Monday 19th July
Off Rubha Hunish.
I’ve been on the boat since the end of June. I spent a few
days – nearly a week – in the Moray firth doing visits and short trips, then a
week going down the canal with C and E.
I came out of the canal on Sunday the 11th and
spent a couple of nights at anchor in Loch Aline catching up with work and
work-like things.
On Wednesday the I re-joined seafaring proper, and then
spent a couple of nights in Canna Harbour. The trip to Canna was ok but not
great fun. A rolly sea, grey sky, lots of things falling about that I’d
forgotten to secure …
There were some reflected waves, or a local current, between
Canna and Rum – the boat did a couple of really violent rolls, and I lost two
boathooks over the side. The longs ones, unfortunately. I have one rather
stumpy one left.
Another consequence of the rolling was that the overheat
alarm came on fifteen minutes after I started the engine to enter the harbour.
I had to turn round and head E so that I could drop the main and set the genoa
again. I thought I’d sail back towards the harbour and examine the possibility (which
would have been non-existent) of entering under sail. I also thought the
shelter of Canna (winds mainly from the S) might let me run the engine.
The cutting out is definitely a feature of boat motion. The engine
runs for hours without incident when it isn’t rolling.
Also a reintroduction to sailing in the west: I thought Canna
Harbour might be quiet, but there were 23 boats in it (including me). Another
yachtsman said he thought the record was 32.
I had a hard time finding a place to anchor where I had swinging room. I
ended up near the entrance in about 10 m.
I was right about the motion – the engine was fine for the hour or so it
took me to drop and lift the anchor three or four times.
If it hadn’t been, I’d have sailed out and gone to Rum harbour.
I stayed two nights in Canna harbour (I arrived quite late
in the day) and had a walk ashore. I could have planned this better, as I
walked right round to Sanday – which I could have reached in ten minutes by
dinghy. It’s amazing how much effort went into ecclesiastical building in these
out-of-the-way places. Well, anywhere, actually, as a matter of fact. Just no
opportunities to turn the buildings into nightclubs out here. Maybe.
On Friday I went to Carbost, sailing the whole way across
with the anchor light on the and the VHF off. I’m still finding my feet. There
isn’t much in Carbost apart from the distillery, but there is a really good community
shop, which fettled me up for the next few days with milk and bread.
Saturday was an exciting sail (SW 5) to Isay, where I
anchored opposite the village and the infamous Macleod house, where Roderick
Macleod murdered all the relatives that stood in the way of his grandson
inheriting Raasay and Gairloch. The Macleods possibly had a genetic disposition
to psychopathy.
On the way out of Loch Harport I discovered that the boat
will sail upwind on its own with the helm lashed amidships. I think it needs to
be balanced – one reef in the main and four rolls in the genoa, in this case –
but it worked very reliably.
Last night (Sunday) I anchored at the Ascrib Islands, another
lonely stop. I walked ashore for an hour or so, but found it very difficult –
extremely springy turf, large dense clumps of moss (?) and heather. The birds
were furious at my invasion.
There is a large house on one island, but it looks disused.
It may have been built by Michael Palumbo when he owned the islands. It looks
very traditional, but may only date from the 1990s.
This morning, I sailed from there heading for Rona, or maybe
further. Well, I didn’t sail I motored. There is no wind.
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