Somewhere Special - 27 June 2006 (day 38)

Yacht Gothik

At Anchor

Somewhere (but I can't say where)

I won't even say which island (sorry)

27 June 2006

No map I'm afraid.

Logged distance:

Chart distance:

Time under way:

Tuesday 27 June 2006

Today was a truly special day. One I shall never forget. I can tell you most things about today but not where most of it took place. The main reason for this is simply to preserve the peace and tranquility for those with the urge to discover these things for themselves. If I, for one moment, thought I had given any direction or piloting to this special place then I would feel somewhat responsible for disclosing it to more people than it could comfortably sustain. It's not really a secret, others have been there before us, it's just very difficult to get to and I'm not about to make it easier. Enough said - I will continue with today's account...

It was another fine morning, ideal for photo's - we could see all the way to the Mountains of Antrim in Northern Ireland. The picture you see here is looking out from Lagavulin towards the sea. Somewhere through this there was a way out out of the bay. The previous night I had watched a couple of fishing boats leaving which confirmed the line we took to get in. To be on the safe side we got up early to catch a rising tide and to leave with as much water under the keel as when entering. While we were waiting for the appointed time we sipped coffee and watched the seals.

At the appointed time we slipped our mooring and set off gently towards the sea. The depth sounder was telling me all the right things when suddenly - bang! The keel touched bottom. No soft stuff here, this was rock. There was no warning, no decreasing depth readings - we were mid point between two rocks painted with port and starboard marks. I put us into reverse and edged forward a few metres to one side (the rocks visible on the surface were less than 30m apart), a few metres was enough and soon we were out of the danger zone. I was confident there was no real damage - we had been doing less than a knot - but as a precaution we lifted the cabin sole, checked the bilges and keel bolts and made a note to check them again in hour.

A picture of the Lagavulin distillery from our mooring.

The Caol Isla distillery.

The Bunnahabhain distillery.

A remote house - with little else around.

The feature here that looks a lot like a man made road is in fact a raised beach.

In addition to raised beaches there were many other shoreline features now above the water such as these caves.

Gaps that at first look easily big enough for a boat to pass through have many hidden dangers. Charts can only be used as a guide - in areas like this they give indications, such as rocks awash, rather than pin point depths. In the picture, continue the line of the rocks below the surface, add a few jagged edges and a random pinnacle or two, then consider the depth of the keel. Gaps that look quite big suddenly seem quite small.

The next one was even smaller...

...making for an exciting passage. With a little tide running from behind, manoeuvring at slow speed was a tad awkward. I was fully expecting to touch bottom at some point and so was trying to go as slowly as possible - there still being plenty of hazards below the keel. Shortly after this picture was taken we had to round a tight bend. It was like a bend in a river, shallow on the inside and deeper on the outside. It was in the outside of the bend we touched bottom but only just, we tried a little to one side and a little to the other but there was no more water. Instead we dropped anchor and waited for the tide to provide some.

Before too long we were edging our way forward. Having got round the bend we eventually reached an enclosed pool and once more dropped the anchor. The engine was switched off and we were dipped in silence. Nothing but the occasional bird call. Total solitude in an untouched landscape. In fact it was so quiet that during dinner that we removed the ticking clock from the cabin bulkhead.

After dinner we rowed the dingy ashore to explore some more...

...walking up a small hill to take in the view

There were several deer along the way.

And a fresh water lake that we swam across.

The water was wonderful; soft, peaty and sweet to the taste. The first four feet of water at the surface being warm but deeper the temperature plunged. After not showering since Adrishaig a fresh water wash was a highlight.

Our walk back...

...encompassed another view. There are more deer in this picture - find them if you can.

It had been a wonderful day.