Mull of Kintyre passage advice, please

Spyro said:
If motoring perhaps you could adjust accordingly but under sail over that distance you could easily be out an hour either way.
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Nonsense, if you're worried about it leave earlier. We have a 32 footer and she can be relied upon to average 5 knots, she actually goes a bit faster, but 5 knots is a good starting point. It's the speed we use for all passage planning, how can you begin to plan a passage unless you have some idea of your boats average speed?

If the boat speed start slipping down and we get behind our predicted positions, on goes the engine until we're back on track to make the tidal gate. If we arrive early we'll keep sailing unless the tide is flowing over 5 knots, which it rarely is in its last hour.

To be an hour out over a 24 mile trip we'd either be going at an average of 6.5 knots, which we might just notice or if we averaged 4.3 knots we'd be an hour late. It's easier to slow down, than speed up:)

The only time we've managed to be an hour early was over a 50 mile trip which we did in 9 hours not 10 :) A cracking sail across the top of the Britain to Orkney
 
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snooks said:
Nonsense, if you're worried about it leave earlier. We have a 32 footer and she can be relied upon to average 5 knots, she actually goes a bit faster, but 5 knots is a good starting point. It's the speed we use for all passage planning, how can you begin to plan a passage unless you have some idea of your boats average speed?
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You must have a very rare boat if can average 5 knots in any wind direction and strength. Most boat polars, including our actual experience, shows a wide range of speeds depending on wind strength and direction.
And must be a pretty great 32 footer to average 5 knots made good to windward - or do you just assume motoring every time the wind is not ideal?
 
dunedin said:
And must be a pretty great 32 footer to average 5 knots made good to windward - or do you just assume motoring every time the wind is not ideal?
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Nope, we've learnt not to fight nature, if it's going to be a fight against the wind to get somewhere, there are other places we could sail to instead. That's not to say we don't go to windward, we do, but if we would have to beat up wind for 25 miles from Gigha, we'd go to the pub or around the gardens :)

We build in enough slack in our itinerary to allow for a few days until the weather improves. Cruising to a time table isn't cruising, it's racing, and a simple way for nature to show anyone who's the boss :)
 
Robert,
+1 to following the advice in the Pilot Book...
I've been round 5-10 times, all but one from East to West. Sanda is an obvious bolt hole, but I've generally timed it to go West from the Clyde (Lamlash) without stopping. On one occasion going West I chickened out and spent 24 hours at Sanda, to wait for the wind to decrease. Sanda and Gigha are the two obvious stopping off points particularly if, as you say, you might be single handed. Lagavullin and Rathlin Island/Ballycastle are other options, although I think the overfalls around Rathlin can be "interesting". In settled weather & with careful planning it shouldn't be a big deal.
If it were me, I'd see what the weather/forecast is like as you approach the Sound of Luing heading south. If wind is likely to be from the South-East, South or South-West I'd head for the canal. It is a long beat (or motor?) in pretty exposed waters and you'll have wind against tide west of Kintyre... The one time I went from West to East was from Tayvallich with a stop off at Gigha from midnight to 6am. There was hardly any wind until we got here:
MOKb.jpg
but we put the sails up and cast crew adrift to take some pics!

I'm not sure I agree with aiming to round the MoK at slack water. The risk is that you'll be late, and not get round. Finally, the Traffic Separation Scheme doesn't seem to separate much - I've seen a big ship once!

Good Luck,


Douglas

EDIT:
snooks said:
Nope, we've learnt not to fight nature, if it's going to be a fight against the wind to get somewhere, there are other places we could sail to instead. That's not to say we don't go to windward, we do, but if we would have to beat up wind for 25 miles from Gigha, we'd go to the pub or around the gardens :)
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Its a long long way from Gigha to MoK against the wind...
 
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Time for bed!
Many thanks all of you. I've been following the responses throughout the day/evening and there seems to be a consensus coupled with a big dollop of common-sense.
The Crinan is the obvious "safe option" whereas a great deal of foreward thinking and planning is needed to "hit everythinbg right" for the MoK.
With luck June and July will be settled weather, warm with F3s and F4s in perfect directions and kind tides.:D
It's going to be interesting!!

Thanks once again for all your thoughts and comments (so many for individual thanks and replies from me) - keep them coming if anyone has more to add.

Robert
 
A1Sailor said:
I'm not sure I agree with aiming to round the MoK at slack water. The risk is that you'll be late, and not get round. Finally, the Traffic Separation Scheme doesn't seem to separate much - I've seen a big ship once!

Good Luck,


Douglas


EDIT:

Its a long long way from Gigha to MoK against the wind...
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The passage the OP was talking about was from West to East that's why I said Slack low water. You could be 3 or 4 hours late and still have the rest of the flood to carry you round.
 
Spyro said:
The passage the OP was talking about was from West to East that's why I said Slack low water. You could be 3 or 4 hours late and still have the rest of the flood to carry you round.
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Ah - I see. Not sure how you'd get south to MoK against a northerly stream, but I guess you could with a lot of patience!
 
watch out for the TSS - although there are not often many large boats there, you don't get much warning of them, they are travelling fast, and they are restricted to the TSS.

there is a theoretical risk of us getting a fine if we don't cross at right angles etc. there have been some recently in dover TSS, and tho you may get away with a warning i would rather not?

(last time around, left rathlin heading N, would have loved to tack (NE ish)over to MOK shore for shelter, but 3 large N/W bound vessels in TSS meant we had to head straight N, wind against tide, still it cleaned the bottom of the boat) and there was a bulk carrier earlier in the day too. is that a record? look at the ais websites, when you are bored in the office planning the trip, there is more traffic than you may think. (we don't have ais on board, but quick text to a friend who can look it up at home for vessels in N channel/irish sea/clyde heading you way at the tss is an idea i've never got around to, but after the last time...)

also overfalls "interesting" around rathlin, you need to arrive at the right time. not sure i'd rush back, tho guinness was good

look at geograph - some spots along the MOK shore i'd like to land/explore on a quiet easterly day - 2 WW1 sailors' graves, abandoned village, ?old mine adits not far S of machrihanish bay on SW facing clif, etc. maybe a walking trip called for tho, not managed to land there yet :-)
 
There are many tales of woe concerning the MoK which would have you believe the area is inhabited by leviathans and sea serpents. Such tales come from those who have failed to do their homework or got it completely wrong. I'd imagine it is unforgiving when you get it wrong.
A veteran of many passages round the Mull in a 25 footer (I grudge paying the canal fees and repairing the damage from congested locks), I double and triple check the passage plan and involve all on board to confirm the calcs and weather inputs.
If it means leaving point A at 0330hrs, all well and good. Allow 7 hours to get there from Islay/Ghia, you can always heave-to and have a cat-nap for an hour until the time is right.
 
That would be 7 hours for me ...... but then again! ... time out on the water is what it's all about! ..... :D
 
I've only been round once, Campbeltown to Port Ellen. It was fairly windy at times but it was neaps and wind over (or at least across) tide. The resulting sea was a bit lumpy but no problem except that when the wind eased for a while we had to motor in what should have been a sailing breeze just to stop the main slamming. We went out by the TSS and did not see any shipping at all. I would not like to be there at springs or with wind against tide.

This link should jump to the relevant part of the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1y6l2j7-M4&feature=player_embedded#t=486s
 
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