After electrical, mechanical, bow-roller/anchor, and crew with COVID issues, Chair of RYA Scotland’s Cruising and General Purposes Committee, Charles Bird finally slipped lines and headed further up the west coast for the next few months.
“As part of the Cruising and General Purposes community, I thought I would jot down a few observations from a couple of weeks on board.” Notes Charles as he shares some observations or his travels onboard the aptly named ‘Stravaiger’.
“We left Clyde Marina at about 1430 on Sunday 12 June. You may remember that the previous few days had seen high winds off the west coast which sent most boats looking for shelter. The forecast for our departure was winds of F4-5. They were, in fact F5-7, the seas “confused” with some quite steep waves. This all seemed to confirm anecdotal and subsequent observational indications that the forecasts seem to be “a bit off” at the moment, irrespective of the source of them. Like most, I imagine, I use several sources and models for checking forecasts, and none have been particularly accurate.”
“Given the westerly component of the wind, we didn’t attempt to go round the Mull, but headed for Ardrisaig and the Crinan. South west of Bute we responded to a Mayday relay from Belfast Coastguard; a motor vessel with 10 people on board, 5 Nm south west of Bute, was taking on water and had engine problems. They were in contact with the Coastguard by mobile phone rather than by radio and therefore we had no direct contact with them.”
“We gave the Coastguard our position and they asked us to keep an eye out for the stricken vessel. The light was already fading. Soon after, we heard the Largs lifeboat contacting the Coastguard on Ch16 and then switching to Ch0. A short while later, the lifeboat passed us and headed towards Lochranza and down the Kilbrannan Sound. We continued tacking our way towards Inchmarnock Water and Lower Loch Fyne, absent further instructions from the Coastguard. In fact we heard nothing further on Ch16 for about 90 minutes when the Coastguard stood down the Mayday Relay, saying that the distressed vessel had been located and the passengers made safe. Lesson learned: we should not have been reticent about asking for updates on the situation from the Coastguard given that we had responded to the original Mayday Relay.”
“We arrived in Ardrisaig just after 0300 after conditions improved, the moon appeared and we had a beautiful night sail. We managed a few hours sleep and were through the first lock on the Crinan just after 0830. As the weather had been gnarly over the past few days, there were no other boats transiting the canal in either direction. We were sitting by the sea lock in Crinan by about 1500. I have to admit to being hugely impressed by the canal staff on the locks and on the towpath. They could not have been more friendly, helpful or keener to help us get us through as quickly as possible.”
“With permission from the Crinan Boatyard, we picked up one of their moorings for a few hours, rested, ate and swam, while waiting for a favourable tide to head through the Dorus Mor. There being little else to do, we continued northwards and after another night sail, arrived in Oban North Pier about 0330. All the fish and seaweed farms in the Sound of Kerrera were clearly lit and easily avoidable, as we have discussed them frequently at committees I did keep a look out. I’ve subsequently visited Loch Aline, Kerrera and am now on a swinging mooring at Kilmelford Yacht Haven in Loch Melfort.”
“Observations: I was very impressed both with the facilities and the personnel at Oban North Pier. The pontoons were well organised and secure, unlimited shore power included in the nightly fee, and the showers and loos “well appointed” and clean. The staff were friendly and helpful, particularly to the large numbers of visiting boaters from abroad with some 6 French yachts, a German and one from the Netherlands in whilst I was there.”
“There was only one slightly sour note; the North Pier is a transit facility, not a marina. There is a strict limit of three nights stay after which you must depart, and you must not leave your boat unattended overnight. The (new, large and very expensive brand of) yacht that was tied up next to us had stayed the same three nights that we did, although the two crew clearly were not staying on board. As we were preparing to leave at about 1700 on the fourth day, I asked them where they would be heading. “Nowhere, we’re staying put”, was the reply. I asked about the three-night limit and their response was (I paraphrase), ‘that it was of no concern to them, the staff had probably gone home by then, and if they were still on duty and did the rounds, they wouldn’t find anyone on board as they were heading off ‘til the morning.’ I didn’t have a chance to discuss this sort of attitude with the North Pier staff, who are Council employees, and what sanctions, if any, they have.”
“It would be a pity if a small number of boaters with apparent disdain for the regulations spoiled life for the rest of us. I gather that the conditions permitting the operating of the facility include the three night limit. Routine and flagrant breaching of the conditions could jeopardise the way that it operates in future.”
“I was also impressed with the new management at Kerrera. They also want to work closely with other marinas and facilities, in particular and not surprisingly, with Oban North Pier.”
In discussion with other boaters, the main concerns at the moment appear to be:
- Inaccurate weather forecasting
- Increasing difficulty in finding marinas and harbours that have red (or any other) diesel available for boaters
- The lack of available places in marinas or on moorings for visiting boats, particularly in bad weather. There’s a lot of boats out there at the moment.
The Chair and members of the Cruising and General Purpose Committee and Coastwatchers would be interested in others’ observations and experiences over the season to help expand the knowledge base to protect safe, successful and rewarding boating in Scotland.
Please contact ChairCGPC@ryascotland.org.uk for more information about the Cruising and General Purposes Committee to see how you could help.
