Motor Boat and Yachting

We had the pleasure of the company of Peter and Jane Cumberlidge for a cruise earlier this year. Peter has written an article for 'Motor Boat and Yachting' about cruising the West Coast on a classic motor yacht, which is due to be published in the January issue out on December 6th.

Peter is an authority on cruising the French coast, for which he has written a number of pilot books, whilst Jane has published books on both British and French inland waterways.

The summer is long gone but the varnishing never stops....

Our winter berth this year is at James Watt Dock Marina, http://www.jameswattdockmarina.co.uk/ , based in one of Greenock's old docks. It's an interesting spot both from a shipping point of view, with tugs, pilot boats and various commercial vessels always on the go, and from an historical one. To anyone familiar with the area the biggest landmarks are the Titan crane and the Sugar Warehouse, where the bulk of Britain's sugar was landed before Tate & Lyle finally closed their Greenock factory in 1997.

Fortunately this warehouse forms part of the Marina, giving useful indoor boat storage and also an enormous workshop for winter maintenance, .....and varnishing.

Back to the Clyde

Leaving the Mull of Kintyre behind as we return to the Clyde on a beautiful September afternoon,

and heading up the Kilbrannan Sound for a final cruise to Loch Fyne before winter lay up.

Cruise to Coll

Noughts and crosses on Sorisdale beach

One of a dozen basking sharks seen off Coll.  This one surprised
us by swimming close to the bow.

Approaching our anchorage in Crossapol Bay,  south end of Coll

Sorisdale Bay, NE coast of Coll

Sorisdale Bay

West Highland Yachting Week

For the 2012 regatta the organising committee invited Chico to be one of the support boats.  We hosted 8 members of the committee for 6 days.  A race team includes a timekeeper, a gunner, spotters, recorders and flag officers, all supervised by a race officer.  The regatta takes place over 6 days and includes passage races from Craobh Marina to Oban, Oban to Tobermory and back, plus races around buoys and islands. 114 yachts participated. A splendid event, slickly organised and greatly enjoyed by both the competitors and organising committee.

Yachts mustering before the start.

 

Race team assembled to record
race finishers.
 

The Race Officer checking that no yacht crosses the line before the
starting gun.  The start line is between Chico and the black buoy in
the background.

The fleet bunching up through the narrows between Lismore and Port Appin.

Tobermory

No cruise up the West Coast is complete without a stop at Tobermory, even if it's just for fish and chips from the van at the Fish Pier.

Cruise to Loch Sunart and the Island of Coll

Sunset, Loch na Droma Buidhe

Scots pines,  Rubha an Daimh, Loch Sunart.  Laudale House in
the background on the southern shore.



On the way from Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan, to Coll



On the jetty at Arinagour, Coll

Fishing in Lochs Crinan and Craignish



Off Eilean na Gabhar, Loch Craignish

 

First bite, Loch Crinan



Preparing the catch (9 mackerel) for smoking

 

Ardfern, Loch Craignish



Dresssed over all for the Diamond Jubilee. At anchor, Ardfern Yacht Centre.

Gigha

Bagh na Doirlinne,  a favourite lunchtime anchorage of Royal Yacht Britannia
when she cruised the Western Isles

Photograph taken in 3ft of water from the tender, Bagh Rubha Ruaidh, Gigha

Gigha sunset

Campbeltown to Gigha

Heading north from the Mull of Kintyre. Islay on the port side, with Jura beyond

The Paps of Jura

Approaching anchorage on Gigha -

Bagh Rubha Ruaidh

Holy Island. Arran

Kitchen Garden, Buddhist Centre, Holy Island

Cruise around Bute and Inchmarnock

Seal colony, Inchmarnock - just before the seals heard us.  A 'stampede' of blubber followed. The colony, 25-strong, followed us along the shore to the tender and then out to Chico.

The dolphin which has been spotted at Ardlamont Buoy for the past year.

Nuclear sub and 5-strong escort passing Great Cumbrae on its way up the Clyde

.

Millport

With a steady northwesterly forecast for the week we sailed from Portavadie to Millport Bay at the south end of Great Cumbrae for our first anchorage. It's a busy spot for shipping coming up the Clyde and to the Hunterson Bulk Terminal, and for yachting with Largs and Fairlie Quay just round the corner.

It also has a spectacular view of the Arran hills, with Goat Fell in the background to Chico.

New season

April 1st and it's time to leave Portavadie Marina for our season's cruising. Our plan for this summer is to stay in the Clyde for April and May, and then head down to Campbeltown to wait for suitable conditions to go round the Mull. That will leave us time to explore on our way up to Fort William, where we're due at the beginning of July.