Ardminish (Gigha) to Ardfern

Waking up anchored off Ardminish was a delight. Sunny morning, lovely views in all directions, calm weather too. The genset was fired up to recharge the domestic batteries and top up the hot water for showers. To load the generator sufficiently we also did a load of washing and tumble drying - half load on the gensest is around 26 amps and we try to run at that or above.

With a settled forecast and a favourable tide from 10:30, things were set for a gentle trip up to Ardfern, and so it transpired:

The anchor came up cleanly with just a little mud on it - the last time we anchored here it was a huge ball of kelp (seaweed) that needed serious attention from Andrew (the human mountain goat) to clean it up. At the top of the island of Gigha we had to slow down to allow the big CalMac ferry from Kennacraig to cross in front of us:

Apart from that it was a gentle picturesque trip. As you get further north, so the depths on the seabed change quite dramatically in very short distances and these changes upset the flow of the water and cause whirlpool effects where the boat gets turned round, quite viciously sometimes, as the swirling water grabs the boat's keel.  You can see how the depth changes from 100+ metres to 20 very quickly. So, we enjoyed a slightly wobbly path through this area: 

Building on the "travelling in slippers" theme from the last post, here is proof - the crew on watch:

showing how relaxed it can be!

There were a few pot markers but way better ones than the old milk bottles and black oil canisters that you encounter on the south coast:

The route passes the entrace to the infamous Corryvreckan. A place where the tidal flows and the depth changes cause all sorts of disturbance and a "standing wave" - apparently it is the third largest whirlpool in the world. Officially classed as "un-navigable without local knowledge", it is quite a stretch of water. Have a look at  Wikipedia on the gulf. Also worth watching is a video of a lifeboat going through it - you tube video

Somehow the view across to it during our trip was rather tame and boring in comparison:

Approaching Ardfern we gave the engine a little wide open throttle run to clean it out a bit and then called Ardfern yacht centre to ask where to berth. They told us to wait as they had to check that the allocated spot had been vacated by another boat. So, we drifted off the marina for rather too long waiting to hear:

Luckily it was not windy and wet! After many many minutes we were invited onto the visitors pontoon as our berth had not been vacated. Seems that the folks who rent a mooring from the marina like to sneak onto the pontoons and stay there as long as possible. 

Ardfern is a lovely little village, one pub, one village store and a newly built tea room that gets rave reviews for their cake. We feel a visit coming on... The marina folks were super friendly and after a little walk (first time on land for 43 hours) we washed off the salt from our bumpy trip out of Whitehaven.