Category: Blog

Having survived the first day without causing any damage, we today continued on our maiden voyage towards Oban with the plan being to spend our first night at anchor.  Today we had two tidal gates to pass through so the state of the tide specified when we had to leave and therefore when we had to get up. A tidal gate is a gap where the water flows fast in one direction or the other depending on the state of the tide. If you arrive at the wrong time in a sailing boat, you will find yourselves going backwards. Arrive at the correct time and you shoot through with wind and current both helping you along.

As soon as we left the lagoon and entered Loch Craignish we had a wind of about 13 knots so it was out with the Genoa and we sailed the rest of the day. We reached the first tidal gate “Dorus Mor” dead on schedule and were helped by the current between the headland and the island. Turning north we headed through the Firth of Luing and cleared the second gate without hitting any of the submerged rocks. By now the wind was gusting beyond 20 knots so we rolled away part of the Genoa. It was warm (for Scotland), not raining and we were doing a good five to six knots. Life was good. Continue reading “To Puilladobhrain”

So today we officially “left”. Actually we flew from Germany to Scotland last week and spent the week at Ardfern Yacht Center working on the final preparations to the boat.

In a brisk wind we reversed in to the marina pond and then spent half an hour trying to escape. No matter what I tried the boat would not turn her nose up in to the wind. This was the dreaded “Rustlers won’t go backwards” syndrome that every one warns about. Eventually she was facing to the entrance and we headed for the refuelling jetty to “fill her up” with 111 liters of diesel. After a little bit of being “blown around” we managed to berth to the pontoon. Stuart McDonald came over and thanked us for the entertaining show in the marina and politely asked if we were aiming for the fuel jetty or if we had just taken refuge here. He then congratulated us on achieving our aim without causing any damage. Continue reading “The “first day””

After having learned the theory of fixing my position using celestial objects during my Yachtmaster Ocean theory course, I was keen to try it for real during a trip from Spain to Morocco a few days later. The first two days there was no horizon, no sun, nowhere you could  safely jam yourself in to and no chance of my even thinking about doing calculations of any type. But on the third day the storm abated and the sun came out. Continue reading “Navigating with Sun and Moon”

After crossing the Straits of Gibraltar from Spain, we were cruising south about twenty miles off the Moroccan coast. Just before dusk the wind freshened and turned off our port quarter so we stowed the mainsail and continued with just the Genoa. The wind was pulling us, the swell was pushing us and a half knot ocean current was also helping us on our way. The heavily laden boat was perfectly balanced and we were helming with just two fingers.

Continue reading “The Perfect Reach”

I have been sailing since the army kindly taught me during my twenties but living in the middle of Europe has severely curtailed the use of boats the last thirty years. I did however join a cruise with a friend in Croatia and passed my German “inland skipper” course which allowed me to take the family and friends out on a local lake.

When I decided it was time to “get back in to sailing” I took a look at the British and German systems and decided that the former seemed to be more “reality based” while the latter was perhaps more interested in “passing tests”. I therefore searched for a school offering British RYA courses but better weather than is normally to be found on the island. I was attracted to Go-n-Sail in Spain, particularly as they offer an instructor ratio of three students to one instructor and only have rave reviews. After a discussion with the school I registered for two weeks training with the target being my Day Skipper certificate. Most RYA certificates have a practical and theoretical element and in order to be awarded the certificate you need to not just prove yourself practically but also take a theoretical exam. Continue reading “Sailing School”

Thirty years ago I was a young member of the British Army out sailing in the Mediterranean. I was actually meant to be in Germany protecting the free world from the Soviet menace but that was a very boring way to spend a summer so instead I was off sailing.

One night we were sailing west towards the setting moon and I was alone at the starlit helm enjoying riding over the seas that approached as looming black hills. The weather was perfect, the temperature just right, the boat perfectly trimmed and I decided that I was just going to remain at the helm and keep sailing west for ever.

Continue reading “Thirty Years Ago. The start of the Adventure.”