Having spent a day yesterday in the relative shelter of Craignish learning lots about chart reading, and knots (rope ones), we were all ready for some action. We listened to the coastguard forecast which was no better than either yesterday or tomorrow giving gale force 7, 8, peaking 9 at times, and discussed our options . Having all proved ourselves as good sailors and becoming quite blasé about sailing in gale force winds, we decided to make a run for Tobermory in one go having ascertained that the wind and tide were flowing in the same direction, so there would be minimal dangerous turbulence. The route has some wild water danger zones. The morning was bright after a cold clear night where the stars twinkled through the cabin skylight. Chris cooked bacon & eggs for everyone and then it was ‘action stations.’ I was on chain locker duty again. I opened the hatch to the bows of my cabin, lifted out the huge red buouy , had a few bounces on it, and climbed up onto the shelf into the cupboard, ready to coil the heavy anchor chain. The chain gang on deck started to haul up the anchor & it soon became evident that the anchor had dragged through a LOT of mud. The chain, as it slithered through the hatch had a liberal coating of the evil smelling oily stuff, which spattered me generously as it rattled down.
The brand new Italian anchor winch had apparently never worked, and as the operation became stinkier and the deck got muddier the Italians were cursed loudly at regular intervals. A big clean up operation ensued. As the anchors lifted clear it was a rocky ride even in the shelter of Loch Craignish, and as we hit open water, open water certainly hit us!
Lifejackets were donned & we all fastened our harnesses to the deck including Skipper Dave (must have been bad) The sea got very choppy and ‘confused ‘ as we headed West through Dorus Mor notorious for its dangerously heavy currents and tidal sweeps then headed North for the Sound of Luing missing Corryvrekan (another danger zone) by a mile. Then as we traversed the Sound of Lorne we hit huge swells, and squalls sending the wind speed to 42.7 Gale force 9 and travelling at 7 nautical knots . In between the rain, the sun came out and showered us with vivid rainbows, porpoises leapt between the rollers only glimpsed for a few moments before they disappeared again beneath the waves but causing great excitement. The hydrophones picked them up the rest of the time. Needless to say no-one was put ‘on offort’ observation at the bows, and funnily enough no one volunteered to go up the crow’s nest. Andrew lost his bet that it was going to be a wonderful day for sighting killer whales, basking sharks,& dolphins, but unfortunately we hadn’t put money on it.
We made Tobermory in remarkably good time, and moored on a buouy at about 5.30. While the guys stayed aboard to cook a Thai chicken and rice, us girls went ashore in the rib to the YHA for hot showers and a hair wash .Bliss. Yaay……Girl power. Back for a delicious meal, good crack with bottles of wine & rum & black and so to bed.

Log by Britt