055:40.442 N
005:43.838 W

Ardminish Bay, Gigha Island, Scotland

Well today was one fabulous day of sailing, memorable for many reasons, the main one being we are now in Scotland. We have sailed from Yarmouth to Scotland and cracked Lucy’s second Pimm’s to celebrate!

Ireland was beautiful as she slowly disappeared over our stern; our landfall the Mull of Kintyre grew out of the haze into a large dramatic peninsular with a rip roaring tide around it.

We left Glenarm in a strange oily calm, hoisting the main in anticipation of decent wind today. After passing the salmon farms we hit the overfalls and had about 30 minutes of brutal 3m swell head-on which was totally unexpected. Thankfully no engine overheating today and somehow TC managed 6 knots with a back eddy under her.

After about 90 minutes of motoring, the forecast 15-20 knots from the SE kicked in, the tide turned in our favour, the jib joined the main and soon we were flying along. The Scottish scenery morphed from green grey haze to defined features of dramatic beauty. After we had slowed down for the one and only ship we saw today (and in the traffic separation scheme) we turned north and ran fast with the wind and tide. Satisfying and exhilarating, especially perched, clinging on, sitting up by the mast where the sounds of sailing are totally different to those experienced at the helm.

Once in the lee of the Mull, the sea flattened out and TC put her foot on the accelerator, with a slightly reefed jib and full main we were now going around 10 knots when we passed a glen where a massive downdraft of 35+ knots caught our rig and we rounded right up, a chaotic five minutes not helped because one of us was in the head…………

Having raced TC we can now reef her pretty quickly; soon we had 2 reefs in the main and the jib entirely rolled away and life on board calmed down. We knew we were going to get a roller coaster today and we certainly got one but the scenery was so beautiful, flying by so fast that we just absorbed everything, loving every minute.

Gigha Island was 18 miles on after passing the Mull, and Ardminish Bay is a sheltered anchorage where we found a spot for a night or two. The Kintyre Peninsular is out of the galley window and we of course had to have that beautiful and famous song playing as we ran downwind alongside the Mull.

Chuffed to bits to be here and feel it is already living up to expectation; dramatic, beautiful, and we must always expect the unexpected.