Steel Pulse’s ‘Round Scotland’ Log 2006                            Back to Index

 

The plan for our 2006 cruise was to take our new yacht ‘Steel Pulse’ up the West coast of Scotland and round the top to the Orkney Islands, and to the Shetland Islands if conditions permit, and then back via the Caledonian Canal.

 

Week 1                                                                                               Map

Our original intention was to depart late May/early June, but time ebbed away with the completion of the sale and delivery of our previous boat to Plymouth and then the need to rectify a number of items on board Steel Pulse. However we finally got under way from Bangor marina at 0800 on Monday 3rd July bound for Cushendall in Red Bay.

We caught the last of the ebb tide over to Blackhead and then up the coast passed the Gobbins. As there was a light northerly wind we motored, which made for an easy start for us as we got used to handling the new boat with only two aboard.

As the RYA-NI had announced that new visitor moorings had been installed in Red Bay, off the yacht Club at Cushendall, we decided to stop over there for our first night provided there was adequate protection for swell.

We arrived at Cushendall at 1400, picked up a visitor mooring, and had lunch watching a dinghy training session and generally admired the scenery. The instructor came over and offered to ferry us ashore, but as there was a bit of a roll, we decided to push on for Rathlin Island when the tide turned.

 

Cushendall Yacht Club, with visitor mooring to the right of the yacht.

 

We left visitor mooring at 15:50 and motored up the coast, aiming to enter the Rathlin Sound at slack water. We passed Fair Head at 1745 and arrived in Rathlin harbour at 1850. A new pontoon has been installed in Rathlin Harbour, see photo. This makes the arrival/departure less dependant on tide heights.

There were four yachts already moored up on the north side of the pontoon, so we rafted up outside ‘Osprey of Wight’, as we were unsure of the water depth on the south side. In the event both sides can be used.

 

 

New pontoon in Rathlin Outer Harbour

 

As a consequence of the new pontoon, the inner harbour is now appears little used and the old resident fishing vessel (the Maud Chambers?) is no longer there. There have been a few more new houses built, together with a new toilet & shower block between the harbour and the pub. The restaurant adjoining the bar was open and there was also a small ‘chip van’. 

 

On Tuesday morning we had a pleasant walk down to the light at Rue Point at the south end of the island. The road (2.5miles) goes past several small lakes and we were chased away from the Rue light area by some anxious nesting kittiwakes and oystercatchers.

We departed at 1550 and motored along the coast, past the old mine works towards Bull Point at the west end of the island. In still conditions we motored across from the Bull light to Port Ellen. From the entrance we could see that the pontoon was full of yacht masts, so we picked up a visitor’s mooring off the Port Ellen Distillery at 2015.

 

On Wednesday we went ashore and took a bus across the island via Bowmore to Port Askaig. Port Askaig, was a possible stop-over point, if we went up the Sound of Islay. However it turned out to be a much smaller place than we expected. It comprised the ferry terminal, a hotel, a lifeboat station and a small shop/post office. There is a small anchorage and landing slip to the north of the ferry terminal, which is out of the main tidal stream. After lunch and a long wait for the next bus, we went back for a quick look around Bowmore (more tourist oriented, with tours of the distillery of course) and then back to Port Ellen.

 

 

Bull Light (The Upside Down Lighthouse) with bird sanctuary beyond

 

The forecast for the weekend was looking ominous, with gale force winds expected, so instead of going through the Sound of Islay and up the west side of Jura, we opted for a more sheltered passage up the east side of Jura to Craobh Marina. We departed on Thursday morning at 0800 and typical of Scottish weather had a windless sunny run up to Craobh, arriving at 1730.

 

On Friday the forecast was still ominous, but we decided to push on for Loch Aline at the south of the Sound of Mull. We departed at 1130 and had good sunny weather again with little wind up through the narrows at the sound of Luing. After a spot of sailing in light winds off Easdale we reverted to motoring again across the Firth of Lorne towards Duart Point and the entrance to the Sound of Mull. As we made our way up to the entrance to Loch Aline, the weather started to close in and sun hat gave way to oilskins. By 1745 we were anchored at the far end of the loch, although it was not particularly sheltered from the forecast strong SW winds.

 

It was a wet and windy night with the boat swinging from one side to the other and the halyards rattling inside the mast. But the anchor held OK and the following morning (Saturday) we were off at 0700 to find a vacant mooring in Tobermory.

The benefit of arriving at 1000, as other boats were leaving, gave us our pick of the available moorings and we managed to get one just off the pontoon, which gave just a 5-minute row ashore. After a cooked breakfast ashore we explored the town.

 

 

Continue to Week 2