This
year to satisfy my own personal itch to sail to the top of the loch before the
actual Loch Lomond Rally itself, I planned an informal “feeder cruise” which
would give anyone interested a couple of extra days on the loch.
The
general plan was to launch at Balloch on the 3rd of September and
sail up to the top of the Loch past Ardlui and in to the mouth of the River Falloch
returning back down the loch on Friday the 4th to overnight between
the islands. This would mean a short sail on Saturday morning over to
Milarrochy Bay to meet up with anyone coming along to the Rally itself.
The River Falloch runs into Loch
Lomond at it’s head. The river would be navigable
for a Drascombe for a short distance. During the era of paddle steamers on the Loch
a channel and a berth was created in the river to allow paddle steamers to stop
there. Nearby is the iconic “Drovers Inn”
http://www.thedroversinn.co.uk/ where I planned to eat on the Thursday night.
Tra Bhui - Saturday morning
The
top of the Loch is very different from the bottom as it lacks islands, becomes
narrow and the mountains on either side come closer to it. The sailing
conditions can vary considerably with possibly - no wind, strong winds of
variable direction funneled through the mountains or possibly katabatic /
anabatic winds depending on what weather system lies over Scotland at the time.
For
anyone launching at Balloch, the head of the Loch is approx. 21.5 miles away
and with the weather forecast for a North / Northwest wind of circa 16km / hr. (8
or 9 10 knots – Force 3) over most of the weekend conditions looked ideal.
Knowing
that I would be unable to launch before late morning on the 3rd I
planned to motor up the Loch during the Thursday afternoon and sail back down
it on the Friday.
Unfortunately
our travels already this year had exhausted Kathleen’s holiday entitlement so
she planned to join me on the Friday morning by taking the train to Ardlui.
This did however mean an opportunity to sail Tra Bhui for the first time on my
own on the Thursday.
Thursday 3rd
September
My original plan was to be on the water by 13.00 hrs. but
this wasscuppered by the closure of the M8 westbound
motorway through Glasgow just after I left home. The alternative route involved
a scenic detour to Balloch, but as I was in no particular rush it was pleasant
to drive through the countryside on a beautiful sunny day.
Before reaching Loch Lomond I received a telephone call from
Bob on Clarach Mor to let me know that “Clarach Mor” (Drifter 22) and “Kathleen”
(Coaster) were both taking shelter from the wind behind Ross Point instead of
heading northwards towards Ardlui.
Duncan Mills Slipway at Balloch
I was only 5 miles or so away from Bob when he called and the
trees around me were absolutely motionless. This just goes to show just how
local winds on Loch Lomond are!
After arriving at Balloch and paying my 15 pounds launch fee (this
is the first year that I have not paid for an annual pass) Tra Bhui was soon on
the water and motoring northwards in splendid sunshine and under clear blue
skies, but against a strengthening wind.
Pontoon at Balloch - Maid of the Loch on RHS of photo
When passing the island Inchtavannach I had a quick look to
see if there were any Drascombes anchored in the Haven (a sheltered anchorage) as
Alan Williams had let me know of his intentions to launch on the Wednesday and
join us for the feeder cruise if conditions allowed. I soon spotted Alan’s
Coaster Rosie of Dale resting at anchor in the shelter of the island. As obviously
Alan had decided to anchor up I continued northwards through the marked channel
between Ardlochlay and Inchtavannach.
"Look no hands!" - new toy to play with.
From Inchtavannach the Loch stretches northwards uncluttered
by islands until it reaches Ardlui. With a long motor ahead of me it was a good
chance to try out the Raymarine Tiller Pilot that I had bought for Tra Bhui at
the start of the season but had not yet used due to a change in plan before our
Spanish Trip where I had thought that I might have had a week sailing single
handed before Kathleen joined me.
Leaving Balloch - before the wind starts to rise
With the wind now gusting well in excess of 30 knots (according
to the mast head wind instruments) the Loch surface hadmetamorphosed into a sea of white horses, each of which drenched Tra Bhui in spray as
her bows pushed through them. Without a cabin to shelter behind I had no option
but to done my foul weather gear for the first time this season despite the
sunshine and bright blue skies above.
Soon I spotted “Clarach Mor” and “Kathleen” at anchor off the
island of Inchlonaig on Tra Bhui’s Port Bow. Despite hailing them on the VHF
and on my mobile phone I was unable to make contact with either Bob or Andy. As
it was obvious that they were still waiting for morefavourable weather, I continued northwards.
During the late afternoon I successively passed Inverbeg, Rowardennan,
Tarbet and Inversnaid which are all small Lochside villages or hotels each of
which has it’s own interesting history. North of Tarbet the wind gradually
began to ease, dying away to almost nothing as I reached Ardlui just before
18.00hrs. It had taken just over 3.5 hrs. of motoring to travel the 22km from Balloch.
Once again the worth of having a slightly larger than recommended outboard was
proven as I had made good time despite the adverse headwind.
Passing Ardlui I entered the river Falloch, a broad and deep
channel which I managed to navigate up for almost 1.5 miles before eventually
the depth of water reduced to less than Tra Bhui’s draught.
Ardlui Information Board
Tying up to the bank I ventured ashore toreconnoitre the next section of the river, but quickly concluded that this was as
far as I could sensibly go without risking getting really stuck! Returning to
the boat I found a herd of 12 or so wild goats standing on the bank staring intently
at Tra Bhui which was only a few feet away from them. The goats sensing my
presence quickly turned and trotted off to the nearby hills.
River Falloch
Despite the slightly adverse weather I had fulfilled my
objective of navigating the full length of the Loch and with Tra Bhui’s tent up
I walked the short distance along the nearby A82 to the Drovers Inn for dinner.
The Drovers Inn
Eccentric decoration in the Drovers Inn
Thursday - route up the loch
Miles sailed
24
Friday 4th
September
Waking to another beautiful sunny morning. I opened up the
tent which was wet from the dew to let it dry while I breakfasted on a bacon
roll and enjoyed the sunshine. Before long it was time to pack everything away
and head back down river to Ardlui where I was going to meet Kathleen at the
station when she arrived on the morning train from Glasgow at 09.50 hrs.
Tra Bhui moored at mouth of River Falloch
Sign says it all!
Makes a change from arriving by plane!
Ardlui station is a wonderful place and a relic of times gone
by. Here the single track between Glasgow and Mallaig splits to form a passing
loop with one track on either side of the wide and carefully maintained gravel
platform. Unlike the mainline railways elsewhere the track makes a gentle
approach to Ardlui through a corridor in the surrounding trees which is barely wider
or taller than the train itself.
Ardlui Station
And out of the trees a train appears!
The train which was exceptionally long and surprisingly empty
arrived a few minutes late. It appears that the train splits at Fort William
with only part of it going on to Mallaig. The empty seats were all booked for
passengers joining it in Fort William.
As Kathleen had not had breakfast we stopped on the way back
to Tra Bhui at the Ardlui Hotel which advertised morning coffee. Sitting down
in sun lounge at the hotel, we were surprised to be told that they had no
rolls, no scones or no cakes and although they could offer us tea or coffee to
drink, they had nothing that they could offer us to eat. We took our leave and
after a brief walk around the adjacent marina we returned to Tra Bhui where I rustled
up a couple of bacon rolls and a large pot of tea on our well used Trangia
stoves.
Tra Bhui
A Great Cartoon by Bob Heasman - obviously bigger shorts are needed!
Contrary to the weather forecast the 16 km/hr. north / north
westerly winds failed to appear and so in windless conditions, we set off back
down the mirror like Loch towards Luss where we planned to stop for afternoon
tea. With little else to do – Kathleen was helming – I set up a Go Pro camera
to take some time lapse photos of the Loch side as we made our way south.
Friday Morning
Heading south - where is the wind?
Reaching Tarbet the wind started to come in behind us and
just a little further south, we met with Andy Biggs who was sailing his Coaster
“Kathleen” (great name for a boat) up the Loch. As he saw us he turned south
and having raised our own sails we sailed in company down to Luss, passing Alan
Williams who was motoring up the Loch towards Tarbet in his Coaster “Rosie of
Dale”.
Coaster "Kathleen"
Tra Bhui runs south under full sail
With both boats moored just off the beach we enjoyed a great
afternoon tea in the coffee shop in Luss. Fridays are obviously good days to
visit Luss as it was relatively quiet. It can be a very busy wee place at
weekends and on bank holidays as in addition to its fame (past and present) as
a film and soap opera (Take the High Road) location, it is a pretty little
village which enjoys a spectacular Lochside setting.
While in Luss we spotted “Clarach Mor” the Drifter 22
belonging to Bob Heasman sailing back southwards, having stopped north of
Tarbet for lunch. At least there were 4 Drascombes sailing before the Rally even
though not all of them had made it to Ardlui.
Friday Afternoon
From Luss we headed into the islands and our planned
overnight stop at the Haven, while Andy set off on a detour to Balloch to pick
up his crew before joining us later in the evening.
In the Haven we were joined by Coasters “Shillen”, “Tangram”,
“Kathleen” and the Drifter 22 “Clarach Mor”. Unfortunately we were also joined
by a number of motor cruisers – including the aptly named “Lady Mince Heed” (says
a lot about the owners) who partied on a nearby beach until 4 am. For those who
may be contemplating the Loch Lomond Rally next year, this was an isolated
incident and not a regular occurrence, although for those of us trying to sleep
nearby once was enough.
Raft of powerboats owned by morons anchored between the Drascombes
After dinner on board we joined the other Drascombe crews for
a post dinner drink ashore before turning in.
Miles sailed
18
Saturday 5th
September
Sunrise over the loch
Early morning in the "Haven"
Waking early I walked over the island to watch the sunrise
and have a swim before breakfast. Once everything was packed away we headed across
the Loch to the Rally, meeting point at Milarrochy Bay, but not before both Richard on “Skillen”
and I and used our air horns to give our noisy neighbourswho had kept us awake last night, a farewell
salute! Petty but worth it!
Crews assemble for morning briefing
Arriving at Milarrochy Bay we joined / were joined by:-
Drifter 22:- Clarach Mor
Coasters:- Kathleen, Ossian, Rosie of Dale,
Tangram, Prawn pipe, Shillen
Luggers :- Lucy, and a beautiful wooden Lugger
(built by the Elliot Bros) which unfortunately I do not know the name of.
Along with Tra Bhui (Gig)
this gave a compliment of 10 boats.
Ossian, Clarach Mor, Rosie of Dale and Prawnpipe
Coaster "Kathleen" arrives from the Haven
Making the most of the very variable and light winds we set
sail for Ross Point where we planned to stop for lunch.
Loch Lomond due to the surrounding mountains has winds that
can be very varied in strength and direction. This is just part of sailing on
the Loch and something you get used to, but this year for the first time we had
mast head wind instruments so it was amazing to watch the actual changes in
wind direction that occurred. In real terms these changes meant that 2 Drascombes
within a hundred metres of each other could be sailing in the same direction,
but both on different tacks!
Lugger "Lucy"
Lugger "Lucy"
Coaster "Prawnpipe"
Clarach Mor
You take my picture and I will take yours
Tra Bhui
Clarach Mor
Coaster "Rosie of Dale"
As we passed between the campsite at Cashel and the island of
Inchlonaig, a number of swimmers passed by – it was not very windy at that
point! The swimmers were taking part in an organised Swim Run UK event that
required them to not only swim across the Loch twice, but run over Conic Hill
with the winners completing the course in just over 5 hrs. Impressive stuff!
Passed by swimmers!
Determined to sail "Tra Bhui" all the way to our lunch stop wepersevered with the fickle winds and subsequently were one of the last boats to
arrive – the wind can be blamed for most things! Knowing the waters reasonable
well I planned to sail right up to the beach so with the rudder shipped,
steering oar in place and stern anchor ready to drop, we gently coasted towards
the shore, our approach absolutely perfect until we came to an abrupt stop in 5
feet of water as someone had forgotten to lift the centre board!
Lunch at Ross Point - Coaster "Skillen" in foreground
Clarach Mor and Ossian
Mike O'Hagen's wooden Lugger
From that point on chaos reigned as without the engine in the
water and no forward momentum we were being blown sideways onto the other
boats. Fortunately some judicious line throwing by the crew and willing hands
on shore saw us parked in the very spot that I had originally been heading for.
After a leisurely lunch in the sunshine we crossed the Loch
back to a much busier Luss for ice cream. With our centre board raised this
time we sailed right up to the beach, our anchor bringing us to a stop with "Tra
Bhui" just afloat in no more and within stepping off distance of the shore. Luck
this time was with us, as had the shore been 6 feet further away we would have
run out of rope on the anchor, but I am sure the tourists on the beach who were
watching our arrival did not know that!
At Luss for Icecream
Coaster "Ossian" left us after lunch as Arthur and Jane had an
evening engagement that they had to get home for, so it was nine Drascombes
that sailed from Luss down the Loch to our overnight stop at Inchmurrin. Here we
had booked our usual Rally meal at the small hotel on the Island. This is an
ideal Drascombe stopping point as the hotel which has a fantastic setting, lets
us tie up overnight alongside their small jetty and with great food and a bar
only 50 metres away what more could you ask for?
Rally route - Saturday
Tied up for the night at Inchmurrin
That evening 21 of us sat down for a three course evening
meal, coffee and mints while the sun set over the Loch. Drascombe sailing does
not get much better than this!
Miles sailed
16
Sunday 6th
September
For this year’s rally we had asked the hotel if they could provide
a breakfast option to those who wanted it and so 12 of us sat down to fruit juice,
bacon rolls and unlimited tea / coffee for the reasonable price of five pounds
per head.
After breakfast it was time to take our leave. I was flying
out of the UK very early on Monday morning I wanted to have "Tra Bhui" out of the
water by lunchtime which would allow me time to completely de-rig her and get
her ready for storage over the winter.
The remaining boats planned to head eastwards towards Inchcailloch
for lunch before heading for home.
Leaving Inchmurrin we headed back to Balloch some 2.5 miles
away with Coaster "Shillen" not far behind us. The wind that we had enjoyed for
most of the weekend did not fail us and under main and genoa we made a constant
6 plus knots until we dropped the sails just short of the slipway.
We found on our arrival that in preparation for the large
numbers of visitors to the Loch that were expected with the good weather that
the Parks Authority had closed off the car park next to the slipway, allowing
only cars with boats / trailers to use it. Another example of the benefits of
managing the lochside under the auspices of the Parks Authority.
Recovery of "Tra Bhui" was a fairly straightforward affair and
soon we were de-rigging her in the preparation area of the car park.
Sunday - routes (red assumed)
Unfortunately our weekend had a bad ending when the driver of
a car parked next to us moved forward without looking or giving warning and
allowing the trailer that he was towing complete with boat to run over Kathleen’s
leg. Luckily a doctor and nurse were also getting their boat ready to go into
the water and they immediately attended to her. At the time of writing this it
looks that apart from bruising and swelling she has been lucky and escaped
without any broken bones or long lasting damage, however this will only be
confirmed once the swelling has gone down. In the meantime she is in a lot of
pain and has restricted movement.
Bob Heasman strikes again! - Apparently Tangram was overtaken by a duck during the Rally!
