The Voyages of Tra Bhui: Loch Lomond Feeder Cruise and Rally 2015

Loch Lomond Feeder Cruise and Rally 2015

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 3^rd 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 4^th 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 3^rd 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 3^rd September

My original plan was to be on the water by 13.00 hrs. but this was scuppered 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 had metamorphosed 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 more favourable 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 to reconnoitre 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 4^th 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 5^th 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 neighbours who 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"

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 we persevered 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 6^th 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.