Isle Ornsay to Plockton

The tides through the narrows of Kyle Rhea dictated the best time to leave Isle Ornsay, so we set the alarm for six, and were off the mooring by half past. The wind was still good for the passage up to Kyle Rhea, so we raised the main, but it was not strong enough to take us up there at a good speed so we motor sailed for a while. The scenery was glorious, but the weather not so good, with only occasional patches of brightness.

Breakfast was cereal, a real come down from yesterday' s porridge, and by the time we were through Kyle Rhea I was looking forward to a proper cooked breakfast. We had all the ingredients, so started thinking where would be the best place to go to eat it. Plockton? Broadford? It would be gone 11 by the time we got to either of them, and there was Kyle of Lochalch in front of us! The pontoons there are not sheltered from the north west, where the winds were coming from, but we could fill up with diesel and water...

We tied up on an empty pontoon but by the time we finished second breakfast there were two other boats moored with us. Diesel came from the railway pier, so we had to carry our cans there, but there was water on the pontoon. We stayed until gone 12, then realised we had to go NOW if we wanted the tide with us under the Skye bridge.

We thought about heading to Rona, but the wind would not let us, so we wondered about Torridon. The weather was not encouraging. Cold, damp, and with the wind on the nose! Then the wind shifted for a moment so we could sail, the sky lightened a little, and the afternoon's prospects improved immensely. I looked in the Clyde Cruising Club directions and found a totally sheltered anchorage in the Crowlins, a trio of islands just off Applecross and we headed there to have a look. It was on the way to Torridon anyway! We got the main down as we approached, and as we did, a passing small fishing boat waved at us. It was a friendly wave, but I could not tell if he was also telling us to steer clear, or go back!

The Clyde Cruising club said that the anchorage was totally sheltered, but the approach was very narrow, with waves just breaking over submerged rocks at the sides. A couple of seals put their heads out of the water to look at us. A lovely spot, but too narrow for comfort, with hardly any room to swing and it did not feel like a good place to spend the night. We aborted, and decided on an anchorage on the mainland, but as soon as we were out from the island's shelter the seas began to roll us around a lot. We got the staysail back up, but it only helped a little, and the heading we needed to get to the other anchorage made the rolling worse. Going back south down the coast, to seek shelter at Plockton, became the best option.

We were on a buoy at Plockton by 1700, and happy to be there. We had the forecast winds of 5-6 all day, and as soon as we were past the Skye Bridge we got the seas to match. The forecast is pretty much the same, or worse, all week, and then much worse on Sunday through next Tuesday, so we will have to see where we get to!