Broads Rally - 19th to 21st September 2014

Having been to the Norfolk Broads with Tra Bhui in 2013, we were keen to visit again in 2014 as it would be not only another opportunity to sail this year, but a chance to see a bit more of this beautiful area.  

Attending the Broads Rally meant an 800 mile round trip for us. Towing a boat 800 miles for a two day rally may not be everyone’s idea of fun therefore to allow us the maximum time at the Rally, I set off on the Thursday afternoon (after voting in the Scottish Independence Poll) and Kathleen who was working on the Thursday and who falls into the camp of people who would not choose to sit in a car for 800 miles flew down to Norwich on the Friday morning. As the Rally was under an hour from Norwich Airport we could arrive early and make the most of the Friday there.

Friday 19^th September

This year the Rally was to be based at the Waveney River Center which is a holiday center on the River Waveney  a few miles inland from Lowestoft. The approach to the Waveney River Center is via some pretty narrow single track roads with relatively few passing places, but fortunately we did not meet anyone coming from the other direction.

Arriving at the Center in the early afternoon we immediately set about getting Tra Bhui in the water in order that we could get the cockpit tent set up and ourselves organised which would in turn allow us time to go and explore the surrounding area during the afternoon.

The River Center has an easily accessible slipway next to the basin where we would be mooring. After checking in with reception, buying our 48 hr. license for the Broads and paying our launching fee we parked Tra Bhui at the top of the slipway in order to rig her and get her into the water. What is usually a quick and simple operation became a minor epic.  

Determined to overcome the minor furling problem with the genoa which is caused by the forestay having been incorrectly supplied without a separate trace for the jib up haul, I ended up raising and lowering the mast three times as I tried a number of minor variations and configurations of blocks to solve the problem. The trial and error way of rigging was worth it in the end as the furling worked perfectly when we used it. 

Break Back Trailer

It was a rather reluctant Tra Bhui that slid from her trailer into the River Waveney once we had at last finished rigging her. Normally she runs freely off her trailer but this time a good bit of shoving was required – something to entertain our fellow ralliers who by now were starting to arrive. 

With Tra Bhui afloat and the cockpit tent erected I took the crew to the nearby pub for a very belated lunch only to find that they had stopped serving food 2 hrs. earlier! Boy was I a popular skipper by then!!!

Tent up - time to go and explore

After a quick cup of tea and some peanuts in the Waveney Arms we set out to explore the immediate area. The Waveney River Center sits pretty much on it’s own miles from anywhere with only a few houses and a church nearby. The church was a very interesting building with a square Ziggurat inspired stepped tower and a mixture of brick and flint stone walls.

After a pleasant walk south westwards along a country lane (England) /  single track road (Scotland) called Straith Road (so it is not a lane after all!) which heads nowhere in particular but is part of a network of lanes criss crossing the countryside we headed back to Tra Bhui. After trying out the marina’s showers which are shared with the adjacent campsite we retired to the Waveney Inn for dinner.

Saturday 20^th September

The calm of Saturday morning

After waking to a windless morning we set off in a generally west direction with the aim of “sailing” to the market town some 7 miles away. By mid-morning a light breeze could be felt but it gave anything but a constant wind and with every tree along the river appearing to effect it direction it offered challenging sailing conditions. This resulted in Tra Bhui doing far more motor sailing than sailing as each time the wind dropped or swung round a bit, the river current tended to cause the boat to “ferry glide” towards one of the river banks.

Drifting towards Beccles

The Gig is probably not the Drascombe best suited to the narrow stretches of water that form the Broads. With it’s long keel it does not turn as quickly as other boats in the range and it’s slightly deeper draft discourages one to venture too near the reed lined sides. When heading upwind on the Broads, the ability to short tack is vital to make any meaningful progress. Unfortunately this is not the Gigs strong point and gives me an excuse however spurious for not sailing when heading upwind in light winds.

Tied up at Beccles

Arriving at Beccles at lunch time we tied Tra Bhui up to a convenient  wharf where the other Drascombes that had arrived before us were already alongside.

While most appeared to be happy to eat  lunch on board, we set off to explore Beccles and to find a coffee shop.

The townscape of Beccles is dominated by the detached sixteenth-century bell tower of St Michael's church. Like the main body of the church, the tower is Gothic in style and is just under 100ft tall. The tower is not attached to the church and at the wrong end of the church as the correct end would be too close to a large cliff.

Other than the church tower there are a number of old building around the town center which adds a bit of character to the town. We found a pretty decent café for lunch before having a wander around the town.

Our sail back to Waveney offered a little more sailing   but still the outboard was needed to ensure we got back before dark.

Rally Dinner

The Rally Dinner was  held in the Waveney Inn which is part of the River Center. I think a good meal and an enjoyable time was had by all those who attended. After a few post meal drinks we retired to Tra Bhui for the night.

Miles sailed (motored) - 14 miles

Sunday 21^st September

To allow Kathleen to catch her flight home from Norwich we planned to be off the water, packed up and on the road by 14.00hrs. As most of the Rally participants had lengthy distances to travel and also wanted away sharp, our planned trip would be a shorter one to Oulton Broad which is just under 2.5 miles from the River Center.

Under way on the River Waveney

Oulton Broad is an expanse of water and marsh which forms part of the network of man-made bodies which form the Broads. The Broads themselves are believed to be the remnants of medieval peat cutting. To the east Oulton Broad is linked by a lock to Lake Lothing which passes through the center of Lowestoft and opens into the North Sea. To the west it is linked by Oulton Dyke to the River Waveney.

Oulton Broad is the most southern area of open water in the Broads system, and is a busy tourist and sporting center. It is one of the few broads that has adjacent residential areas, with houses to the north and flats to the east. The north side of the Broad is one of the most expensive residential areas in Lowestoft and includes large detached houses with lake frontages.

While the eastern and north shores of the Broad are built up, the west and south-west are quiet and natural.

After the calm of Saturday by Sunday the wind had risen with a vengeance and shortly after turning eastwards from the river Waveney we were running down wind on Oulton Broad at up to 4 knots under Genoa alone. With the Broads speed limit of 5 Knots and having had been stopped for speeding by the Broads Authorities the year before we had no need or desire to raise the main or even let the mizzen out!

"Racing" Daisy II back to Waveney

Arriving at the mouth of the Broad we lost the wind behind a group of trees so a short distance under motor was required. Just as we began to clear the trees the motor suddenly cut out and we drifted quietly into the reeds which line the river. Having checked the fuel system and supply to the engine, I reckoned the problem was electrical, but having loaded my tool box along with our camping and cooking stuff into the car to speed our departure when we got back I had no means of investigating the problem any further.

Preparing ourselves for a tow, I noticed that the engine cut off switch under the remote controls had been kicked to the off position. It just shows that the simple and obvious things should be the first things to check!

Satturday - red / Sunday - yellow

Back under power we made a circuit of Oulton Broad before motoring into a strengthening wind as we headed back to the River Center.

Packing up after the Rally

Hauling Tra Bhui out was less problematic than launching her and soon we were de-rigged and packed to go. With some time in hand we lunched at the Waveney Inn before saying our farewells and heading off to Norwich Airport.

After dropping Kathleen at Norwich Airport just before 3pm I headed northwards by road arriving home just before 11pm

Miles sailed / motored - 5 miles

Loch Lomond Rally September 2014

Written in the form of an article for DAN magazine

For anyone who has not yet enjoyed sailing on Loch Lomond the annual Drascombe Rally in September provides an ideal opportunity to sail on the largest loch or lake in Great Britain (by surface area). Within the United Kingdom, it is surpassed only by Lough Neagh and Lower Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.

Loch Lomond lies on the Highland Boundary Fault which demarks the boundary between the lowlands and highlands of Scotland. The fault is the reason for the stark contrast in landscapes between the north and south ends of the Loch and it is responsible for a number of the Loch’s islands.

The planned cruising area for this year’s rally was the area of Loch to the north and west of Balmaha as this area contains nearly all of the thirty odd islands in the Loch.

Having some “spare days”, I had planned a pre rally sail to the top of Loch Lomond (25 miles away); however this had to be put on hold due to adverse weather conditions. Not the wind and rain normally associated with September in Scotland, but sunshine, blue skies and a perfect calm! Not a ripple could be seen on the water. Was the Rally going to be two days under motor?

With my plans to be on the Loch on Thursday morning now abandoned, I launched our Gig - Tra Bhui at the Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway in Balloch late on the Friday afternoon and motored down the Loch towards the “Geggles”, a narrow passage between the islands of Inchmoan and Inchcruin.

For centuries Inchmoan was a source of peat fuel for the inhabitants of the nearby Lochside village Luss. In the centre of this island is a jungle of plant life with peat, rhododendron, birch, alder, gorse, bog myrtle and blueberry. The north and south shores offer long curving sandy beaches, whilst the western peninsula is covered in Scot's pine trees and is home to a large ruined building.

With darkness falling the anchor was dropped in a bay just short of the North West tip of Inchmoan and with the cockpit tent erected I settled down for the night enjoying the dead quiet of the Loch. A few of the other boats attending the Rally were also on the Loch and were spending the night at various different anchorages among the islands.

Saturday 13th September

On Saturday morning the Loch was covered in mist which reduced visibility to under a mile and with not a breath of wind a day under motor looked more than likely.

The plan for the day was to meet at Millarochy Bay on the west side of the Loch just north of the village of Balmaha. Our destination would depend on the wind direction, but with no wind we had numerous options to choose from.

"Crew"

I headed over to Millarochy Bay early as I wanted to walk back along the West Highland Way towards Balmaha to meet my wife Kathleen who was due to join me as crew for the weekend.
The West Highland Way is one of a number of long distance footpaths in Scotland. At 96 miles long it runs from Milngavie just outside Glasgow to Fort William on the West Coast. A section of it follows the east side of the Loch for 21 miles from Balmaha to Inverarnan.

The "Fleet" gathers on Saturday morning

By 11.00 (Drascombe Time) most of the Rally fleet which consisted of Coasters - Sula, Sula (yes two Sulas), Rosie of Dale, Prawnpipe and Clarach Mary; Drifter 22 – Clarach Mor; Long Boat Cruiser – Otter; Gig – Tra Bhui and Lugger - Lucy had assembled.

After a very informal briefing we set off northwards under motor to our lunch stop at a small un named beach which is surrounded by mature trees lies just behind one of the two Ross Islands. These small islands lie just off the south shore of the Ross promontory, about two miles south of Rowardennan on the east side of the Loch.

Heading for lunch under adverse weather conditions

Lunch over we headed southeastwards again under motor across the Loch to Luss where we briefly stopped for ice cream before continuing southwards through the narrow passage between Inchtavannach – “The Monks Island’ and Inchconnachan – “The Colquhoun’s Island”.

Inchtavannach is a long wooded island which rises steeply at it’s northern end to a rocky summit, which provides splendid views of the Loch and surrounding countryside. Bandry Bay separates the island from the mainland. It is thought that St Kessog was killed here.

Inchconnachan boasts a wealth of secluded bays that none of the other of islands can match. Throughout the summer these havens are filled with overnighting yachts and cruisers. The 1920s wooden bungalow situated near to the narrows was previously the holiday home of Lady Arran Colquhoun who introduced Wallabies to the island. The wallabies roamed wild and these strange creatures can still be seen today.

Still heading southwards we past the “Haven” a large sheltered lagoon, a popular anchorage and one used by some of the other boats on Friday night. Leaving Inchtavannach behind us we crossed over to Inchmurrin – “The Island of St Mirren” where we had arranged a “Rally” dinner at the Inchmurrin Hotel. The Inchmurrin Hotel is open from March to October and has become the venue for our traditional “Rally Dinner” as we can tie up for the night alongside the hotel’s small jetty, only yards from the small hotel itself.

Tied up outside Inchmurrin Hotel

Inchmurrin is by far the largest of Loch Lomond’s Islands and is truly an enchanting place with woodlands, meadows, high ridges and gentle valleys. There is a small community on the island centered around the hotel, a boatyard and a reasonable sized farm which not only rears beef cattle but which supplies the hotel with local fresh meats.

Set on a headland on the south western extremity of Inchmurrin stand the ruined walls of an ancient castle. Early Christian monks are known to have constructed a chapel somewhere nearby. This chapel was dedicated to St Mirren who is thought to have visited or lived on the island at some point.

Sunday 14th of September

Windier conditions on Sunday morning

Sunday morning saw a change in the weather due to the high pressure which had given us the unexpectedly good September weather moving northwards. A fresh wind from the south east provided ideal conditions for us to beat across the Loch to Inchcailoch – “The Island of the Nun”. 

Inchcailoch was an ideal upwind location for lunch as there is a sheltered sandy bay with a picnic area and a small campsite at the southern end of the island.

Lunch time on Inchcailoch

In 717AD three Christian missionaries arrived in Scotland from Ireland. After much travelling one of these missionaries settled on Inchcailloch and there she died. A nunnery was founded in her memory and in the twelfth or early thirteenth century a church was also built and dedicated to her memory.

For approximately 500 years the people of the mainland parish rowed across to their Sunday worship, and here they also buried their dead. Those ruins and the graveyard remain on Inchcailloch today.

Heading to Balmaha after lunch

Inchcailloch is now owned by Scottish Natural Heritage. Carefully maintained nature trails allow vistors to explore the island without causing undue disturbance to the wealth of vegetation and wildlife that lives there.

Tra Bhui's crew on Sunday 

After a very pleasant picnic on the beach the Rally fleet split as some of the boats headed back to Balmaha in the east where they had launched on Saturday, while those of us who had launched at Balloch in the south enjoyed a “run” across the Loch past Torrinch – “ The Tower Island” and Inchmnurrin where we had spent the previous night. By late afternoon we were packing the boats up on their trailers before heading homewards.

Running "home" to Balloch