News update, ‘sailing’ programme and Ardgour Muster

So here’s a quick update on recent Club activities followed by a reminder of this year’s remaining muster/race programme and more detailed Ardgour Muster info…

While no boats made the trip across the loch for the Camas na h-Eirghe/Lochleven Seafood Café midsummer evening muster on 19 June, we had 12 people representing a broad range of Club interests at the Café for a very convivial evening. So still highly successful in terms of bringing people together for an enjoyable Club event, and we’ll be looking at how to make this work better *with* boats next time!

Wednesday night sailing is still happening, albeit very much towards the ‘informal’ end of the scale and with some Wednesdays seeing no activity mainly due to less attractive conditions. But remember we’re rebuilding here after a period without organised activity and Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Skiff rowing continues to be as popular as ever with some longer rows (e.g. 25 June up the loch through the Caolas nan Con narrows) supplementing the regular Thursday/Sunday programme. But the slipway winch is also unfortunately out of action since that day and may be for some time, making rowing currently dependent on other means of launching Corrag. So for the time being Skiff Officer Gordon Milne will be updating rowers via WhatsApp on a day-by-day basis as to whether rowing’s on or not.

Note that some other launching/recovery activities (e.g. the Omega dinghy) may also be compromised by the winch unavailability, but not all as severely as for Corrag, and we do at least have other boats available for sailing nights.

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And now that reminder of our remaining muster/race programme:

Sat 26 July: Ardgour Day Muster (with Sun 27 July as ‘poor weather’ reserve day)
Sat 9/Sun 10 August: Lismore Weekend Muster (probable venue either Port Ramsay or Bernera Bay TBA depending on weather)
Sat 23 August: Round Balnagowan (Yacht) Race (with Sun 24 August as ‘poor weather’ reserve day)

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Ardgour Day Muster

Making use of similar tide times to our former ‘Ardgour Double’ day of yacht racing there and back, this brings an interesting ‘mini adventure’ through the tidal gates at Ballachulish Bridge and Corran Narrows with visitors’ moorings and *possibly* food ashore (not sure pub times play nicely with tides this year?) but, as a muster rather than racing event, is of course open to Club craft of all kinds.

Predicted tide times are for the scheduled date of Saturday 26 July and would of course be a little later on the following (reserve) day.

Oban tides (BST)
HW 07:52 3.7
LW 13:50 0.7
HW 19:53 4.0

Note that these are near-spring tides making awareness of the following gates (all times BST and predicted approximations) all the more important:

The tide is favourable out through Ballachulish Bridge from 08:52 till 14:38.
The tide is favourable northwards through Corran from 13:53 till 19:58.
The tide is favourable southwards back through Corran from 19:58*.
The tide is favourable back in through Ballachulish Bridge from 14:38 till 20:53.

*With approximately five nautical miles from Corran Narrows back to Ballachulish Bridge via Cuil-cheanna Spit buoy or four cutting the corner as tightly as you’d want to go, most participants may wish to leave Ardgour a little earlier against the last of the northbound tide.

Sunset is at approximately 21:47 BST.

We welcome participants of all experience levels and can ‘buddy’ anyone unsure of the ground or tides.

We can do a pre-departure onshore briefing on the day if requested.

To express interest or ask further questions, please contact Peter Duggan on .