My next destination is Tobermory. I’ve never been there, but have heard great things about it. I knew getting there from Loch Linnhe would be done in two hops. First, because of the distance. Secondly, there was a day of bad weather that (I was told) would make Tobermory uncomfortable on the boat.
So, I planned to sail to Loch Aline and spend two days there. That never happened. Timing the currents was critical for going through the Sound of Mull. I left at a good time, but I had troubles that slowed me down.
Distant Horizon has a had an intermittent overheating problem with the engine. Some days it is fine, others not so good. Today was one of those days that was not so good. In less than two hours the engine was running hot, I had to reduce power to prevent it from overheating. I wouldn’t need the engine if I could sail the distance, but the wind was coming straight up the Lynn of Morvern.
The Lynn of Morvern is like a sound with mainland Scotland on the west, and the Isle of Lismore on the east. It connects to Loch Linnhe at it’s north end and the Sound of Mull to the south.
Chart Snippet to Help with Orientation
It was infuriating at how slow I was going. I knew I could not go any faster… in the right direction. Still, it was infuriating.
Once it was obvious that I could not make it to Loch Aline, I changed to my alternate destination for the night; Bernera Bay on the Isle of Lismore. It was a B+ location… not perfect, but well protected from the worst elements and only some small rolling waves sneaking in.
To help relax my mind from the frustrating day, there was a ruined castle overlooking the bay. I do mean ruined. I was not much more than a pile of stone at this point.
Bernera Bay Castle from Distant Horizon
I had a restless sleep that night; mostly due to the frustration of the day.
After having checked the engine carefully, I was off. To catch favorable currents in the sound of Mull, I was getting an early start. I was again, heading for Loch Aline.
It was pouring rain all morning, which was not forecasted. I was could see it before I left, but I wanted to make my next destination. It would be well protected from the coming weather.
Morning Rain in the Sound of Mull
My timing was good. I hit the currents right and Distant Horizon went through the Sound of Mull quickly. We had no issues at all.
As I approached the entry, I was happy to see a ferry leave. I would not have to negotiate around that will going through the narrow channel.
There were some slips on the left as I entered, and some moorings on the right. With bad weather coming, I did not want to be close to a lot of boats. Besides, I had decided days ago that I wanted to anchor at the far end of this small loch.
Less than a half hour later, I was anchored and safe. There were a few boats, but we were all spaced far apart.
My Office View in Loch Aline
After quickly settling the boat, I rowed ashore. There is supposed to be a village not too far down the road. I wanted to have lunch at the Coal Shed Cafe. The village renovated their old railway station. The main terminal building had all the town offices and a couple little shops. The cafe was, as the name implies, in the renovated coal shed.
Coal Shed Cafe
The food was really good! That poster board on the side of the building tells about all their environmental improvements: past, future, and present. Hydro power was a big one. I had to laugh… Niagara Mohawk disassembled their hydro plants before selling to National Grid!
After rowing back to the boat, I went to bed early. I had a big day tomorrow. I was sailing to one of my planned destinations… Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull. I had to be up early to catch the favorable currents.