Moorings on Loch Moidart

[A1Sailor]

Thanks. It was, I think, from the junction of the A830 and the A861 at the top of Loch Ailort connecting to Acharacle. The family photograph album has a picture of WeeMe and my brother and sister standing in one of the pristine culverts under the road!

 

[ukmctc]

anyway, Moidart was a lovely place when I went last year and compaired to other places I found it an easy entrance and exit, and Im a novice at this game.

 

[Quandary]

I have never gone in the N. entrance, another place awaiting exploration, but the first time I went in to anchor near Castle Tioram(without the aid of a plotter) on a wet murky evening, I was looking for a 'clamshell shaped rock' and I recall that I could see two of them, we left the second one to stbd. rather than going round it and skimmed over a sandy bottom with the echo sounder showing zero beneath the keel but I had waited outside for a rising tide. On motoring out the next morning when it was much clearer I took time to take a series of photos which I still refer to nowadays.
I would prefer to regard it as tricky for a first timer particularly with a westerly blowing in rather than describe it as easy.

 

[awol]

This thread has broken the mould! It started off with acrimony and has ended up informative and friendly, quite unlike so many on this forum. Well done, all.

 

[Quandary]

This thread has broken the mould! It started off with acrimony and has ended up informative and friendly, quite unlike so many on this forum. Well done, all.

I would give all the credit for that to Camelia who decided not to let an abusive response get to him/her, me, I would have reacted in time honoured fashion with a virtual skelpt lug.

 

[nevis]

As has been pointed out, this isn't the lounge; if you don't like a post ignore it. Swearing is not acceptable.

WHAM will presumably have the information you need, although the contact details below are 2 years old so may not be current;

Robert Clement: WHAM Chairman
10 Letterwalton,
Benderloch,
Oban
Argyll
PA37 1SA.
Tel: 01631 720 357

David Vass: Secretary
33 Ochlochy Park,
Dunblane.
FK15 0DX.
Tel: 01786 822 840

Prof Colin Davidson: Treasurer
Tigh nan Eilean
Ardfern
By Lochgilphead
Argyll
PA31 8QN
Tel: 01852 500532

Oh by the way thanks ror your response i will follow up all the information

 

[nevis]

But surely its easy to avoid the rocks - you just follow the blue line:

Image from http://setsail.com/loch-moidart-sonar-navigation./

Here are a few pics entering the Loch and Leaving there are rocks to the left out of shot of 1st pic the island in front is easy to spot bear to port at 90degrees once past the island turn 90d to starboard and miss the other rocks in front.

 

[alan_d]

anyway, Moidart was a lovely place when I went last year and compaired to other places I found it an easy entrance and exit, and Im a novice at this game.

Beginner's luck, perhaps?

 

[Billjratt]

I pencilled in the track on the picture in my Martin Lawrence and added drawings of transits related to gaps in the hills/mountains etc.(like we used to get on those lovely old monochrome charts)
Unfortunately the cloud level was so low this year that they were of no use whatsoever!
So it's just as well I had these -

Like Shard, I am concerned that moorings would spoil a favourite anchorage.
Does the Crown Estates Office have a process for handling 'objections to planning permission'?

 

[cliff]

anyway, Moidart was a lovely place when I went last year and compaired to other places I found it an easy entrance and exit, and Im a novice at this game.

And a VERY lucky "novice"

 

[Fascadale]

And a lucky novice who has hijacked my avatar.

Please do not confuse me with the lucky novice.

I treat the entrance to Loch Moidart with the greatest of respect, not what I would describe as an easy place at all. Challenging and fun in perfect conditions, (very) not enjoyable on a dirty day and definitely not a place I would want to be in the dark.

 

[Quandary]

And a lucky novice who has hijacked my avatar.

Please do not confuse me with the lucky novice.

I treat the entrance to Loch Moidart with the greatest of respect, not what I would describe as an easy place at all. Challenging and fun in perfect conditions, (very) not enjoyable on a dirty day and definitely not a place I would want to be in the dark.

Don't sue, treat it as a compliment, it is really just another form of worship, before long you will have a large congregation of similar acolytes.

 

[YachtAllegro]

Of course, many people get used to the most complex of entrances by repeatedly using them. They then become one of those people we watch admiringly, mutting about "local knowledge" under our breath. It is worth bearing in mind, however, the importance of your "home base" as being an all-weather haven rather than a fairweather anchorage.

This was brought home to me this summer when we had a mooring for a few months in a bay open to the NE. While usually a good spot for a mooring, there were several weekends during the long run of NElies we had this spring when we'd had an excellent couple of days in lovely sheltered anchorages, and then found we were viewing the prospect of getting "home" with increasing trepidation, worrying about what conditions we'd find on the mooring.

Once in Loch Moidart, you'd clearly have great shelter. But I think the entrance would be lethal in a substantial swell from the W/NW. Running home at the end of a cruise, I like the reassurance of knowing that things will get easier as I get closer to base, not the worry of wondering whether the swell will be too big to get in and that I'll be left trapped in a corner with a long and rough beat back to the (relative) shelter of Eigg (which would probably be the closest half-decent shelter to Loch Moidart entrance in a NWly)

Obviously, the OP may well have thought about this, and it doesn't help at all with his query, but I thought it was worth mentioning!

Cheers
Patrick

 

[KenMcCulloch]

I think the OP should consider a career in politics. (Topical reference smiley)

Seriously I can't imagine why anyone would think Loch Moidart was a sensible place for a permanent mooring, for all the reasons already rehearsed. I have only been in there twice as far as I can remember and I wholly concur with Martin Lawrence's assessment. I would go so far as to suggest that anyone who thinks the entrance is 'easy' has failed to fully appreciate the problems involved. I suppose if I lived in the immediate vicinity it might be worth considering but there are so many much more sensible places within a few tens of miles.

 

[nevis]

I think the OP should consider a career in politics. (Topical reference smiley)

Seriously I can't imagine why anyone would think Loch Moidart was a sensible place for a permanent mooring, for all the reasons already rehearsed. I have only been in there twice as far as I can remember and I wholly concur with Martin Lawrence's assessment. I would go so far as to suggest that anyone who thinks the entrance is 'easy' has failed to fully appreciate the problems involved. I suppose if I lived in the immediate vicinity it might be worth considering but there are so many much more sensible places within a few tens of miles.

I agree that it is a fairly difficult entrance all i said was that i didnt find it difficult, it was another person on here who said it was easy.I like the solitude of the area,i know there are other places to go for eg the fleshpots of Arisaig..I found Loch nan ceall more difficult than Moidart,even though its marked with perches.one look at the chart is enough to scare the pants of anyone,i dont have copy of the chart to put on here but someone probably will

 

[penfold]

I forgot to add a link for their website; WHAM

 

[claymore]

I pencilled in the track on the picture in my Martin Lawrence and added drawings of transits related to gaps in the hills/mountains etc.(like we used to get on those lovely old monochrome charts)
Unfortunately the cloud level was so low this year that they were of no use whatsoever!
So it's just as well I had these -

Like Shard, I am concerned that moorings would spoil a favourite anchorage.
Does the Crown Estates Office have a process for handling 'objections to planning permission'?

Is that a Claymore I see before me....?

 

[DaveS]

I agree that it is a fairly difficult entrance all i said was that i didnt find it difficult, it was another person on here who said it was easy.

In post 12 you said: "why is Loch Moidart a problem as long as you follow the sailing directions its easy".

In post 26 you said: "I agree but all I was saying was I did not find it difficult to enter having followed the directions".

In post 37 AiSailor said "But surely its easyy to avoid the rocks - you just follow the blue line:

Image from http://setsail.com/loch-moidart-sonar-navigation/ "

(but I think most of us understood that this was a joke).

In post 42 ukmctc said: "anyway, Moidart was a lovely place when I went last year and compaired to other places I found it an easy entrance and exit, and Im a novice at this game."

So yes, someone else did say it was easy (you will note the assorted "beginner's luck" responses to that statement), but 30 posts after you first said it.
__________________

 

[Billjratt]

Is that a Claymore I see before me....?

Out..Theatrical pause.... damned boat spotter.