Caledonian Canal to Wick

10th to 16th July
Caledonian Canal-Inverness-Shandwick-Wick
Route and Pics

Warm evening above locks at Fort Augustus

It was unbelievably soothing and gentle to potter slowly through the Caledonian Canal. There were excitements and lots of interest too: a huge replica Viking long boat came through the canal (they’d been dismasted on their sail from Norway and were heading for Liverpool to get a replacement – 30 crew seemed unflappable!); we enjoyed arduous forest walks on hot sunny days; and had a memorable fast sail 20 miles up Loch Ness (but damaged spinnaker pole).

Vikings come to the Caledonian Canal

Running up Loch Ness

 Local Economy built on a Monster!

Then, at Caley Marina, the brilliant  young men used crane to fix radio with new VHF cable throughout and new windvane and new masthead LED lights; so Misty is now fully shipshape again. It’s a relief to have radio working properly after a month without.

Crane helps work at masthead

 Finally, after a thoroughly restful week in the amazing canal system, I’m back on the open sea. On leaving Inverness the wind was mainly southerly, so I sail north. Also I looked at a map of Britain and can plainly see that the west of the country has the finest sailing. I know that there are bits of the East Coast that have gems, and I’ll be especially sorry to miss the Farne Islands and Suffolk, for example. But overall, stay west! I’ll not go round Britain after all.

Anchored off Shandwick (nr.Cromarty) with fine sunset

Sailing north and approaching Wick yesterday, vessels and helicopter were searching for a car that was driven off Duncansby Head with someone inside. Today the lifeboat and police are here, and I'm told, they've stopped searching. Sad and sobering reality.....
Now, I await tide and less wind before crossing the Pentland Firth to Orkney Islands. Wick Harbour Master is brilliant and gives an alternative plan to the Almanac and Cruising Directions for this rather scary patch of sea.

Harbour at Wick where wind turbines await installation at sea

Kyleakin to Caledonian Canal

4th July to 9th July
Kyleakin-Totaig-Eigg-Rum-L.Drumbuie-L.Alin-Corran-Caledonian Canal
Route

View from Totaig anchorage at dusk

Mountain walk on Rum (i.e. island called Rum)

Anna sailing up Loch Linhe

From a wet gale in Loch Alsh the weather quickly mellowed to hot hot Scottish sunshine. Anna and I have turned pink. We’ve walked to near the top of the island of Rum and many miles through the hills bordering the Caledonian Canal. (There’s still snow on the flanks of Ben Nevis and Glencoe, though it was too far for us!)

After a rigorous beat south round Ardnamurchan Point, we’ve been blessed with reaches and runs down the Sound of Mull and up Loch Linhe to the Caledonian Canal. I’ll perhaps write more another time but the Caledonian Canal has been a gentle treat with comfortable places to moor, showers and peace: a proper holiday within a more demanding holiday!

A lock on Caledonian Canal

Steam train passed as we went up Neptune's Steps!

Eriskay to Kyleakin

29th June to 1st  July
Eriskay-Loch Hourn-Totaig-Kyleakin
Route

Perfect day sailing south of Skye

After a gentle day on the Hebrides island of Eriskay (though, even there, TV in Am Politician – the pub – was tense with the drama of the Brazil-Chile penalty shoot-out!), we enjoyed one of the finest days of the year and sailed over the Minch towards Rum. Wind died and I was heading in to anchor, when.…it picked up and sun shone…so sailed more…past the bottom tip of Skye…soon reefed and double reefed…and on into Loch Hourn for a calm night beneath the magnificent mountains there. (Said to be like a Norwegian Fiord, but I’ve not been to Norway so don’t know). 60 miles of sailing heaven with fine distant views of mountains of Hebrides, Skye and mainland, slowly evolving.

I was back where we’d been a month ago! And sailed north again for a couple of short days’ sailing up the east coast of Skye via Totaig (a quiet protected anchorage), and Kyle of Lochalsh. I was moved on and over to the more sheltered pontoon at Kyleakin. A gale is forecast and shelter is a good idea. Loyal long-suffering crew, Anna, is arriving this evening on the bus from Inverness.

Kyleakin from Skye Bridge

Taransay to Eriskay

24th to 27th June
Taransay-St Kilda-Eriskay
Route and pics

From a peaceful night off a fine white sandy beach on Taransay, I had a leisurely start and, as it was a beautiful day with easterly wind, sailed comfortably under cruising chute over to St Kilda.

Gentle sailing out to St Kilda

...passing Boreray, St Kilda, 1,200ft straight out of the Atlantic!

St Kilda, as you probably know –but I didn’t- is a group of islands (tips of an ancient volcano), the largest of which is Hirta, and which has the only one reasonable landing place and relatively safe anchorage– in Village Bay. St Kilda is about 40 miles west of the Hebrides and is spectacular, and has masses of accolades, being unique in so many ways. But, it’s so famous that although no-one lives there permanently, there are fast tripper boats (about 50 people a day I guess). And National Trust of Scotland has cheerful and good-natured work parties most of the summer, and I met a researcher studyimg the resident Soay sheep. So, whilst appreciating the wonders of such a place, I feel real magic arises with lesser known gems. (The treasures of Paris, to draw a rough analogy, are in the backstreets, rather than under the Eiffel Tower). Nonetheless, go there if you have a chance.The most amazing thing to me is appreciating that people lived there, largely isolated from the world and at peace, for thousands of years until the 1930s

A walk in the rain on Hirta, St Kilda

Landing craft bringing supplies to St Kilda

Hirta now has staff from Qinetiq looking after MoD early warning equipment (we don’t trust anyone!). The manager kindly let me use a phone to ‘phone a friend’ to say where I was. The island was pretty empty when I visited as being anchored on a lee shore was very rolly (discouraging casual visitors), and led to three seriously sleepless nights! I left at 5am yesterday and had a long beat, well reefed in choppy seas, over 60 miles to Eriskay…and slept very well as soon as I put my head down!

Playful dolphins as I sail through Sound of Barra

Stornoway to Taransay

18th to 23rd June
Stornoway-Shiant Is.-Stornoway-L.Marieveg-L.Claidh-Taransay
Route and pics
As soon as my sons had caught the morning ferry, I left Stornoway too. And sailed down the barren and starkly beautiful Lewis coast to the amazing Shiant Islands. From a mile away you start to notice the increasing numbers of seabirds, and by the time I’d dropped anchor, I was spellbound. Puffins, shags, razorbills, guillemots in their thousands were everywhere. Puffin poo, small neat white blobs, started to appear on deck.

World's best fish and chips, Stornoway

Masthead bereft.....(just a cable end)

Seals at leisure

Empty beach, Taransay

Alas! By morning, radio antenna and wind vane had disappeared, dive-bombed off the top of the mast. I later learn that skuas chasing can drive their intended prey or they themselves into masts. Uncomfortable to be sailing with limited range radio, I turned back to Stornoway for repairs….next day, new bits located in Inverness, I did return trip to Inverness (that’s ferry and buses and takes all day, but travel is good and cost less than £40)…next morning, helped by delightful strong willing and competent fellow sailors, I was up the mast and new wind vane fitted, though radio still not very good  (NB. If you’re a sailor with a ‘Topclimber’, the demo video stars some sort of marine tarzan and makes it look easy; it’s tougher and slower for an ordinary bloke with a bus pass!)

By  early evening I was on my way again, sailing south, and via a couple of overnight anchorages, reached the Sound of Harris, went through to the Atlantic on the west side of the Hebrides, and anchored off Taransay. It’s claim to fame stems from the BBC’s Castaway series, and it’s very pretty, with the noisiest oyster catchers you’ve ever heard!

Loch Ewe to Stornoway

15th to 17th June
L.Ewe-Summer Isles-L.Mariveg-Stornoway
Route
It has been a treat to have two of my sons for company, and younger muscles to haul in anchor etc! But sailing over the North Minch in sea fog is chilly, even in mid-summer.

Across to Outer Hebrides

When fog clears, it is blissfully hot. The hottest day of the trip so far, indeed, was the northernmost bit: yesterday in Stornoway.

Before that we had more wonderful anchorages: Tanera Beg in the Summer Isles, which boasts small beaches of perfect white and pink coral sand; then 'Witches' Pool' in Loch Mariveg on Lewis. Pictures are better than words....

We climbed the peak on Tanera Beg,

...and that's 'Misty' down there...

...clambering ashore on Eilean Fada Mor (that's a coral beach behind George)...

It's often not easy to land.....steep, weedy, wobbly, slippery rocks!

...but views make it worthwhile...

..and here's a golden eagle cruising overhead...

Now, we're in Stornoway. Sons are leaving on the early ferry to Ullapool, and wonders of good public transport mean they should be in Bristol mid-afternoon.

Then, the really tricky bit: deciding where to go next! I even consider going down to Caledonian Canal as I've never seen it, then east coast UK; or back to Orkney and home from there; or outside the Hebrides (never seen that either). As it is, I'll leave it in the hands of the weather forecast. I'm never one to fight the wind or tide!

Plockton to Loch Ewe

11th to 13th June
Plockton-Crowlin Is.-Portree-Raasay
Click for route (if page opens, then click the left hand icon)

Gentle winds - mostly- mean it's been comfortable to visit less usual anchorages. The first was in a cleft between two of the Crowlin Islands. Reaching the inner pool is like "threading a needle" and lack of swinging space meant a rather sleepless night!

Inner Pool, Crowlin Is.

Next day, over to Portree on Skye, for hurried shopping before French cruise ship passengers (higher priority than 'Misty' and me!) wanted to use the pontoon, and I was turfed off!.

Cruise Ship at Portree

Anchored off Raasay

Never mind, there are lots of beautiful peaceful anchorages nearby, and I ended up in a little cove at the northern end of Raasay. The island next to it had no sheep, so wild flowers and long lush grass made a magical change from the bracken and heather that is the dominant flora of sheep-scoured islands.

Perfectly aligned Inverewe vegetables

Next, on north to Loch Ewe to anchor next to famous Inverewe Gardens and meet two sons for the next bit.

New crew, George and Johnny

Anchored off Inverewe Gardens