As 2021 ticked off the months, we gradually began getting Hannah back together, sails bent on in February so anxious were we to convince ourselves that this year Covid restrictions would be eased enough for us to feel comfortable with cruising. By April we knew we should be able to move and Bee told her mates at Cafe Abundance that their all purpose washer-upper would be heading out. Come the day and the very high tide we slipped our lines and headed out. Unfortunately not very far as my inattention put us firmly on the mud. But as we'd left earlier than we should, the tide and Daz in a rib eventually had us off. First stop, of course, was Cawsand Bay, rolly as ever, and then the following day a brilliant return to sailing with a passage down to the Helford for the night.
Onwards the next day for the Scilly Isles and into St Helen's Pool. On the few times we have gone to these islands we always been underwhelmed by their reputation whereas this time we were captivated albeit we were only there a couple of days. At low water this pool offers a huge amount of protection and the ocean swell only really noticeable either side of HW but the forecast offered a soon to arrive stiff NW and we decided to head off to Dale Bay at Milford Haven. In retrospect this was a dumb decision given our last experience (and with this wind direction) there was of a boat and mooring being pushed across the bay and sunk but we arrived and to our surprise found three other boats at anchor, but worked our way inside of them and anchored. Soon after two boats left for their marina berths leaving a Rival and us. The wind began as SW (OK) before backing to NW and not OK. The wind strengths were in the 30's but gusts touched mid 40's but the wind over tide situation had spray coming over the boat with a serious amount of fetch so not our finest choice. The Rival had it worse of course, almost burying their bow and at the limit of their chain they can't have had an easy time but both boats and crews survived and when conditions eased headed off. Our plan was to poke our nose into Skomer for the night and we slowly beat our way toward the island.... the seas immediately off it were not particularly welcoming and didn't moderate on closing the entrance. Bee checked with the bino's and reported little change further in which, given this is a tight-ish anchorage for us, had us bearing away hastily checking the stream and making for the Jack Sound where our speeds rapidly shot over 8knots and we were through. But to where? St Bride's Bay offers few anchorages and not with protection from the east and the nearest place would be Fishguard (FG). We plugged on but went around rather than through Ramsey Sound as I thought we might have missed the gate. By the time we had rounded and left it to our south the tide was running against us and we motored slowly on. Ahead we could see another yacht and we both came into FG about the same time – turned out to be the Rival from MH. Fishguard has a poor reputation for strong winds from NW-NE but we didn't think the forecast was for strong so took a chance. It was rolly but the holding is good and we waited out the passing of this front. We tried another anchorage but being further to the N of the bay meant it had far more swell and back we wandered.
On the Sunday we heard those magic words from the forecasters “Gale now ceased” and we made preparations to leave. At 15.10 we hauled anchor and made our way out of FG. The seas were minimal, the wind decent and we were on our way. The forecast had been for S6-7 occasionally 8 and that's what we got. We knew some of it would be lumpy as tides run strongly between here and the Mull of Kintyre but other than a slowing of our speed we were able to truck on. And on. I contemplated various places we might pull in for the night but Bee felt it a waste of the wind and she was right. The seas ran, perhaps 2-3 metres but mostly the wind stayed in the high 20's sometimes gusting low 30's so we were pretty comfortable. I'd made a change to Stan – our steerer -over the break which meant he didn't foul/bend bolts any more and things were hunky dory aboard. On the second night I did consider pulling into the anchorage by Bangor, NI but pitch black, big rolling seas and a beam wind would have meant a very uncomfortable trip in and Gigha was only about 90 miles away. We passed close to the IOM but didn't really see it and even the Mull of Kintyre was nothing but a smudge of a shadow. But the day came, the sun came out though the wind remained cold as we slid up the west coast of this island to an anchorage we'd never used before. The last few miles were gusty and quick but thoughts were on the anchorage and whether it would work, what the holding and all those other things we consider.... Rounding the headland we found a broad, deepish bay, no houses but a couple of camper vans and two fishing buoys. We dropped anchor a little under 48 hours after we'd left FG now almost 250nm astern. The trip itself was exhilarating but the views from the anchorage were just wonderful as was the sighting of loons in here with us! OK they lack the call, for the most part, of their North American cousins but they remain one of our favourite birds. Away to the north could be seen the magnificent Paps of Jura, the sea sparkled, the holding was good and very little swell could be felt. The fishing buoys turned out to be a temporary anchor for a fishing boat but we were clear enough not to cause a problem and he'd left early the next day. As we did to catch the tide through the Sound of Islay. The scenery in this area is stunning and the short 10nm across to the sound is a joy even if the wind was less than impressive. Once into the sound the wind is almost meaningless as we were swept along hitting 10k at one point. I did think of taking the reef out until Bee reminded me that the last time we came up here with the wind in the SE we experienced humongous squalls when we reached the end.....and so it was this time. It's short lived but certainly wakes you up. Our destination lay ahead and one we've thought about often over the Covid times. Loch Tarbert has an intricate entry that twists and turns using painted marks on the rocks originally to guide you in followed by a narrower passage into the loch itself. This is a big loch so anchoring choices are plenty. Our first choice was almost as you enter but the following day we moved across to anchor off the bothy on the northern side where we stayed for a couple of days even dinghy-ing ashore to check out the bothy and talk to a walker who was using it. We wandered around and up the hill, startled when the phone suddenly burst into action as it picked up a network, and Bee decided she'd have a bathe in the pool that gathers beneath a waterfall. It was cold apparently...
Down at the bothy the walker, Cathy, had developed problems in a leg and was resting up prior to tackling a particularly arduous part of the walk and back on the boat we thought perhaps she might appreciate a lift to get her back into the easier section so rowed back to make the offer much to her delight. The following morning we picked up our passenger and dropped her off a few miles down the loch on our way out. A few miles by boat but, we were assured, a tough day to get to where she now was and re-united with her walking companions. We upped and moved on up the coast pausing for the night in a small bay south of the Corryvreken. Perfectly adequate for the night we were to have, not perhaps a stop if winds were forecast.
Crossing the Great Race the following morning presented no problems mostly because there was no swell and no real wind so the current just sent us bowling along, somewhat off course but heading roughly N. What wind there was picked up but moved into the NE giving a wearing beat until we gave up, dumped the genny and motor sailed our way along the Mull coast. Close in we dumped the stays'l and simply motored up to the narrow entrance to Loch Spelve. We've never gone in here, mostly 'cos the c-map we use is inadequate for the entrance giving very little detail other than a contour line. As I've mentioned before some years back I came across Antares Charts, large scale chartlets of various Scottish lochs and they have been invaluable. Here was such an occasion as we entered under sail meeting an outgoing yacht in the narrowest part of the channel and then up into the northern part creeping between a huge mussel farm and a small island to reach the anchorage. We chose to go further into the bay where there were no boats – probably because the bed was a tad graunchy from rock but we had a couple of nights there before moving to another bay, again with mussels growing and one other boat at anchor. Enough room and by evening a further two had arrived.
no pics until we get a stronger signal....