A good day's sailing

A mooch in the chandlery at Croabh Marina yielded a good haul. We now have a new (floating) towing line for Worm, and an 8mm buff braid line for the head halyard hardener. Amazingly they also had a stock of different sizes of teak plugs to cover screw heads, and would sell them individually, so I stocked up.

We were away from our berth at 09:26, and motored out into the loch. After discussing our sail options (which included not raising the main since we might be on a run) we raised a slightly reefed main sail, staysail, and no 2 jib and headed on a very broad reach towards Torsa in flat seas. We expected to gybe as we turned for the north end of that island, but we never headed to change Robinetta’s heading as the tide took us north instead. The wind was strong, and took us along at over 5 knots, meaning we arrived at the top of Torsa early, at 10:30, and the tide was not due to be with us until 11:00. However once we had gone head to wind to reef down we were at slack water and our engine could easily take us through the sound.

As we left Cuan Sound we encountered a very different sea state. Big (for us) waves threw is around as we motor sailed across then towards Easdale Sound. However the wavelength was long enough that the rolling was not threatening, and they caused us no problems entering Easdale Sound. The water here was flat, and with the chart plotter and depth gauge easily visible in the cockpit Robinetta went through without problems.

Coming out of the shelter of Easdale into the Sound of Inch we felt the full majesty of the sea; big regular waves, with the wind behind them. Once clear of Inch we motor sailed up the Sound of Lorne, heading due north towards the Sound of Mull, rocking and rolling for 2 hours. Every so often the stay sail flopped over, giving notice of a possible gybe as the waves rolled Robinetta, but the main sail stayed solidly in place, only once threatening to come over. A quick request to Julian to set the preventer meant there were no other threats.

An atmospheric view of Mull

As we reached Duart castle the seas flattened out and we set the jib then turned the engine off to broad reach into the Sound of Mull. We shook the reef our just past the castle and had half an hour of sailing before the wind failed and the engine went back on.

Duart Castle from the South

The fifteen miles up the Sound to Tobermory saw the engine go on and off several times as the wind came and went, as did the drizzle. The final 3 miles of the trip saw us broad reaching at over 5 knots, in an exhilarating sail that only ended as we turned into Tobermory Bay and got the sails down.

I had called ahead, knowing that the marina office would be shut by the time we got there, so I had the code for the showers and shore heads, and after doing a bit of shopping we showered, before heading out for a curry. It had been a great day’s sailing