Loch Etive This Friday onwards.

simsy · 01 June 2011, 13:06

I will be taking the long drive to Loch Etive this Friday Afternoon....

YAM360 sib, 20hp engine, tent etc for a couple of nights.....

Any tips or things to see from anyones experiences?

Cheers, Mike........

9D280 · 01 June 2011, 13:23

70 Wild Miles Glencoe

There's at least two of us helping out rescuing the canoes, and if I can get my steering working in time I'll be up there sometime Friday morning for a shakedown / run-in mini cruise. If not it's a silly o'clock departure on Sat morn.... Where you camping?

Where you go (comfortably) will be entirely dependant on the direction of the wind - on the plus side up there there's plenty of lee shores to hug, regardless which way it's blowing....

Head south to Easdale & the Bridge over the Atlantic or you could do a lap of Mull and see Iona, Staffa then round the top to (or just head west from Etive) to Tobermory or if you want some sheltered nothingness with awesome beaches the scenery in Loch Sunart, or head north for Castle Stalker / Fort William etc. The Co-op at Port Appin (top end of Lismore) does sandwiches, or hang about & play under the Connel bridge at mid tide!

(Keep to the south side to avoid the rocks if you are just passing through!)

Brain dumps'r'us!

Poly · 01 June 2011, 23:02

Simsy,

As 9d280 says we will both be up baby sitting some kayaks on Sat afternoon. If you see us do say hello. (Call sign - RIB Imposter, boat about the same size as yours but slightly more bathtub like!)

Where to go really depends what takes your fancy, how brave you (and your crew) are and a bit of the weather. You could spend the whole weekend just pottering round Loch Etive itself - especially if you head for the "excitement" of the Falls of Lora or the "isolation" towards the top of the Loch (which is mostly inaccessible by road). If you want to go further then a trip round Lismore and up towards Shuna (opposite Linnhe Marine) should at least find you seals, and if you are lucky porpoise. The weather looks to be OK (F3-4) but not so good I'd fancy going all the way round Mull on my own in a 3.5m boat.

9D280 · 02 June 2011, 10:08

yep, I'm the grotty tube'd humber with a smoking Clamshell on the back. Literally- I'm on 25:1 for the next 10 hrs

.....if I can find anyone with a 12' stering cable in stock in central Scotland!

Also seals go sunbathing in Loch Creran, and if the tide is high you can go a reasonable distance up the river on shallow water drive.

also probably worth downloading this before you go: http://www.welcomeanchoragesscotland.com/ (PDF clicky is at the bottom)

simsy · 02 June 2011, 10:46

Thanks guys. I will have my 4 year old son and my old dad with me. Dads an old sea dog so the falls would not bother him (if we had a rag up), but my boy needs a bit of tlc. I do the Menai with my son, in all but the largest tides, but the falls look a bit worse... I will have a look as I have the tide tables for the falls and will have a play. I will have the marine hand held radio on the sports event channel.... What channel will that be??? and print out the suggestion here and take them with me. As for camping, not sure, some where remote..... anywhere.

We were going to volunteer as a safety boat a few weeks ago, but with a 4 year old on board I was not sure it would be wise.

I can help with the steering cable if possible.. I live between Macclesfield and Stockport …… And will be setting off around 11.00am Friday. 07718 785810 if you want me to pick one up from some where local to me or on route north....
I will look out for a choked up outboard that’s smoking following a bunch a mad man in canoes…..

Not been on the Loch since I stole me old man’s Fairy Fin with a seagull outboard when I was 8… over 30 years ago. Really looking forward to it….

Mike…

Poly · 02 June 2011, 11:30

Simsy, don't know what channel until we get there. Think it was 8 last year, but youcll probably get us on 16 anyway.

Puffin · 02 June 2011, 12:19

Make that 3 of us looking after the kayaks. We are launching at Dunstafnage Sat AM , probably about 10. 6m Humber, blue tubes white hull, callsign RIB Puffin.

Paul

simsy · 02 June 2011, 14:24

Is there any thing about the falls that a first time visitor could learn in 30 seconds, or should I just stay away until it slows? Is low tide (flow) safe or will I rock out....? Call sign snapper...

Puffin · 02 June 2011, 14:57

Both the Imray and Clyde Cruising Club guides to the area have clear instructions in them. Would suggest you pick up a copy of one of them, they are really handy giving clear pilotage instructions. Off the top of my head I can't remember what time slack is in relation to Oban HW but is given in these two guides. Going into the loch from the sea you need to keep under the right hand (southern) side of the bridge, the guides tell you how far across.

Paul

BruceB · 02 June 2011, 15:58

Nav lights on the bridge channel on the south side. water is around 11m deep at low water so no worry about bottoming out. Falls are navigable at any state of the tide with enough oomph, ability to do around 15knt would be fine even in full flood.

Mr Flibble · 02 June 2011, 17:08

At low water keep right on way in, left on way out

simsy · 06 June 2011, 09:55

I headed to the falls, but the old man said turn around when he saw it up close. So I dropped him and my son off and headed over the edge (outwards tide) my self... Lots of water and the canoes were playing in the middle under the bridge....

I turned around, sat the sib on the plane and headed back up the falls.... Just on the plane was not going to do the job. (plane is 10-11 knots).. WOT and up she went....

I later clocked the top speed of the sib with the three of us onboard with my GPS 19 knots. (stock original yami prop).

It was good to visit Scotland, friendly people, great road manners from other drivers..

Second night camping there was a gang of lads drinking until 4am... burning things and shouting, all adds to the fun....They were quiet the next day.....

9D280 · 07 June 2011, 08:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by simsy

Lots of water and the canoes were playing in the middle under the bridge....

I wandered through there near low water and still "below 2000rpm". Was making the dizzy heights of 1.1 knots

(reckoned it was about 4-5 through the water) when one of the caonoes came over and told me the current was less over the other side. Having explained the running in & the rocks I'd rather not meet due to lack of grunt to manouver out of trouble, he politely asked if I could use my 30 seconds in 10 mins blast (that I was saving for a proper "oh sh!t" moment) to get out the way " 'coz we want to play"

The return journey was somewhat quicker!