Oban To Rathlin Island

A couple of things have sprung to mind, first my head hurts after being in the pub too late last night, second Adrian grabs his train home to day and he has had a bit too much motoring on his watch. Thirdly it seems a bit unfair that we are about to have a bit of a fun run down to Rathlin with a view to anchor at Crinan on route. I walk Adrian to the train station and then back to the boat do jobs before rob and I set sail down the coast. Drop washing in Chinese laundry. Get hair cut in Oban again feels like a form of symmetry, go shopping for more food. We ease out of the Marina about 2pm with a view to just get through the Dorus mor on the tide and anchor outside Crinan. We have a nice 15 to 18knots on a fair up wind course sky is blue with fast moving clouds and the scenery is highland Scotland. Definitely all good.
As we sail down the passage between Kerrara and the main land we se a yacht in tow from the RNLI. Always a reminder. After a bit of solid upwind sailing we get the chance to do a man overboard practice when my baseball cap blows off. Unfortunately the cap didn’t make it and sunk. Nice bit of crash stop and heave to by rob. Good practice .
Easedale slide past with our sails tight in but we are still on coarse to get to the Dorus before the tide makes it impossible. First we have to negotiate the Cuan sound and pick up fuel at Craobh Haven. The tide sucks us round the shallow meandering sound and we are looking for ward to a cupppa while filling up with fuel. Unfortunately we hadn’t checked what time the fuel guys knock off at Craobh. So after a quick rest we are off again to chase the tide. The wind gets up and we change down to the jib on the inner forestay put a reef in the main and keep going uphill in up to 25kts. Boat smooth as you like but the schedule has slipped. We will have to go round the out side and put in 4 extra tacks to get in. More symmetry we anchored almost the exact place Mark Healy and I had anchored on the way North and had had a drunken party with our Crinan friends. Rob looked pretty tired and I cooked tea. Pesto chicken and rice with leak and chilly.
Next day was going to be tricky up wind again with maybe some tricky tide. Our plan is to break the day by having lunch anchor at anchor at Gigha but who know if that will work. Again a beautiful day 15knt upwind sailing no tacking Mainland to the port side Jura to the starboard. Our upwind coarse seems too be pointing us straight to the Jura distillery and not Gigha for lunch. I suppose we will just have to go with the flow.
Seems the wind has come round and we are now heading directly at Rathlin another 30 miles away. Up wind has been pretty easy so far but we are about to get some proper Atlantic swell to spice up the rest of the day. As we leave the paps of dura and Isla behind the open sea is grey and becoming dark, the odd rain squall helps the feeling of being back in the real world. 20kts rolling swell but still able to hold a coarse for the western end of Rathlin We even manage to arrive perfectly as the tide eases back. More luck than judgment. Getting dark but tied up tight and very near to the pub.Read more