Last men standing.

September is nearly done already, summer has passed in a flash and the dark nights of autumn and winter are just around the corner and it struck me recently that I haven't done a single trip in my Shearwater this year. Yes I've day sailed at OCSG meets and with Val but multi day trips have been conspicuous by their absence. With this in mind I was keen to do something over a long weekend that I had free towards the end of September. The idea was mooted amongst the usual suspects but for various reasons the others dropped out or couldn't make it. Luckily Dave was keen to drive up to Scotland to join me and suggested we launch at the Puffin Diving Centre near Oban and sail out to Mull with a stop over on Kerrera on the way. As I'd not sailed in this area before I was delighted to go along with his plan.
We met up at about three in the afternoon on Friday, later than we'd hoped but I'd been on night shift on Thursday night so time was short. Dave was waiting ready to go so once we'd assembled my boat and loaded up we wasted no further time in getting on the water.

We set off beating south down the Sound of Kerrera in light southerly winds, it was slow progress but lovely to be out on the water.

 

As we sailed slowly south the wind became even lighter and then disappeared completely so it was out with the paddles. We were briefly entertained by a pod of porpoises hunting but as we drew closer they disappeared not to return. It soon became obvious that our intended destination on the northwestern end of Kerrera wouldn't be a realistic option due to limited day light and the prospect of paddling against the tide up the western side of island. Instead we began to search for an acceptable landing spot on the southern end of the island which was a little problematic as the beaches are predominantly rocky. We paddled in to the bay below Gylen Castle for a look and spotted a beach that looked possible.

 As I paddled in I could see sand on the bottom but the beach appeared to be rocks and boulders which would make trolleying the canoes above the high water mark difficult. We landed for a look anyway and decided that if we joined forces to manhandle the canoes once empty of camping gear we should be able to manage.

This is our GPS track for Friday superimposed on a Google Earth image.

After emptying the boats and following a little judicious rock gardening we got the canoes up the beach and could relax and begin to enjoy our surroundings. We were right below the castle in a spectacular setting.

We quickly settled in, Dave pitching his tent while I faffed around rigging my tarp (with the settled weather forecast I'd decided to bivi instead of taking a tent). After dinner we sat up chatting until quite late feeding Dave's woodgas stove with bits of driftwood in lieu of having a proper fire and enjoying our surroundings.
Overnight the wind strengthened markedly from the north. Despite the flapping of my tarp I slept reasonably well being exhausted after having effectively missed a nights sleep following my night shifts. Dave wasn't so fortunate being disturbed by his tent flapping in the wind and having to get up and add extra pegs and guylines during the night. When I woke I put on a brew and made some porridge which I was able to eat in bed (the joys of bivying!) Once Dave had risen and had something to eat our thoughts turned to plans for the day, we had intended to sail across to Mull but it was an open and exposed crossing of around five miles and we could see there were plenty of white horses out in channel between Kerrera and Mull as a result of the strong wind. We decided to explore the castle instead before having some lunch then sail across in the afternoon if the wind had moderated enough.
Gylen Castle was built in 1582 by the Clan MacDougall. Gylen was only occupied for a relatively short period of time. The castle was besieged then burned by the Covenanters under General Leslie in 1647 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. In May 2006 a restoration of the castle was completed with a £300,000 grant by Historic Scotland and £200,000 raised by worldwide members of Clan MacDougall.

The castle offered a fine view of our campsite and canoes waiting below.

We wandered back down to camp and had a leisurely lunch then loaded up the canoes ready to see what the crossing had in store for us. We managed to convince ourselves that the wind had dropped a little but had a contingency plan to sail up the west coast of Kerrera if the sea state appeared too severe to cross to Mull. We manhandled the canoes back down to the water ready to set off.

 The first section was sheltered and we enjoyed excellent fast sailing along the southern coast of Kerrera.

We soon reached the point where a decision was necessary regarding our route, Dave gave me a thumbs up sign which I returned and we set off towards Mull after reefing our sails down to account for the stronger winds we expected to encounter.
Very quickly the wind freshened and the waves got bigger with gusts of F5 and wind against tide conditions. It made for exciting sailing and I was very aware that it was a long way to the safety of Mull.

As ever my photos were taken during more gentle spells when I could afford to take a hand off the controls to use the camera, still they give some idea of the conditions. It was fun sailing though once we relaxed into the conditions (although anymore wind would have made the crossing too dangerous). It took around two hours to get across and we paused briefly to discuss having a look in Loch Spelve but dismissed the idea as getting back out through the narrow entrance may have proved difficult once the tide had turned (the tide flows too quickly to sail against when in full flow). Instead we headed north for a campsite on a sandy beach that Dave has used many times before at Port Donain. We landed easily this time on a white sandy beach, greeted by a reception committee of highland cows.

This is Saturday's GPS track on Google Earth.

 Once more we went through the camp making ritual, me with my minimalist approach.......

........and Dave with his more luxurious accommodation.

Dave was exhausted after the wild night before and decided to have a nap, I went for a stroll to explore our little bay and make use of the phone signal to ring Val and let her know I was okay.

 As I wandered back I noticed a huge bird of prey flying nearby and when I got back to camp Dave (who'd arisen) confirmed that it was a Sea Eagle (he also spotted a Peregrine Falcon but I'd missed it).
After dinner we collected all the driftwood that we could find on the beach, we had a fair pile and it was all very dry meaning we had a fantastic campfire to keep us warm.

Just as well as the sky assumed a wintry look as the sun began to set.

After a chilly night I woke to a beautiful sunrise, one of the benefits of not being enclosed in a tent.

We left Port Donain in reasonable time to cross back towards the northern end of Kerrera and from there on to Oban. The wind was much lighter and the sun was shining making for pleasant, warm, relaxing sailing.

We had another encounter with porpoises not long after leaving but as before by the time we'd got out our cameras they'd gone. The trip back was uneventful and took quite a while.

As we reached Kerrera the wind disappeared and we had to paddle for a while but then a light breeze returned allowing us to sail triumphantly into Oban Bay!

Past Oban and Kerrera Marina back down the Sound of Kerrera towards our starting point.

By the time we arrived back at the Puffin Diving Centre it was three in the afternoon, the light winds having delayed us by a couple of hours. We packed up and Dave left for his long drive south a little before me.
Day three GPS and also the whole route on Google Earth.

 What a fantastic weekend, varied sailing conditions, wildlife sightings and stunning late summer weather combined with covering modest distances and lots of relaxing in camp in great company made for a combination that will be hard to beat.

For all the cows.

This last weekend I'd hoped to be paddling my sea kayak into Barrisdale in Knoydart to meet up with Rich (Shewie) and Pete who are walking the Cape Wrath Trail over the next few weeks and while I was there taking the opportunity of bagging a couple of Munros that I haven't done. Alas, work intervened again cutting my four days off down to two (which wouldn't have been enough time for that plan). Instead I decided to finally try to get to an island at the northern end of Loch Lomond that I've been intending to visit for ages. 
Island I Vow (or Ellan Vhow or  Eilean a' Bhò  as it's also known) is a small island that's not very obvious from the main A82 road but it has the remains of a castle on it that was once home of the clan MacFarlane. The MacFarlanes were known for cattle rustling and there is speculation that the abductees would often be hidden away on the island (one theory is that the islands name stems from a translation of "Island of the Cow" because of this). The castle was built by the MacFarlanes to replace their original stronghold on Inveruglas Isle which was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's army in 1654 (due to the clan's loyalty to the Stuart cause).
The two day window of opportunity that I had would be plenty of time to launch at Tarbet and paddle sail north to Island I Vow, camp nearby and return the next day. It was also a great chance to try out a new smaller 25sq ft Solway Dory Expedition Rig that I've recently acquired in a bid to get back to basics with my plastic canoe.
After faffing about on Saturday morning I finally set off to drive to Tarbet after lunchtime. I'd hoped to park at Tarbet pier but the car park was full so I carried on north a little way and was lucky to get a space in a lay by just opposite Tarbet Isle. I got on the water as quickly as I could but it was still almost three by the time I got going. I put the sail up straight away but the wind was light and variable so I ended up dropping it again and paddling across to the eastern shore to get away from the traffic noise.

 

Once across the loch the wind freshened from the north west and I was able to paddle sail again. The new rig performed just as I'd hoped it would, giving decent ability to windward while having less heeling effect than the taller bermudan rig. In pure sailing terms it lost out a little in terms of how high into the wind it would point but for sailing without a rudder it felt very benign and manageable and the paddle strokes used for steering made up a little for the slightly reduced performance.

As time went by the wind continued to freshen giving exciting, splashy sailing conditions that necessitated more athletic efforts to maintain an even keel.

 The sailing was great fun but quite strenuous. The wind strength peaked as I drew level with Inversnaid and I felt that I needed to stop for a stretch of the legs and to reassess. I landed at Inversnaid boathouse where there is an informal campsite used by people walking the West Highland Way.

 

I had a drink and a rest and pondered my options. I could camp at Inversnaid and try to reach Island I Vow the next day or I could push on. The wind was quite strong now with squally spells of F4 and  wind blown chop that had seen a few waves come over the side of the canoe and a few sketchy moments and it was already six o'clock in the evening. Against that, stopping would leave a lot to do  the following day and may lead to a failure to reach my destination. I studied the map and realised that it was only another two miles to the island. That settled it, I decided to drop the sail and paddle the next section of the loch that ran past some steep rocks that swept straight down into the water leaving no place to land. It would be hard work but at least I wouldn't be risking a capsize and if it was too hard I could turn round and run back down wind back to Inversnaid. I dropped the rig (mast and all) which stowed easily in the canoe and set off paddling hard. I had to "switch," that is paddle a couple of strokes on one side of the canoe then a few on the other rather than paddling on one side as I normally do. This technique is more efficient but not as elegant but was necessary to make any headway into the wind. I gradually rounded the rocky section that I'd been worried about and the wind began to moderate a little so I landed briefly and put the sail back up, anything for a bit of help! Eventually the island came into view in the distance (visible in the pictures below). 

My thoughts turned to setting up camp, I'd thought that I'd camp on the shore just north east of the island where I knew there was a beach and flattish meadow but I couldn't resist landing on the island first for a look.

What greeted me was a perfectly level campsite in the interior of the island just a little way from the castle and I had the island to myself. Furthermore I could see some speed boats beached at the meadow that I'd intended using so I decided to camp on the island. Setting up camp took second place to exploring the castle remains though.

I'd read about the dungeon and the entrance was immediately apparent, I couldn't resist a look. It was surprisingly dry inside despite the dilapidated state of the castle remains above and I could see why it had been home to a hermit in the nineteenth century.

Curiosity satisfied I went back to set up camp and make something to eat before it went dark.

After eating dinner I fed my little woodgas stove with odds and ends of twigs that were lying around  (in lieu of a proper fire) before going to bed.
Having studied the forecast I knew that my best chance of favourable winds on Sunday would be to leave in good time so I rose just after seven. The loch was like a mill pond so I ate breakfast and packed up resigned to the fact that I was in for more paddling.

  I left Island I Vow just before nine in lovely conditions (just not lovely conditions for sailing) but it was impossible to be disappointed on such a beautiful morning as I paddled south.

I had the sail up more in hope than expectation but was surprised to note that even in such calm conditions I could still feel a tiny bit of assistance from it. I'd decided to follow the western bank on the way back for a change and were it not for the traffic noise from the busy A82 it would have been a perfect paddle following a series of nice shingle beaches interspersed with pretty little bays. Soon I reached Inveruglas and it's hideous hydro electric power station (and people say windfarms are ugly!)

As I was passing I decided to visit the MacFarlanes other castle on Inveruglas Isle for a few minutes.

As I left the bay at Inveruglas the first hint of a proper breeze appeared on the water so I sailed over to the beach at Cailness for lunch.

That only left me a short hop back across to the west shore again to my parked car after a leisurely lunch.
The weekend gave me a good chance to try out my new sailing rig (which passed the test with flying colours in very varied conditions) and fulfil a long standing ambition to explore some of the less frequented northern end of Loch Lomond which is well worth a look and is very different in character to the more popular southern end.