Having enjoyed the delights of Campbeltown (with the entertaining backdrop of Exercise Mine Warrior), some good walks and some running, we were delighted to hear from friend Jo who was unexpectedly able to come and join us for a day or so. Having managed to avoid being lured into one of the many whisky distilleries, we decided it was time to move on. I was keen to get underway lest Hazel had another 'good idea' to take us both off for another 'little run'......these are normally about a dozen miles, focussed largely around the largest and steepest hill in the area, and generally leave me somewhat broken for a day or so.
Weather and wind made Largs look like a good mid-point to RV and enable a day or so of sailing. We had a final comfortable night at anchor off Campbeltown, and finished what has been (so far) the only repair of the trip - installing a new split charge device as the old charge splitting diode was getting very hot and bothered.
The sail from Campbeltown up Kilbrannan Sound was a little frustrating with the forecast South Easterly elusive; we reached briefly in 10-12kts and bright sun (before the wind disappeared entirely); it was gollywobbler weather so we hoisted all plain sail and I took the opportunity to fly the drone and get some good pics of Contour looking her best with Aisla Craig in the background. Flying things from a boat is a game of two halves - launching is relatively easy (up and don't fly into the masts). Recovery is harder, faced with the reality of lots to bump into and the annoying tendency of boats to move. Every time I land the drone I grudgingly admit that aviators probably earn their money! Because Hazel is surprisingly sanguine about losing the odd finger, we have developed a technique where I match boat speed and lower the drone gradually to 'catch height'. So far, the number of launches and recoveries has remained pleasingly equal......
By the North of Arran the wind had turned up, not remotely related to the forecast naturally! We started to learn about the strong local effects which predominate in the Clyde, with frequent and dramatic changes of wind speed and direction sail trimming became a full time task. We raced across the top of Arran, and managed to thread the gap through the Cumbrai islands without gybing, before turning North past Hunterstone towards Largs.
Largs is a huge marina - the largest in Scotland I think - and the mix of boats and style of marina rather reminded me of being on the Solent again. Jo joined us on arrival, as always replete with high quality trucklements. We explored the area around Largs a bit, went on a decent (and very refreshing!)walk up a local glen, (Hazel and Jo having carefully chosen contrasting and equally colourful outfits) and then tucked in to wait for the weather to pass, as the second of a series of large atlantic lows marched it's way past, accompanied by 40kt winds, snow, and hail.
The following day, the wind backed over the course of the morning and, by the time of attempted departure, was blowing us hard on to the berth which was somewhat exposed at the entrance to the marina. Despite extensive efforts with a backspring and then a 'sprong' (spring worked across the stern to lever the bow out) along with some significant engine power, we could not get the bow across the wind and leave the berth safely. As (again) the wind showed no signs of remotely complying with the forecast and started gusting to 40kts, we made the decision to stay another night. Hazel ambled up to the Marina office, only to get the good news from the Marina that a large Oyster had committed to entry and we would have to leave the visitor's berth..... Sadly this also made the logistics for Jo somewhat of a challenge so her visit was cut prematurely short - this was very disappointing, though looking at the forecast, Jo may have been relieved to have an excuse to exit the boat for a warmer and drier life ashore!
We secured for a stiff passage and, with the help of a (very well handled) marina work boat to pull us off the berth, made it out into the Largs channel, relatively sheltered by Great Cumbrai Island. With two reefs in and our No3 Yankee, we broke cover North into the Firth of Clyde, close hauled and heading towards Bute where we had identified a relatively sheltered bay to sit out what promised to be a very strong 48 hr blow. Kames Bay, North West of Rothesay, promised good holding ground and reasonable shelter.
The sail across the Firth was brilliant fun! We had the right sails set, and in the very strong gusts Contour was flying along up wind, showing all the best of her weight, long keel, and schooner rig and steady at six knots 30-35 degrees off the wind, rarely getting the rail even close to the water. As we approached the Kyles, we decided to prepare two anchors and sit to a double bridle rather than just rely on our Danforth Claw. The first chance to break out our second-hand 'Fortress' and a proper focs'le buffer's dance to rig both ready with strops, rode, chain, and anchor ready. The plan was to lay the bower (main) anchor, then motor up slightly across the wind to make a 'Y'.
All went to plan (meaning Hazel managed not to mess up the driving and I managed not to throw myself overboard along with the anchor), which was lucky as the wind was very strong by this point and getting them up again might have been bad for morale! We sat back hard with the weight well balanced between them, lit the stove and carefully checked that our scotch still tasted good, settling in for what promised to be a 48 hour wait. Happily we were in good shape for time, so it was nice to sit back and wait without feeling under time pressure (quite a change from our excursions pre-sabbatical when deadlines for returning to work always loomed large!).
There followed a very snug period at anchor, with the gale howling over our head and happily the holding ground and tackle doing a good job.
I was worried that weighing anchor might be a complete pickle as, when the wind eased, we had circled our anchors over night. Fears were unfounded and, aside from taking a little while to get it all off the bottom, there was a pleasing lack of snakes wedding waiting for us. Reassuring to know that our setup is good for a genuine blow and we can tuck ourselves safely away when required. We explored the East Kyle of Bute then beat up to explore Loch Striven before clearing Rothesay Sound and heading North up the Firth of Clyde.
The changeable nature of the wind provided constant entertainment, with everything from 28kt squalls from the West to whisper-light breezes from the North East enabling ample practice trimming sails! It was nice to be in familiar territory - my memories of navigating a small ship during OST in the area meant the key landmarks came flooding back. We passed Holy Loch, where relatives of mine spent many months stationed in war time, then picked up a mooring at Ardentinny, about half-way up Loch Long and South West of Coulport - the lights of the Explosives Handling Jetty looming eerily through the mist (Hazel is getting increasingly suspicious that we are on some kind of naval sight-seeing mission!).
After a quiet night at anchor we reached back South into the Firth of Clyde in bright sunshine, passing close by Kilcreggan where our friends Bob and Trudy had kindly invited us to spend a couple of nights in a proper bed in Chateaux Hawkins over the weekend before I jumped on the train to head South to collect Hektor. We enjoyed a wonderful couple of days being being very generously hosted by Bob and Trudy, welcome civilisation and fantastic company. This also meant we were able to see a lot of the local sights, the best hostelries, and enjoy some fantastic cuisine which contrasted somewhat from our normal boat-based cooking...
Arriving at Rhu marina as long planned on the 8th April felt good; we had sailed around 580nm from Portishead, benefitted from some great weather, and very much enjoyed the planned visits. Arriving marked the end of the first stage of our expedition and the planned point to embark Hektor, our friend Tim and his son Lev ready for the next phase heading further West towards the Crinian Canal and Oban....
You can follow our progress on our boat page at noforeignland.com
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