Oban or is it Kerrera

There was a day or two of strong westerly winds forecast so I decided to head to Oban marina to get some shelter before it arrived.
The west side of Oban bay is protected by Kerrera Island which is where Oban Marina is. Confused yet?

I woke at 07.00 but didn't get up till 08.00 and continued to have a lazy morning with breakfast followed by a bit of engine maintenance before bringing the dinghy and engine aboard.

I was ready to depart at 09.30, slipped the mooring and motored slowly out of the harbour but left the sails down as there was very little wind.

About 11.00 the breeze started when I was east of Scarba Island and approaching the Sound of Luing. I hoisted the main but kept the genny furled as I needed manoeuvrability and visibility going through the narrow sound as it began to rain.

The tides were with me and I was flying along at 8.2 knots over ground but with only 4.5 knots showing on the log. Two other yachts were travelling with me, one slightly ahead and one behind and it seemed we were all heading for the same gap between the islands.

Once through the sound I unfurled the genny, turned off the engine and continued north on a broad reach at 6.5 - 7.0 knots.
The wind continued to increase and was hitting 22 knots when I decided to reef the genoa but again the furling line came away but this time with the sail still out.
The wind was too strong to leave the genny up so I dropped it and tied it onto the lifelines while I tried to figure out what to do as it was going to make berthing difficult when I got to the marina.

I was on a run when I got a little shelter in Kerrera Sound which lead to Oban Bay and a plan formed. I started the engine and increased my speed until it cancelled the effect of the wind from behind and wrapped as much of the line around the drum as I could. I then hoisted the genny in the shelter of the main and furled it quickly as I was running out of sea-room and too narrow to rely on the autopilot for long.
It worked and now I could berth without having a sail covering half the deck. I'll have to do something about it before I go any further.

I called up the marina and they sent someone down to help me berth as the wind would have caused me problems. I was all secure by 14.20. A short day but I was glad that it was at an end with the increasing wind, rain and the problems with the furling line.

The rain was now heavy so I headed ashore for the showers and then went to 'The Waypoint', the marina's bar / restaurant. It was no weather to be outdoors.

It turned out the barmaid preferred Murphy's to Guinness and Stuart, who had helped me tie up, not only loved boats but is also into motorbikes so we had a good chat while listening to the rain pelting down outside.

The wind was howling as I headed late back to Eureka for dinner.
I left my oilskins drip drying in the heads with the heating on again helping to dry them out.
I wasn't venturing out again in that weather so I settled down and watched a dvd as I ate my dinner and went on deck to check the mooring lines every now and then.

One last check on the lines as the wind howled and pushed Eureka against the pontoon and I put my head down for the night.Read more