Ardnish Party
We’re back from a great 2 weeks up on the West Coast of Scotland, which was our first big trip on our new Rib.
The first week we brought in about 60 people into the remote Ardnish Peninsula on Wst Coast of Scotland for my Dad’s 70th Birthday Party. It was a brilliant do with the oldest person there being 85 and the youngest just three. Had a minor problem with the sounder not working, but got a new chip delivered from Garmin direct to a kind lady in Glenuig who received it and delivered it to the jetty the next day. After bit of advice on the phone from Ged, all was operational.
Landing on the peninsula was all very challenging with quite a rocky beach and a new boat and stainless steel prop. But, solved by jumping in to the water (with drysuit) at 1.5m and manhandling it it in to the beach, with the engine off and up, on the painter.
Set up a mooring buoy off the beach with 2 anchors, each with 10m chain and 50m warp. Torro was connected to the bottom of the buoy with a galvanised shackle-pulley with 100m of warp off the bow, through the pulley and back to an anchor on the beach and another 100m from the beach anchor to the towing eye at the transom. Worked a treat at low tide and we could pull the boat right back to the beach. Unfortunately at high tide the beach anchor was 2m under water and it was a swim to the boat.
Even still, I had a sleepless night in the tent on the Wednesday night as the wind rose, but everything held firm and at 0445, as dawn broke, I confirmed everything ok and I got some sleep. Thereafter I slept like a baby, helped by the occasional rum.
Recovered it without problem on Monday afternoon at high tide. My big Galaxy worked a treat, but the slip was just 6” wider than the trailer and 30 metres long so it was a real test of my reversing skills. Hugely pleased that I managed it and I know I’ll not have a harder reverse.
Second week in Oban. Again the boat was brilliant, but weather was a bit windy. It was an Easterly and cold even with the sun shining so kept the trips small so as not tp diminish the enthusiasm of my kids.
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