trip to jura and colonsay 1967

8/8/2019 Trip to Jura and Colonsay 1967

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Trip to Jura and Colonsay

By R Campbell The PaddlerDec,1967

This is a brief account of a trip undertaken by 12 of our

members during the Glasgow Fair fortnight to Jura andColonsey, culminating in a successful passage through thestraits of Corryvreckan to Crinan, the end of our journey.

The party led by Hamish and Anne Gow in their plywoodhulled Clyde double, consisted of John and RosalynMcConville, Alex and Betty Paton, Archie Pitt and Willie, all incanvas Cloch doubles, Joe Lane and Jim Brown in canvas Clydesingles and myself and Ian Campbell in a canvas Clydedouble, last mentioned and always last ashore at the end of each stage. For Roslyn, Willie, Ian and myself, this was ourfirst sea trip by canoe and speaking for myself, I was glad tolean on the experience of the older hands at this game.

The starting point was West Loch Tarbert, and for providing

transport for most of the canoes, gear and bodies from DuckBay to Tarbert, we are most grateful to Sandy who providedhis large covered van for the purpose. Hamish and Anne ,having been on holiday during the previous week hadtravelled to Tarbert by canoe, via the Firth of Clyde and LochFyne.

Sunday, West Loch Tarbert: Camp site at river mouth

opposite the rough stone ramp for the Gigha ferry boat.Weather stormy with a strong South Westerly into which weplodded for nine gruelling miles until we reached our secondcamp site on a rise just beyond the jetty of Portachoillan.

Monday, Wind still too strong to move from here into theopen Sound of Jura. Weather sunny and visibility perfect, butwhite horses clearly visible outside the shelter of the loch.

Tuesday, Wind had slackened off considerably so wemoved. On reaching Kilberry, eight miles, it was consideredthat the wind was right for an attempt to make well the lost



day at Portachoillan, so we headedout into the sound callingat the island of Eileen Mor before the final hop across theSound to Tarbert Bay on Jura. Waves on our port quarter allthe way provided exhilarating canoeing, and since the tidehad a few hours left to ebb, we had to waltz through a tide rip

a mile or so out from Eileen Mor. We portaged immediatelyto the head of Loch Tarbert on the west coast of Jura. This isonly ¾ of a mile, but one of the roughest tracks imaginableand after 19 miles of open sea is no joke, especially as wewere then caught in a violent rainstorm just as we werehalfway across. We caught the last of the tide pouring out of Loch Tarbert and completed the days trip some three milesfarther down the loch at one of Lord Asters hunting lodges.

Total distance that day 23 miles.

Wednesday, Weather overcast, some showers. Hill walking,fishing and resting today.

Thursday, Weather dull at first. As we paddled down theloch to the open sea the weather improved and we roundedthe point to head north to Shian bay in brilliant sunshine.Atlantic swell here, pounding on the rocks created a nasty

jobble and here and there ugly rocks were exposed in thetroughs of the waves. Perfect landfall on sandy beach of Shian Bay, living up to all expectations generated by watchingthe club slide shows.Camp site at Shian river at south end of the bay. River runs parallel to the beach at this point and anold raised bank provides shelter from onshore winds.Activities, bathing and beach combing. Distance ten Miles.

Friday, Weather perfect. We decided to move at 6.30 p.m.to Scalasaig on Colonsay ten miles away. This weaccomplished in two and a half hours, a slight North westerlyin the last two miles or so caused a little delay. It sohappened that we landed near the only pub on the island andclosing time was a whole hour away, Jim and Joe remainedon Jura.

visit to Oronsay and ruined priory, dinner in the HotelSaturday night. Alec and Betty did a solo from Jura onSunday to collect the shopping! Saturday, Sunday, Monday.



Weather perfect, sunbathing, exploring, We all look forward tothe Celeidh on Tuesday night.

Tuesday, Weather good, Hamish roused us at 6.30 am. Andhad us sitting in our canoes pointed in the direction of Jura at

9.00 am. Target was Corpach Bay to rendezvous with Joe and Jim, then angle north along the coast to Northernmost bay on Jura, named on the map,B.GI nam Muo. Vicious South easterlywind caught us half of a mile off shore at Corpach Bay andsent us scurrying for shelter close inshore. The rest of the

journey was physically shattering due to the wind, the jobblefrom the rocks and the increasing proximity of theCorryvreckan tide race, although almost spent in the ebb, had

left its affect in the uneasy motion of the water. It wasfortunate indeed that we landed at slack water otherwise Johnand Rosalyn may have had no option but to crash through,since their rudder had jammed and they had a difficultyturning into the wind to make landfall. Later that eveningwhile marooned in our tents, we thought of the Celeidh wehad missed. Distance today 22 miles.

Wednesday. Weather cold and dull in the morning,

continuous driving rain throughout afternoon and evening.Activities, observing the tide race from the entrance to thebay.

Thursday, Weather clearing. We made ready for thepassage through the Corryvreckan at three hours before slackwater. Hamish and Anne went out to have a look at it whilewe sat at the ready in the shelter of the bay. They came

back shortly, paddling furiously against the tide andannounced that a standing wave out there would finishanyone who tried to get through, so we postponed ourattempt for another two hours. At the second attempt we gotthrough on the top of a flattish heaving mass of water, brokenoccasionally by all kinds of odd wave formations which keptpopping up unexpectedly all around us. We sailed through ata fair rate of knots and thereafter, followed the wide sweep of

the current towards the Dorus Mor and made our final landfallat Crinan. There are a few individual tales to tell of hairraising experiences during our early attempt at passage



through the Corryvreckan but these can only be told by thepersons concerned. Perhaps they will be told in a future issue.Distance travelled nine miles.

Friday. Weather fair. Observed big boats coming and

going, chatted with their crews, none of whom had dared toface the Corryvreckam

trip to jura and colonsay 1967

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