Monday 18th May

Saturday 9th May. Sailed from Loch Moidart 10nm west to Eigg in a N wind F4. Put a reef in the main to see how it would set and all looked good. Just as I was leaving the entrance to Moidart a white tailed sea eagle flew low directly overhead. These enormous birds are now thriving in this area. I Anchored in South Bay and checked out the shop, cafe and facilities by the ferry slipway. I will be back next week with Amanda so more about Eigg later.
On Sunday at 0630 I set off back over to Arisaig on engine to allow time to get sorted before catching the 10.25 train to Glasgow. Arisaig Marine, who run the moorings, provide a dinghy rack and a storage room for outboards. It’s then a 15 min walk to the station.
On Monday Amanda and I returned to Arisaig. We were late arriving at 1800 but nevertheless needed to leave straight away and get back over to Skye as by morning a frontal system would be coming through bringing strong NW winds for a few days. We would be stuck on the mooring at Arisaig unable to dinghy ashore. So with a F3 SW wind we reached back to Armadale with a little motoring to help to get us there just before dark.

After a couple of days sightseeing around Skye, on Thursday the forecast of 30+ kts from north was going to make the mooring at Armadale very uncomfortable and difficult to dinghy ashore. So at 0630 I sailed due east over the Sound and into Loch Nevis. Half way across I had 28kts at times, on the quarter so roared along touching 8 kts. With the new antifoul on it makes for a slippery bottom. On the northern side of the Loch, off Inverie, we picked up a mooring at 0800, just in time for breakfast. Inverie is famous for its Inn, the Olde Forge, the remotest pub in Britain, only accessible by walking 20 miles over mountains or by boat. There is a local brewery and I enjoyed their cask ale called Seven Men. It’s a very small community but does have a primary school. A foot passenger ferry now runs 4 times a day from Mallaig and provides an essential lifeline.

Friday 15th May. With another brisk F5 NW we sailed south to the Small Isles and the island of Eigg. We were greeted by a pod of dolphins on arrival. The island has a thriving community, being now effectively owned by the island’s residents, along with a new cafe, shop, toilet, shower and laundry block, events hall, and was the first place in the world to have it’s own electric grid powered by solar and wind. Geologically too the island has a lot to say, the sugarloaf crag which dominates the skyline, is the largest mass of columnar lava (like Staffa) in Britain. We walked to Kildonnan, the site of St Donnan’s monastery from the early 7th century, where now stands the remains of a later church and graveyard still in use.

Saturday 16th May. After making full use of the facilities we set off for the nearby island of Muck, motoring the 4nm into the harbour at Port Mor. Muck is the smallest of the four Small Isles, just a couple of miles sq. It is relatively low and flat and sheep outnumber people ten to one. The community shop operates self service and an honesty tin. We walked over the island to a white sandy beach where there is an alternative anchorage facing NW. The silence was deafening until just before the ferry was due in, when it was rush hour, or rush 10 minutes, as the few locals came down to the harbour in tractors and buggies.

Sunday 17th May. We were woken early by severe rolling caused by SO lying broadside to a swell working its way into the harbour. Decided to evacuate and head off to the next island, Rum. Over the course of the 11nm journey we passed close downwind of a salmon fishery, very smelly and noisy, the salmon can be seen leaping high over each other trying to find some space to swim. Rum is the largest of the islands geographically but a similar small population as Muck. It is very mountainous, a National Nature Reserve, an SSSI, and a Biosphere Reserve. It is home to a large population of Red Deer and over 100 pairs of white-tailed sea eagles, along with golden eagles, otters and seals. We anchored in the only feasible place on Rum, at Loch Scresort on the eastern side. Around the head of the Loch is the main settlement and Kinloch castle, which commands a view down the Loch. The Edwardian castle has been in the ownership of the Scottish government, is now closed and in a state of disrepair, but has just been sold to a private buyer so may be revived. Consequently compared with vibrant Eigg the community and its buildings have been struggling to survive, but are now just starting a recovery, with a new bunkhouse and a number of pods, and a new community and visitor centre is soon to be built.