Voyage around the North coast of Northern Ireland and the Southern Hebrides
28th June to 18th July 2003

The main season voyage was from Carrick Castle to Burnt Islands, Kyles of Bute & Campbeltown, Argyll; Ballycastle & Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland; Port Ellen, Isle of Islay; Isle of Kerrera; Loch Drumbuie, Morvern; Bunessan, Isle of Mull; Aros Bay, Isle of Islay; Campbeltown, Burnt Islands & back to Carrick Castle – 397 nautical miles.

Crew: Douglas Locke, Liz Evans, Calum Evans (aged 11)

Diary and Log Book extracts for 2003 Voyage around the North coast of Northern Ireland and the Southern Hebrides. There are photographs of the voyage, see the Gallery for 2003: –

28.06 16.25 Depart Carrick Castle mooring towards the Kyles of Bute. Anchored Balnakeilly Bay, by Burnt Islands, Isle of Bute at 20.20.

29.06 10.05 Weighed anchor with destination of Campbeltown. Arrived Campbeltown pontoon at 16.35.

30.06 09.10 Departed Campbeltown towards Northern Ireland. Top speed abeam Fairhead was 11.9 knots. Arrived Ballycastle marine at 15.00. Good sailing. MWF 6.

01-03.07 Three days off in Ballycastle. Hired a car from Coleraine and travelled round Northern Ireland visiting tourist destinations, including Portrush, the Giant’s Causeway, the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, Cushendun, Omagh, Londonderry and the Marble Arch Caves west of Enniskillen.

04.07 14.55 Departed Ballycastle marina for Church Bay, Rathlin Island. Arrived at 16.05 and moored alongside a derelict fishing boat in the harbour. Very shallow in the harbour with only just enough water under the keel to not ground.

05.07 Day off on Rathlin Island visiting the bird sanctuary at the west end of the island by the lighthouse and also walked to the north east corner of the island to that lighthouse.

06.07 06.40 Departed Rathlin Island towards Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, the Queen of the Inner Hebrides. Arrived Port Ellen marina at 11.00.

07.07 Day off on the Isle of Islay. Hired a car and toured the island. Douglas lived at Carraig Fhada Farm, Port Ellen from 1980-1986, so was able to shown Liz and Calum the best places to visit, These included, Bowmore, Port Askaig, Portnahaven, Port Charlotte and Bruichladdich, where we visited the Bruichladdich Distillery. We also met up with our friends on the island.

08.07 12.50 Departed Port Ellen marina to lay at anchor in the bay at Carraig Fhada on the north west side of Port Ellen lighthouse, arriving at 13.10. Visited our friends at the farm.

09.07 Day off, walking, relaxing and Calum even had a swim in the cold sea jumping off the yacht!

10.07 08.40 Weighed anchor at Carraig Fhada. Headed up the east coast of Islay and Jura to the Isle of Kerrera. Arrived at the marina at 17.50.

11.07 Day off in Oban.

12.07 12.30 Departed Kerrera for Loch Drumbuie, Morvern. Anchored there at 16.54.

13.07 08.03 Weighed anchor Loch Drumbuie and headed towards Bunessan, Isle of Mull. Anchored there at 13.47. MWF 7.

14.07 Day off visiting the Isle of Iona by ferry from Fionaphort.

15.07 10.35 Weighed anchor. Headed through the Sound of Iona and the Torran Rocks to West Loch Tarbert, Isle of Jura, to wait out three quarters of an hour for a favourable tide to go through the Sound of Islay. Our next anchorage was in Aros Bay, Ardmore, Isle of Islay where we arrived at 20.00. A dolphin accompanied us for part of the way through the Sound of Islay.

16.07 05.30 Weighed anchor. Headed towards Campbeltown around the Mull of Kintyre. Top speed reached 12.6 knots off the Mull and was our fastest to date! Arrived Campbeltown pontoon at 12.00. MWF 5. Met up with Westerly yacht Quest of Ipswich.

17.07 11.18 Departed Campbeltown heading to the Kyles of Bute down the east coast of Arran. Anchored in Wreck Bay, by Burnt Islands in the Kyles at 18.30.

18.07 08.35 Weighed anchor heading home again. Called at Holy Loch Marina, Sandbank to refuel before we arrived at our mooring at Carrick Castle at 14.23. Voyage MWF 7.

Good holiday, enjoyed our stay in Northern Ireland and the sailing but a trifle too much wind at times on the return leg.

For photographs of the voyage, see the Gallery for 2003.

Main season voyage = 397 nautical miles.
Other sailing this year – Clyde area, Scotland = 344 nautical miles.
(Clyde area visits included Arochar, Argyll; Dunoon, Argyll; Kyles of Bute; Loch Riddon, Argyll; Loch Striven, Argyll; Millport, Isle of Cumbrae; Rothesay, Isle of Bute & Sandbank, Argyll)

Total miles for 2003 season = 741 nautical miles.

Total miles sailed since 2000 = 6,657 nautical miles.