Monday 24 June

Awoke early to another rather grey day, but pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t actually raining. The higher hills are cloud covered and the blanket of grey is moving quite fast.

One bar of phone signal it seems is sufficient to download the inshore waters forecast, there’s a ridge of high pressure moving across the UK and northerlies are promised for Tuesday so we’ll need to move then even if just across the loch.

Today’s plan to explore the inner loch by dinghy didn’t last much beyond breakfast. The prospect of needing full oilies to stay dry didn’t appeal. Visibility was poor, it was rather damp with a gusty breeze. We decided on making our way north a bit further instead. Having threaded our way back out through the rocks we hoisted the sail with the second reef in and unfurled a small chunk of the genoa. Temptress took off at a romp north towards the Firth of Lorn in the brisk south easterly wind. The ocean swell was noticeable despite the local wavetrain which had a much steeper shorter length. We fairly rolled our way along as a result at over six knots

This all came to a halt as Jura’s peaks slipped between us and the wind. The jib was furled completely and for twenty minutes or so we motored before it came back. This time we shook out the reef and went for the full genoa. Eight knots through the water but our progress forward was reduced by the south going tide. Early afternoon the wind failed completely. Temptress speed was reduced to two knots through the water, a knot over the ground. Having promised ourselves supper in Tobermory it was time to motor again. By now we had covered 150nm since leaving Bangor.

Around the corner into the Sound of Mull we spied a boat pumping up their dinghy on the foredeck. Mainsail still up but doing nothing as there was no breeze at all a back eddy in Duart Bay taking them towards the corner. Wonder if they’ve engine problems? The skipper tried to raise them on the VHF but in the end we decided it was easier to turn around and motor back to them. The four crew of the thirty odd foot Bavaria were pleased to see us. Their skipper obviously knew the area better than us as he suggested a tow just up to the moorings off Craignure, we had envisaged Tobermory. It was text book stuff, their line tied around a bridle hung off our stern cleats. We brought them alongside the mooring and once they were safely secured to it we dropped one end of the bridle to free them from the tow all under the gaze of the ferry passengers watching from the decks of the Calmac. Hope there’s more to Craignure than the Spar and the roro terminal, though Oban is just a short ferry ride away for spares.

By seven that evening Temptress was tied up on a pontoon in Tobermory and after some quick ablutions and a change of clothing her crew were ready to go ashore for the first time since Saturday morning. Supper in the Mishnish and a stop at the Co-op for some white wine on the way back.