Summer Sailing on the West Coast

[ctva]

Look forward to seeing your pic of the top pool on Loch Tarbert - even if you chicken out and take it from the dinghy or the shore. I took my Moody 336 up there several years ago then anchored overnight in the reach below. Forgot to take a pic from the top pool...
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Here's that reach below the top pool earlier in the day looking ~north, an hour or two before HW Springs.
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On my list to do but not today. And yes I’d be visiting the Hole ? by dinghy!! Nice pics and sun too!

Heading for Bagh Feith a Chaorainn and if the swell is ok, will stay the night.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Look forward to seeing your pic of the top pool on Loch Tarbert - even if you chicken out and take it from the dinghy or the shore. I took my Moody 336 up there several years ago then anchored overnight in the reach below. Forgot to take a pic from the top pool.

I found getting to the top pool much more scenic & interesting than when I got there. It seemed a bit dull & drab, so immediately turned round & went back to anchor in the main part of the loch by the raised beaches.

I squeezed my 6m beam through the narrow bits both ways.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

... I squeezed my 6m beam through the narrow bits both ways.

But you sail the equivalent of a pancake, dimensionally. Its the depth that you have to worry about in keeled boats, as the deep bits are constrained to narrow paths. Wander off the path and all sorts of calamity awaits.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

But you sail the equivalent of a pancake, dimensionally. Its the depth that you have to worry about in keeled boats, as the deep bits are constrained to narrow paths. Wander off the path and all sorts of calamity awaits.

Pancake with a 1.6m centreboard. Maneuvering with it up is directionally somewhat entertaining. I won't mention my departure one day when I forgot to lower it & sideswiped a berthed ship. It was embarrassing, but entertaining for the bemused matelots watching.

 

[penfold]

How many bloody Loch Tarberts are there? You could do an entire cruise just in Loch Tarberts.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Pancake with a 1.6m centreboard. Maneuvering with it up is directionally somewhat entertaining.

... but you can raise it, collapse / lift the out riggers inward, and it's light weight, just pick it up and lift it over the difficult bits. Easy manoeuvring in tight places. It's not exactly the Symplegades, perhaps Jason sailed a Trimaran.

 

[dunedin]

How many bloody Loch Tarberts are there? You could do an entire cruise just in Loch Tarberts.

• Jura
• Mull of Kintyre
• Gigha
• Harris

for starters all have proper “Loch”s - many more I am sure, and masses of Tarberts without a Loch (though at least one spelt Tarbet)

 

[AngusMcDoon]

... but you can raise it, collapse / lift the out riggers inward, and it's light weight, just pick it up and lift it over the difficult bits. Easy manoeuvring in tight places. It's not exactly the Symplegades, perhaps Jason sailed a Trimaran.

I can lift the rudder as well. Just imagine how simple & carefree that makes steering round the squiffy bits of Upper Loch Tarbert or the dangly bit of Loch Feochan.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

(though at least one spelt Tarbet)

There appears to at least 5 of those. Even the Isle of May has got one.

I blame the Vikings, dragging their longboats around all over the place.

 

[dunedin]

There appears to at least 5 of those. Even the Isle of May has got one.

I blame the Vikings, dragging their longboats around all over the place.

And they didnt even seem to have spell checkers with them on their raiding parties !

 

[dunedin]

I can lift the rudder as well. Just imagine how simple & carefree that makes steering round the squiffy bits of Upper Loch Tarbert or the dangly bit of Loch Feochan.

So a shallow and twisty bit of rocky water with low overhead power cables and you should be in your element

 

[SaltIre]

I found getting to the top pool much more scenic & interesting than when I got there. It seemed a bit dull & drab, so immediately turned round & went back to anchor in the main part of the loch by the raised beaches.

I squeezed my 6m beam through the narrow bits both ways.

I only did it because it was there and I had a reliable crew which could get me out of trouble... The top pool, as you say, is dull & drab. My fin keel drew ~1.68m.
The bit between the pool and the reach in which I anchored becomes a bit shallow. The other dodgy bit is the narrow stretch immediately seaward - and I didn't attempt that on a now ebb tide!
Here's a pic on the way in:

But you sail the equivalent of a pancake, dimensionally. Its the depth that you have to worry about in keeled boats, as the deep bits are constrained to narrow paths. Wander off the path and all sorts of calamity awaits.

The main loch is of course well marked by transits, established I believe by Blondie Hasler and his wife Bridget - from what I read as a honeymoon project! They may or may not have had military assistance.

 

[JNKScot]

There appears to at least 5 of those. Even the Isle of May has got one.

I blame the Vikings, dragging their longboats around all over the place.

Derived from the Gaelic for isthmus:

Tarbert - Wikipedia

 

[ctva]

There appears to at least 5 of those. Even the Isle of May has got one.

I blame the Vikings, dragging their longboats around all over the place.

Don’t forget that a lot have an East and West Tarbert too…

Loch Lomond has one too.

 

[ctva]

Well, Bahg Feith a Chaorainn turned out to be idyllic. White sands, raised beaches, wild goats, deer, eagles, seals, lovely sunset and no swell. Only downside was iffy 4G if that is a downside. Still, hot, sunny and some G&Ts.

 

[ctva]

Well, that’s it, back to reality. In through Corryvreclan this morning and back home to Crinan.





I hope you’ve enjoyed the pics over the last three weeks, it’s been fun putting them up and watching Fred drift them about a bit and add to the fun.

Fair wind for your summer cruises where ever the wind or diesel take you.

PS, Bob found a stowaway from Lunga…

 

[penfold]

Bit of side-eye going on there, the puffin been nicking his grub?

 

[Kelpie]

Looks like a great trip. Some familiar places in there. Feels like half the world is up here this year, did it seem busy to you?

 

[adwuk]

Bob seems to enjoy being tied up? We're off next week - hopefully the weather holds!

 

[ctva]

Looks like a great trip. Some familiar places in there. Feels like half the world is up here this year, did it seem busy to you?

I’d have to say no but we didn’t go to Tobermory, Oban, Gigha or any other honeypot marina / anchorage in between. Tarbert, Harris was busy the night before we got there but only three other boats in when we were there. As I said earlier in the thread, Stornoway was maybe 50% full. We were the only boat on the Kintail moorings and Scresort had empty moorings too. The rest of the time, the usual half to a dozen boats seen in a day. Very little if any VHF chatter with only the one ‘Radio check please’ call heard in the whole three weeks.

The funniest bit was on a FB Scottish sailing group where someone said they’d looked at Marine Traffic AIS and said the west coast was “rammed and as such was glad he’d decided to stay in the Clyde to avoid the crowds!” Myself and a few others actually out there fell off our proverbial seats with laughter. A real armchair sailor.