Pakwâci goes East
#LHL #SAILING #MIRRORDINGHYRESTORATION #PAKWÂCI
I finally managed to get out on the water this week.... Having not taken advantage of a few opportunities over Easter – too many other things to do around the place.!
Although in Scotland we are still under lockdown in these crazy times, I do have the added advantage of living right on the water and edge of the mountains so can, at will, head out or up as the desire takes me, without any need to be tied by more 'urban' rules etc.
I have been wanting to head up to the head of Loch Nevis since I finished the boat last year, and with a nice F3 – 4 forecast in the right direction I set off that way.
The sunshine was out and we had almost 100% blue skies, but no suncream... wearing shorts and with a T shirt I was concerned about getting burnt knees and arms more than anything. The wind was warm, although when getting splashed by the sea, the water is still very cold, maybe just around 10 deg's maybe still in single digit's...?
No one else out, no other boat traffic from the few isolated crofts or communities, so I had the expanse to myself until late in the day.
The distance from home to the true head of the loch is approx 15km, quite open until one reaches Tarbet and Kyles Morar where a 'narrows' concentrates the tide and races through in whichever direction it needs to. I arrived at slack water, and with little depth here the kelp grows thickly. Any time I had wind in the sails, I would end up either catching with the daggerboard or the rudder and stopping almost all momentum. I conceded defeat as time was ticking, and I didn't wish to finish in the dark like my last outing.!
Turning to the West I was able to almost Run downwind with a couple of tacks to port to eventually clear the final headland in sight of home. I passed one other small boat on the return, a little 18ft Lug rigged affair. I later found out it belonged to a chap who lives on the land here in his Yurt.
I landed at a very respectable time of 6pm after leaving the slip at 11am. Only had mildly burnt knees, but more importantly had been able to breathe and let the wind through my lockdown hair for the afternoon.
During the journey I had with me my little Minox ML film camera with a roll of ORWO B&W film loaded.
