an "interesting" entrance, but once you are in it's perfectly sheltered, although the tide is very strong in both directions. I had difficulty in finding ground clear of weed, and when I went to leave after a couple of days, my chain had harvested a huge haystack of weed. It might be possible to borrow a fishing boat's mooring. It's probably the closest accessible anchorage to St Kilda.
The rocket range is definitely active at times in the summer, but never as far north as Griminish.
It might be possible to borrow a fishing boat's mooring. It's probably the closest accessible anchorage to St Kilda.The rocket range is definitely active at times in the summer, but never as far north as Griminish.
KAM
Well-Known Member
Yes Grimnish does look the best bet. No depths shown on the chart or pilot can you remember what depth you anchored in.
NormanS
Well-Known Member
It's certainly not deep! We were probably anchored in about 2 metres or so, at LW. We couldn't see any sign of the light shown on Vallay, but just kept fairly close to the above water rock to starboard, until we could see the leading line posts on North Uist. These posts just look like fence posts, but significantly have/had orange fishing floats tied to their bases. Once past that, you bear to port, keeping closer to Vallay than we did, unless you want to slide to a stop on a mid-channel sandbank! From then on, you head for the concrete pier, keeping a wary eye open for the several rocky patches.
If you were just going in to pick up crew, the pier would be ideal, as apart from at LW, at which time I wouldn't recommend going in to Griminish anyway, you could go alongside.
KAM
Well-Known Member
Great thanks Norman that's been really helpful.
NormanS
Well-Known Member
Please let us know how you get on. We'll be heading out in that general direction shortly.
