Gylen Castle and the Pirate Ship

The southern end of Kerrera would be quite an inhospitable place in a wild day. The rocky coastline has few landing places and the sea swells from the south crash onto the rocks even on a calm day. Knarled outcrops of rocks form ominous shapes and there is little sign of human habitation on this side of Kerrera.



The ruins of Gylen Castle looming high on the headland is the only sign left that people once lived and died here. Built in 1582 by clan MacDougall, it was captured and burnt to the ground by the covenanters in 1647. It was never restored or inhabited since.



Soon after passing the castle, I found myself at the southern end of the Sound of Kerrera. I could just make out the building of Oban at its northern end. It hadn't taken long to reach this point and it was such a calm morning that I decided to head further south.



But first I entered Loch Feochan for a nosey around. I didnt venture far into the loch as it quickly turned very shallow. I stopped and drifted in a deeper channel, while I ate a late breakfast and dropped a set of lures over the side. I enjoyed my sandwich but I didn't get a single nibble of the fishy kind... so quicky got fed up and moved on.



Back in the Sound of Kerrera, another fishing boat was moving on too. I wondered if it had better luck than me or was heading for Oban for an early lunch.



Moments later, a regatta of yachts came oozing down the Sound from Oban. I guessed there was a major yacht race underway and although I was delighted there was no wind, I assumed these guys were cursing being stuck in the doldrums.



I turned to head south and thats when I first glimpsed the pirate ship looking for easy plunder ?

The Island of Kerrera

I decided to circumnavigate the Island of Kerrera for my the first open sea voyage in The Gurnard. Kerrera is just off the coast from Oban and although there are tidal flows in the area, they are not nearly as strong as some to the south. It was a calm morning and I had the boat on the plane.. but cruising along peacefully.

Soon I was passing Maiden Island at the entrance to Oban Bay. Legend has it that it is so named because a young girl had been accused of a crime. She was tied to a rock at low tide .. her punishment being death by drowning .. when the tide came in. I guess we were not always the mamby pamby country we are now, where even mass murderers seem to be treated well for their crimes ?



Heading down the seaward side of Kerrera, I dodged the many huge clumps of seaweed floating on top of the water. I also noticed that the warm spell of weather had brought a load of jellyfish with it. The Island of Mull didn't seem too far across the Firth of Lorne and I wondered about crossing to visit it but decided to wait a while to see how reliable my new set up was. The engine ran very evenly and seemed happy enough. I also had my auxilliary 3.3 Mariner outboard with me just in case of engine problems but still though it better to keep to the coast, until the main engine had proved itself.



I navigate with my OS maps as Im not investing in any nautical charts at present. I research tidal flows and hidden reefs on the internet before going on a trip anywhere new. I passed the caves shown of the OS map on the west of Kerrera, so knew exactly where I was. I wished I had my fish finder fitted to the boat as it keeps me informed of the depth of water that Im in, but I didnt expect and surprise rocks in this area. I intend installing the fish finder very soon.



It didn't take long at planing speed before Bach Island came into view. This Island is off the south west point of Kerrera so I knew that I had almost travelled the full length of the island..in what seemed minutes rather than hours at displacement speeds of my other boats.



I dont know of any legends of fair maidens tied to Bach Island. Its just a flat uninteresting lump of rock in the sea. However I though I could hear someone bleating in the distance ? Then I spied some ferral goats on Kerrera. The remote islands of Scotland appear to be full of wild goats ?



I had wondered if there would be a bit of a chop on the sea between Back Island and Kerrera as the tide must cause a bit of a flow here and if the wind is blowing against tide.. it could turn a bit rough. However, all was as still as a mill pond when I rounded the point.



To be continued ...