Wednesday 19 July
Unable to obtain a current weather forecast due to poor VHF reception (or a faulty radio – Skipper to determine), we hedged our bets and set off early to follow the Northern edge of Gigha Northeast towards the mainland and the entrance to West Loch Tarbert: straight into the wind. Short tacking through the relatively narrow channel between rocky islets and reefs would have been tedious, so Trevver drove us steadily across the Sound of Gigha under a grey sky threatening rain. Just inside the entrance to the loch we paused to leave sea room for the CalMac (Caledonian MacBrayne) ferry Fionn Lagan on passage to Islay – for which Mate was rewarded with a cheery wave from her bridge.
We investigated two anchorages recommended by Antares Bob, given appropriate wind conditions, but neither looked ideal for us, and we continued up to the top of the navigable water, Skipper glimpsing a pair of fallow deer on the opposite bank. Mate managed to find the only 3-metre pool in which to drop the anchor, and was glad to prepare a very late lunch, after an early start. The rest of the afternoon was spent knitting, while Skipper tinkered with the VHF, with some success as we picked up a weather forecast during the evening which sounded promising. A vegetarian bake was pronounced a tasty, if late, supper.