Loch Fyne / Clyde June 2011

Clyde Cruise Friday 13^th of July to Sunday 15^th July 2011

Setting sail on Friday the 13^th???

With good weather forecast and two night’s accommodation booked ashore at the Portavadie Marina, the forthcoming Clyde Rally looked as though it would be a good weekend.

The rally was planned to cater for those wanting to sail for a weekend and those who were going on to sail for a full week, taking in more of the Clyde Coast and the Kintyre Peninsular. Due to work commitments we could only make the weekend, much as we would have liked to go for the full week. Setting out on a Friday did suit us as Kathleen does not work on Fridays (she does make up for it by working extended hours during the week).

I am happy honestly!

Friday 13^th of July

Arriving at Large Marina we made use of their wide and shallow slipway to launch Braveheart before parking the car and trailer in their very big yard / hard standing area. The car and trailer would stay there for the weekend. This was part of the twenty pound launch and recover fee.

With the other boats already rigged we set off at 9.00am to catch the tide that would assist us all the way through the Kyles of Bute (incoming)– our arrival at Colintraive and the Burnt Islands should coincide with slack water allowing time to stop for lunch before heading south towards the Sound of Bute assisted by the outgoing tide.

Entering the Kyles

Setting off under a fickle south / south westerly wind we made slow progress across the Clyde past Cumbrae and on towards Bute. With progress slow a number of boats chose to start their engines and progress under motor, however as we were in no great rush we chose to wait and see if the wind picked up. We were rewarded by the stirrings of a wind which allowed us to sail to within a mile or so of our planned lunch stop before it died altogether and we had to start our own engine. 

Bemused crew - why is the jib on the deck?

For lunch we rafted up with the other boats in a small by just to the east of the Burnt Islands – a pair of islands which lie in the middle of the Kyles and which split them into the east and west Kyles. The east Kyle (An Caol an Ear) runs from Rothesay Bay north west up to the Burnt Islands and the island of Eilean Dubh. The west kyle (An Caol an Iar/An Caol Ceathrach) runs from here south west, past the village of Tignabruaich out to the Sound of Bute. 

After lunch we motored on as the little wind that there was against us and we wanted to pass the Burnt Islands and turn southwards to catch the tide and hopefully a better wind.

Approaching Tignabruaich the wind began to pick up and soon we were skelping along under full sail beating towards the end of The Kyles and the entrance to Loch Fyne. By now a number of boats had again decided to motor as it was getting late in the afternoon and we still had a good few miles to go, however we kept going under sail power, eventually arriving at Portavadie long after everyone else and in the gathering darkness.

Portavadie Marina

While I secured Braveheart for the night, Kathleen went to find our accommodation which was an almost new luxury studio apartment in the marina complex (There is a plus side to not having a cabin at times!)

Miles sailed  - 37

Saturday 14^th of July

After a long day on Friday Stuart the rally organiser suggested that we day sail locally with the option of sailing over to Tarbert a small fishing town on the other side of Loch Fyne. As we have many memories of Tarbert and have been there countless times but always by road, we decided that Tarbert was the destination for us. An added incentive was the annual town fair which was being held and which we would see if we were there in the afternoon.

On Loch Fyne

After sailing around on Loch Fyne for a couple of hours we headed into Tarbert for lunch, tying up at the towns new marina which had been developed to combat the decline in fishing and ship building / repairs.

Entering West Loch Tarbert

Tarbert was alive with both locals and tourists and no sooner had we walked out of the marina than we met a good friend who we had not seen for a couple of years. After exchanging pleasantries we arranged to meet him for a drink that evening at his holiday house which turned out to only a few hundred yards from the marina at Portavadie.

After lunch and a walk around Tarbert we set off back across to Portavadie where we would be staying again that evening. With Braveheart again moored alongside a pontoon we enjoyed a pre dinner drink with our friends, before joining the crews on the Rally for a magnificent dinner in the Marina’s restaurant.

 Miles sailed - 15

Portavadie looking out to Loch Fyne

Sunday 15^th of July

With work the next day we left the marina early after saying our goodbyes. Of all the boats taking part we were the only boat heading home today, Another two would head back on the Monday with the rest cruising for the duration of the next week (lucky them!).

Making the most of the strong westerly wind we fairly flew back down Loch Fyne with the wind behind us before we turned northwards into the Kyles of Bute. Once in the Kyles we kept the wind on our quarter until it finally dropped as we approached the Burnt Islands again. After a short motor we again caught the wind which stayed behind us all the way back to the Marina at Largs.

Miles sailed 33.5

Total Miles sailed 85.5