Boat name Cimba class Wavecrest 148 LOA 16ft beam 5ft 10in draught plate up 1ft plate down 3ft 6in displacement approx 5cwt ex crew ballast plate 90lb lead 95lb engine Seagull 100+ LS rig Bermudan sloop 110sq ft sail on Sparlight mast buoyancy 1000lb positive foam filled

Designed for easy trailing and launching with best seaworthiness for the light displacement.

Crew Arthur Birtwhistle and Phil Birtwhistle (aged 15)

Saturday 27th August

Left Manchester by road, towing Cimba, at 1130 and stayed the night near Greenock in the best hotel we could find. Cruising speed 50 when not being watched.

Sunday 28th August

We launched at Adam’s Yard in Gourock at 1145, having taken our usual hour to load up, step the mast, rig and park the car and trailer. The forecast was SE 4 to 6 so we started with full main and working jib, but reefed the main off Cloch Point at 1220. Visibility was moderate but the sun shone and we could see the Firth and its surrounding hills holding out promise of a good week’s cruising. The plan was roughly to visit the main anchorages in the Firth north of Arran and in Loch Fyne.

Off Warden Bank, the wind piped up to about 6 giving intermittent planing by the time we reached Wemyss Point. The next leg to Toward Point brought us on to a dead run and, the wind having stuck in the NE, it also took us into rough water. To increase our safety margin we dropped our main and ran across under jib alone, making about three knots. Our lunch of soup from a large Thermos and bread was taken whilst Cimba sailed herself.

Round the point it was again a reach and more sheltered, so setting a reefed main we roared up the East Kyle through the Burnt Islands Narrows by the south passage and into Caladh harbour at 1610. Surely, this is one of the most perfect anchorages in Britain, and now completely free of moorings.

Distance run: 20NM Time: 4h 25m

Monday 29th August

Glen Caladh anchorage with its clear water and wooded shores was tempting, but we decided to make the most of a force 5 easterly to get us to Tarbert. We weighed anchor at 0945 and under small jib and full main close-reached down the West Kyle in fairly smooth water. As we rounded Ardlamont Point at 1120 the wind increased necessitating a few rolls in the main but giving us the most glorious sail in quite big following seas. Cimba sailed at maximum speed on a compass course with the wind mostly on the starboard quarter. Visibility was about two miles. Sgat Mor lighthouse soon came up and we entered the north passage into Tarbert harbour at 1250. We chose the shallower part of the northern arm, known as Deuchlands, and dropped a tipped anchor a few minutes later. East Lock Tarbert is perhaps a perfect example of a natural harbour, the entrance being blocked by two low islands. Inside, it sheltered from all quarters and the town itself has just the right blend of fishing port bustle and village sleepiness.

Distance run: 16NM Time: 3h 5m

Tuesday 30th August

The forecast was NE 4 to 6, which would have meant a hard beat up Loch Fyne. Over breakfast we discussed plans and I also remembered some work at the office I'd forgotten before leaving. By the time I'd written and rowed ashore to post the letter, done a few odd jobs, including deflating the Redstart, it was 1200 and the wind was nil. At 1230 we headed north under engine on a misty, glassy sea bound for Loch Gair. The Narrows were past at 1415, a little slowly against a two and a half knot ebb. Once through, a little wind appeared as we made sail, stopped the engine and beat the remaining distance to Loch Gair to arrive by 1520. There are only a few houses and a small hotel but here is another ideal anchorage, completely sheltered and with an easy entrance. The Loch is almost circular, about a mile in diameter, and the entrance only one and a half cables wide. The “contents” were a few dinghies and one solitary five ton sloop plus a large trimaran, which may only have been visiting. Over a late lunch we decided to return to Tarbert as the next day looked like being good and we wanted to make Arran or the Largs Channel. Loch Gair was left at 1610, and a combination of sailing on the wind (which was from the south when it blew at all) and motor sailing brought us back to Tarbert at 1900. We went alongside the pier to replenish water and petrol and also took the opportunity of ducking our evening chores by buying fish and chips in two large newspapers.

Distance: 28NM Time: 5h 40m

Wednesday 31st August

Forecast Irish Sea NW 4 to 5, Malin NW 3

Today we bade goodbye to Tarbert and sailed out 0915 after a quick trip ashore to try to buy Phil a new sleeping bag. His old down bag had shed so many feathers that when we emerged from our tin cabin in the mornings even the gull would have mistaken us for one of their kind if some of the feathers hadn't been red. However, sleeping bags were not to be had, so we resigned ourselves to it and went back aboard.

Outside the harbour it was quite misty with only a light north-westerly breeze about force 2 to 3. We slipped along at about three knots and brought Sgat More Lighthouse abeam at 1010. Visibility was still poor so we set a compass course for the southern end of Inchmarnock, Off Ardlamont Point the wind died on us. Wishing to make good time, for some unknown reason, we put on power and cleared Inchmarnock at 1215. Actually, time was not short but, as will be seen, it turned out for the best. Perhaps it was the absence of tidal currents, which always get you along if there is no wind, which tended to make us use power when normally we would have whistled for the wind. The southern end of Inchmarnock had that wild, deserted kind of look that makes you feel like Robinson Crusoe, and we enjoyed the atmosphere while we ate our usual meal of Thermos soup and bread.

The next headland was Garroch Head, which has one of the few tide rips in this part of the firth. However, with the light wind and the fact that our arrival was timed for slack water, we didn't expect even to see it. Garroch Head was reached at 1320 and, the wind having freshened, we stopped engine and made full sail heading for Millport. At 1400, when approaching Millport, we picked up a SE to E gale warning for sea area Malin. In such a wind both Millport and Balloch Bay would be decidedly uncomfortable as well as being lee shores and perhaps dangerous. A Stella passed us heading north with full sail and engine going hard, so we changed plans in quicker time it takes to tell and headed for Rothesay under full sail, very close hauled and helped by the Seagull. We knew it was possible to hole up behind Rothesay Pier but, if nothing happening when we got round Bogany Point, we intended to make Glen Caladh.

Arrived off Rothesay at 1530 with wind still only NW 3 so we pressed on up the East Kyle through the North Passage at the Burnt Islands and into Caladh at 1710. Wind force 0.

Distance run: 34NM Time: 7h 55m

Thursday 1st September

During the night our gale arrived, force 8. It was pouring down, the cloud base was only about 200 feet and the wind was bang on prediction. We slept on and only awoke to drink coffee or tea. Around 1645 the rain having stopped, we rowed ashore to walk to Tighnabruaich, but after a few hundred yards returned for a torch. The second attempt took us a bit farther when I realised that I'd left my money behind. The third attempt ended when I'd left the midge repellent behind and we were attacked about a mile out in the woods. Determined by now to get a meal out, we upped anchor and motored there. The engine sounded a bit sick but did keep going. The Tighnabruaich Hotel did us proud and we emerged full of good food and wine to be met by the father and mother of all thunderstorms, no wind but torrential rain. We had picked up a mooring about half a mile or more down the coast and left the Redstart on the beach. By the time the rain had eased and we had cadged a lift to the dinghy, it was pitch dark. The trip back was memorable for the profusion of phosphorescence. We could see the sparkling outlines of fish as they scuttled away from the boat's wash, some were several feet long. Every raindrop sparkled as it hit the still sea in the inky blackness, giving a most eerie effect enhanced by the long phosphorescent wake. Eventually we found the entrance to Glen Caladh Harbour by reference to the dim skyline which we had noted on the way out, confirmed by the light from the receding lightning flashes.

Distance: 4NM

Friday 2nd September

Stores were getting low by now and so was petrol. In addition we were troubled by an engine that sounded as though it was going to misbehave. We left Glen Caladh in calm conditions at 1105 and motored to Kames old pier to buy petrol from the garage at the old pier house. On the way, the engine conked out with water in the petrol. We then motored to Tighnabruaich and moored to the down-wind down-tide side of the pier. Cimba streamed out at the end of her painter whilst we shinned up the pier supports and over the rail to the little cafe, which gave us lunch, and replenished our locker from the adjacent grocery store. We left under full sail at 1410 bound for Holy Loch. The wind increasing to 5 or 6 westerly as we approached the Narrows caused us to roll up some mainsail before running through the south passage. Towing the Redstart slowed us up a little but we made good time to Toward Point at 1650, where a gybe put us onto a northward reach in the lee of the land. The water was fairly smooth but we were hit repeatedly by rain squalls coming over the Bute shore. The Gantocks light was abeam at 1750, giving an average of five knots from Toward Point with the Redstart planing behind. From Dunoon to Holy Loch we made slower progress in a wind down to 3, which had dropped to 2 off the entrance to Holy Loch. The engine was got out of the cabin and started but promptly conked out again with wet petrol. Philip kept her sailing whilst I stripped the engine and got it going. We picked up a spare mooring off Morris and Lorimer's yard surrounded by yawls and ketches, the smallest of which was about fifty tons. We didn't even have a white-topped hat between us! A suggestion that we should use a lifejacket whistle to pipe the owner over the side was rejected out of hand.

Distance run: 25NM Time: 7h 25m (including lunch and shopping)

Saturday 3rd September

0640 forecast was SE 4 to 6 veering SW later. In the morning we went ashore to phone, shop and ditch the remainder of the wet petrol, which we traced back to a purchase in Tarbert. After lunch aboard, we reached out at 1300 in a force 4 southerly under working jib and main, still undecided whether to head for Gareloch or Loch Long. Off Kilcreggan we changed our mind and put about to enter Loch Long. The wind was still in the south, but we had hardly brought Cove Bay abeam when the sky began to cloud over and the wind strengthened somewhat. Loch Long acts as a kind of funnel for the seas coming up the Firth and the waves tend to increase in height and steepness up the Finart Bay. We soon reached the tanker terminal but decided that as the Loch Long anchorages are poor and the sky had every appearance of brewing a gale of wind it would be more prudent to return to Holy Loch. This had two advantages, first the anchorage was better and we knew of a spare mooring, and second we were likely to be upwind of Gourock should we have to run over on Monday in heavy weather.

In the beat out, which we started at 1500, we cursed the Redstart: downwind towing doesn’t slow up Cimba much but on the wind it feels like a sea anchor. First we used full main and working jib on long tacks but later we hugged the western shore, which gave a bit of lee from the 5 to 6 wind, and finally used the Seagull to help out. It was exactly 1730 when we picked up the mooring in Holy Loch and resigned ourselves to suffer the loudhailers and liberty boats of the Polaris base once again. Perhaps Phil put his finger on it by asking, “Don’t the Americans ever shut up?”

Distance run: 15NM Time: 4h 30m

Sunday 4th September

Gale SW force 8 confined us to the mooring for the whole day and night.

Monday 5th September

Today the 0640 forecast predicted a severe gale 8 to 9 for Malin but at 0800 the wind was SW about 5. This was too good an opportunity to miss to get hauled out at Gourock. Left Sandbank at 0810 towing Redstart and arrived Gourock after a roughish passage at 0920. All the ground is foul in Gourock Bay so we went alongside the Admiralty floating pontoon. When the policeman objected, we pointed to our small boat and pleaded stress of weather. He let us stay until there was enough water on the slip to winch her onto the trailer.

Distance run: 5NM Time: 1h 10m

We can thoroughly recommend the Clyde. The Scots say, “You haven’t sailed ‘til you’ve been there.” We agree whole heartedly and will certainly be back. Our total distance run from the chart was 147NM in nine days counting launching and haul-out days and two days laid up in gales.

Charts 2131, 2381, 1907 and 1906 Clyde Cruising Club Sailing Directions for West Coast of Scotland Three articles in “The Yachtsman” of January, February and March 1966