Skye, Raasay and the Small Isles

Following a lively sail round Ardnamurchan, we took the tide through the narrows at Kylerhea, then stopped off at Kyle of Lochalsh, before continuing north.     

      

We have just enough clearance to make it underneath the Skye Bridge safely!

Arriving at Raasay, we anchored off the island's south east coast for a visit to Hallaig - where the deserted ruins of this Highland Clearance site are still visible. The township was made famous in Sorley Maclean's poem "Hallaig" , which evokes the heartbreak and desolation of the Clearances.                                                                                                                                                                       

A cairn memorial to Sorley Maclean,  inscribed with a copy of the poem, in both Gaelic and English stands on the hillside below Hallaig. A submarine plying its way down the Inner Sound is just visible above the monument.    

                                         

More submarine activity in the Inner Sound

The island of Soay lies off the south west coast of Skye.  In 1946, the  author Gavin Maxwell bought the island and established a factory to process shark oil from basking sharks. The old buildings and machinery are still standing. The enterprise was unsuccessful and lasted just three years. Maxwell's book Harpoon at a Venture tells the story.

Soay - Gavin Maxwell's shark station

Shark station machinery, Soay

An overnight stop in Canna gave us the chance to explore ashore. Canna was left to the National Trust for Scotland by its previous owner the Gaelic scholar and folklorist John Lorne Campbell and is now run as a farm and conservation area. The island is a haven for birdlife, with golden eagles, sea eagles and puffins often seen.

On Rum, Moonshadow's guests enjoyed a tour of Kinloch Castle on Rum.  The castle was built as a private residence for Sir George Bullough a textile tycoon from Lancashire whose father bought the isle as his summer residence. Construction began in 1897, and was finished in 1900. The highlight of the tour was the under stairs Orchestrion, a mechanical music system which still functions today and amazed us with its melodic sounds!

 

Over the Sea to Scavaig

Moonshadow’s bow dipped and rose through a sun spangled sea as we crossed the Sound of Sleat under full sail.  We were heading for Loch Scavaig on the Isle of Skye and relishing a warm southerly breeze.

The night before had been spent in Inverie, Loch Nevis, where we met up with old friends and made some new as the crew was treated to the usual hospitality and musical entertainment at Britain’s remotest mainland pub the Old Forge Inn.

Sunshine on Loch Nevis

Pleasant memories of the previous evening lingered as the sea spray licked our skin making it salty to the taste. As we rounded the Point of Sleat, we eased our sheets and bore away. Over our shoulders the high hills of Rum and the sugar loaf Sgurr of Eigg shimmered in the distance.

The Black Cuillin

Approaching Scavaig, the dramatic horseshoe arc of the Cuillin skyline rose up to meet us and as we slipped past the resident seal colony we were close enough to hear their snorts and gaze into their mournful brown eyes.  

  

We were coming into the inner anchorage at the bottom of the tide, feeling our way round the bay. The water was crystal clear – and with only a few inches under the keel it looked too close for comfort – but the skipper had calculated correctly and the echo sounder soon inched its way upwards.

Hidden within this rugged landscape, and completely invisible to the outside world, is Loch Coruisk.   With dinner preparations underway, guests were ferried ashore to enjoy the short walk to this hidden jewel and rewarded with stunning views of the impressive rock strewn amphitheatre and a magical sense of peace and tranquility.  That night, under a star studded sky, a bright moon flooded the anchorage with light, casting eerie shadows over Moonshadow’s solitary mast.  

The following morning dawned bright and clear and following breakfast on deck in the warm sunshine, we weighed anchor, already anticipating the pleasures which lay ahead.