Argyll and the Islands
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ARGYLL AND THE ISLANDS have a larger coastline than that of France, and are regarded by many as one of the finest sailing areas in the world. The plethora of islands ensures that sheltered waters are always available for a pleasant day sail, whilst for those seeking greater adventure it is also possible to undertake longer coastal and offshore passages. The region has much to offer the visiting sailor, with a wide variety of sheltered anchorages together with many moorings, harbours and marinas. Facilities for the sailor have increased significantly in recent years and a number of new pontoon facilities have been installed. Wildlife is in abundance, in, on and above the water, and many boats will simply drift along taking in the whole spectacle.
Sailors arriving from the south or east will usually arrive from one of two directions - the Mull of Kintyre or the Crinan Canal, which has a reputation as ‘Scotland's Prettiest Shortcut’. Many Scottish sailors will often start their season in the Firth of Clyde and then move through to the west coast for the summer months through this picturesque short cut, and will usually break their journey at one of the pontoons along the canal to take advantage of the pubs and hotels at Ardrishaig, Lochgilphead, Cairnbaan and Crinan. The journey can be done in as little as four hours for those 'in the know', whilst for those who wish to take a more leisurely approach the transit licence allows you up to three days to complete the passage.
Sound of Jura
Those arriving from the Irish Sea via the North Channel and Mull of Kintyre, or those visiting from Northern Ireland, will usually sail north via the Sound of Jura. They will often make their first landfall at Islay, Jura or Gigha. All three islands have mooring facilities for the visiting sailor, whilst Islay also boasts pontoon facilities at Port Ellen. Jura also has new pontoons at Craighouse (suitable for shoal draft boats) and has recently upgraded the moorings in the bay. Both Islay and Jura are well known for their distilleries; Islay has a total of eight and Jura has one. Most of the coastal distilleries have their own moorings or small pontoons for visiting boats. The more pastoral island of Gigha has a reputation for fine sandy beaches, wonderful gardens and a particularly mild climate, and is usually able to provide shelter from most wind directions in one of its many bays.
For those who seek a quiet anchorage for the night then Lowlandmans Bay on the east side of Jura offers shelter from most wind directions, whilst Loch Tarbert on the west side of Jura is a favourite with many local sailors. The Loch has three separate parts, with the navigation getting progressively more difficult the further in one ventures. However, seclusion is usually guaranteed, together with stunning sunsets and the opportunity to see the deer come down to the waters edge in the evening. For those with an interest in geology the northern shores of the loch also comprise some of the best examples of raised beaches to be found within the UK.
Sailors remaining within the Sound of Jura have the option of venturing up West Loch Tarbert or Lochs Sween and/or Caolisport on the eastern (mainland) side of the sound. West Loch Tarbert extends deep into the Kintyre peninsula, with the head of the loch being less than a mile from the harbour of Tarbert. There are a number of anchorages within the loch, and an old pier at the eastern limit. Loch Caolisport has little shelter from the prevailing wind but makes a pleasant day sail. Loch Sween is the most visited of the three, with the small village of Tayvallich offering a popular overnight stopping point. The village bay offers superb shelter from all wind directions, and has a number of sheltered moorings and a few pontoons which are mainly suitable for smaller boats. If weather conditions are stable then an alternative anchorage can be found at The Fairy Isles a short distance from the village where a barbeque can be had ashore whilst watching the local seal colony (or are they watching you?!).
Further north both Loch Crinan and the Sound of Jura lead into the wonderful sailing areas of Lochs Craignish, Shuna and Melfort. All three lochs boast excellent marina facilities at Ardfern Yacht Centre, Craobh Haven and Kilmelford Yacht Haven respectively, whilst numerous anchorages exist for those who prefer. Again, shelter is available from every wind angle. The Dorus Mor lies at the south end of the Craignish peninsula and forms the first of the important tidal gates in this area. A general comment is that whilst the tides may be strong at times they are predictable, and provided the visiting sailor can read a tide tables and tidal stream atlas they should present no real difficulties.
Firth of Lorne and Oban
Travelling north via one of the tidal gates of the Sound of Luing, Cuan Sound (very interesting pilotage) or the Gulf of Corryvreckan brings the sailor to the Firth of Lorne - bordered by the island of Mull to the west and the mainland to the east. After passing the islands of Easdale and Luing many boats will stop at the popular anchorage of Puilladobhrainn (Pool of the Otter) from where there is a pleasant evening walk over the hill to the ‘Bridge over the Atlantic’ and the local inn. A short distance further north it is possible to follow the buoyed channel and venture into Loch Feochan and take a mooring at Ardoran Marine in the north west corner of the loch.
Oban is the principal town and port of the area; it has most major facilities and is the focal point for many sailing events during the season. Whilst the town itself does not yet have a marina of its own there is one on the island of Kerrera for which it is advisable to book your berth in advance during peak periods. The marina runs a free water taxi to the mainland and town centre, landing at the North Pier in Oban where visiting yachts are also able to lie alongside for short periods. Further swinging moorings are available at the north east of Cardingmill Bay near to Oban Sailing Club, together with a small craft landing stage which provides step-ashore access to Oban - both these facilities are operated by Oban Bay Berthing. In addition to the usual supermarkets and shops Oban also has its own distillery, and McCaigs Tower is a popular viewpoint for looking over the bay and beyond to the shores of Mull, Lismore and Morvern.
A short distance north of Oban there is another marina at Dunstaffnage on the mainland shore, whilst new moorings have also been installed in the Sound of Kerrera to the south of the town. The final facility for visiting sailors in this area is in Loch Creran at the Marine Resource Centre which has more than 50 moorings and an embarkation pontoon.
Boats making for the Caledonian Canal will continue north up Loch Linnhe to Corpach, passing the popular anchorage of Port Appin en route. Further stopping opportunities exist at Loch Leven (for boats able to pass under the Ballahulish Bridge) and at Corran and Fort William during settled weather.
Sound of Mull
Sailors venturing further west will head up the Sound of Mull, passing Duart Castle as they enter the Sound. This is the final tidal gate in the area, and west of here the tides are typically less than one knot. Lochaline lies a short distance further up the Sound on the north shore and now benefits from a new pontoon development. Anchoring in this very sheltered bay is also possible but not as handy for the shore-side facilities. Entrance in and out of the Loch usually requires a favourable tide, which is the case with many west coast lochs.
Tobermory is the main town on Mull and is a popular destination for the majority of visiting boats, particularly those with young children. In 2010 it benefited from further improvements to the pontoons and a new shower block and toilets for visiting sailors. The mooring facilities have also been recently upgraded, and as a result it is now usually possible to avoid having to anchor in the bay on all but the busiest of weeks. The town is a useful refuelling point for both vessels and crew, and has many famous watering holes as well as a distillery.
At this point it is perhaps worth illustrating just how useful the tides can be in assisting with passage making along this part of the coast. Back at Crinan low water is approximately one hour before Oban, and the actual tidal flow turns about one before low water by the shore. The northwest going flood does not turn at Tobermory until 15 minutes after high water Oban. Therefore, by timing your departure from Crinan, Ardfern or Craobh Haven for two hours before low water Oban it is possible to carry a fair tide for over eight hours up to Tobermory. Typical ‘tidal lift’ is well over a knot, increasing the time that one is able to continue with sails rather than engine – many charter boats return at the end of a week having only run their engine for an hour or so each day to try and keep batteries charged! Naturally, there is a price to pay for this bonus, and it is that it is usually possible to carry the south east going ebb tide for just five hours or so but, as many find out, this gives more excuses for dropping the hook and relaxing.
The Inner Hebrides
Venturing west from Tobermory out of the Sound of Mull one is presented with a number of route choices – if time permits then the northern option will take you around Ardnamurchan and into the sailing waters around Skye and the North West, often via the Small Isles, whilst heading west across the Sea of the Hebrides will take you to the outer islands of Barra, Harris and Uist. For those on a limited timescale it is probable that these destinations will have to wait for another trip, and instead the choice will either be to head west for the islands of Coll and Tiree, or to turn southwards along the western side of Mull. Both routes involve open water sailing, and are often rewarded with sightings of whales, basking sharks, dolphins, porpoise and numerous sea birds.
The Island of Coll has one very sheltered bay at Arinagour, the main town on the island, where there are a limited number of moorings and plenty of suitable anchorages. The neighbouring island of Tiree is better suited to a daytime anchorage as most of the bays are more exposed - the island is most famous for its very high sunshine hours (more than 1400 per year), sandy beaches and windsurfing . Tiree hosts the Tiree Wave Classic every October, the UK's premier windsurfing event that has been sanctioned as a World Cup level event since 2007.
The west side of Mull has a number of sheltered anchorages, mostly around the island of Ulva, and the route allows the Treshnish Isles and Staffa to be visited, home of Fingals Cave. It is possible to anchor and view the cave from either the island or a tender during settled weather, otherwise it will be necessary to lie off and view from afar. Further south lies the island of Iona and its world famous Abbey.
The main town on the Ross of Mull is Bunessan, where it is possible to anchor in a number of bays.Visitors are advised to anchor clear of the fairway to the main pier which is used by fishing boats all year round. The peninsula also contains many fine anchorages, including Tinkers Hole and Carsaig, from where the visiting sailor can choose to return home by either heading east through the Torran Rocks to pick up their outward track, or heading south to Colonsay and then on south through the Sound of Islay and back into the Sound of Jura.
Events
The Clyde Yacht Clubs Association also now includes details of events organised by other west coast sailing clubs and associations that were previously contained on the West Highlands and Islands Sailing Club Association. At present they list more than 30 events, but this increases as the season starts. Whilst many events are for club sailors, there are some which are also suitable for visiting yachtsmen/women.
The largest of the west coast regatta events is the West Highland Yachting Week, which takes place between Craobh Haven, Oban and Tobermory. It is one of those rare regattas that moves from centre to centre during the event, offering competitors an ever-changing scene on 80 miles of coastline along Scotland’s beautiful west coast. An attractive combination of round-the-buoys and passage racing is supported by the regatta’s excellent social programme. Details available from www.whyw.co.uk.
Whilst the majority of racing events are of the traditional regatta type, there are other notable events which are worthy of special mention. The first of these is the Scottish Islands Peak Race (www.scottishislandspeakrace.com), a three day event which takes place in May. The race starts in Oban by runners from each boat completing a short run around the town; this is then followed by a sail over to Mull where the runners have to scale and descend Ben More before rejoining the boats. Crews then sail down to Craighouse where the runners scale the three Paps; an overnight sail round the Mull of Kintyre to Arran then follows, where runners scale Goat Fell before a final dash across to the finish at Troon.
A similar event is the Three Peaks Yacht Race between Barmouth in north Wales and Fort William in Scotland, and which passes through the Argyll cruising waters en route. Competitors have to sail over 389 miles, cycle 18 miles, run 72 miles and climb over 14,000 feet. Entry details are available fromwww.threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk.
For the less competitive there is an enormous range of ‘cruising in company’ type events, the most famous of which is the Classic Malts Cruise (www.worldcruising.com/classicmaltscruise). The event starts in Oban with a tour of the distillery before then moving on to Talisker on the Isle of Skye and finally Lagavulin on Islay.
The Crinan Classic Boat Festival (www.crinanclassic.com) event is for both sail and power boats, and is centred around the picturesque basin at Crinan. This has become very popular and the event is of an informal nature, with the primary focus being on having a good time - not that different from most Scottish events! Usually scheduled for the first weekend of July each year so look out for more details.
