Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Atlantic Adventure Oct 07
I returned to Scotland in Titch and after making sure Conny was OK, planned my next adventure.
Tom and I had it in mind to spend some time together before the year end. Tom had finished his ‘A’ levels and was awaiting entrance interviews with the RAF and I wasn’t working! So what could we do together?... we could go somewhere hot….yep that sounded good, but where?
Tom wanted to do something character building that could be used to demonstrate to the RAF that he hadn’t just been ‘sitting around on his arse’. I had a plan! Bjorn had offered me the opportunity to join him for any part of his journey. He was now in the Canary Islands and was due to head off to Cape Verde (800 miles south) in a week or two. What if both Tom and I could go!
A phone call to Bjorn gave the green light. As soon as possible we should go. After a mad scurry of phone calls, Tom and I had some flight options. Unfortunately, half term was approaching and we had a flight in 2 days at £50 or one in 5 days at £700…NO WAY!
Next day there was nothing for it…we booked the flights and then Conny and I had to drive through the night to the midlands with the flight booked the following afternoon for Tom and Myself. Paul had lent us is van and the plan was for Conny to return with the rest of our gear which we’d left at Redhill earlier in the year….
One day in Scotland in rain and 10 degrees…. 24 hours later we’re in Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) in 25 degrees at 10 o’clock at night and it hasn’t rained for weeks!
The three and a half weeks spent with Bjorn were fantastic. I don’t want to spend too much time on the detail of it though because it wasn’t really a Tigertale, more of a Chilitale (www.bachili.blogspot.com)! And Conny wasn’t on the trip…
Nevertheless Tom and I had a great time with Bjorn. We spent the first few days in Gran Canaria where we met a load of Bjorn’s travel buddies (yachts also doing the Caribbean – crossing the ‘pond’ in November/December, then cruising up through the Caribbean Islands until May before crossing back over the Atlantic via the Azores before the hurricane season). Among the friends we made, the ones with the fondest memories were Siobhan, Stian and Solver from the Norwegian yacht ‘Uredd’ (http://www.uredd-oslo.com/).....
After a few days in Gran Canaria we set sail for the Tenerife, some 60 odd miles west… Tom had a slightly difficult crossing ( ) and I, having quickly downed a coke before setting sail, parted company with it over the side of Chili in no time at all! Apart from that it was a good introduction for what was to come….. a stunningly beautiful blue ocean with BIG waves! ….. It’s hard to put into words and impossible to imagine but the shade of blue seen from the 4 kilometre deep water is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen…..
Anyway…back in the box…. We spent a few days in Tenerife, did the Mount Teide bit… oh… and the Playa de Las Americas thing (ended up sleeping on sun lounges on a private beach having been in a foam party…), before heading off on an overnight sail to La Gomera alongside Uredd…
This was our ‘final port of call’ before the ‘biggy’… we had a great few days here spending time with Siobhan, Stian and Solver, exploring the islands and being taught some devastating (for Tom anyway) dribbling games…. I mean drinking games
The time to set sail for Cape Verde came round in no time. We said our farewells and set sail…
What to say! One of my lasting memories is from about three hours into the 8 day trip. We’d lost the protection from the Canaries and the boat had started to react to the full force of the Atlantic swell. The boat was pitching and rolling in such a way that to move around needed 3 points of contact at all times and even sitting still was tiring… It was at this point I remember thinking, with some trepidation, that surely it was impossible to live like this for a week!
Actually, more accurately, I thought….Fuck, what the hell I am doing here and how the bloody hell are we going to get through the next week and come out in one piece!
Well needless to say we did…. it’s amazing what you get used to, especially when given Bjorn’s vast sailing experience and his indifference at the conditions. However, some things are better in hindsight and this was one such memory, brilliant now… something else at the time! Eight days and 800 miles (nautical, that’s 15% bigger than normal miles) on a 30 foot boat! It’s a small place for three people to co-exist, especially when you’re 400 miles from land (4 days) so there’s no getting off. It was challenging at times but wow… I can’t think of a parallel in life….everyone should try it…you learn a lot about yourself!
Tom and I had it in mind to spend some time together before the year end. Tom had finished his ‘A’ levels and was awaiting entrance interviews with the RAF and I wasn’t working! So what could we do together?... we could go somewhere hot….yep that sounded good, but where?
Tom wanted to do something character building that could be used to demonstrate to the RAF that he hadn’t just been ‘sitting around on his arse’. I had a plan! Bjorn had offered me the opportunity to join him for any part of his journey. He was now in the Canary Islands and was due to head off to Cape Verde (800 miles south) in a week or two. What if both Tom and I could go!
A phone call to Bjorn gave the green light. As soon as possible we should go. After a mad scurry of phone calls, Tom and I had some flight options. Unfortunately, half term was approaching and we had a flight in 2 days at £50 or one in 5 days at £700…NO WAY!
Next day there was nothing for it…we booked the flights and then Conny and I had to drive through the night to the midlands with the flight booked the following afternoon for Tom and Myself. Paul had lent us is van and the plan was for Conny to return with the rest of our gear which we’d left at Redhill earlier in the year….
One day in Scotland in rain and 10 degrees…. 24 hours later we’re in Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) in 25 degrees at 10 o’clock at night and it hasn’t rained for weeks!
The three and a half weeks spent with Bjorn were fantastic. I don’t want to spend too much time on the detail of it though because it wasn’t really a Tigertale, more of a Chilitale (www.bachili.blogspot.com)! And Conny wasn’t on the trip…
Nevertheless Tom and I had a great time with Bjorn. We spent the first few days in Gran Canaria where we met a load of Bjorn’s travel buddies (yachts also doing the Caribbean – crossing the ‘pond’ in November/December, then cruising up through the Caribbean Islands until May before crossing back over the Atlantic via the Azores before the hurricane season). Among the friends we made, the ones with the fondest memories were Siobhan, Stian and Solver from the Norwegian yacht ‘Uredd’ (http://www.uredd-oslo.com/).....
After a few days in Gran Canaria we set sail for the Tenerife, some 60 odd miles west… Tom had a slightly difficult crossing ( ) and I, having quickly downed a coke before setting sail, parted company with it over the side of Chili in no time at all! Apart from that it was a good introduction for what was to come….. a stunningly beautiful blue ocean with BIG waves! ….. It’s hard to put into words and impossible to imagine but the shade of blue seen from the 4 kilometre deep water is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen…..
Anyway…back in the box…. We spent a few days in Tenerife, did the Mount Teide bit… oh… and the Playa de Las Americas thing (ended up sleeping on sun lounges on a private beach having been in a foam party…), before heading off on an overnight sail to La Gomera alongside Uredd…
This was our ‘final port of call’ before the ‘biggy’… we had a great few days here spending time with Siobhan, Stian and Solver, exploring the islands and being taught some devastating (for Tom anyway) dribbling games…. I mean drinking games
The time to set sail for Cape Verde came round in no time. We said our farewells and set sail…
What to say! One of my lasting memories is from about three hours into the 8 day trip. We’d lost the protection from the Canaries and the boat had started to react to the full force of the Atlantic swell. The boat was pitching and rolling in such a way that to move around needed 3 points of contact at all times and even sitting still was tiring… It was at this point I remember thinking, with some trepidation, that surely it was impossible to live like this for a week!
Actually, more accurately, I thought….Fuck, what the hell I am doing here and how the bloody hell are we going to get through the next week and come out in one piece!
Well needless to say we did…. it’s amazing what you get used to, especially when given Bjorn’s vast sailing experience and his indifference at the conditions. However, some things are better in hindsight and this was one such memory, brilliant now… something else at the time! Eight days and 800 miles (nautical, that’s 15% bigger than normal miles) on a 30 foot boat! It’s a small place for three people to co-exist, especially when you’re 400 miles from land (4 days) so there’s no getting off. It was challenging at times but wow… I can’t think of a parallel in life….everyone should try it…you learn a lot about yourself!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Plan A B or C ?
Plan A was to winter Tiger in Scotland, for us to return to the Midlands for a few months to work and then to return to Scotland in 2008 to continue cruising. So in pursuit of ‘Plan A’ we returned to Crinan to look for opportunities for Tiger.
As we approached Crinan we pulled up on a small jetty/pontoon on the left hand side. No kidding, it could have been made for Tiger as she fitted snugly in and because of her narrow beam didn’t stick out like a yacht would. It later turned out that we were about the first boat in 12 years (since it had been made) that had been able to use the mooring. Paul (the Crinan Lock Keeper and yet to become another great friend to us), told us he’d built it as a bit of a skive from having to do some forestry work one winter!
Conny asked Paul who was it that controlled the mooring and who we could ask if it was OK to stay… “that’d be me” he replied in his Yorkshire accent!
So, smiling like a Cheshire cat, Conny asked Paul if we could stay, “yes” he said, “after all you’ve got your British Waterways licence so why not?”
FANTASTIC…..what a beautiful mooring!
It’s worth pointing our here that we represented a bit of an oddity…. Most boats transiting the Crinan Canal are sailing boats and in order for them to use the canal they purchase a 3 day licence at a cost of £10 per meter! That would be £85 for Tiger for 3 days! But here we were with our BW licence from England that entitled us to be on the canal almost without timescale….how cool!
So here we were, it was the beginning of September, we had a mooring for Tiger and suddenly the mad rush to get back south had been lifted and we had time to on our hands……J
Today is the 19th December, we’re in Switzerland with fantastic, crisp, bright weather (it was down to -9O least night). There are a million distractions here but I really want to finish the blog for this year. I would prefer not to be in 2008 trying to think back to what happened! It’s hard enough thinking back from now!
Just before I carry on though…. I’ve been keenly following the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers). This is a group of some 240 boats that congregate in the Canary Islands in autumn and then set sail for the Caribbean to hopefully arrive sometime before Christmas. Some of the boats we’ve met on our travels are travelling across as we speak (or should I say ‘as I write’ J) including Bjorn from Denmark (although he’s not part of the ARC)
So back to Scotland…..
Now with this new found time on our hands, we had the chance to do a little more local cruising. We fancied the idea of heading south down the Sound of Jura and checking out the ‘Fairy Isles’ at the head of Lock Sween. Colin (our new friend from lock 11 on the Crinan) mentioned that his Father, Mother and two sisters were planning a trip aboard their motor launch the ‘Silver Strand’ and that we might meet up with them. So given the settled weather we set off, met up with the rest of Colin’s family for the evening and then headed into Lock Sween the following morning. Having spent the next day with Colin and having had a guided tour of Tavyalick, we said our goodbyes and Conny and I put…put…putted round to the Fairy Isles for a few days….
Back in the Crinan we started to meet all the locals and it wasn’t long before we felt really welcome and apart of scene. It’s fair to say that this was mainly down to the warm welcome received from a handful of people…
It’s a small world …
We were in the local bar called the Panther Inn one night… I should point out that this is a tiny bar that’s basically a small room attached and apart of the Crinan Hotel. I’m not saying it’s quiet but any night with more than 6 people would be called busy! Well… this particular night there must have been 8 people in, so it was packed out J. Anyway, we got chatting with a couple on their holidays. It turned out that they were from Leicester….
“Oh” we said, “near Nottingham where we set off from”
“Oh Nottingham” they said, “We’ve got a mate who’s just started at the marina there at Sawley”
“Sawley” I said, that’s where I used to work!”
Turned their friend was Keith Higginson! Only my ex-boss!
Well, what a coincidence. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was able to scrounge a lift south, pick up ‘Titch’ our camper and more importantly see the Tom and Lil who I hadn’t seen since August….
Well I can’t leave Conny alone for a minute…no sooner had I headed south, that she very nearly ended up with a 6inch nail embedded in her head. You see, she’d started working for Paul (the Lock Keeper) on odd days building dry stone walls and on this particular day it was raining! GO away with you…raining in Scotland…really??? Yes it was raining and Conny and Paul were building a shelter using wooden planks and a tarpaulin. What they hadn’t seen was a nail in one of the planks that must’ve had Conny’s name on it cause’ quicker than you can say “that’s a lot of blood, I think that needs stitches”, the plank slipped and fell on Conny’s head. So off to Lochguilphead’s sparkling new hospital it was for Conny and a new tube of superglue! Yep that’s what they use nowadays…better than stitches apparently
As we approached Crinan we pulled up on a small jetty/pontoon on the left hand side. No kidding, it could have been made for Tiger as she fitted snugly in and because of her narrow beam didn’t stick out like a yacht would. It later turned out that we were about the first boat in 12 years (since it had been made) that had been able to use the mooring. Paul (the Crinan Lock Keeper and yet to become another great friend to us), told us he’d built it as a bit of a skive from having to do some forestry work one winter!
Conny asked Paul who was it that controlled the mooring and who we could ask if it was OK to stay… “that’d be me” he replied in his Yorkshire accent!
So, smiling like a Cheshire cat, Conny asked Paul if we could stay, “yes” he said, “after all you’ve got your British Waterways licence so why not?”
FANTASTIC…..what a beautiful mooring!
It’s worth pointing our here that we represented a bit of an oddity…. Most boats transiting the Crinan Canal are sailing boats and in order for them to use the canal they purchase a 3 day licence at a cost of £10 per meter! That would be £85 for Tiger for 3 days! But here we were with our BW licence from England that entitled us to be on the canal almost without timescale….how cool!
So here we were, it was the beginning of September, we had a mooring for Tiger and suddenly the mad rush to get back south had been lifted and we had time to on our hands……J
Today is the 19th December, we’re in Switzerland with fantastic, crisp, bright weather (it was down to -9O least night). There are a million distractions here but I really want to finish the blog for this year. I would prefer not to be in 2008 trying to think back to what happened! It’s hard enough thinking back from now!
Just before I carry on though…. I’ve been keenly following the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers). This is a group of some 240 boats that congregate in the Canary Islands in autumn and then set sail for the Caribbean to hopefully arrive sometime before Christmas. Some of the boats we’ve met on our travels are travelling across as we speak (or should I say ‘as I write’ J) including Bjorn from Denmark (although he’s not part of the ARC)
So back to Scotland…..
Now with this new found time on our hands, we had the chance to do a little more local cruising. We fancied the idea of heading south down the Sound of Jura and checking out the ‘Fairy Isles’ at the head of Lock Sween. Colin (our new friend from lock 11 on the Crinan) mentioned that his Father, Mother and two sisters were planning a trip aboard their motor launch the ‘Silver Strand’ and that we might meet up with them. So given the settled weather we set off, met up with the rest of Colin’s family for the evening and then headed into Lock Sween the following morning. Having spent the next day with Colin and having had a guided tour of Tavyalick, we said our goodbyes and Conny and I put…put…putted round to the Fairy Isles for a few days….
Back in the Crinan we started to meet all the locals and it wasn’t long before we felt really welcome and apart of scene. It’s fair to say that this was mainly down to the warm welcome received from a handful of people…
It’s a small world …
We were in the local bar called the Panther Inn one night… I should point out that this is a tiny bar that’s basically a small room attached and apart of the Crinan Hotel. I’m not saying it’s quiet but any night with more than 6 people would be called busy! Well… this particular night there must have been 8 people in, so it was packed out J. Anyway, we got chatting with a couple on their holidays. It turned out that they were from Leicester….
“Oh” we said, “near Nottingham where we set off from”
“Oh Nottingham” they said, “We’ve got a mate who’s just started at the marina there at Sawley”
“Sawley” I said, that’s where I used to work!”
Turned their friend was Keith Higginson! Only my ex-boss!
Well, what a coincidence. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was able to scrounge a lift south, pick up ‘Titch’ our camper and more importantly see the Tom and Lil who I hadn’t seen since August….
Well I can’t leave Conny alone for a minute…no sooner had I headed south, that she very nearly ended up with a 6inch nail embedded in her head. You see, she’d started working for Paul (the Lock Keeper) on odd days building dry stone walls and on this particular day it was raining! GO away with you…raining in Scotland…really??? Yes it was raining and Conny and Paul were building a shelter using wooden planks and a tarpaulin. What they hadn’t seen was a nail in one of the planks that must’ve had Conny’s name on it cause’ quicker than you can say “that’s a lot of blood, I think that needs stitches”, the plank slipped and fell on Conny’s head. So off to Lochguilphead’s sparkling new hospital it was for Conny and a new tube of superglue! Yep that’s what they use nowadays…better than stitches apparently
Saturday, December 15, 2007
What happened next...
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What happened then!
So we’re now in Switzerland for Christmas and over the next few weeks we’re going to do our best to catch up….honest J
Well back into the Crinan we went. Although the weather improved the mood didn’t. As already mentioned, if we were to tackle the east route round the Mull of Galloway it was essential to get round before any autumn gales set in.
Then as we approached lock 11 of the Crinan it suddenly occurred to me that we hadn’t really considered all our options, instead we (well mainly I) had just pushed on regardless. Conny as already preparing the next lock when I pulled Tiger over the side, tied her up and then ran over to Conny and proposed we pull over for the day to look at our options properly.
It was at this moment that all sorts of unbelievable opportunities started to open up….
First off we spent a day or so considering our options…during which we met a new friend Colin (the Lock keeper) Barr. Initially we came up with about 4 plans A, B, C and so on…yep that’s right and ‘D’
So we’re now in Switzerland for Christmas and over the next few weeks we’re going to do our best to catch up….honest J
Well back into the Crinan we went. Although the weather improved the mood didn’t. As already mentioned, if we were to tackle the east route round the Mull of Galloway it was essential to get round before any autumn gales set in.
Then as we approached lock 11 of the Crinan it suddenly occurred to me that we hadn’t really considered all our options, instead we (well mainly I) had just pushed on regardless. Conny as already preparing the next lock when I pulled Tiger over the side, tied her up and then ran over to Conny and proposed we pull over for the day to look at our options properly.
It was at this moment that all sorts of unbelievable opportunities started to open up….
First off we spent a day or so considering our options…during which we met a new friend Colin (the Lock keeper) Barr. Initially we came up with about 4 plans A, B, C and so on…yep that’s right and ‘D’
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
8th August onwards
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8th August 2007
Ben Nevis!!!! Climbing it may sound like a walk in the park because of it’s nicely laid out paths but the reality is something else!
Wednesday 8th - The morning was fantastic, hardly a cloud in the sky and the summit of Nevis quite visible in the distance as we headed off towards the main road to find a bus. Only 15 minutes into our expedition though and we hit our first hiccup. Conny pointed out that the sun was going to be intense (Sun what’s that I thought!) and Lil was going to need sun cream…doh. So off I went back to Tiger but on return none was to be found. A quick phone call and we decided that the others would catch the bus and that I’d find my own way and we’d all meet up in Fort William. To cut a long story short, we got the sun cream needed but whilst I’d found a bus, the others hadn’t and they’d walked three miles into town. Not such a great start when you’re about to go up Britain’s highest mountain.
We eventually reached the foot of the mountain at 11o’clock and started our slog up. In the distance we could make out people further on up the side of the mountain. All following the same path, they looked like multi-coloured ants on a massive anthill. As we joined the line, it felt more like being part of a pilgrimage rather than a mountain climb! That is until our legs started burning!
As we meandered (OK sweated) our way up the path it quickly became apparent that we’d under estimated our water needs. Or to put it more accurately Lil’s water needs :-) and after 3 hours, all of Lil’s had gone, three quarters of mine and Tom’s had gone (we were sharing) and the only one with much left was Conny and Scamp! Great….Scamp could drink from the streams added to which Conny shared some of hers with the rest of us J.
We counted off the meters on a hand held GPS and eventually reached what appeared to be the summit. This was confirmed by Tom who said there was only 30 meters or so to go! Yeh right…..as we reached what we had thought was the summit, a new stretch of path came into view that really knocked our spirits. The path carried on for hundreds of meters, snaking its way still higher. It was all too much for Scamp…she tried to curl up under a nearby rock. Well, there was nothing for it but to carry on, Scamp in rucksack we reached the summit at about three o’clock…four hours after setting off and with next to no drink left…doh.
The views were stunning…but it wasn’t long before all the layers we’d been shedding on the way up were quickly being put back on again. After eating our sandwiches (which had aided our motivation to reach the summit) and taking some photos we headed south again.
It took us about seven and a half hours to reach the summit and get down again. 1,344 meters…not bad we thought. That is until you find out that people run up and down it in less than an hour and a half!
Although a chance still remained of getting up to Loch Sunart the weather wasn’t looking too favourable (the good weather had lasted a day!) so the next afternoon we caught the tide down Loch Linnhe and anchored up beside a small group of islands next to Lismore for the night. We’d anchored on the north side of the islands given the southerly forecast and guess what? The wind backed round to the east during the night and gave us another jumpy night.
The next morning Conny went off in the dingy to give Scamp an early spin only to find the two of them surrounded by no fewer than fifteen seals all eager to investigate their new visitors. What a sight…..
A bit later and we all went off together in the dingy to explore the islands. Having tentatively decided to stay for the day, Tom and Lil set about gathering firewood as Conny and I brought Tiger to a new, closer anchorage. However, a look at the Navtex (this gives up to date weather reports) scuppered our plans. We needed to find a more sheltered anchorage so headed off into Loch Creran. This Loch turned out to be pretty nondescript but that didn’t matter too much. We had a great evening in Tiger playing cards and generally having a good laugh….
The remaining couple of days of Tom and Lil’s stay were spent nearby to Oban as we couldn’t afford to get caught by the weather resulting in them missing their train.
OK, I’m not going to moan too much about the weather ‘cause hey, this is Scotland!’ But really, so far this year, the weather has been pretty rubbish. The biggest problem for us has been the strong winds. In the relative shelter that the islands afford, Tiger has proved OK in up to force 5’s or maybe 6’s. But force 7’s have been common all summer! Where’s the high pressure???
After returning to Oban marina we had a couple of good days exploring the town again before all too quickly came the time for Tom and Lil to leave :-(
We’d also planned to leave Oban the same day but the wind was just too strong and so stayed until the following day when we took a short run for it down to Puilldobhrain. It was a day or so before spring tides (the highest and strongest) and I fancied trying to get through Seil Sound which leads under the ‘Bridge over the Atlantic’. So at low water that afternoon we went to investigate the path of the deepest channel through. It turned into a beautiful walk that took hours to explore. But after all our efforts a nasty swell in the entrance to the sound put pay to our attempts to go through. When I say attempts, I mean we nearly went for it and backed out in the last moment. There was nearly a meter of swell running which is a lot when you’ve maybe only got seven hundred millimetres of clearance and although the entrance looked calmer I decided not to risk it….Doh
Although it was now only mid August, the need to head south was already in our minds. On our way up it had taken us to seven weeks to reach this point and if the same were to happen again, it would be October before we returned. Although this time we had decided to return by the west coast, which would be shorter, this had some challenges of its own. Like the North Channel (this is the twenty odd mile wide stretch of water which separates Scotland from Ireland). This is where the nine meter high tides of the Irish Sea squeeze themselves through twice a day, their strong currents causing all sorts of chaos where they collide with land and each other at headlands. Added to which were some potentially long passages….fifty odd miles from Porpatrick to the Isle of Man and sixty five miles from the Isle of Man to Glasson Dock (Lancaster). Well you get the picture….a shorter route but one that needs settled weather for Tiger and with autumn not really known for settled weather, came the need to press on!
The next day the wind had calmed so we did a run for it. We needed to time our passage through Cuan Sound as, already mentioned, it was around spring tides which meant the flow would be exceeding 8 knots if we were to get it wrong.
One thing that’s never ceased to amaze me on this trip is the dramatic difference wind over tide can have on the sea state. We travelled south that day with a force 4 behind us but pushing a slightly foul tide. The swell was well under a meter and we chugged along quite happily. But when we reached Sound of Insh and the current increased to two or three knots the sea state changed dramatically. The swell increased as our speed over ground slowed due to the current and in no time at all we were crawling along over small hills that hadn’t existed minutes before. It was nothing too serious, just alarming how quickly things can change….
We passed through Cuan Sound without incident with two knots of flow to help us on our way and headed for Loch Melfort. Here we found a lovely area but were unable anchor due to the steep sided loch sides. So….off we went to Ardinmur which according to the pilot book is one of the most popular anchorages on the west coast. Unfortunately we failed to see why, stayed long enough to spin Scamp and headed off again. We eventually reached Loch Craigish, a stones throw from the Crinan Canal, and anchored up for the night.
When I say it rained…..I mean it really rained. ALL night and ALL of the next day. It just didn’t stop. It was the best we could do to get Scamp to leave the boat for a few minutes the following afternoon. It was a heavy day. The incessant rain added to which the thought that we were already heading south played on our mood….doh
Ben Nevis!!!! Climbing it may sound like a walk in the park because of it’s nicely laid out paths but the reality is something else!
Wednesday 8th - The morning was fantastic, hardly a cloud in the sky and the summit of Nevis quite visible in the distance as we headed off towards the main road to find a bus. Only 15 minutes into our expedition though and we hit our first hiccup. Conny pointed out that the sun was going to be intense (Sun what’s that I thought!) and Lil was going to need sun cream…doh. So off I went back to Tiger but on return none was to be found. A quick phone call and we decided that the others would catch the bus and that I’d find my own way and we’d all meet up in Fort William. To cut a long story short, we got the sun cream needed but whilst I’d found a bus, the others hadn’t and they’d walked three miles into town. Not such a great start when you’re about to go up Britain’s highest mountain.
We eventually reached the foot of the mountain at 11o’clock and started our slog up. In the distance we could make out people further on up the side of the mountain. All following the same path, they looked like multi-coloured ants on a massive anthill. As we joined the line, it felt more like being part of a pilgrimage rather than a mountain climb! That is until our legs started burning!
As we meandered (OK sweated) our way up the path it quickly became apparent that we’d under estimated our water needs. Or to put it more accurately Lil’s water needs :-) and after 3 hours, all of Lil’s had gone, three quarters of mine and Tom’s had gone (we were sharing) and the only one with much left was Conny and Scamp! Great….Scamp could drink from the streams added to which Conny shared some of hers with the rest of us J.
We counted off the meters on a hand held GPS and eventually reached what appeared to be the summit. This was confirmed by Tom who said there was only 30 meters or so to go! Yeh right…..as we reached what we had thought was the summit, a new stretch of path came into view that really knocked our spirits. The path carried on for hundreds of meters, snaking its way still higher. It was all too much for Scamp…she tried to curl up under a nearby rock. Well, there was nothing for it but to carry on, Scamp in rucksack we reached the summit at about three o’clock…four hours after setting off and with next to no drink left…doh.
The views were stunning…but it wasn’t long before all the layers we’d been shedding on the way up were quickly being put back on again. After eating our sandwiches (which had aided our motivation to reach the summit) and taking some photos we headed south again.
It took us about seven and a half hours to reach the summit and get down again. 1,344 meters…not bad we thought. That is until you find out that people run up and down it in less than an hour and a half!
Although a chance still remained of getting up to Loch Sunart the weather wasn’t looking too favourable (the good weather had lasted a day!) so the next afternoon we caught the tide down Loch Linnhe and anchored up beside a small group of islands next to Lismore for the night. We’d anchored on the north side of the islands given the southerly forecast and guess what? The wind backed round to the east during the night and gave us another jumpy night.
The next morning Conny went off in the dingy to give Scamp an early spin only to find the two of them surrounded by no fewer than fifteen seals all eager to investigate their new visitors. What a sight…..
A bit later and we all went off together in the dingy to explore the islands. Having tentatively decided to stay for the day, Tom and Lil set about gathering firewood as Conny and I brought Tiger to a new, closer anchorage. However, a look at the Navtex (this gives up to date weather reports) scuppered our plans. We needed to find a more sheltered anchorage so headed off into Loch Creran. This Loch turned out to be pretty nondescript but that didn’t matter too much. We had a great evening in Tiger playing cards and generally having a good laugh….
The remaining couple of days of Tom and Lil’s stay were spent nearby to Oban as we couldn’t afford to get caught by the weather resulting in them missing their train.
OK, I’m not going to moan too much about the weather ‘cause hey, this is Scotland!’ But really, so far this year, the weather has been pretty rubbish. The biggest problem for us has been the strong winds. In the relative shelter that the islands afford, Tiger has proved OK in up to force 5’s or maybe 6’s. But force 7’s have been common all summer! Where’s the high pressure???
After returning to Oban marina we had a couple of good days exploring the town again before all too quickly came the time for Tom and Lil to leave :-(
We’d also planned to leave Oban the same day but the wind was just too strong and so stayed until the following day when we took a short run for it down to Puilldobhrain. It was a day or so before spring tides (the highest and strongest) and I fancied trying to get through Seil Sound which leads under the ‘Bridge over the Atlantic’. So at low water that afternoon we went to investigate the path of the deepest channel through. It turned into a beautiful walk that took hours to explore. But after all our efforts a nasty swell in the entrance to the sound put pay to our attempts to go through. When I say attempts, I mean we nearly went for it and backed out in the last moment. There was nearly a meter of swell running which is a lot when you’ve maybe only got seven hundred millimetres of clearance and although the entrance looked calmer I decided not to risk it….Doh
Although it was now only mid August, the need to head south was already in our minds. On our way up it had taken us to seven weeks to reach this point and if the same were to happen again, it would be October before we returned. Although this time we had decided to return by the west coast, which would be shorter, this had some challenges of its own. Like the North Channel (this is the twenty odd mile wide stretch of water which separates Scotland from Ireland). This is where the nine meter high tides of the Irish Sea squeeze themselves through twice a day, their strong currents causing all sorts of chaos where they collide with land and each other at headlands. Added to which were some potentially long passages….fifty odd miles from Porpatrick to the Isle of Man and sixty five miles from the Isle of Man to Glasson Dock (Lancaster). Well you get the picture….a shorter route but one that needs settled weather for Tiger and with autumn not really known for settled weather, came the need to press on!
The next day the wind had calmed so we did a run for it. We needed to time our passage through Cuan Sound as, already mentioned, it was around spring tides which meant the flow would be exceeding 8 knots if we were to get it wrong.
One thing that’s never ceased to amaze me on this trip is the dramatic difference wind over tide can have on the sea state. We travelled south that day with a force 4 behind us but pushing a slightly foul tide. The swell was well under a meter and we chugged along quite happily. But when we reached Sound of Insh and the current increased to two or three knots the sea state changed dramatically. The swell increased as our speed over ground slowed due to the current and in no time at all we were crawling along over small hills that hadn’t existed minutes before. It was nothing too serious, just alarming how quickly things can change….
We passed through Cuan Sound without incident with two knots of flow to help us on our way and headed for Loch Melfort. Here we found a lovely area but were unable anchor due to the steep sided loch sides. So….off we went to Ardinmur which according to the pilot book is one of the most popular anchorages on the west coast. Unfortunately we failed to see why, stayed long enough to spin Scamp and headed off again. We eventually reached Loch Craigish, a stones throw from the Crinan Canal, and anchored up for the night.
When I say it rained…..I mean it really rained. ALL night and ALL of the next day. It just didn’t stop. It was the best we could do to get Scamp to leave the boat for a few minutes the following afternoon. It was a heavy day. The incessant rain added to which the thought that we were already heading south played on our mood….doh
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
1st August onwards
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1st August 2007
Italy may have 48 degrees, France may have a huge high pressure hovering over it and England may have 30 degrees of sunshine, but in Scotland it’s raining and we’ve got the fire lit!
Well since Jase and Tom arrived and with having Lil already with us, it’s been like having yet another a mini holiday within a holiday. OK, life’s been a little tight with five of us aboard Tiger but there’s barely been a dull moment with Jase’s sharp wit never more than a few words away and Conny’s fantastic cooking keeping spirits high.
We headed up along the length of the Caledonian Canal through last week reaching Fort Augustus on Wednesday. That night we went to a couple of local pubs and met two Guys (Moose and Mark) from a nearby construction site building a new dam for hydro electric generation. How small a world is this then….it turns out that Moose (originally from Canada hence the nickname) and his family have owned one of the prettiest riverside cottages on the river Soar for the past 60 years. Anyone who has been along the River Soar towards Loughborough will know it. Called ‘Windy Corner’, it’s the last cottage on the left having passed through Normanton on Soar and one we’ve admired every time we’ve passed it. And how odd as well, although completely unconnected….in one of the pubs there was a Swiss pipe band playing! It turned out they were over to play at a concert with a Scottish band the following weekend and were having a practice night in the pub.
Thursday and with binoculars at the ready we headed out of Fort Augustus. Conny and I had cast off quite early leaving all the others still ‘zedding’ in their bunks. Within a few minutes of our departure the view opened up and there in front of us, lying majestically with it’s bordering hills and mountains, was Loch Ness. It was breathtaking…….and how deep…the depth sounder went blank at 182 meters!
The trip up to Drumnadrochit took us three hours and by the time we passed Urquhart Castle the others had emerged from their bunks. After anchoring up it was off to the ‘Monster exhibition’….
Well…. after finding out that you could fit the world’s population into Loch Ness we returned to our anchorage and decided to stay overnight and have a fire on a small pebble beach on the wood lined shore….It turned into a wind still night with barely a ripple on the surface of the loch. With Tiger anchored in the background, some great food and the fire crackling away, it made a picture to cherish….
The next day and the Loch had changed character completely. Gone was it’s pond like appearance and instead were tumbling white caps. The forecast had predicted force 5 gusting to 7 which would’ve been a big ‘no go’ for us out at sea, but how bad could it possibly be on an enclosed loch? It was only a few minutes before we found out! As we lost the relative shelter of Urquhart Castle the effects of 15 odd miles of open water hit us. Waves quite unlike others we had encountered before thrashed down the loch, about four feet high but very close together. Fortunately we were heading north and running with the waves so things weren’t too bad. However, after five minutes I started to get concerned about how things would look when we reached the end of the loch and these waves hit shallower water! I decided I could live without knowing which meant plan ‘B’ and heading back to Drumnadrochit. Knowing that things were about to change for the worst, Conny went down to secure things as I turned Tiger round. Full throttle and with hard lock on the wheel Tiger went quickly around and was immediately launched off the first crest and down into the next on coming wave…. crash…..(it is said that the worst waves a boat can encounter are those that have a wave length equal to half the boats length. This is because one wave launches the boat in the air only for it to land in the trough of the next oncoming wave) and so it was….
The book reading and conversation inside the cabin stopped as the guys reached out for something to hang on to. Every time we hit a wave the cockpit windows received a deluge of water as if someone were outside throwing buckets of water at us. There was none of the rolling we’d experienced in the North Sea, just an exaggerated see-saw movement from bow to stern as we crashed through the waves…
Fortunately it wasn’t too long before we reached sheltered water again and dropped anchor. Our second attempt to head towards Inverness only three hours later was a completely different ‘kettle of fish’ and we reached our destination of Dochgarroch without fuss.
With Tom, Lil and Jase visiting...although Jase has now gone, the blog has been taking second priority. We'll try and get up to date soon. We're now back at our original start point on the Caledonian Canal at Fort William and this morning we're nursing aching muscles as we climbed Ben Nevis yesterday! All 1,344 meters of it! Yesterday we were blessed. The sun came out (according to the visitor centre, 'the best day in weeks and weeks') and the views were stunning!
Try and update more as soon as......X
With the weather often being rainy, playing cards became a popular way of passing time with the guys. Rummy was the preferred game but when we eventually tired of it at game 1,346 we decided to play Tom’s game ‘Black Jack’. At first however we really struggled with the rules with Jase accusing Tom of introducing new rules whenever it suited his cause J.
With Saturday came a trip into Inverness. This place has really changed over the years and is now much more cosmopolitan and a ‘happening’ place. After looking around the town, doing some shopping and having an M&S sandwich (yum yum) we returned to the boat (30 mins walk) only to walk back that evening for an Indian, courtesy of Jase. The meal was fab and matched equally by the view from the restaurant which overlooked the river Ness. The strong winds had returned and a pair of hanging baskets outside our window thrashed around so much during the evening they looked like they might part company with their hangers at any second. Needless to say they didn’t…We finished our meal, went for a quick drink in a local bar where Tom introduced us to a very odd tasting apple shot, and then returned to Tiger.
Sunday was an early start to get Jase on a bus back to his car. He had offered to do this rather than having all of us rush back the 60 odd miles of the Caledonian by boat. The week with Jase had flown by and it was sad to see it over so quickly L.
We headed back into Loch Ness and visited the ‘Monster Hunter’. This is a guy called Steve Feltham who gave up his life in Dorset in the early 90’s to take up residence by the Loch in a converted library van. Some may remember him as he featured on his own BBC2 video diary in the mid 90’s. Anyone interested can also follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H1LZ-hwbdU
Anyway…after buying a monster from Steve we headed back to Drumnadrochit. Unfortunately we’d only been there 30 minutes when I noticed a change in wind direction. Double checking the forecast I found it had changed completely, potentially leaving our anchorage very exposed to a newly forecasted force 7.
Doh….there was nothing for it but to press on to Fort Augustus, another 3 hours away. Wind on our stern, we reached the end of Loch Ness at nightfall (11 o’clock), just as the big wind was arriving. Although in relative shelter from the loch we had a bumpy night and were very pleased we hadn’t stayed put….
We awoke from our bumpy night tied up to a hire boat and due to the volume of boats trying to occupy such a small pontoon decided it best to precede up the Fort Augustus ‘staircase lock’. The weather was pretty dire and Conny and I got a soaking whilst the kids continued to sleep blissfully unaware of what was going on. At the top we decided to get what shopping we needed from the town, shower, fill up with water etc. and head on. Having done all of this we reached Kytra Lock later that evening and after a quick wander (midge city) returned for dinner….
With a week left with the kids (soz guys….not so much kids anymore!) we faced a bit of a quandary. On the one hand the Caledonian was beautiful and begged more exploration but on the other was the chance of heading back up the Sound of Mull to show the kids Loch Sunart. With this partly in mind we set off ‘early doors’ the next morning. This ended up quite a mammoth day. We reached the end of the Caledonian 9 hours later, having covered some 23 miles, about 10 lochs and swing bridges, and Neptune’s Staircase (7 locks back to back near Fort William).
And after all that what did we do?….we decided to stay there and climb Ben Nevis (what Muppets!)
Italy may have 48 degrees, France may have a huge high pressure hovering over it and England may have 30 degrees of sunshine, but in Scotland it’s raining and we’ve got the fire lit!
Well since Jase and Tom arrived and with having Lil already with us, it’s been like having yet another a mini holiday within a holiday. OK, life’s been a little tight with five of us aboard Tiger but there’s barely been a dull moment with Jase’s sharp wit never more than a few words away and Conny’s fantastic cooking keeping spirits high.
We headed up along the length of the Caledonian Canal through last week reaching Fort Augustus on Wednesday. That night we went to a couple of local pubs and met two Guys (Moose and Mark) from a nearby construction site building a new dam for hydro electric generation. How small a world is this then….it turns out that Moose (originally from Canada hence the nickname) and his family have owned one of the prettiest riverside cottages on the river Soar for the past 60 years. Anyone who has been along the River Soar towards Loughborough will know it. Called ‘Windy Corner’, it’s the last cottage on the left having passed through Normanton on Soar and one we’ve admired every time we’ve passed it. And how odd as well, although completely unconnected….in one of the pubs there was a Swiss pipe band playing! It turned out they were over to play at a concert with a Scottish band the following weekend and were having a practice night in the pub.
Thursday and with binoculars at the ready we headed out of Fort Augustus. Conny and I had cast off quite early leaving all the others still ‘zedding’ in their bunks. Within a few minutes of our departure the view opened up and there in front of us, lying majestically with it’s bordering hills and mountains, was Loch Ness. It was breathtaking…….and how deep…the depth sounder went blank at 182 meters!
The trip up to Drumnadrochit took us three hours and by the time we passed Urquhart Castle the others had emerged from their bunks. After anchoring up it was off to the ‘Monster exhibition’….
Well…. after finding out that you could fit the world’s population into Loch Ness we returned to our anchorage and decided to stay overnight and have a fire on a small pebble beach on the wood lined shore….It turned into a wind still night with barely a ripple on the surface of the loch. With Tiger anchored in the background, some great food and the fire crackling away, it made a picture to cherish….
The next day and the Loch had changed character completely. Gone was it’s pond like appearance and instead were tumbling white caps. The forecast had predicted force 5 gusting to 7 which would’ve been a big ‘no go’ for us out at sea, but how bad could it possibly be on an enclosed loch? It was only a few minutes before we found out! As we lost the relative shelter of Urquhart Castle the effects of 15 odd miles of open water hit us. Waves quite unlike others we had encountered before thrashed down the loch, about four feet high but very close together. Fortunately we were heading north and running with the waves so things weren’t too bad. However, after five minutes I started to get concerned about how things would look when we reached the end of the loch and these waves hit shallower water! I decided I could live without knowing which meant plan ‘B’ and heading back to Drumnadrochit. Knowing that things were about to change for the worst, Conny went down to secure things as I turned Tiger round. Full throttle and with hard lock on the wheel Tiger went quickly around and was immediately launched off the first crest and down into the next on coming wave…. crash…..(it is said that the worst waves a boat can encounter are those that have a wave length equal to half the boats length. This is because one wave launches the boat in the air only for it to land in the trough of the next oncoming wave) and so it was….
The book reading and conversation inside the cabin stopped as the guys reached out for something to hang on to. Every time we hit a wave the cockpit windows received a deluge of water as if someone were outside throwing buckets of water at us. There was none of the rolling we’d experienced in the North Sea, just an exaggerated see-saw movement from bow to stern as we crashed through the waves…
Fortunately it wasn’t too long before we reached sheltered water again and dropped anchor. Our second attempt to head towards Inverness only three hours later was a completely different ‘kettle of fish’ and we reached our destination of Dochgarroch without fuss.
With Tom, Lil and Jase visiting...although Jase has now gone, the blog has been taking second priority. We'll try and get up to date soon. We're now back at our original start point on the Caledonian Canal at Fort William and this morning we're nursing aching muscles as we climbed Ben Nevis yesterday! All 1,344 meters of it! Yesterday we were blessed. The sun came out (according to the visitor centre, 'the best day in weeks and weeks') and the views were stunning!
Try and update more as soon as......X
With the weather often being rainy, playing cards became a popular way of passing time with the guys. Rummy was the preferred game but when we eventually tired of it at game 1,346 we decided to play Tom’s game ‘Black Jack’. At first however we really struggled with the rules with Jase accusing Tom of introducing new rules whenever it suited his cause J.
With Saturday came a trip into Inverness. This place has really changed over the years and is now much more cosmopolitan and a ‘happening’ place. After looking around the town, doing some shopping and having an M&S sandwich (yum yum) we returned to the boat (30 mins walk) only to walk back that evening for an Indian, courtesy of Jase. The meal was fab and matched equally by the view from the restaurant which overlooked the river Ness. The strong winds had returned and a pair of hanging baskets outside our window thrashed around so much during the evening they looked like they might part company with their hangers at any second. Needless to say they didn’t…We finished our meal, went for a quick drink in a local bar where Tom introduced us to a very odd tasting apple shot, and then returned to Tiger.
Sunday was an early start to get Jase on a bus back to his car. He had offered to do this rather than having all of us rush back the 60 odd miles of the Caledonian by boat. The week with Jase had flown by and it was sad to see it over so quickly L.
We headed back into Loch Ness and visited the ‘Monster Hunter’. This is a guy called Steve Feltham who gave up his life in Dorset in the early 90’s to take up residence by the Loch in a converted library van. Some may remember him as he featured on his own BBC2 video diary in the mid 90’s. Anyone interested can also follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H1LZ-hwbdU
Anyway…after buying a monster from Steve we headed back to Drumnadrochit. Unfortunately we’d only been there 30 minutes when I noticed a change in wind direction. Double checking the forecast I found it had changed completely, potentially leaving our anchorage very exposed to a newly forecasted force 7.
Doh….there was nothing for it but to press on to Fort Augustus, another 3 hours away. Wind on our stern, we reached the end of Loch Ness at nightfall (11 o’clock), just as the big wind was arriving. Although in relative shelter from the loch we had a bumpy night and were very pleased we hadn’t stayed put….
We awoke from our bumpy night tied up to a hire boat and due to the volume of boats trying to occupy such a small pontoon decided it best to precede up the Fort Augustus ‘staircase lock’. The weather was pretty dire and Conny and I got a soaking whilst the kids continued to sleep blissfully unaware of what was going on. At the top we decided to get what shopping we needed from the town, shower, fill up with water etc. and head on. Having done all of this we reached Kytra Lock later that evening and after a quick wander (midge city) returned for dinner….
With a week left with the kids (soz guys….not so much kids anymore!) we faced a bit of a quandary. On the one hand the Caledonian was beautiful and begged more exploration but on the other was the chance of heading back up the Sound of Mull to show the kids Loch Sunart. With this partly in mind we set off ‘early doors’ the next morning. This ended up quite a mammoth day. We reached the end of the Caledonian 9 hours later, having covered some 23 miles, about 10 lochs and swing bridges, and Neptune’s Staircase (7 locks back to back near Fort William).
And after all that what did we do?….we decided to stay there and climb Ben Nevis (what Muppets!)
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