Jean says: This part of our trip has turned into a completely separate experience. The weather has transformed the landscape and the sea into a Mediterranean idyll, but with all the extra character that Britain offers. The sheer beauty of these tranquil isles is almost dreamlike and unreal, and has at times rendered us almost speechless with awe. The added dimension for us is being able to appreciate them from the sea, to travel amongst them freely and independently, and to be able to admire all their qualities from every angle. There are numerous tiny sheltered anchorages, solitary dwellings that appear out of nowhere, an occasional castle or grand house perched on a headland, and sometimes a pretty small town with a harbour.

Yesterday, we sailed to Oban from Ardfern through an area renowned to be a tidal nightmare. Prior to this trip, I'd known all about it, and was hoping to be able to pass through it at neaps when the tides are less strong. We also would have waited for the weather to be manageable just to be on the safe side. The area incorporates the notorious Gulf of Corryvreckan. The Gulf is an area of sea between two islands which can throw up a large whirlpool of water that can suck you down to the depths of the ocean without a trace, as well as have at least eight knots of tide shooting through it usually in the opposite direction to where you want to go. At springs and at certain states of the tide, the whole area can be very dangerous. We didn't need to pass through the Gulf, only pass along one side of it, but the tides there are all over the place, and create so many extra little areas of overfalls and eddies, that negotiating it all could be like negotiating a minefield. We were lucky to have acceptable conditions to pass through the area, but I was aware that it was spot on springs, so the previous night, I'd spent about two hours scrutinising all the relevant pilot books and charts and felt confident that with a well worked out passage plan there would be no risk. I ended up plotting about twelve waypoints to see us safely through the tide rips and rocks all the way to Oban.
Even in calm weather, we could see quite a lot of areas of turbulence, and as we approached Fladda, at the top end of the Sound of Luing, we ended up sailing through small whirlpools which we couldn't avoid. We were surrounded! Where the main tidal stream borders the various eddies going in the opposite direction, this is a very common thing, especially at springs with the extra force of the tide.
I'm sure that we wouldn't want to sail through that part of the Isles in anything other than calm weather. It could be quite scary.
We stopped on a mooring buoy near to Oban marina last night. Oban is a very attractive cathedral town in a lovely harbour and well worth visiting. We're hoping to collect our post here that our friend Stuart has very kindly sent on for us. We'll be getting three weeks worth in one go, but because we've cancelled all magazines and subscriptions, and put all the bills on direct debit, we won't be likely to be getting much of any interest, but we still get excited at the prospect of opening mail.

The Notorious Gulf of Corryvreckan - it looks positively innocent in this photo!




We're just approaching Fladda lighthouse and You can just about see the whirlpools.