Ty Mor sailing: 21st June 2016 – Day 33 – East Tarbert, Mull of Kintyre to Lochranza, Arran then back to Portavadie marina, Loch Fyne

We ended up spending 4 nights in East Tarbert because for the first time since leaving Swansea we had high winds and rain storms pass through. The Coastguard was giving out gale warnings in areas not too far from us and strong wind warning for our area, so many of the boats stayed put. The first day was spent catching up with washing, shopping and banking stuff and we went for a walk to the castle. It was the wettest day we have had since starting out, so we battened down the hatches and lay low for the day, catching up with all things internetty.

Mark says it looks like Widow Twanky’s wash day

The following day we went for a walk to West Tarbert and stopped for tea in a hotel.

Entrance to East Tarbert

East Tarbert marina

The castle overlooking the bay

Finally, the weather cleared enough to venture out and we made what should have been a short trip over to Arran. The winds were still strong gusting up to 26 knots and once again right on the nose of the boat meaning we were beating into it as close hauled as we could. We tacked backwards and forwards slowly getting closer to our destination but the sea had other ideas and it seems some days for every inch you sail forwards the sea pushes you back 3.

The boat was heeled over, even with 2 reefs in and going was very slowly. We finally made it mid-afternoon only to find the mooring buoys in the middle of the bay didn’t have any pick-up buoys and with our high free-board it was proved difficult to pick up them up in the very strong winds funneling down the mountains.

We tried everything – boat hook got it but the strength of the wind pulling the boat meant that it slipped through our hands and broke in 2. One half of the boat hook was left jammed in the shackle on top of the buoy and to add insult to injury a cormorant then went and sat on it, as if to say – this yours?

The next thing we tried was lassoing the buoy. Funny how every other the day the trusted bit of rope sinks, today floats right over the top.

The next thing we tried was to grab the buoy with the second boat hook which is specially designed so that you can poke a rope through the shackle on the buoy and retrieve the rope back to the boat, not today the shackle was too small to take the boat hook and rope.

We gave up and went to tie to the pontoon and talk to mum and dad who were waiting patiently and watching the whole charade. Plan B to the rescue. As it was going to be a pretty uncomfortable night in the high gusting winds on anchor and on mooring we decide to use the wind strength and to hot foot it back to Portavadie marina where we were sure of a hot shower and a flat calm night’s rest.

Over to the buoy with our boat hook, shooed away the cormorant and managed to retrieve it in reverse with me stood on the sugar scoop, strapped onto the pushpit and dangling very close to the water. Got it, first attempt.

We briefly considered tying to it at the same time but all the previous arguments still held so we set sail once again and literally flew all the way back to the marina. Running on genoa alone we were reaching speeds of 7-8 knots and completed that leg of the journey in less than an hour and a half.