Tobermory to Mallaig

Juniper sailing round GB
Gordon and Catherine
Thu 21 Jul 2011 20:23

57:00.35N 05:49.58W Thursday - shipping forecast then up and away at 0550.  Out of the harbour back into the Sound of Mull but turn left this time and out around Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly point of the UK mainland (3 points of the compass completed, only Cape Wrath to go).  The sea is big and lumpy, there’s a strong northerly wind and it all feels very bleak.  Juniper is so ready for the challenge, she ploughs through the waves even though the odd one catches her and takes all her power, there’s a slight pause and then she picks up speed again.   The sea calms down once we’re round and the sun warms things up, making the sea green and sparkly.  We pass the Small Isles (Muck, Eigg and Rum with Cana in the background) – Eigg is incredible with the terrific ridge like a great protective wall.  Now that Juniper is past Ardnamurchan Point she has earned the privilege of displaying a  bunch of heather on her bow to show that she’s a friendly boat as she travels north, and we pull into Mallaig.  The Harbour master is not there so we’re told to tie up next to ‘Serene’ and he will come and sort us out..  Serene turns out to be an enormous, stripped, rusty fishing boat with great high sides, there is a smaller fishing boat already tied to her for which we’re grateful because at least we can reach her cleats to tie off.   A couple of hours later and we’re still waiting so we decide to go ashore and find said harbour master.  Sounds easy but we have to climb up onto the next boat,  cross her and then scramble up and over Serene’s gunwales, down onto her floor (her deck has been removed and she is just a hull).  Across her then there is another heave up onto her other side and then grab the vertical ladder to get up onto the harbour wall.  The HM has done a runner so the office tells us to stay put, so back to the boat for shopping bags, diesel cans etc only to find that the tide has turned and Serene has drifted away from the ladder.  So the climbing up procedure is reversed (and it feels much more precarious going downwards) with the added complication of Gordon having to haul on the mooring lines before I can even attempt it.  We gather what we need and set back off to shore – you’re getting the picture, onto the next boat ….  We had thought we might eat out but we’re exhausted by the time we return and the thought of that assault course after a glass of wine doesn’t bear thinking about so we decide to eat on board.  We’re no sooner settled and the owner of next door’s fishing boat arrives and wants to leave.  So we take off for a circuit of the tiny harbour and a dredger thing takes our place next to Serene.  Then another fishing boat arrives and ties up next to the dredger so we’re now fourth out in the middle of the harbour and I’ve promised myself that I’m not even thinking of going ashore again. Photo: Juniper with heather.

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