Would this stop you?

[webcraft]

Just checked the inshore forecast again. Should the good ship Fairwinds set off down the Sound of Jura aka Sound of Disappointment? Or should we just get a decent DVD out and forget it?

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point.

24 hour forecast:
Wind: south 3 or 4 backing southeast 6 to gale 8 veering southwest 4 or 5 later.
Weather: rain later.
Visibility: good occasionally moderate later.
Sea State: rough building very rough for a time.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:
Wind: southwest veering west 4 or 5, backing south or southwest 5 to 7 perhaps gale 8 later.
Weather: rain then showers.
Visibility: moderate or good.
Sea State: moderate or rough.

 

[Sgeir]

Nah, give it a miss Nick. It's happened to us twice before and we've spent at least a couple of days each time anchored in Port Ellen and Craighouse, unable even to risk getting into the dinghy for a shore visit.

Come to think of it, we seriously dragged anchor (and 35m chain) for about 200m in Craighouse Bay in an 8. The weight of the kelp was so heavy that I couldn't raise the anchor above the surface - took 40 (or was it just 20?) minutes to clear the stuff off the anchor with the boathook. I swear that that some off the kelp was longer than the boat - 10m.

That was the last time we left our monster fisherman's anchor in the lockup.

 

[starboard]

Cracking day here at Troon at the moment but is slowly to go down hill with another big blow by Monday. Still all is not lost as I dont finish my duty till Tuesday then 3 weeks off!!! Yipee, even Met man promising high coming in later in the week. may gat afew days out up the Kyles from Wednesday on then few nights in sunny Nice the following week!!

Paul.

 

[webcraft]

Good morning Sgeir,

Wind's picking up here again - F5-6 SE now and increasing. With 84% advising against so far I don't feel such a wimp. Will go for a walk in the woods then come back and see if the 'longest thread' has reached 500 posts.

The kelp in Craighouse can be fearsome - we had an alarming experience with it on the first day of our Irish trip last year (see HERE )

- Nick

 

[Sgeir]

Are you a Man or a Mouse?

Err, pass the cheese please.

Must drop you a more complete line sometime Nick. We inadvertantly followed in your wash, albeit some 13 months later, visiting many of the same harbours and anchorages in Ireland. Originally we'd intended going to South Wales, SouthWest England and the Scilly Isles. However we started out out with light winds, and after motoring most of the way from Ardrossan to Portpatrick, Portpatrick to Luce Bay, and much of the Peel to Howth leg, it was agreed that we didn't like long boring passages. Personally I was OK with them, but, well you know how it is. Pass the cheese please.

So we ended up going round the bottom, nice enough but..., and then up the fabulously spectactular west coast. For me, that area from Kerry to Donegal is fantastic, and so quiet. Apart from a couple of boats out for a day or two's sail, we had no other accompanying yachts after Portnafrankagh/Frenchport in Co Mayo, where we waved goodbye to a CA member taking his newly built Contessa 32 on her maiden voyage round Ireland, across to Scotland, and back down to the south of England.

Our existing charts only took us to Kinsale, but we were able to buy the three Imray charts and the ICC sailing directions that took us back to familiar waters. The ICC pilot has an "unusual" style. While I think it could be improved a lot, it did give us ideas for access to harbours and anchorages passed over in the Imray chartlets, the CA/Imray Almanac, and last year's Reed's west coast guide.

Before I'm allowed to write it up properly, Madame Sgeir wants to know how you made your map of Ireland with the bouncy red hypertexted balls.

Anyway, it was a great cruise. Next time though, I'll study Kevin Begley's site. and your Fairwinds' circumnavigation of Ireland first - I could have saved some money if I'd followed your good advice re mobile SIMcard stuff.

Anyway, if this weather doesn't improve, might pop up for a pint in the Truish. You still allowed in there?

 

[DaveS]

Craighouse Kelp

I'd fun with the wretched stuff earlier this year. Almost flat calm, though, so no dragging and plenty time to get it off the anchor - eventually! - while going slowly ahead at tickover. Then, with the anchor stowed, I opened the throttle but got very little increase in revs. Alternating between forward and reverse yielded a small chunk of kelp drifting astern for each reversal. It took a dozen or more cycles before it was all clear. It would also seem that the rope cutter, which happily snips through 12 mm terylene, is ineffective against the Craighouse Kelp.