A Wee Sail in the Western Isles - Arisaig to Isle of Eigg

The opening to Loch nan Ceall, Arisaig

In 1773, Samuel Johnson joined his Scots friend James Boswell in a tour of Scotland’s Western Isles (the Hebrides) that lasted several months – both wrote popular books on the trip. Mike and I got a wee taste of that journey when we joined Irene and Al Whitney on the Darwin Sound, their Dufour Classic 45 yacht, for a week of sailing through the Inner Hebrides. We saw the Small Isles of Eigg, Rum, Canna, and Muck, the southern section of Skye, and the north eastern section of Mull.

Like Boswell and Johnson, Mike and I were both unaccustomed to sailing – the last time we hauled on a rope was in 1991 on the Darwin Sound sailing in the Queen Charlotte Islands off the BC coast. I wish I could say Mike and I were quick studies, and effortlessly picked up the ways of a good sailor, but I don’t think that would be exactly the truth. However, like Boswell, we stood firm to our post, rope in hand, ready to haul when called upon. Actually, let me make a correction: we never hauled on a rope – there are no ropes on a yacht – we stood ready to haul on a line when called.

Mike was much better than me with the lines. I would say my biggest claim to nautical fame was helping get the cover back on the spinnaker sail – kind of like stuffing a giant sausage into a flapping casing. I was also adept at helping get the anchor up. But that was just about the extent of my sailing prowess.

Irene and Al on top of An Sgurr, Eigg

Scotland gifted us with four lovely days out of seven – blue sky, warm temperatures, fair wind, and safe anchorage. The other three days were a bit more tempestuous, with grey skies, a spot or two of rain, less favourable wind, and one anchorage that turned difficult in a matter of minutes.



An Sgurr on Eigg



We began our adventure on Monday July 11 with a train trip out from Glasgow to the port village of Arisaig on the west coast. We travelled over the West Highland Line – one of the most scenic train journeys in Britain. The day was sunny and bright and highlights included the windswept crossing of Rannoch Moor, passing by the imposing locks of Neptune’s Staircase in the Great Glen, and chugging around the huge curve of Glenfinnan Viaduct (of Harry Potter fame – although quite famous before the boy wizard came along) 100 ft above Loch Shiel.

We met Irene and Al in Arisaig and spent the evening moored in its calm harbour. After a chance meeting with Simon, a friendly sailor from Eigg, and a bit of time ashore for an early morning hike, we weighed anchor and made for the Isle of Eigg.

Eigg was on my “to-do” list – or, more accurately, An Sgurr, a 58 million year old abutment of pitchstone lava – was on the list. Although not a very high hill (393 m /1,289 ft), its impressive prow of glass-like rock soars above the ocean. After mooring alongside Simon’s wooden boat (the Lola), we took the dingy to shore and headed up. The views from on top of An Sgurr were outstanding – Skye and the Black Cullin mountains blanketing the north, the shaggy volcanic remnants of Rum to the west, the low blue-green Isle of Muck, and the rugged Ardnamurchan peninsula to the south. It was just as beautiful as I had hoped.

The day was very warm and back on board Mike and I took our first dips of the trip – yes, the air temperature was about 18C and the water was 14.5C – summer in Scotland. In we went – I went in several times. We caused something of a stir on other boats moored in the area. That is, until they looked at the stern and saw we were flying the Canadian flag. Somehow, it was almost expected that Canadians wouldn’t feel the cold. Indeed, as I bobbed around with the jelly fish I heard one woman remark “Och, she’s from Canada so she will’na mind the chill”.

Map of our sailing adventures:

View Sailing in the Western Isles in a larger map

More pictures from Arisaig and Isle of Eigg.

To be continued in the next post .....