SIBing some Small Isles by The Gurnard

[The Gurnard]

Thanks again to all who stop by

I left the Old Forge feeling as happy as a sandboy. My belly was full of finest Nevis seafood and my bladder had filtered off the best parts of a gallon of black magic juice. I was now heading along the tree lined avenue back to the campsite.



Perhaps it was the fresh air .. or the euphoric feeling of freedom in this magic land ..or perhaps an after effect of the magic potion.. but as I walked.. I had a feeling of being watched from the woods ?



Then there were more ... even though they looked a little bored with my passing pace ?



Soon .. strange plants started to sprout before my very eyes ...



I quickened my step to get out the woods as soon as possible and headed for the shore.... only to discover strange objects were now coming out the sea to see me ?



I decided enough was enough.. so had an early night to sleep the potion off. It wasn’t going to be much of a sunset that evening anyway.



During the night.. I had wet dreams of surfing six foot standing waves in the fast flowing narrows at the very heart of Loch Nevis.

I knew was heading there in the morning....

To be continued ......

[Olly570]

Another great read 👍 hope the new tent is great.

[The Gurnard]

Hi Olly..at least the new tent is long enough to cover my feet..the Extra Value one was kind of sparse in that area


I woke in the early morning to a flat calm and a cloud of midges. I was not imagining them either, as the black magic juice had long lost its effect. I didn’t hang around ...so with head net on.. I dismantled the tent..and was on the water before the blighters had time to suck the blood out of my Guinness.



That is the beauty of wild camping with a boat. Midges don’t have good eyesight .. they cant find you once you are fifty yards off shore. The drizzle started to sizzle and sing on the mirror flat surface of the loch as I made my way slowly into the deep depths of the loch.



It was the wetting type of Scotch mist too.. soon every surface was soaking wet..including my waterproofs. I decided to land at the ghost village of Stoul. I prefer walking in rain . I’m afraid that sitting in it ..even in a boat... is always my least preferred option.



Besides.. I love wandering around old ruins... trying to imagine what the people were like that lived there a hundred years or so ago. As I walked ... I knew I could hear the same sounds they heard..and see the same scenery they saw. I guess life was hard to leave a life in such a scenic location.



The rain eased a bit..so I clambered back on board the boat and sat a hundred yards of shore.. to see if I could catch some of the fish those folks ... of long ago would have eaten. Within moments I hit a shoal of mackerel.. and they were not small fry.. they were large mackerel. I concluded it wasn’t through starvation that the village was abandoned ?



I really only fish for the pot..so didn’t linger any longer at Stoul.. but made my way further up the loch. As I went.. I saw some dark shapes break the surface of the water.. before they disappeared into the heavy mist. I knew they were probably porpoise as there is a healthy population of them in the area. Then.... suddenly .. through the mist I saw a huge fish shape appear.



Actually I know a whale is a mammal and not a fish.. but I also know this fishy mammal is not a whale but is in fact a boat. It belongs to Tom McLean an ex SAS man and lone adventurer who has rowed across the Atlantic. He went round Britain..2000 miles trip .. in his whale boat... I bet he could tell a good adventure story too.

Soon I was SIBing past the small living village of Tarbet..
I knew I was not far from the narrows now.



To be continued.....

[M.Thornton]

Fantastic Mr G. You have definitely raised the bar with the quality of your posts,well done and keep them coming.

[The Gurnard]

The Loch Nevis narrows were as flat as the rest of the lochs surface.. so I had nothing to worry about..on this adventure. However because the tide flows through them at up to seven knots.. even a slight wind in the opposite direction can kick up quite a storm. Its worth remembering if you are not familiar with sea lochs and perhaps think they are as docile as fresh water lochs. There has been a few times my passage through “narrows” in sea lochs has been delayed until the tide turns and starts to flow with the wind...its when the water starts to settle again.

This photo shows the narrows at Loch Nevis..beyond is a huge basin of water.. trying to rush through a narrow gap into the main loch.



Here is a photo of the stunning scenery on a better day. Sometimes the wind whistles around the mountain tops..screams down the glen of Loch Nevis then hits the incoming tide running at seven knots .. causing huge overfalls and standing waves. Even large commercial boats tend to steer clear on such days.



A fast launch from Camusrory Estate came screaming through the narrows as I went up them. I got a cheery wave as they passed then a wet wave as its wake washed my boat. I didn’t mind..I knew the boat was in a hurry to meet the Mallaig Train..possibly to collect another wealthy tourist to bring them for a week’ s shooting and fishing. It can cost from £1000 to £2000 per night for the privilege of staying in the lodge and killing a deer or catching a salmon.




However I too decided to open throttle in retaliation and put another white scar across the innocent surface of Loch Nevis.



I was now beginning to feel the cold .. having sat in the rain all morning. My waterproofs proved to be not so waterproof and even my shirt was wet. The evaporation of water from the damp shirt seemed to chill me even further..so I decided to land and change into dry clothes. The rain had stopped and I didn’t foresee any other speeding boats around to soak me.




I also heated a tin of soup in my camping cooker and sat on the shore happily slurping it as I admired my surrounds.



Half an hour later I was warm and toasty in dry clothes and my waterproof chest waders. I headed on to the head of the loch.



At the head of the Loch .. I read the unwelcoming notices of the private pier at Camasrory estate . They didn’t trouble me.. because I knew if I wanted to land..I could stop on the rocks.. then walk .. such are the laws of Scotland. Paupers like me can walk where kings only tread.



I then wondered if the wealthy guy spending £2000 per night.. could enjoy themselves any more that I did.. and my overnight say cost me £4. ... I had thoroughly enjoyed my visit into Loch Nevis..and will return in 2015.

In the next instalment ..I will tell of a tale told to me by a local fella in the Old Forge.. it concerns the hairy arsed virgin of Loch Nevis...and if you are like me.. and like poking your nose into juicy gossip .... do come back to find out the secret....

To be continued .....

[SteveHall]

I cant wait for the next instalment..

Thank you!

[darklordhill]

That was BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!! INSPIRING!!!!!!! Thanks for a great read.

[kerny]

"Wild sibbing with The Gurnard on the Discovery channel"

That should be you mate.... it would put you above the Bear Grylls show by far and I quite like B.G.

[mick]

Originally Posted by kerny

"Wild sibbing with The Gurnard on the Discovery channel"

That should be you mate.... it would put you above the Bear Grylls show by far and I quite like B.G.

Good idea bit like a Ray Mears thingy

[kerny]

Originally Posted by mick

Good idea bit like a Ray Mears thingy

Only better

[mick]

Originally Posted by kerny

Only better

Yeh but will he be self sufficient remember he only has a sib

[kerny]

Originally Posted by mick

Yeh but will he be self sufficient remember he only has a sib

Well!! from Gurnards sib I have seen no better an adventure than those of us with much bigger RIBS

[Ribliam]

As always really enjoying reading of your exploits Thank you and Happy Christmas..

[jeffstevens763@g]

hi gurnard

still hooked on this nice one, i would be interested to see a bit more of your boat set up when you have time too.

happy Christmas

jeff

[The Gurnard]

Thanks again to all who stop and read this prattle and also to those who comment..its appreciated. Jeff..I will do a special spread on the SIB soon

I had a good nosey round the head of Loch Nevis.. but didn’t land. Instead I watched in awe as the mist started to lift and reveal some of the sides of mountains that reach the sky.



A little rain doesn’t stop me enjoying visiting such remote places.. only the wind does. The narrows were still running as smooth as silk on my return passage. The fast Launch was still in Mallaig but I didn’t miss the cheery wave of its return passage.



Although the area is very remote, there are one or two houses perched on the edge of the loch. Access is only by boat and one of the most impressive is Sir Cameron Macintosh’s house. He produced famous musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera.



I made my way back to the entrance to Loch Nevis and landed in a small deserted bay. I was on a mission. On the evening I spent supping the Black Magic Juice ..I was told a tale by a local story teller and I wanted to see if it was true.



He told me that the Virgin Mary had a hairy arse ? I had to find out for myself..and I can assure you all... he is right. In the name of decency to Mary .. Im not posting a full frontal of her petite derrier ..but look carefully and you will catch a glimpse from this side shot.



I think in the future.. I could be easily tempted into spending the night with her .. hairy arse or not ... by pitching my Vango Banshee tent at her feet.. to watch the sunset with her blessings.. while looking over the view she enjoys every day.




It was now time to head back to my campsite at Portnadoran. The afternoon brightened considerably as the SIB lay in mooring while I drove back to Mallaig in my car... to refill the SIB fuel tank.




I was heading for the isle off Eigg first thing in the morning. Do come back after Xmas and read the next instalment .. crossing the nine miles of open sea.. only to get Eigg in my face on my return two days later.



Till then... Have a VERY MERRY XMAS everyone .. and as you sit with the family for turkey dinner.. dont do as I do.. and bore everyone with boating adventures ...


.

[jeffstevens763@g]

thanks mate have a good one looking forward to the next post.

cheers jeff

[Black]

Another fantastic read, keep 'em coming Gurnard. Definitely makes me want to take my SIB on more adventurous trips next summer.

[The Gurnard]

Hi All... I hope you had a great Xmas .. and are looking forward to the New Year

Time to continue my Small Isles adventure.. by crossing the sea to the Island of Eigg. It is nine miles of open sea crossing (as the seagull flies) so is not recommended for the weak of heart or inexperienced Sibbers.

I always like to have a plan “B” for my journeys in small boats but on such crossings ..but there is really only a plan “A” . Therefore to give the best chance of a calm sea.. I do them early in the morning or late in the evening. That is generally the calmest time of the day. I also try to avoid being mid channel at the “turn of the tide” as quite often a wind can get up around that time too.

It was 6am when I fired up the engine and left Portnadoran Campsite. The high pressure area was still over the west coast and light winds with no gusts was the forecast of the day.



The tide was on its way in so I knew my crossing would have a tendency to be carried slightly northwards by the flow as well as westwards by engine. I pointed the bow half way along the island, and expected to arrive approx 45 minutes later .. near the northern end.

At the half way mark..looking back to the mainland..everything was looking good and engine running well. I wouldn’t consider such a journey without an Auxilliary engine. I also knew it would run well if something happened to the main outboard.




There was not another boat in sight so I didn’t need to worry about hitting wakes from large ocean going boats. Eigg began to look bigger as the expected time of arrival grew nearer.



I suspect I felt a little like Christopher Columbus must have felt.. when I saw the shearwater gulls swoop and dive in front of the boat. They are a sure sign that land is near.




And land was indeed near.. I could now make out the colours of the grass and sea cliffs.. instead of everything looking a distant blue grey colour.



I turned and headed northwards on a steady plane. I was not too far out on my predicted drift by tide.



Soon I was approaching the northern end of Eigg..and as the cliffs grew higher.. I moved closer to shore. I knew the next part of my journey was going to be particularly scenic .....



To be continued....

[spartacus]

Fantastic read, as always.

[mick]

Top marks again great reading and photos