Taking the boat to Scotland

[Sans Bateau]

Early stages at the moment, but I'm considering doing a couple of weeks in West Coast of Scotland during the summer. Taking Galadriel up with a crew and leaving her to then rejoin her for a couple of weeks sailing with SWMBO out of, say Oban.

Questions, where would be a good place to leave her, considering I will need to fly back from Glasgow. Where would be a good secure place to leave her for a month or so that wont cost a fortune?

Finally is there a better time of the year to be sailing WCS, avoiding midges and foul weather?

Final final question, is there anything else I should know about?

 

[awol]

I would recommend Neil Munro's "Para Handy Tales" for those intending to venture north and particularly "Piracy in the Kyles" for those intending to park their boats a while. Summer is the ideal time to cruise the west coast - the only problem is trying to guess when it's going to be. Usually it's the week before you get there.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Don't Go There

I would seriously reconsider as you risk rampant parochialism, obstruction, bigotry, rain, vandalism, hostility, theft, loss, humiliation, sheep, dung, insecure anchorages, kelp, wind of the wrong sort, false hood, accusations, stares, glares and high fares foreigners, language issues, Clydesadale Bank money which you will never be able to exchange again, fishermen, submarines, deep cold water, jelly fish, barnacles and a lot of low cloud. There are also no trees and you think you are being watched all the time, which you will be. You will frustratingly come across the same obstructive person everywhere you go, Germans, Dutch, Slovakians and Polish persons pop up irritatingly often.

Anytime before mid June is good. Summer ends on the 15 June, period. There is a Marina on Kerrera directly opposite Oban, accessible by a dedicated ferry. The Oban pier side is right beside the train station.

Dunstaffnage Marina is just round the corner from Oban and is a low cost taxi fare unless your English or a yachty.

There are other Marinas south of Oban which would require a 3/4 to 1 hour taxi ride through villages where the inbreds are hostile to the English and yachties.

Its your choice but a high risk venture probably likely to fail in misery.

Dunstaffnage is a good Marina to start your trip from, which will of course be excellent. Seriously, the end of April to mid June is by far the best time on the West Coast. I had my Honeymoon in Loch Melfort, 29 degrees celsius, April the 27 a few years back, I have sailed the west Coast a lot all year round and I would bet on better weather on those dates than any other.

 

[Quandary]

Visiting Scotland

A c'mon can none of you think of somewhere else to go this year.

 

[puddock]

Dunstaffnage is a good Marina to start your trip from, which will of course be excellent. .

Beware - PUDDOCK can be found there !

 

[Ubergeekian]

Early stages at the moment, but I'm considering doing a couple of weeks in West Coast of Scotland during the summer. Taking Galadriel up with a crew and leaving her to then rejoin her for a couple of weeks sailing with SWMBO out of, say Oban.

Questions, where would be a good place to leave her, considering I will need to fly back from Glasgow. Where would be a good secure place to leave her for a month or so that wont cost a fortune?

Crinan is an absolutely delightful spot to base a boat (and meet me!). Crinan Boats will do you a swinging mooring. A canal berth is an alternative, and quite economical, but the midgies can be fierce and a month may be long enough to bring you under the boat safety scheme. Connections to Glasgow are pretty good: taxi or walk to Lochgilphead and then the bus.

 

[Fascadale]

This place and this place may be of interest if you would prefer a swing mooring to a marina berth.

The MRC is closer to Oban than Linnhe Marine but the tidal gate at the entrance of Loch Creran can restrict passage to and from the MRC.

There is a good bus service from the MRC to Oban, I'm not so sure about from Linnhe Marine.

Lots of west coast info on Bluemoment

 

[Doghousekeeper]

For security, Oban marina is pretty good - being on an island that is pretty well crime free. Oban to Glasgow is an easy trip by train, or by seaplane if you've got deeper pockets than me

 

[Quandary]

W. Coast cruising

The Crinan canal is on a waiting list (except transit) at the moment but Crinan Boats has moorings, we are away for qite a bit of the summer so our berth in the canal at Crinan may be free but BW will still charge you. Oban is much easier to reach (trains & buses). Kerrera is handiest to there, with free ferry every hour, but gets very busy with all berths sometimes taken in July. Linnhe marine is good, moorings with deep water pontoon for loading, and close to the main road to Fortwilliam, but up here a 'frequent' bus service is twice a day. Can't advise on the current situation at Dunstaffnage. You will not find heavy security anywhere but marine crime is very rare.
Along with others I have posted on this question quite a few times during 2009 so a search for 'West of Scotland' should turn up quite a bit of info. (pilot books, tides, harbours etc)
'Welcome anchorages' is a free annual publication with brief harbour notes covering the major harbours and all visitors moorings from Clyde to Stornaway, published by Scottish 'Yachting Life' magazine you can pick it up anywhere up here in season or get it from 'Sail Scotland' etc. It will give you web addresses, telephone numbers etc for the various marinas and harbours.
I have some duplicate pilot books and charts which I lend to passing sailors but have already taken at least one provisional booking.
Agree that weather is best May to early June, when it never gets dark in Sutherland.
Mid July is busy, you get midges any time from May if the wind drops below 4kts. and even worse when it also rains, but best just to ignore them or smoke a pipe if you are outdoors.

 

[stevepick]

The marinas at kerrera and dunstaffnage are the most conveinient for public transport and the main options for pontoon berths ( I don't know how "full" they are), adfern and croabh marinas are a lot less handy . Moorings as mentioned above in Creran and Linnhe. Arisaig could also be an option , a tidal entrance , but very convienient for the train to fort william, and you can get a london sleeper to fort william.

Midges are a problem ashore may- end july, use head nets in bad places like Rum , Avons skin so soft works most of the time when they are less bad ( they don't like sunlight or a breeze of more than 4 knots). And we have hardly ever been bothered when anchored.

The welcome anchorages document is available as a (large)pdf on the yachting life website.
its busy around the beginning of august with west highland week based around oban. It is also the clyde cruisig club centinary cruise from crinan to vatersay - I think mid july so check ccc website for details to avoid any crowded anchorages.Almost anywhere else will seem impossibly quiet.

Weather is difficult , I agree with others that may - june (and also sept) can be very fine - we had a superb 2 weeks of stable weather with a good sailing breeze for the first 2 weeks of june 2009.

Finally I am afraid 2 weeks wont be enough ....

 

[Sans Bateau]

Thanks for the replies so far. stevepick, I agree, two weeks is unlikely to be enough, but will be better than no weeks at all. I would plan to bring the boat up and then return to Chichester later, so I will get more than two weeks, SWMBO will be restricted to the two weeks sadly. I would certainly like to leave the boat in the area for a couple of years doing loads of exploring, but sadly continual return airfares would soon mount up and be out of the question.

As for the warnings by blowingoldboots, I will certainly heed your warnings. Do you think I might get some special dispensation as English if I make it well known that I love all things Scottish, Malt whiskey, Billy Connelly, Sharleen Spiteri, but hate Gordon Brown and my RBS bank charges!!!!?

 

[agurney]

The Crinan Canal is a great place, but isn't to be recommended as you might end up being stuck with half-tide locking. Also the midges at Bellanoch are a pain.

Elsewhere, midges aren't a problem if you can avoid being ashore at dawn or dusk.

There's no way yet of predicting the weather, though May is often the best time, however between Gigha and Tobermory there are always sheltered spots irrespective of the wind strength and direction.

Alisdair

 

[Searush]

In that list of worrying stuff, you forgot to mention the kelp. Not much of a problem in marinas, but if you ever decide to leave the marina . . . .

If you don't want to travel so far, why not try the Clyde. Its like an empty Solent on Steroids. Pretty well as good as the West Coast, but sheltered & closer to "civilisation"-ish (or at least what passes for it in Scotland).

 

[Quandary]

The Crinan Canal is a great place, but isn't to be recommended as you might end up being stuck with half-tide locking. Also the midges at Bellanoch are a pain.

Elsewhere, midges aren't a problem if you can avoid being ashore at dawn or dusk.

Alisdair

Aye right. (In english) Ballox

 

[puddock]

Thanks for the replies so far. stevepick, I agree, two weeks is unlikely to be enough, but will be better than no weeks at all. I would plan to bring the boat up and then return to Chichester later, so I will get more than two weeks, SWMBO will be restricted to the two weeks sadly. I would certainly like to leave the boat in the area for a couple of years doing loads of exploring, but sadly continual return airfares would soon mount up and be out of the question.

As for the warnings by blowingoldboots, I will certainly heed your warnings. Do you think I might get some special dispensation as English if I make it well known that I love all things Scottish, Malt whiskey, Billy Connelly, Sharleen Spiteri, but hate Gordon Brown and my RBS bank charges!!!!?

I'd practice spelling WHISKY for a start ........

 

[Quandary]

In that list of worrying stuff, you forgot to mention the kelp. Not much of a problem in marinas, but if you ever decide to leave the marina . . . .

If you don't want to travel so far, why not try the Clyde. Its like an empty Solent on Steroids. Pretty well as good as the West Coast, but sheltered & closer to "civilisation"-ish (or at least what passes for it in Scotland).

This could become like another 'Bavaria' thread-
There is no point in coming all this way to only see the Clyde, might as well just stay down there.

 

[Searush]

Hey, sorry, just another point of view.

I went up to the Clyde for a few weeks before moving up the West Coast. I ended up being based there for 4 years without running out of things to do. Then, as I decided to go thro' the Crinan for a look, I sold the boat! But I did enjoy the delivery trip to Black Crofts, Connel.

The point is, if you are travelling via Glasgow, why add another 3 hours getting to Oban? 30 mins will get you to any one of half a dozen decent moorings/ marinas with excellent sailing waters right on the doorstep.

 

[Quandary]

Hey, sorry, just another point of view.

I went up to the Clyde for a few weeks before moving up the West Coast. I ended up being based there for 4 years without running out of things to do. Then, as I decided to go thro' the Crinan for a look, I sold the boat! But I did enjoy the delivery trip to Black Crofts, Connel.
.

I don't believe you, how could anyone have survived for that extreme length of time so far from 'what passes for civilization'? That would have been longer than Alexander Selkirk.

 

[Ubergeekian]

In that list of worrying stuff, you forgot to mention the kelp. Not much of a problem in marinas, but if you ever decide to leave the marina . . . .

I've never had a problem with it - perhaps I have just been lucky.

If you don't want to travel so far, why not try the Clyde. Its like an empty Solent on Steroids. Pretty well as good as the West Coast, but sheltered & closer to "civilisation"-ish (or at least what passes for it in Scotland).

I'm amusing myself on New Year's Day by reading through my father's 1930 Yachting Monthlies, and it's interesting to see that they treat the Clyde as the main UK yachting centre - definitely more coverage than the Solent.

 

[Ubergeekian]

This could become like another 'Bavaria' thread-
There is no point in coming all this way to only see the Clyde, might as well just stay down there.

"The Clyde" covers Lochs Fyne, Long, Goil, Striven and Ruel as well as Bute, Cumbrae, Arran and the inside of the Mull of Kintyre. I prefer things "outside", myself, but there i a heck of a lot to do on the inside, particularly if it's blowing from the west.

In the OP's position I would leave the boat at Largs or Kip and use the fortnight cruise to circumnavigate the Mull: that's the whole of the Clyde plus Sanda, Islay, Colonsay, Gigha, Jura and back through the canal.