Loch Ness: A sheltered inland waterway? Not this time!

Krusty

Krusty

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We have made countless transits of Loch Ness in forty years, but none quite like this one on 25th October.
We had already split the working Mainsail in the Hebrides, sent it for repair and bent on a smaller leech-cut 'heavy-weather' Main. It is twenty years old but still bomb-proof. Double-reefed, it is about the same area as my storm trysail.
Why not a storm jib? Because at the loch end, the safe exit channel is only a third of a cable wide into a blind bend, and quite large ships can suddenly appear, making it virtually a dead-end. Whenever we run towards a lee shore I prefer sails that I know will drive the boat to windward if necessary.

The Inshore Waters forecasts relevant to both ends of the canal were essentially the same (from memory): Westerly F8, veering and increasing F9 or F10.
But Loch Ness is a sheltered inland waterway and its weather is always less than at sea, isn't it?
As far as Urquhart Castle that was right enough, but then came the wind out of the Glen!
Well, here's the result.

Pionier 10 (van de Stadt) LWL 7.35m; designed ''Hull speed'' 6.9kn.
Fort Augustus pontoon to anchorage in Loch Dochfour: -
Charted distance 20.0 nM. Passage time 2hrs 25 min. Av. speed 8.2kn.
Sustained periods of surfing at 9 to 11kn, peaking over 12kn. Max. seen 12.4kn.

We took a few video-clips. At first using the camera was no problem. Beyond Urquhart it was far from easy, but I managed a couple of clips. Then, when I believed it was at the top, it suddenly ratcheted up another full F Beaufort and we began surfing up to 12 knots, with solid bow-waves almost reaching the upper guardrail. Exhilarating stuff!
At that stage we both had to give total attention to the boat to ensure controlled gybing to make certain of the best approach to the exit. No room for errors!
So the camera missed the best parts, and I very much regret not having a 'ready-use' fixed mounting.
Anyway, for some the short video may be of interest. For us, it was tremendous fun. Exhilarating, even!
The lock-keepers informed us that no other vessel made a transit of the loch that day.
Click on:-
http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc310...nupLochNess.flv
 
Brilliant. Thanks for that. You were going like the proverbial steam train. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
To assume Loch Ness will be quieter than the sea is optimistic. Between the funnelling effect of the Great Glen and possible Katabatic effects I reckon it's a piece of water to take every bit as seriously as the Moray Firth. A night spent dragging the anchor and attempting to re-set it off Urquhart castle has taught me not to take the loch lightly.
 
Excellent video, thanks. It never really captures the sea state, does it? Starting early on the 25th Oct my Brother and I crossed the Channel from Cherbourg in a Sadler 32, around when you were making your trip. Our forecast was SW 7 becoming 8. I reckon we got the seven with only gusts of 8 so not as windy as you. However the waves were nice and big, providing excellent surfing and an average speed over 7.5kts with fully reefed main and No3 Genoa (a Jib really). Apart from a few viz worries it was superb fun, but it died after 6 hours and swung West.
 
I experienced very similar conditions when going through the canal with my father-in-law many years ago in a westerly centaur. We were almost caught out by the huge waves/swell caused by the funneling effect at the end of the loch. But we were not as surprised as the two hired motor cruisers that appeared out of the canal into this extremely large "sea". We were convinced that they were going to capsize as they turned and ran for cover. They had a lucky escape.
 
[ QUOTE ]
it suddenly ratcheted up another full F Beaufort and we began surfing up to 12 knots, with solid bow-waves almost reaching the upper guardrail. Exhilarating stuff!
At that stage we both had to give total attention to the boat to ensure controlled gybing to make certain of the best approach to the exit.

[/ QUOTE ]
Jeeze, some sail. Brilliant.

Do you have brakes on your boat?
 
great vid, loch Ness in strong winds should always be taken seriously, after all by volume ,it contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales put together, and is almost an inland sea never mind what lurks beneath the waves
 
All a bit odd....

PiotaVid.jpg


Maybe Photobucket doesn't like FF 3.0.4 - or vice versa! The URLs came up in my Gmail 'notification' and clicking on them resulted in the above. However, I got there in the end, and it's quite a wild ride. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Thanks, BBB

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Brings back memories of when I worked for a few years on Gill Dippie's hire fleet at Dochgarroch.

Several times I have had to recover yachts that had been abandoned by the hirers because of the severe weather on Loch Ness.

One of the worst one was a privately owned 32ft Elizabethian ketch which broke it's mooring at Cherry island.
I got a phone call late one evening from the RNLI. It had gone aground but was undamaged. (The owner was out of the country at the time). We got on board and towed it off with the help of the RNLI and their rib.

Then SWMBO and myself had a bare poles sledge ride up the loch in pitch darkness until we tucked ourselves round the corner into the small marina at Drum.

At times the log was showing 10+ knots but the main objective was keeping things under control.

Loch Ness can get very wild at times. Just like any stretch of open water.

SWMBO had only sailed in inland waters till then. She now much prefers the open sea even in rough weather.

btw Your video played ok for me.

Iain
 
''Do you have brakes on your boat?''

Of course we do, Sgeir! : they were hard 'ON' most of the time!
And after crane-out we found wee barnacles and threads of vegetation on the log impellers, so the log was under-reading. If she had been given her head, with clean impellers, I'm sure we would have seen 60 knots on the read-out!

Thanks to all for your anecdotes. They reinforce the message that with a bad forecast L.Ness should be accorded at least the same respect as the open sea.
If anyone finds themselves committed, then has second thoughts about conditions at the NE end, there is good shelter from SW gales in Foyers bay.
It is tempting to anchor close up to the trees on the penninsular, but I know from jolting experience that there are the remains of wooden piles there! Further off the bottom is stones and gravel from the river. OK for settled weather, but perhaps not in a hoolie. The real security is at the solid pier, with ample depth alongside.
It might involve rafting alongside a hired Caley Cruiser, but he won't be moving out!
 
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