Solent to Iona

[tome]

Mum has bought a house on Iona. She's moving there early next year and won't be told otherwise. She's spent many a summer there, but I'm not sure she really appreciates its Atlantic winter perspective.

Travelling up to see her will be a bit of a hassle. Oban then Mull then Iona via ferries. Right now she's 10 minutes down the road on South coast.

I've agreed to get her car there, but also thinking sailing to Iona. Anyone done it who could offer a passage plan (car and/or boat)?

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[Sgeir]

Can't offer a passage plan from the Solent, but you'll love sailing round there.

Oops, not supposed to mention that. Scotland's really crap - midges, gales, no marinas etc etc.

<hr width=100% size=1>Just another irrelevant footnote.

 

[Bejasus]

Shhhhh, yer ge'in awa awra secrets. BTW, wi a name like yours, yer faither wisnae a big Glesca polisman by ony chance.

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[Gunfleet]

Hats off to Mum!

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[tome]

Cheers John, she's a tiger!

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[Aja]

Watch out... the Sound of Iona is shallow! The ferry goes across the depest bit.

Nice church I believe.

Donald

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[Ohdrat]

Iona's not got a brilliant anchorage but there is an excellent hole in the rocks at Arcasaid Mhor (think that's how you spell it) on Mull's SW tip.. Last time we anchored at Iona (it was only for a lunch break and wizz round the monestary and cathedral..) we got our anchor fowled.

It can be very windswept and there isn't much shelter as the island is low lying.. There are times when gales sweep in (not necessarily winter) when the ferry can't make the crossing...

Roads to Oban are labourious to say the least from which ever direction but beautiful....

If venturing up the Irish Sea would stick to the East Irish Coast rather than sticking on the Anglo Saxon side..

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[A_7]

Land's End and turn right?

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[claymore]

Thats not quite correct.
Acarseid Mhor is on Gometra - the north harbour - which is beautiful and very sheltered.
The popular anchorages for Iona are the Bull Hole which is at the North end of Iona Sound and Tinkers Hole which is by Erraid right on the corner as you enter the sound from the south.
The Bull hole would be the one if you were anchoring to catch the ferry or going across the sound in the dinghy.
The car journey is a three day camel ride - Ferry from Oban then drive across to Fionnhport (sp) and onto the ferry. We were once in Tobermory and the weather was awful so we considered catching the bus. You'd have to be catching the one back around 20 minutes before you arrived was the top and bottom of it.
Donald is correct - Iona Sound is shallow but we've been through at LW springs and never touched - there wasn't much left!. Ohdrat is similarly correct in that Iona is not the best spot to anchor. We've stayed for a few hours in Martyr Bay and another, the name of which has gone for now. I'd be anxious staying overnight so the Bull Hole would be the spot.
The island is lovely and I'm sure Mum will be very happy there - it is a place of peace and although it gets plenty of visitors I think they come and go quite quietly.
Now we could sort out a wee deal here to our mutual advantage. Once she gets settled we could get her to apply for pemission to put down a mooring - we could club together and sort it but it would be a neat way of getting somewhere to stay overnight!
Passage plan is straightforward - Irish Sea, following the Irish Coast - choice of Bangor/Ballycastle/Rathlin then the short hop to Islay. Through Islay sound, past Colonsay then up to Iona Sound. The Torran Rocks are off the Ross of Mull but the inshore passage is very clear Its around 6 hours from Port Ellen via Islay Sound - where you'll be zapping over the ground at anything from 6 knots upwards
Good on your Mum!!

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>regards
Claymore<font color=purple>
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http://www.whoi.edu/services/facilities/CLAYMORE/

 

[Jeremy_W]

If you want to sail from Solent - Iona and back in a summer I'd do it as near non-stop as possible or you'll use up all your annual leave and have no time to look around (which would be a tragedy).

Solent - Falmouth non-stop; Catch breath; Check weather at Lands End; add crew as necessary for what will be a long hike out of sight of land.

Falmouth - Gigha non-stop; then start your Hebridean cruise.



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[tome]

Mum gets the unanimous thumbs up then, and I'll need to purchase a few new charts. My sailing in these waters is limited to a day trip out of Oban and around Kerrera (sp?) in a hired dinghy.

The mooring sounds like a good idea as the anchorages don't seem too secure. Mum is very enterprising so I'm sure she will already be working on this facility on behalf of Tome enterprises. This will complement our soon-to-be-completed 12m pontoon in Bergen. Hadn't realised how shallow the Sound is.

Many thanks for the passage notes. Port Ellen sounds like a good stop as I believe that Islay has certain facilities which might tempt a malt whisky fan to pause awhile in order to fortify himself for the passage through the Sound.

My wife and I are happy to do longish passages (we did Solent to Brest non-stop this year) so probably wouldn't bother with a stop at Falmouth and would go on to maybe Wexford if the weather was favourable.

I shall buy some charts and come back for some further advice.
Many thanks
Tom


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[Sgeir]

Agree with Claymore re Rathlin to Islay. Rathlin's a great wee place with a good pub at McCuaig's bar - as long as you don't mind a bit of good quality haun' knitted music and late night night poetry. Nice BBC link at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/2266742.stm>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/2266742.stm</A>.

I wouldn't be too worried going through the Torran Rocks - can be quite impressive in reasonable conditions, but you'll need chart 2617. Wouldn't try it in darkness though. The Imray charts are fine for passage planning, but without sufficient detail for the anchorages and tight passages.

And if the towerists on Iona get too much, you can always go to the Argyll Arms in Bunessan (sheltered anchorage).

<hr width=100% size=1>Just another irrelevant footnote.

 

[Jules]

Good for her, what an adventure!
Brilliant excuse to base the boat in Scotland and get away from all that S coast nonsense.
Best of luck.

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[tome]

I copied a link to this thread to Mum, here's her reaction:

<blockquote><font size=1>Quote from previous post:</font><hr>

What a hoot! Thrilled to bits and feel very affirmed in my plans, nice to get a 'thumbs up'
give me a few weeks and we will organize a mooring.

What fun! lots of love , mum xxx

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[Ohdrat]

Re: Erraid

I stand corrected..... should have checked my charts/pilots.. That'll teach me not to post after a few too many... Loved Erraid (Tinkers Hole) Haven't tried the Bull Hole but want to try Gometra hence Arcasaid Mhor fixation..

Suggest you Pilot Tome up thro the infamously turbulent and rocky (cleity) Scottish bits as a Solent man is bound to wreck himself on the rocks or more likely in the distilleries...

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[tome]

Re: Erraid

Solent man, harrumph!

Cut my teeth amongst the Norwegian fjords where you'll find the odd clarty cleit also, but you are quite right about the distilleries - they will be a new hazard for us.

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[Ohdrat]

Re: Erraid

Cutting ones teeth on the Norwegian Fjords must have been painful.. what did your dentist say? and is this why the Norwegian coast is so ragged???


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[tome]

Re: Erraid

Dunno, ask Slartibartfast. He got an award for Norway.

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[richardsawyer]

The 2 pilots on the Local area are the Clyde cruising club and one by Martin Lawrence. There is a slight discrepancy relating to the Bull Hole. One shows a rock in mid channel called the little bull and the other a rock marked by a perch with a triangular mark on the west side of the channel and not an apparant risk at all. I don't know which is right at present but do know that the rock is in the channel and if you hit it doing 2 knots then a crew member can fall out of the cockpit and into the water!
I've just spent 3 months of weekends moving my boat from Essex to Oban and it's been great fun compared with doing long passages. I was lucky and wasn't paying for a berth as well as my visitor moorings though.
Have a good stay there, There are at least twice as many anchorages as mentioned in the pilots and this summer I didn't share one once!
Richard