A marvellous winter crossing in the Firth of Clyde.

We set off from the south end of Bute with the towering mountains of Arran rising through the sea mist beyond.

Amazingly the ebb was still running despite being 2 hours after "slack" at low water. Run off from heavy rainfall in the extensive mountainous catchment area of the Firth of Clyde can overcome the flood tide.

A little breeze got up and...

...Phil and I quickly hoisted the sails.

It was a beautiful day to be on the water so late in the year. We slipped into the Tan which separates the Great and the Little Cumbraes then...

...entered the confines of Millport Bay. It was time for third luncheon.

We left the light of Rubh' an Eun to the birds.

After a splendid second luncheon in the sun we left the confines of Glencallum Bay towards...

... the lighthouse at the north entrance of the bay. As we left Glencallum we enjoyed a fine view...

 ...over the firth of Clyde channel towards Little Cumbrae and its three generations of lighthouses.

As we rounded Rubh' an Eun the birds gathered round the lighthouse then we made our way up the SE coast of Bute.

Beyond the dark rocks of Hawk's Nib and Creag a' Mhara, Bute gave way to the green of arable fields and it was time to...

...turn east back across the Firth of Clyde channel.

Some thoughts on "No tide in the Clyde" and ferry angles.

To port the mountains of Arran continued to break free from the...

 From the south end of Little Cumbrae we set off towards Bute and soon the...

 ...lighthouse was receding in our wakes.

Some say there is "no tide in the Clyde" but the ebb was in full flow and we had to set a high ferry angle on our crossing to the Island of Bute.

It was interesting to compare strategies for the ferry angle and our little flotilla were soon spread widely across the channel.

...last of the fog.There was not a breath of wind and the water was like a millpond but it was moving quickly. It is not always like this. In January 2007...

...Tony and I set off for Bute in a very similar ebb tide but a southerly wind kicked up a very uncomfortable wind against tide sea, especially as we approached Bute.

On this occasion, as we approached the lighthouse of Rubh' an Eun at the mouth of Glencallum Bay, the tide speeded up as we entered the approach to the Garroch Head tide race but our tactic of keeping a high ferry angle paid off and we slipped into the bay with little difficulty. 

As we enjoyed a second luncheon in Glencallum Bay on Bute, we reflected on the various strategies on the crossing. initially  an eddy carried us north up the west coast of Wee Cumbrae but as soon as we set off for Bute we were carried downstream to the SW by the main ebb tide. It was a a little while before we got a grip of the ferry angle but we managed to avoid the strongest current which develops to the south of Glencallum Bay. It was a neap tide and the last hour of the ebb and normally you would not expect much tide but the preceding 10 days had been particularly wet and the Firth of Clyde has a catchment area that extends deep into the mountains. Indeed the ebb was still flowing briskly some two hours into the predicted flood! As an aside, if this had been a spring ebb tide I would have used the eddy round the south end of the Little Cumbrae to carry me right up to the west point of Little Cumbrae before setting off for Bute.

It seemed churlish not to pause and savour this magical moment.

 As we set off from the castle on the east coast of Little Cumbrae, the...

 ...sea fog to the south began to lift and by the time we...

 ...arrived off Gull Point...

 ...the soaring rocky ridges of the Arran mountains emerged into a clear blue sky. It seemed churlish not to pause and savour this magical moment.

A luncheon at the Castle.

From the Great Cumbrae we set off across The Tan, the channel that separates it from its southerly neighbour Little Cumbrae.

 A light breeze got up and Phil and I soon pulled away from our sailless companions. So much so that Maurice is already thinkinhg of drilling holes in his shiny new boat to fit a Flat Earth 0.8sqm Code Zero sail!

The Little Cumbrae island rises in a series of ledges and is topped by the remains of its first lighthouse which was built by James Ewing in 1757.

We landed near the house (which was vacant) on...

...the little beach below the castle where we...

 ..enjoyed first luncheon in the beautiful November sunshine.

Windmills not millstones round our necks in an Independent Scotland.

As we left the shelter of Glencallum Bay on Bute and 

 ...passed Rubh'an Eun lighthouse we met a most pleasing wind in the channel between Bute and Little Cumbrae Island.

We made excellent progress past the end of the little Cumbrae beyond which the new Hunterston wind turbine could be clearly seen. At 177m tall it is currently the biggest wind turbine in the UK. At the moment Scotland has the majority of UK wind turbines. They are heavily subsidised by all electricity customers throughout the UK. If Scotland were to vote for independence I doubt that subsidy would continue and I have not heard from the Yes Campaign how they would be funded and one possible outcome is that relatively few Scots will end up with windmills round our necks.

 Anyway the wind soon had us approaching Great Cumbrae and its delightful...

 ...town of Millport. Millport provides excellent fish suppers and ice creams but we decided to take...
 

 ...our first luncheon on the wonderfully situated The Eileans...

...in the middle of Millport bay. There is a lovely sandy beach (except at high tide) and it was on the sheltered side of the islands.The biz of  Millport and the problems of the world seemed a million miles away.

Catching sight of the Delectable Mountains as our Pilgrimage to St Blane's progresses.

 At the south end of Little Cumbrae island you come to...

 ...the imaginatively named Gull Point.

 Gulls do congregate on this point but what really catches the eye of the itinerant pilgrim is...

 ...the view of the Delectable Mountains of Arran.

There now follows a short intermission. It was a spring tide and it was about 3 hours after slack at high water. The ebb was streaming down the west coast of Little Cumbrae where it met a light SW wind. A surprising lively sea was kicked up which reminded me of the cost of the Canon 5Dmk3.

We were well across the Firth of Clyde channel between Little Cumbrae and Bute before the sea calmed.

We arrived at Port Leithne on Bute for second luncheon and to embark upon the final part of our Pilgrimage to St Blane's Monastery and Church.

Pilgrims progress and a religious offering on Little Cumbrae.

We landed at Castle Island (which is just off the east coast of the Little Cumbrae) for our second breakfast. There was no one in residence at the house. We rather missed the friendly pack of motley mongrels owned by the last care taker...

...there was now no one to share our sandwiches with.

In the absence of a yardarm, it was clear that (despite the early hour) the sun was well over the castle...

...second breakfast quickly transformed to first luncheon as David cracked open a bottle of Leffe Brune. This dark beer has been brewed by the monks of  Dinant since 1240 for the benefit of those passing through on pilgrimage. As we were clearly on a pilgrimage to St Blane's monastery and church, we saw this as an appropriate religious offering to our thirsty palates.

We sat in the sun while we savoured the dark brew and enjoyed the beauty of our surroundings.

However, pilgrims must progress and so we made our fortified way past the fortifications of the Little Cumbrae Castle.