Overnight our rating of Mallaig as a stopping-place fell even further. With the East wind coming over the hill the harbour was generally sheltered but suffered occasional gusts in strange directions. As a result the boats on the moorings went round in circles. The boat next to us bumped another boat and nearly bumped us. We moved to a different mooring which was very close to 2 other moorings but we reasoned it was better to bump into an empty buoy rather than a boat. After an uncomfortable night we had to pay £15 which is a bit steep for no facilities apart from the buoy itself. The marina man accepted the moorings are too close together but has not yet got he harbour master to move them. It would seem that EU, HIE and others have provided lots of money for the moorings but it has not been spent wisely.
We dodged a rain shower by having tea before leaving, but more were to follow. The East wind was today enough to get us sailing properly at last, with a good breeze coming out of Loch Nevis and Loch Hourn, but went light and variable at times. The channel seemed like a dead end, until we could see the narrow Kyle Rhea which we drifted through with a light following wind and 5 knots of tide. Once in Loch Alsh we lost the tide in the wider water and everything went slow again, so we eventually started the engine just before passing under the bridge as we seemed to be at the end of the tide through Kyle Akin. Once clear of the kyle we must have left the shelter of the land and the wind came again, giving a pleasant sail to the Crowlin Islands. We had entered an inland sea, bounded by the mainland on one side and Skye on the other and filled with a lot of interesting islands, some of which we hope to visit. The different islands have different characters, from the big mountains on Skye, the distinct peak of Dun Caan on Raasay, to the smooth hump of Scalpay and the tatty pine trees on the low island of Pabay.
We anchored near another boat in the inner pool between the Crowlin Islands and enjoyed a fine evening. Tomorrow we will explore the islands and then hope to move over to Skye to visit my cousin Gina on Friday.
Follow the
track on Google Maps.
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Kyle Rhea.
Somewhere ahead there is a way through |
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| Approaching Skye bridge |
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| Through the bridge – another shower behind. |
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| An inland sea waiting to be explored |
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| Anchorage in the Crowlin Islands |
