We didn't own a boat when I arranged the charter with Ian Thompson, owner of West Highland Marine, and a skippered charter was deemed essential to compensate for my rusty skills. Ian operates his own Sigma 41 "Birlinn" out of Gairloch and we booked for August 2000, choosing two weeks to enable us to really explore the area, promptly ordering the pilots and Imray charts to commence passage planning.

The planning became too much and within eight weeks we'd purchased Sergeant Pepper, our Seacracker 33 - well the sailing bug had to be cured! ("Buying on the Internet", Yachting Monthly, May 2000). Rather than cancel the trip we looked forward to it even more: what better way to hone skills (and learn some new ones) than to sail with an experienced skipper in remote waters. Ian, while not an instructor, agreed that he would tutor us as much as possible and we promised we would pitch in with the daily chores to make more sailing time "we don't expect to just be passengers" was my note sent with a suggested list of provisions.

Gairloch lies just south of Cape Wrath, one of the most scenic parts of Scotland. Joining on Saturday lunchtime we met Ray Martin, a photographer with no sailing experience, also along for the trip. The heavens opened so we delayed our departure until Sunday morning, striking out in a F6 for the twin peaks of the Shiant Islands, just east of the Outer Hebrides. While the weather prevented a stop-over they made a terrific introduction to the varied wildlife of the area (gannets, puffins, cormorants, seals and porpoises) and we covered the 40 miles to Scalpay, a small island off South Harris, that first day. It was great fun buying home made woolen sweaters for £30, and socks (the real Fisherman's kind) at only £3 a pair - and for the rest of the trip we were grateful for their warmth! On our arrival, the proprietor of the local knitting store came and collected us in his car rather than have us walk the two miles to his home (the shop is actually their spare bedroom).

There isn't the space to detail our entire trip, but our journey took us south to explore the notorious entrance across the bar into picturesque Loch Rodel, then the most delightful couple of hours tacking into the expansive bay of Loch Maddy under a setting sun, teamwork enabling us to forgo the winch handles to Ian's obvious approval. After picking up a free mooring maintained by the Highland Board, a real service to visiting yachtsmen, we enjoyed hot showers and the friendly hotel bar so capping one of the best days sailing I have ever experienced.

The strong Southerlies dictated we then cross the Sea of the Hebrides to the island of Canna so our passages were long, and we anchored most nights (no marinas in these waters). However, almost every day we made a steady seven or eight knots in a fast, comfortable cruiser, dining on wonderful three course roast dinners cooked by Ray, and served with wine and local malts. That we were then storm bound in Canna for one day was actually a well needed rest.

On Canna we were woken abruptly to "all hands on deck" as the anchor (45# CQR with 3/8" all chain rode) was dragging and Birlinn was fast closing on a motor yacht. Everyone leapt to action and we hauled the largest collection of kelp I imagine its possible to wrap around a single anchor. It wasn't all hard work, though: a local diving boat crew brought us a large bucket of freshly gathered scallops for dinner; just a gift from one crew to another. Where else does that happen?

From Canna to Tobermory (for me to visit the Mishnish Hotel and Candy because she felt we all needed showers by this stage). The day was certainly one of the highlights as we encountered two Orcas swimming together towards the Northern waters, a rare sight indeed. While mooring, late that afternoon after a fast run south, we were treated to Highland Pipes sounding over the bay. Tobermory is now charging £10 per night to moor (the anchorage remains free) but all dues are re-invested in the facilities, including a new dinghy pontoon to which visiting yachts will soon be able to come alongside for water and rubbish disposal. The Mishnish lived up to it's reputation as a true sailors pub and, after showers (£1 each) we settled down and enjoyed the atmosphere and Gaelic music.

We were now five days into our journey: I was doing most of the helming and passage planning, Candy was learning navigation, and Natashia, our nine year old daughter, was half way through the latest Harry Potter saga, preferring to enjoy the anchorages and the evening entertainment over remaining on deck all day. Feeling confident in Birlinn, with her fractional rig, running backstays and huge mainsail, we decided a circumnavigation of Mull would be ideal. I was also learning that a wind instrument package (Raytheon, on Birlinn) can make a better sailor, and improve passage times.

Ian Thompson took Candy under his wing as we set off East along the Sound of Mull from Tobermoray to Loch Aline (very sheltered and very deep) and from there to Puilladobhrain. His pupil new only how to plot a position from a GPS when we arrived but soon was taking fixes, calling the tacks with precision as we hurtled down the channel, and generally keeping us out of harms way. Sensible advice from Ian, I overheard that day, included an admonishment to "keep looking up from the chart and actually see where you are" a reminder that it's all too easy when learning navigation to just concentrate on the instruments and the speed/time/distance calculator, all down below, and to forget to use your eyes.

Puilladobhrain bay on the island of Seil was great fun and the fine weather enabled us to enjoy the famous for the Clachan Bridge, nicknamed the "Bridge over the Atlantic" which joins the Seil to the mainland. Ian led us to the Tigh an Truish inn, explaining the name is Gaelic for "the house of the trousers", so called from the days when shore-going Highlanders were forbidden to wear kilts, so they exchanged their kilts for trousers here at the inn before going inland.

Here we made the decision to aim for Tinkers Hole, the most magical of all harbours and, to my mind, one of the most breathtaking sight in the world. Tinkers Hole is renowned for the white coral beaches on which Robert Louis Stevenson sat and wrote "Kidnapped", and indeed this is the setting for his novel. From the top one may see the islands of Iona, Islay, Jura, Rhum, Mull, the Outer Hebrides … and the rocks. The Torran Rocks, to be precise.

The Torran rocks cover an area of 50 square miles and range in size from that of houses to mere boulders, some towering above the waves, many submerged at various times. Worse, the presence of some rocks is only indicated by obscure "believed to lie approximately" style notations in the invaluable Clyde Cruising Club pilots. To reach Tinkers Hole from the East one must have a steady helmsman, a good navigator and an extra pair of eyes to help with the lookout doesn't go amiss. This was to be Candy's test.

Ian and Candy discussed the approach while motoring in glorious sunshine and no wind along Mull (seeing the entrance to the fierce Gulf of Corryvrekan), with Ian ensuring Candy knew the requirements and had understood the pilots. As we entered the rocks the sea was churned with an Atlantic swell from a recent depression, and the wind had risen to a F5. The navigation was backed up continuously by a handheld Garmin GPS 12, but the trust was placed in eyeballs, a Silva hand bearing compass, and a LOT of fixes. As the helmsman I was now receiving my orders from Candy, and the passage called for immediate responses to her commands even though there were times I was most concerned about approaching hazards. Ian kept a close eye over Candy's shoulder and relayed her instructions and my observations.

After a breathtaking passage we turned North towards the cliffs (it seemed to our doom) and suddenly the entrance to Tinkers Hole opened before us. One last hazard to avoid is a large rock submerged in the centre of the entrance (you must pass very close to the north cliff, turn east, then hard to port to enter the haven). The current is fierce as this anchorage is exposed on both ends, so we anchored in deep water and took a large rope around a boulder on the shoreline as there is little or no room to swing. Looking back, I would never have attempted the passage on my own, and I shall always remember the look of pride and satisfaction Candy showed that evening; she had done it! She certainly passed the navigators test in my book.

We passed close to Staffa (Fingals Cave) on our way across to Castle Bay on Barra. This destination was chosen as we had hoped to land at the nature reserve of Mingulay but this plan was scuppered by worsening weather. It was on this crossing that we experienced our only F7 of the trip, having a very wet squall hit us half way across. As it happened, the skippers who headed for the safety of Canna that night took a real pasting.

On the long cruise back across to the Sound of Sleat via Rhum, we motored in flat calms but our day was punctuated by bottle nose dolphins swimming in our bow wave, close enough to reach out and touch as they swept past. On schedule for Gairloch we stopped in a Harry's Bar at Portree and enjoyed superb hospitality until the wee hours. For a small boat sailor, the Sound of Sleat and the Sound of Raasay must rank as one of the very best cruising areas in Europe; endless choices of fine anchorages, uncrowded waters, ample watering holes and plenty of choices for provisioning. With Gairloch and Badachro at the northern end of this passage, safe and secure moorings may be readily obtained for those wishing to leave a boat up there over the winter, certainly we look forward to taking Sergeant Pepper there before to long.

Over our two weeks I became far more confident in my boat handling, having never sailed a fractional rig or picked up a mooring buoy before, and I honed my own navigational skills; Ian taught me a lot about sailing in UK waters (especially as I have little experience in dealing with tides) and his humour, superb local knowledge, and accounts of local history made him a wonderful host. As far as to whether a skippered charter was a wise investment for us at the same time as buying our own boat, the answer is an emphatic "yes" - more fun than a sea school, we had a real holiday and had great fun. As for Scotland, if you experience the scenery once in your life you will keep wanting to return. The locals were always so friendly and, as my daughter said, "I've seen everything you promised … and more."

When planning a trip to these waters, and few boats venture north of Ardnamurchan (the point to the north of Tobermoray and the Sound of Mull) so you need to be relatively self-sufficient. Have proper foul weather gear and expect anything; a day which starts with t-shirts and shorts may develop into one which sees you slogging it out in full oilskins and boots. For independent sailors, a Navtex receiver is probably the most desirable piece of electronics as the forecasts can prove hard to obtain.

Passage Planning:
Imray C65 C66 C67 (best scale for detailed passage planning)
Admiralty 2635
The Yachtman's Pilot to the Western Isles
Martin Lawrence
Pub. Imray Laurie & Wilson 1996
ISBN: 0 85288 359 5
The Scottish Islands
Hamish Haswell-Smith
Pub. Cannongate Books 1996
ISBN: 0 86241 579 9
The Clyde Cruising Club Pilots Sailing Directions for Western Scotland

West Highland Marine:
Owner/ Skipper: Ian Thompson
Badachro, Gairloch,
Ross-shire, IV21 2AA
Tel. 01445 741215
Rates are £380 per person per week inclusive of all fees & provisions.

 About the Author
Humperdinck Jackman sails his 33' Van de Stadt Seacracker, "Sergeant Pepper" in the Bristol Channel and is now planning a 2001 family trip to S.W. Ireland aboard his boat (this time).