A Long Lie In The Sun But Then ... Fog

My latest little escapade aboard Still Waters:-

I achieved one of my many small ambitions during the super weather earlier this week - a visit to Garbh Eileach (the largest of the Garvellachs, 5 miles west of Luing).

I got Still Waters anchored in the wee bay on the east side, where there is a small stone jetty and an occasionally used bothy; a short walk got me to the summit for a wonderful panorama of islands.

I still had plenty of time in hand before needing to leave to catch the start of the ebb through the Grey Dogs channel, so decided to have a look at a spectacular cleft that I had been told about; this starts in the steep cliffs on the NW side of the island and runs right across to terminate at the anchorage. What I found was indeed spectacular (1 st picture) but what a pity, I thought, that half of it is in shadow...but hang on, the suns moving round so that it will be showing up both sides before too long; so, a bit like watching paint dry, I lay in the sun while the offending shadow slowly shrunk! (2 nd picture; I think the hills on Mull are Bens' Buie & Creach). Then it was back to the boat and head for home.

The Grey Dogs were no problem but as I headed down the Sound of Luing I saw not far ahead a long wall of fog. The wind dropped but then started to freshen and swing about all over the place, confusing my auto pilot as I hurriedly put on more cloths, reefed sail and tried to work out a course to steer; then we were suddenly into the fog, the wind picked up further so that we were charging along on a broad reach at over 6 knots. A second reef dropped the speed to 4 knots which calmed my nerves a bit as my course was designed to take us across to the Craignish shore; visibility was perhaps about 100 metres but the wind had already kicked up a bit of a sea. Suddenly I could make out land ahead and another yacht appeared belting North under plenty of sail - I turned South but could'nt recognize just where I was (had I landed up too far south on Mhic Phaidean?) then some distant rocks loomed up which had me even more worried. But the fog suddenly cleared a bit and I realized that the rocks were actually quite close and were the 'whale back rocks' which shelter Achanarnich Bay . (Sorry, no picture!)

Happy again, I consumed a belated after lunch coffee while contemplating the contrast between the last few action packed minutes and my earlier snooze in the sun.

Clive Brown 23/08/07