Loch Aline to Mallaig

You know how sometimes the weather forecasts tell you stuff that you don't want to hear? Well, today's was like that. The normally rock solid Met Office inshore waters forecast said "NE Force 5". If you look at the track below, that meant almost on the nose and with wind over tide around Ardnamurchan point, it was going to be a bit bumpy. We were in for lots of nodding as we headed to Mallaig. The next couple of days looked identical so no point in delaying the trip.

XCweather on the other hand had a nice gentle force 3 in their Mallaig forecast, and from the East too. We liked their version and guess what, for once, they were right. Or to be more precise, less wrong actually.





Tide timing meant a 10am departure which was only just over an hour before low water. The entrance to Loch Aline is pretty shallow so we only had 1.1 metres clearance in some spots. Memo to 'selves, low water springs would not be a great time to leave. That tedious sun was still out of course and we had a most enjoyable run through the Sound of Mull picking up a little tidal help. Considering the Met Office forecast, an easterly wind of around 10 knots was a welcome surprise too.

It was a shame that the lovely views were, once again, blighted by a fish farm which this yacht decided to sail pretty close to later on:

No idea why the yacht did this as, like the other fish farms we have featured, it is pig ugly:

The local debates about the ethics / economic benefits / blight on the landscape / damage to wild fish / pollution etc will run and run we fear. Expansion of these concentration camps for fish seems to be an SNP priority so we expect the plague to expand further.

The last time we headed through the sound after our Caledonian Canal trip, we stopped in Tobermory and as the weather forecast was getting way worse, we then turned back and slowly headed south. This time we plodded past and headed for the much more open sea. Of course, we have to share the picture of the little lighthouse just past Tobermory as it felt like "new territory":

As we left the Sound of Mull, the wind did a 180 degree shift and became pretty much westerly. That really confused and upset a couple of yachts who had been merrily sailing along astern of us - they suddenly had the brakes applied. It was still nice and calm, just a little Atlantic swell  coming in but nothing to get excited about at all (no stabiliser action at all this trip). Approaching Ardnamurchan point, you get a great vista with the islands of Muck and Eigg to enjoy:

Ardnamurchan Point is kind of a key spot when heading north. For the insomiacs amongst us who listen to BBC Radio 4, you will know it from the shipping forecast broadcasts - "Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath". For the non UK readers, this broadcast is something that has become a national institution, have a look at Wikipedia on the shipping forecast.  Here is what it looks like, just so all of you can picture it when hearing the words on Radio 4 in future:

Ardnamurchan is also the most westerly point on the mainland and has a reputation a bit like the Mull of Kintyre for some big seas. The pilot book says "heavy seas occur in onshore winds and these extend 2 miles out to sea". Today, it was more like a boating lake as the promised NE 5 just did not appear at all.  In days gone by, sailors would put a sprig of lucky white heather on the pulpit of their boat as they rounded the headland. We just had a cup of tea.

The run up to Mallaig was equally calm despite the dire warnings in the pilot books about overfalls near the banks. There is one area where a 114 metre "hole" in the sea bed is right next to a 12 metre shelf. That causes a little confusion for the tide and hence some whirlpools / waves - just not today.

Heading into Mallaig, we hoped that the pre-booked hammerhead curse we seem to have developed would not continue. Happy days, it didn't! We happily slotted onto a huge berth with, joy unbounded, 32 amp power. Poor washing machine and tumble dryer.

Overall around 6 and a half hours underway in perfect conditions despite the Met Office promises. Stunning scenery (islands like Muck, Eigg, Rum, Skye to enjoy) and a chilled trip. The harbour moorings are not in a bad spot either:

Chatting to Chris, the nice marina man in here made us wonder why all the folks handling the customer contact bit seem to be "foreigners". Sue (very Yorkshire) in Craobh. David (very English) in Kilmelford. Fiona (equally English) in Loch Aline. Chris (seems rather Welsh and we should know having spent a little time with that race recently) in Mallaig. Is it because the "foreign" visitors cannot understand the locals or is it simpler (as suggested by a Yorkshire hotel owner in this area) - the local folks don't really like work? Now, there is a controversial thought to leave you with.

Maintenance news:

Again nothing, sorry to be so boring. We plan a few days in Mallaig to go exploring and also to allow Brian the TRAC stabiliser man to have a look at our recently repaired starboard fin which has developed a new annoying "I don't like to centre perfectly" habit. More of that after it happens though just to keep the tekkie types interested.