Holy Loch to Kilchattan Bay

After a day ashore in Dunoon we wanted to get sailing again, so got away from the marina by 0920. A very broad reach down Holy Loch gave us hope that we would be able to reach down the Clyde, but unfortunately that turned out to be a funnelling effect; when we got into the Clyde we were having to beat. With very little wind, and a fair amount of swell, we put the engine on and motored until the wind got up.

The weather was a bit dreary again, with drizzle and occasional rain, but the rain brought more wind, and by the time we were off Kip we had turned the engine off. We furled the jib and reefed during one rain squall, but then got everything up again when our speed dropped to 2 knots. The engine went back on for half an hour, then we needed a reef back in.... It was a day when wind strength varies between f2 and f6, but once in the Clyde the direction was pretty constantly SW. At 1300 the rain stopped altogether, and the sky had some blue in it.

As we sailed between Great Cumbrae and Bute Julian asked me to check on the identity of some rocks he could see off the south end of Bute. There were none on the chart, and with the aid of binoculars we realised that we could see a surfaced submarine being escorted north by a number of smaller vessels. Very interesting to see it!

We intended to anchor in Kilchattan bay, but had two contrasting suggestions as to where to drop the hook. The charts put the anchorage on the north side of the bay, off a gently sloping beach. It looked idyllic, but there was a yacht already anchored there that seemed to be rolling a bit. The Clyde Cruising Club directions (2004 edition) give precise instructions for anchoring on the south side, near the houses and between a jetty and a pier. We decided to check it out.
Unlike the north the shore looked rocky, and there was only a small area with the right depth. There was one mooring laid. We motored around for a bit, getting the sails down, and decided the shelter was good enough that it was worth trying to anchor.

We found the right spot and dropped the anchor. It held, so we decided to go ashore for a walk.