'in that bow of the boat is the gift of another world.' John Ruskin
Lochalsh, Canna, Tobermory
After watching the European Cup final we stayed, in a not particularly cheerful mood, on the harbourmaster’s pontoon at Kyle of Lochalsh, just across from Skye. Next morning there was some cleaning to do, because Loch Ewe mud from the chain and anchor had left sticky traces on the deck.
Kayaking, yes, but this friendly man we chatted to at Kyle of Lochalsh was actually camping in the Highlands by paddleboard
We left on a bright, sunny and unexpectedly warm morning, sailing down Loch Alsh to Kyle Rhea, the fiercely tidal narrows that separate Skye from the mainland.
Leaving Kyle of LochalshLoch AlshThe start of Kyle Rhea is hard to make out until you are very near. It’s tucked into the dip between the two hills, and bends immediately out of sight to the left. The tide runs at 8 knots at springs, creating whirlpools, though we were going through at neaps, so it was relatively sedate. We used a back eddy just inside the entrance to make way against the last of the tide against usThe Sound of Sleat, after passing through the narrows, was sunny but suddenly coldThe Cuillin Hills of Skye appear round the Point of SleatThe Cuillins from near the island of RumRum, a wild and mountainous island with a small settlement and a large population of deer. We passed close by on the way to the smaller island of CannaThe Small Isles, clustered south of Skye. When sailing near Canna in good visibility, Skye, Rum, Eigg, Muck, Mull, Coll and the outer Hebrides islands of South Uist and Barra are all visible, and possibly Mingulay, though it was hard to be sure of the latter.It’s like an inland sea.Map: Clyde Cruising Club.Evening arrival in the sheltered harbour of Canna.Leaving Canna next morningThe lighthouse on Ardnamurchan Point, the island of Eigg in the backgroundA CalMac ferry from Oban to Castle Bay on Barra in the Outer HebridesTobermory , where we picked up a visitor mooring in the bay and went ashore by dinghyTobermory’s colourful waterfront next morning. The yellow building is the locally famous Mishnish pub and folk music venueOur new dinghy proved its worth – larger, more stable getting in and out, easier to row and motor because it has an inflatable keelClose encounter with Tobermory lifeboat – we were involved in a joint RNLI/Coastguard training evening. The lifeboat came expertly alongside us and took off one of our crew members, who we picked up later from the coastguard by dinghy.
tide by tide 