Yacht delivery from a marina near Newcastle to North Wales: I am helping a friend bring his newly purchased 37' Prout catamaran round from near Newca

erich27

erich27

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I am helping a friend bring his newly purchased 37' Prout catamaran round from near Newcastle (Amble ) round to North Wales, via the Caledonian Canal; and would appreciate input from any members who have done this trip? Thanks .
 
What kind of advice are you looking for? Its a fairly straightforward trip if you read up on the Caley canal. Personally I'd be considering going non-stop till the Moray coast then enjoying the rest more slowly.
 
Thanks for the response Fifer, and just looking for any tips, along the way good places to overnight etc. ? though it does make sense to try and go non-stop until we reach the Caley canal and then take our time, though the leg up to the Moray coast is quite a long one ! We are aiming to complete the trip in 10 days, my gut feeling is that is a bit ambitious?
 
Min. 2 days to Inverness, min. 2 days for the Cally, (stop at Fort Augustus or Gairlochy,) a short day to Oban, (or on to Crinan,) 1/2 day to Gigha, 1/2 day to Belfast Lough, another to Howth, Dun Laoghaire etc and another day home, or you can avoid the Republic using the IoM or Portpatrick though likely to be less comfortable and more tedious. (it takes half a day to sail past Ailsa Craig) Tides are important south of Oban, compounded by the timing as they tend to get earlier as you go south, so going north, while you can have 7 hours, coming the other way not much more than 5 sometimes. The half days I mention can be up to about 10-12 hours, Gigha to Bangor for instance is about ten if you time it right with favourable tide all the way, probably less in your cat? At this time of year it could nearly all be done in daylight.
 
erich27 said:
Thanks for the response Fifer, and just looking for any tips, along the way good places to overnight etc. ? though it does make sense to try and go non-stop until we reach the Caley canal and then take our time, though the leg up to the Moray coast is quite a long one ! We are aiming to complete the trip in 10 days, my gut feeling is that is a bit ambitious?
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Id say its doable in 10 providing you don't hang around - 48 hrs Newcastle to Inverness, 48 hrs on the Caley canal, 48hrs FW to North Wales if you really wanted to go for it and the winds are favourable. You might find the wind is on the nose for a good part of your journey though, and it may (probably) be wet and miserable so better to break it up. I'd recommend stopping at Islay for the Whisky if that's your thing. That stretch from Oban to Islay is very good sailing and its a real shame to steam through.
 
It's likely that the boat hasn't been used much in the last year or two. There's a potential for fuel bug issues. If you can access it, try to suck some fuel up from the bottom of the tank and check it for water and/or contamination. Delivery trips with unknown boats often tend to have fuel problems, so take some spare fuel filters with you and make sure you know how to change the filter and bleed the engine.
 
All I'd say is take your time and enjoy the trip as much as you possibly can and with the variable weather we've been having don't be surprised if/when you have to hole up somewhere for a few days...
 
V1701 said:
All I'd say is take your time and enjoy the trip as much as you possibly can and with the variable weather we've been having don't be surprised if/when you have to hole up somewhere for a few days...
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Or....it's a delivery trip so bat on through and get it done!

Depends, really, on target date for arrival and the time available to those involved, generally. There is often a balance.

Whatever, sounds like a fascinating trip, hope it goes well. ?
 
When you leave Amble make sure to use the inner passage past the Farnes Probably the best stretch of coast in the UK as you pass the castles at Warkworth t Dunstanborough, Banburgh and Holy Island. The tide will rush you through quickly.
Stops at Eyemouth, Arbroath, Peterhead, Whitehills are good as you go N. You need to time passage round Rattray Head.
Loch Ness boring and pontoons at SW end can be a trial with breeze blowing down the loch. Midges can be bad in canal so go prepared.
Run out of time now
 
Wherever you are or wherever you are going, my experience on a delivery trip on a similar boat - also a Prout catamaran - is that, if you drive it hard into any sort of a headwind and head seas, you are going to have a rough trip. They slam! Boy, do they slam.... You will probably be following the owner's directions and may not have the time , but if you do get the chance, avoid upwind work if you can!
 
Quandary said:
Min. 2 days to Inverness, min. 2 days for the Cally, (stop at Fort Augustus or Gairlochy,) a short day to Oban, (or on to Crinan,) 1/2 day to Gigha, 1/2 day to Belfast Lough, another to Howth, Dun Laoghaire etc and another day home, or you can avoid the Republic using the IoM or Portpatrick though likely to be less comfortable and more tedious. (it takes half a day to sail past Ailsa Craig) Tides are important south of Oban, compounded by the timing as they tend to get earlier as you go south, so going north, while you can have 7 hours, coming the other way not much more than 5 sometimes. The half days I mention can be up to about 10-12 hours, Gigha to Bangor for instance is about ten if you time it right with favourable tide all the way, probably less in your cat? At this time of year it could nearly all be done in daylight.
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Can the Crinan cope with the wide beam and low water?
 
Bilgediver said:
Can the Crinan cope with the wide beam and low water?
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It’s the Caledonian Canal that the OP is going through I believe.
I think Quandary was suggesting Crinan as a potential anchorage stop heading south towards Gigha, not to use the Canal - which is scenic but a diversion away from the direct route which lies West of the Mull of Kintyre.
 
Hi Forumites ,

back home after completing the trip in the required 10 days, as mentioned, 10 days was a rush most of the time travelling non-stop as it was a delivery trip and very much under time pressure from the owner to complete in 10 days, The Calley canal and lochs were superb followed by brief stops in Oban, Gigha and Bangor N.I marina, didn't bother with the Crinan; then overnight trip last night to Beaumaris under a full moon arriving this morning, No real time to do any posting along the way, but definitely want to visit that part of Scotland again in the future with more time !
THank again for your help and support with this trip, very useful insights.
 
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