In summer 2005 I took Indalo, my twin-keel Mirage 2700, around the British coast in a mixture of crewed and single-handed passages. The preparations really began a year before, as I had to clear enough time from my work, prepare the boat, do some preparatory passage-planning, and as a relative newcomer to sailing (Indalo is my first cruiser, bought in 2000) convince myself that I had the skippering and single-handing experience to ‘circumnavigate’ safely. The last was accomplished by a crewed cruise to the Channel Islands and France, followed by an attempt to reach one of my favourite cruising grounds, the Scilly Isles, single-handed. The second objective wasn’t achieved as the August gales stopped me getting further than Mount’s Bay, but I now had enough 50- and 60-mile single-handed passages under my belt to feel comfortable about committing to the voyage. Indalo As soon as Indalo came out of the water in November I started on or commissioned all the jobs that I knew ought to be done but I’d put off. She had already been fitted with a new Betamarine 20hp diesel the previous winter, a great improvement over the old Volvo. This year’s jobs included a new stern gland, dropping, cleaning and re-bedding the keels, removing the old antifouling and re-epoxying the hull, and resealing the windows. I also added some new equipment: a DSC radio, fixed GPS with cockpit repeater, new tiller-pilot, and a Bill Belcher designed wind-vane to give some free steering when sailing. The wind-vane needed a fitting on the stern, and I had a solid stern rail manufactured which is much better than the old safety lines and clips. Of the smaller improvements one that I found really useful was to make up a ‘hammock’ out of strong tarpaulin material and rig it in the forecabin, to provide a dry and out-of the- way place to store clothes.
Penzance
Padstow I started out on 14th May, in 7oC and persistent heavy rain. I moved the three miles from my mooring down to Dartmouth, changed into dry clothes and went to the music festival with some friends. The next three days were rather better and I reached Penzance, only to be stuck for a week with gales and strong winds off Land’s End. After finding jobs to do aboard and exploring around Mount’s Bay by bus and on foot, there was a break in the weather and I rounded the tip of Cornwall and got into Padstow, in company with a Dutch Oranjebloesem called Bloesem. Another gale came through, then Phil, my first crew member, joined me and we had a slightly (me) and very (Phil) queasy overnight passage in heavy swell to Dale in Pembrokeshire. The next day the weather had improved and we half motored, half sailed to the picturesque drying harbour of Solva, where I dropped Phil off and then went to anchor off Skomer to catch a fair tide around to Fishguard. Anna, my next crew, joined at Aberystwyth where I had been holed up with onshore winds. We made use of some improved weather to move on to Pwllheli, Porth Nefyn, Holyhead, and across to Port St Mary on the Isle of Man. Strong northerlies were threatened which were not good for my intended route northwards to Portpatrick, so we decided to shelter in Douglas. We had an enjoyable sail along the Manx coast in an easterly force 3, pausing only when two young women in a Manx customs RIB came alongside to ask a few questions. I decided to divert to Ardglass on the coast of County Down, which should mean a beam reach just north of west. Anna had to leave a week earlier than expected, which left me crewless for the Crinan Canal, so Northern Ireland made sense all round. Ardglass
Tobermory From Ballycastle I sailed in poor visibility across to the little harbour of Port Ellen on Islay, then motored in the mist along the Sound of Jura to Crinan. The visibility wasn’t even good enough to see the Paps of Jura, although the afternoon bathed Crinan’s attractive and quintessentially Scottish harbour in brilliant sunshine. From there I motored in flat calm through the Dorus Mor and Sound of Luing to Oban; even the notorious Corryvreckan looked quite tame. It was now heading for late June and the largely poor weather I had been experiencing started to break up, letting me enjoy more of the scenery north from Oban. I spent a spare day exploring Oban then made the short passage up the Sound of Mull to the picture-postcard village of Tobermory. Initially the wind was about force 5 with a flattish sea, letting Indalo show what she was capable of - 7.5 knots through the water at one point, averaging 6.5. It didn’t stay that way for long though, and I must have switched between engine and genoa four or five times on the way up the Sound.
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Next stop Skye. As far as Ardnamurchan Point I had good weather and a fair beam reach, but then the spray flew as I motored into the wind past Muck and Eigg, and to cap it off I picked up a rope around the propellor off Armadale. Not difficult to remove from the dinghy, but unwelcome at 2200 in the evening. From there on the next few passages were among the most scenic of the whole voyage, and there was weather to match: to Kyleakin via a stop for the tide in Isleornsay, then on to Portree, Shieldaig (off Loch Torridon) and Gairloch, where I picked up Chris, crew for the north coast. All are good ports of call in their own right, all are very welcoming, and they are in spectacular settings. The fine spell came to an abrupt end with a gale, which we sat out in the safety of Badachro on a mooring supplied by the local inn.
Kyleaking The next section took us first to Lochinver and then Kinlochbervie, both approached through dramatic backdrops of mountains and cliffs, and finally the 69 miles across the north coast to Scrabster via a stop for the tide in Talmine. Sparsely-populated this stretch of coast may be, but it has tall cliffs, sandy beaches, intricate lochs and some fascinating islets, as well as the occasional small settlement. Just short of Dounreay a group of three orcas came over and briefly played with Indalo before going off to catch fish. Scrabster was another welcoming harbour, and as at Kinlochbervie and several other stops around northern Scotland we were the only visiting yacht. The walk to Thurso was very worthwhile: this northernmost of mainland towns is attractive, architecturally interesting, and friendly.
Anstruther Our passage through the Pentland Firth could not have been calmer. We left Scrabster an hour after high water and picked up the turning tide off Dunnet Head. The Merry Men of Mey couldn’t raise a jig and we swept through the passage south of Stroma, aiming to head northeast again to miss the worst of the Duncansby Race. But the race was cancelled so we passed close to the headland and made a cup of tea. With seven free miles we were soon in Wick, which has clearly seen better days (it is hard to believe this was once Europe’s greatest herring port) but still has a certain charm. The next few days we spent in the Moray Firth. Helmsdale, Lossiemouth and Whitehills made interesting and rather different stops, and from Whitehills I took the opportunity to walk to Banff and Macduff as Chris departed for Inverness. Then around to Peterhead, and on to Aberdeen where I had some friends to visit. Aberdeen doesn’t set out to cater for yachts, but being close to the heart of the city more than makes up for the basic facilities, and the charge of £17 is for up to five days. I stayed for three before moving on to the attractive little town of Stonehaven, where I was joined by Ian, my next crew. We had a fast broad reach down to Arbroath in some of the best sailing wind I’d had since the Bristol Channel, Indalo making a good showing against two Contessa 32s. Ian left at Eyemouth where I encountered Inisfallen, a Mirage 28 from Cramond. I was determined to go into the fascinating walled town of Berwick, and although the entrance sounds daunting in the books it wasn’t a problem with careful pilotage and an approach timed a couple of hours before high water. Despite the dock being mainly empty there is only one wall ladder for yachts, which I shared with a UFO 27 for the first night then had it to myself. From Berwick I motored to North Shields (Newcastle was hosting the start of the Tall Ships Race), where I was joined by my final crew, Abi. In the four days she was with me were dogged by heavy rain, near-gales, fog and swell, and we only got as far as Hartlepool. Single-handed again I went into Whitby, packed with holidaymakers, then on via Bridlington to Grimsby. It’s ten hours between scraping out of Bridlington while there’s still enough water until the lock opens at Grimsby, so I needed to sail slowly. The wind reached force 5 on the quarter and even with two reefs in the main and a scrap of headsail Indalo was still making over five knots. I needn’t have worried as I motored into Grimsby battling against a force 6, arriving a quarter of an hour after opening time with a well-washed foredeck.
Whitby I crossed from Grimsby to Wells-next-the-Sea, which requires a well-timed approach but was worth it for the rather exotic pine-clad beaches and attractive waterfront scene and village behind. From Wells on to Lowestoft and then Harwich and Shotley, with a short excursion to Levington. I had contemplated spending more time in the Thames estuary but the voyage now had a feel of homeward bound, and I was keen to cross over to Kent and get a foothold on the home straight. So on to Ramsgate, where the harbour nestles neatly below the cliffs, and Dover, which is less than 20 miles further but too interesting to miss. Then along this rather spectacular stretch of coastline to Eastbourne and Brighton. Both have huge self-contained marinas, and while in the north of Scotland I had harbours and anchorages to myself and was at times made to feel like a minor celebrity, here I was just someone else with a boat parking in a big caravan park. My next stop was Cowes, which is on the edge of my ‘normal’ cruising ground and vaguely familiar territory. I spent a day exploring the Isle of Wight by bus, then made what would have been the visually interesting passage to Weymouth except that most of the coastline after the Needles was obscured by haze and mist. From there I had intended to stop off in Lyme Regis, but on rounding Portland Bill the wind was on the nose but I could make a close-hauled course back to Dartmouth… except, reflecting the pattern of the whole voyage, the wind soon dropped and I was left motoring home.
Weymouth I arrived back on my mooring on 22nd August, 101 days after setting off on that wet and cold day in May. I sailed or motored for 57 days and covered 1985 nautical miles over the ground, 1935 through the water. The engine was on for 84% of the time, which sounds high but much was motorsailing and it did seem to reflect a pattern of all or nothing in terms of wind. For interest the Betamarine averaged 3.4 hours per gallon. My spending came to £3773, plus £903 for charts and pilot books; after food and personal items the biggest expenses were mooring fees (£1082), repairs and chandlery (£371) and fuel (£216). Finally I should say something about Indalo. Apart from a cracked toilet (replaced in Oban) and a couple of minor gear failures, both easily put right at minimal cost, she was totally reliable. She performed well under sail and motored without complaint through flat calm, heavy swell and steep chop. The wind-vane proved an asset although it necessitated accurate trimming and showed up what I think is a slightly over-heavy rudder. I only took the ground four times, but the shallow draft and reassurance of two keels should I have made unplanned contact with the bottom outweighed the reduction in leeway I might achieve with a single fin. Overall she was an easy boat to live with, easy to sail single-handed, and confidence-inspiring on the few occasions when wind or waves became less than comfortable. |
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Stan describes his voyage and the places and tales encountered on the way in his book “Around the Island: Britain in a hundred days”, published by Avista Press in 2007 (ISBN 978 0 9555441 0 1). Available online at or through any good bookshop |
