Longbow

In July 2007 five of the "boys" chartered the beautifully designed 57' "Longbow" for a five day sail around the inner Hebridean islands of Jura and Islay in western Scotland - with the fabled Corryvrekan Whirlpool high on the agenda

The owners and also captain and captains mate - in all senses of the word - were Ted and Jane.

With Ted a teacher the Jane a doctor and both excellent cooks we were looked after royally.

The Crew

Alan's shot of Ted (captain)
Graham and Garth geared up
for bad weather on the first morning.

We didn't have to wait long.




Crew shot of the week! Graham in the full lash of the first morning rain storm heading down the Sound of Jura.

It was cold, wet and howling a hoolie - so much so that a lighthouse only 50 yards away disappeared.

The drops of water on Graham's right cheek are tears!!


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After the storm, Paul, John
and "I see no birds" Alan

John pregnant with camera.

Later when boarding the yacht from the dinghy he fell and was about to hit the sea when Ted caught him by his life jacket straps just in time to prevent him going in nose first - but sadly not in time to save the camera.

Atlantic Bridge and Beehive food stores

This bridge has a section almost to itself not because it is particularly important but because it doesn't fit anywhere else! There are various explanations as to why such a small bridge was given the name the Atlantic Bridge but the best is that the small waterway which passes beneath it is not a river but a stretch of sea dividing the mainland from the Isle of Seil and is therefore technically a bit of the Atlantic!! Whatever the reason what you can't see in this shot because it is carefully concealed behind me is the car park full of double decker buses stuffed with old age pensioners.

In a similar category are these beehive shaped food stores (Alan's shots) still largely standing on the Garvellachs Islands and ......................


......................below the intricate dry stone walling which has enabled them to survive so long.


And on a shorter life span some 'rockery flowers' (right) shelter from the wind

Jura and Islay

After a stormy rainswept day Longbow anchored in calm dry conditions in the delightful anchorage of Tarbert on the west coust of Jura. Alan even captured blue sky and the sun as it disappeared below the Atlantic horizon.

(Below) The hills in the southern Hebrides are not particularly high only the occasional peak exceeding 3,000 ft but still retain the drama and beauty of their more lofty cousins particularly in the broken low cloud conditions such as these over the Paps of Jura seen here from Tarbert on the first night

(Below) Just a stony beach one might think - but these 'raised beaches' at Tarbert on Jura are good examples of ground rising when glacial ice disappears during global warming - in the natural cycle of events as one might put it!!

(Below) Two aspects of the waterfall at Tarbert - the first from a walking on water position the second somehow taken vertically above it - both positions having potential for getting a little damp.

(Right) Every self respecting Hebridean Island has its own distillery even if its pretty ugly as with the home of Islay Malt shown here.

Collonsay and Oronsay

This is a typical Hebridean village, a few scattered houses, treeless wind and water swept landscape and a jetty to facilitate ferry docking.

This is the island of Collonsay between Jura and Mull. It's population is barely into three figures yet it sports not only a distillery but also a brewery. Left below shows John deciding whether the structure behind him is a stone age submarine or a wave break, Right - Garth takes a relaxed view of a sheep pen and airfield sign.

(Left) Elegant Longbow sits at anchor off Oronsay while (right) the crew go ashore for a quick rape and pillage - the Isle of Jura in the background.














(Below left) Quite why early Christian settlers came to such remote parts is not immediately obvious but this priory on Oronsay was substantial and is only a short distance from its more famous cousin on Iona a few miles to the north. Paul is in the foreground (Right below) Oronsay is divided from its close neighbour Collonsay by a tidal straight. At low tide you can walk from one to the other. At high tide you can't!

The Corryvrekan Almost Whirlpool - and speed record

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A good stern blow propels Longbow towards the Corryvrekan whirlpool. Graham ensures the main sail behaves itself in goosewing formation. The narrow 'v' denoting the straits in which the whirlpool lurks appears on the horizon to the right of the right hand shot.

Entering the 'whilpool' straits foreboding low black cloud hangs over both Jura and Scarba.

The dramatic black cloud approach turned out to be more impressive than the whirlpool itself.

It is not actually a whirlpool but a fast tide - 7 to 8 knots - through a deep narrow channel with a rock spike in the centre of it reaching almost to the surface.

All we could photograph were surges of water bubbling up to the surface just about visible in these rather disappointing shots.

A much more telling effect of the 'whirlpool' was trying to keep Longbow on a straight course in the swirling currents, after all whirlpool or not, there is a story told by the locals that a Royal Navy destroyer once sank in these waters!!

As it was the tidal currents enabled us to beat the old 'over land' speed record by almost a knot at a remarkable 13.9 knots. We were still short of 'the through the water' record though by nearly half a knot - so some work still to be done!!

Returning to base

Turning into Loch Craignish on the last evening, with weather typical of the week - a good breeze and spectacular broken cloud and a hint of sun.

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Approaching Ardfern on the last day (left) after physically removing an interloper from one's mooring the night before

Final Farewell's

Back on the dockside it doesn't take long to load and leave - but we wonder how we managed to cram five of us into this none too enormous car (the blue one with the door open above) for the 550 mile trip from London when the flight we had booked was cancelled after the Glasgow airport terrorist attack. Fortunately on the way back we only had an hour's driver back to the now operational Glasgow Airport.

A great week.