Holy Loch
We enjoyed being on a mooring ball and hanging out in Millport, but it was time to go to a marina because the weather was about to turn. We went up a small loch to Holy Loch. The passage from Millport to Holy Loch was like a game of “dodge ’em” with ferries criss-crossing from every direction across the Clyde. The ferries move pretty fast (12 – 20 mph), so we had to stay alert. The ferries have right of way, so we sometimes had to change course or slow down to keep clear.
Holy Loch Marina had told us that there was usually space for visitors inside their long breakwater, but when we arrived, it was full because there had been Highland Games that weekend. As a few other boats needed to do, we docked along the outside of the breakwater, exposed to swell, chop, and wind of the loch. We were pressed hard against our fenders all night, and the boat rocked and bounced significantly. In addition to checking our fenders and repositioning them overnight, the next morning we learned that two of our neighbors had helped out at different times during the night when they noticed that one of our fenders had popped up due to the chop. One of our helpful neighbors was on the inside of the breakwater, so we were able to move to his spot when he left the next morning. We had a much more restful night inside the harbor.
The nasty chop on the outside of the breakwater at Holy Loch whipped a dirty sea foam that got all over our hull and fenders. Yuck! After moving inside the breakwater, we were able to hose it and brush it off.
We walked a mile to town (Dunoon) on our second day at Holy Loch. It was a Sunday, so only a few restaurants and grocery stores were open, but it was good to get out and stretch our legs a bit.
It was rainy and cold most of our time in Holy Loch. I was grumbling and mumbling when we woke up to rain again on the day we were set to depart for Loch Goil. We decided that we would go despite the rain, because the weather forecast indicated that the rain would clear later that day. As we departed, we were reminded that clouds, rain, and mountains can make really beautiful landscapes.
Loch Goil
When reading and planning for our sailing in Scotland, one of the things on my bucket list was to anchor at a castle: We went to Loch Goil for that! Loch Goil is a branch of Loch Long, and it goes much further inland into the mountains than Holy Loch. We planned to spend two days in Loch Goil. Based on the winds, we decided to spend our first night at Lochgoilhead, and then our second night at Castle Carrick in Loch Goil.
Looking towards the head of Loch Goil.
Looking out of the loch from the head of Loch Goil.
And the next day, when we went to Carrick Castle…. the sun came out.
Rhu and Glasgow
Following our time in Loch Goil, we went to a protected Marina (Rhu Marina) to ride out some strong winds, to fill up our water tanks, and to do some laundry. We had mostly sunshine along the way, with light winds from various directions. We were kept entertained by seals and dolphins!
The marina was just an hour from Glasgow by train…. and since we had never been to Glasgow before, we decided to spend a day in the city. We had nice weather in city; enjoyed the old architecture, particularly Glasgow Cathedral (Saint Mungo’s Cathedral); and finished the day off with a delicious Italian meal.
Glasgow (Saint Mungo’s) Cathedral.
Colintraeve
Glasgow was fun, the weather improved, so we ventured out again to explore more of the Firth of Clyde. This time we headed over to the Kyles of Bute, and went through the East Kyle to Colintraeve. We had heard that we could use a mooring ball if we went into the hotel for dinner. The wind was gusty to about 18 knots, and there was some current, too…. So it took us 4 or 5 tries to grab the mooring ball. But we did! Two guys on a nearby boat looked like they were getting ready to go ashore, so as we ventured ashore in our dinghy, we stopped at their boat and asked if they knew where we should land our dinghy. They offered advice which we took and ended up having dinner together at the hotel. They were brother-in-laws who were both retired, and both had spent a fair time in military service. Much of the dinner conversation was comparing experiences in the US and UK services.
Caladh
The weather forecast says that a big low pressure system with windy, rainy weather is on the way, so we wanted to get in one more anchorage before we go into a marina for protection. Given that we needed protection from E and NE winds, we chose a little anchorage just 1.5 miles from our mooring at Colintraeve, Caladh Harbor. It’s an absolutely gorgeous little anchorage with room for just a few boats. It promises to be a quiet night at anchor. Check out this link for a 360° photo that you can use to “look around” our pretty little harbor (click on the photo, and then you can use your cursor to move around the photo):