As the gales blew themselves out, and with a fleeting weather window in the offing, we decided to make a break for the Outer Hebrides, with the idea of making our way to Barra at the Southern end.
The forecast showed the wind veering to the North West, which should have enabled us to make a close reach down the Sea of Hebrides from Canna for the 30-odd mile run. All seemed well with a strong steady breeze as we left Canna, forsaking the now familiar comforts of the harbour for a sea still restless with the remnants of 4 days of steady gales.
40kt winds in Canna the day before leaving
The sailing directions laconically note that for any given weather, the sea of Hebrides is routinely twice as rough as the waters further North, a function of the underwater topography, rapidly changing depths and tidal currents which make this a challenging place to sail.
As we hardened up onto the wind and emerged from the lee of Canna, we quickly realised this was going to be a tough upwind slog (i.e. Hazel should probably have taken a sea sickness tablet prior to leaving the harbour!). The wind was staying resolutely South Westerly, with little sign of the forecast change of direction we had slightly been banking on to ease our passage. The confused and lumpy sea seemed intent on frustrating our progress, and Contour, usually so good in the weather, seemed to slam to what felt like a standstill every time the log climbed above four knots. We fought our way North West to try and attain some of the lee of the outer islands, and decided that bloody - minded patience was going to be a key component of the day! Luckily, anticipating a less than idyllic sail, we had prepared food for a long day.
As time wore on, we started to lose the favourable Southerly set; this was helpful in that it reduced the wind against stream effect and the sea-state, but meant we were now having to stem a half-knot or more of current. With wet squalls and slow progress, the deeply-sheltered sea loch, Acarsaid Mhor, on the Eastern side of Eriskay started to appeal more than a further few hours slogging towards Barra (and an arrival in the dark). We tacked again and made our way up in the lee of Eriskay, welcoming the flatter sea and happy to see the log climb up towards a more satisfactory five knots for more than ten seconds - average speed over the course of the day was probably (optimistically!) around 3 knots.
Eriskay looking very appealing in the setting sun
11-17 May 22
Weary but happy to be out of the blow, we carefully picked our way through the narrow entrance at dusk, grateful as ever for the brilliant Antares Chart survey. Possibly due to fatigue (or laziness) we decided to pick up a visitor mooring rather than anchor as another 40 knot gale was due the following day. The pick up buoy and general set up seemed a little strange, but we attached ourselves and settled in for the evening. The following morning a chance conversation with some local fishermen revealed that we were in fact attached to a buoy that they used occasionally to attach 'boxes' to - no idea what was on the bottom of it and no idea when the chain had last (if ever) been tested. It turns out the visitor moorings had been removed the previous week as they had also (perhaps more surprisingly) not been tested for a few years and a yacht had found itself aground the previous week after the chain gave way. We made a hasty return to Contour and brought her alongside the pontoon instead - blown nicely alongside with the 20 knot onshore breeze. Lessons learnt!
Eriskay - beautiful, but distinctly lacking the otters that were promised
Taken about 10 minutes before we got absolutely drenched in a short-lived but very violent squall
They lied!
We explored this small Outer Hebridean island, and, whilst disappointed by the notable lack of otters, very much enjoyed the warm welcome in the setting of 'Whisky Galore' - the inspiration for the famous Ealing Comedy and subsequent Eddy-Izzard remake. The island's only pub is named for the 'AM Politician' - the whisky-and-treasure carrying cargo ship which went aground in 1941 at the height of the Battle of the Atlantic trying to evade U-boats. The pub boasts an original bottle of recovered whisky, accompanied however by a warning that the last person who tried to drink the amber nectar ended up in hospital!
Acarsaid Mhor, Eriskay - Contour in the background
Disappointingly, and having fought against a persistent Westerly to get out to the Hebrides, the forecast was starting to hint that a persistent Easterly was in the offing - threatening us with a struggle to get back East in time for Marcus to catch the Sleeper to Bristol. We decided that we needed to return, but would have to cut short this foray to the outer islands, and head back to Rum in the Small Islands to be in a more sheltered sailing area.
As our sail West out to Eriskay was the epitome of an up-wind slog, our sail back East smashed Contour's fastest passage record, with 17-20 knots just aft of the beam, and our big No1 yankee, and gollywobbler (large reaching sail rigged fore-and-aft between the main and foremast) hoisted. With steady speeds of 7.5 knots and touching 8 for prolonged periods, we flew back with a gentle beam sea and picked up a visitor mooring (a proper one this time) in Loch Scresort, off the small Rum village of Kinloch.
Loch Scresort
As we reached around the North West Coast of Rum, we noticed a large fishing vessel hard aground on the coast - the background to the wrecking of the French FV Jack Abry 2 is sobering - 13.5 knots straight into the cliffs must have been an unpleasant way to wake..... Welcomed by bright sun and the chance to explore another of the Small Isles, we wondered who will take on the challenge of looking after the vast late-Victorian pile which is gently rotting in the middle of the village, Kinloch Castle - advertised recently for sale at the modest sum of £1.
Gaffer at anchor - Loch Scresort
The next destination was Eigg, and with a forecast calm day we expected to motor the dozen miles to Galmisdale, aiming to arrive at Low Water so we could check out a potential drying spot next to the sea wall - we are due to check anodes, scrub, and do some underwater jobs and this thought might be the chance. Having hardly used the engine in a couple of weeks, the chance to make a tank of hot water for a shower also appealed! As is often the case, the mechanical gods chose this moment to intervene... half an hour after starting the red 'electrical nonsense' warning light came on and all the output from the alternator disappeared. Not ideal! Whilst we have an effective wind generator, with more calm and warm days, and no solar panels (yet) we are still reliant on the odd bit of engine use to keep the lights on.
North end of Eigg
An Sgurr on Eigg
Glassy seas = not great for sailing a big heavy boat
Disheartened, having escaped any significant engine room faffs since we left in March, we went to anchor, turned the engine off, and went ashore to explore. Poking around to ascertain the problem would be a (slightly) more appealing prospect once working on the engine didn't resemble climbing around an over-hot Aga.
Bad times!
Early checks suggested a disappointing lack of a simple 'loose wire' type problem, and much cursing and swearing then accompanied the removal of the Alternator from the engine. Naturally it's positioned so as to require complex upside-down yoga moves in close proximity to the (still annoyingly hot) engine be combined with abundant dexterity and spanner wangling. No further progress was possible with the resources onboard so we blessed the wind generator howling away on the pushpit in the persistent strong breeze.
Eigg at sunrise (only seen because a particularly annoying rattling halyard had to be dealt with!)
The wind was set well for a close beat across the Sound of Arisaig to explore Loch Moidart, a sprawling sea-loch with an entrance somewhat famous for being tricky, and a place we wanted to recce in readiness for adventures with Hektor and some friends in early June. The fast up-wind sail reassured us that Contour can sail to windward, and we picked our way through the slightly tortuous entrance and anchored well inside the loch, benefitting all the time from the strong funnelled breeze but passing a comfortable night, before our return to Arisaig and a (growing!) list of logistics and travel.
Marcus in his helming happy place
Eigg looking a little moody
Loch Moidart
Loch Moidart with Tioram Castle in the background
Aside from the repair to the alternator (due it's own little holiday to Preston have its stator re-wound) we had also decided to press ahead with our solar power plans - with lighter breezes (hah!) and more sun expected as Spring advances, this will further reduce our dependence on the engine. The boat's electrical system was 'fitted for solar' already after work through the winter. (Note from Hazel: anyone who knows Marcus will likely understand the degree of frustration associated with not being able to fix the alternator himself! It was therefore extremely fortuitous that the solar panels were ready and waiting for us in Arisaig enabling a swift diversion of attention to things that could actually be fixed!). We were also expecting parts to repair one of the main cockpit winches - a chance for Hazel to (somewhat reluctantly) expand her skill set. This is the second blog in which we reflect on the work we are doing to keep Contour going - but about half of what we have done has been 'improve' rather than just 'maintain'. We have chosen to progress some projects, partly just to provide an interesting challenge, although nor should we understate the hours required to keep a boat like Contour safe and available.
No comments:
Post a Comment