Loch Moidart to Loch Aline

We had a very peaceful night and a mostly dry one. The morning started bright but overcast but there was a little wind.

Over on the shore by the road, I counted three tents. It seems to be quite a popular wild camp site. I did a little exploring by Google Maps. The road runs along the River Sheil and about an hour’s walk along the road would get one to a bus stop. Of course, the campers were here with their vehicles. The castle is accessible across the strand at low water and there are 360 ° photographs on the Map.
 
We should have done some exploring ‘IRL’ – in real life! But last night it was wet and this morning neither of us seemed in the mood.
 
When I first looked, at high water, the water was completely still. Unfortunately, it was very polluted, a horrible brown sludgy film surrounded the boat. After a while it started moving, initially towards the shore by the road, and then more out past the castle. The currents here are complicated as the water can get out south of the castle, between the castle and Riska, between Riska and Shona or even between Shona and the mainland, depending on the state of the tide. It can also come in all those routes and additionally fresh water comes in down the River Sheil and the River Moidart.
 
I cooked breakfast and we hauled the anchor up and left. Hauling immediately after eating is not a good idea. It took both of us in turn to get the job done. Next time we will eat afterwards.
 
A light breeze was coming into the outer loch. It felt like it should be on the beam once we were on route to Ardnamurcan, so we got the main sail up.
 
The next loch along to the west, and the only one before Arnamurcan Point, is called Kentra. The name felt strangely familiar, but I couldn’t place it. On the chart there is a narrow entrance into a wide bay, but the bay dries entirely. The internet yielded the probable reason for the name’s familiarity. There is a lovely classic yacht with that name.
 
Kentra is an anglicisation of Ceann Traigh. Ceann is of course the word for head or end used all over the place, including in our own house-name Kenmuir. Online dictionaries suggest traigh can be used in several ways including beach and seabed. In modern Irish tra is the word for a beach. The word is probably the same as the Germanic equivalent strand. I don’t know if traigh is a Viking loan word into Gaelic, or an older similarity going back to Indo-european. Ceann Traigh is used in three ways here – the settlement of Kentra, Kentra Bay – the drying part of the inlet, and Loch Ceann Traigh – the navigable entrance.
 
The ebb had some power in it, adding a knot to our speed. Over on the land, the skies were clearing. It was going to be a nicer day than forecast.

 When we’ve passed before, we’ve been well out to sea. Coming from Moidart give a very different view and the lighthouse is initially seen through the rocks from the land side. We passed close in. More yachts than we have seen at sea all summer were either leaving or entering the Sound of Mull. We weren’t the only one with sails up, but everyone was motoring.
 
Heading into the Sound the wind started to pick up. It was right behind us. We let the main out and set the preventer and it was doing something but not enough to turn the engine off. Then it came in a little more strongly from the beam and I put the jib out and throttled back. We were sailing! We were managing 2 knots so off went the engine.
 
The wind came and went and veered and backed but we managed to keep the speed up in the 1½ to 2 knot range nearly all the way to Tobermory. It was warm and not quite sunny but there was plenty of blue sky. The views into Loch Sunart were especially fine. This was the kind of gentle pleasant sailing in glorious surroundings that one dreams of. We tried fishing but didn’t catch anything.
 
From the lighthouse north of Tobermory we motor-sailed. There was still wind, but we had around ½ knot of foul tide and we would not have got to Loch Aline before dark without the engine. We could have stopped earlier – in Tobermory or Loch Sunart but I wanted to be near Oban in the morning to be in a position to get the train home in the evening.
 
Alison telephoned Kerrera Marina and booked us in to leave Robinetta there.
 
Heading down the Sound of Mull, we saw a yacht coming up. I said – “there is a ‘not white’ boat”. Alison said “I think its wooden and it might be a gaffer”. She was right. A lovely gaff cutter called Alice of Penrhyn.

 
Half-way down Alison spotted a big oil tanker coming behind us. We were right in the middle of the channel, taking the best line towards Loch Aline. We headed over to the edge of the channel on the Morvern side to let it pass.
 
On the way to Loch Aline we were passed by a yacht called Hot Toddy, they took our picture and we exchanged waves. They went into Loch Aline too and went onto one of the pontoons.
 
We headed up the loch to the anchorage area. On the way I saw a gannet diving so we put out the fishing line again and caught two fine fish. That was supper sorted!

 
There were many boats on moorings and at the pontoon but only one other in the anchorage area and we anchored without problems. I cleaned the fish and made a fine supper of sauteed potatoes with garlic and pan-fried fish with onions and tomatoes (and garlic). I turned the pan juices into a little sauce with wine and flour. Delicious! Thanks are due to the crew of Suzelle, who gave us the bottle of wine back in Gairloch.