More amazing anchorages

 

Rodel anchorage, SE tip of Harris, a tricky anchorage

The short daily hops up the east side of North Uist, Benbecula and South Harris have been a little lacking in wind but we've been blessed with bright sunshine and some beautiful scenery. The settled weather has also continued to encourage us to explore some 'tricky' anchorages.

Barbara enjoying a brief period of perfect sailing

After our lunch-stop in the tiny Fhalaich Acairseid anchorage, our evening anchorage in Hanauray Sound brought us into a very new landscape of little low-lying islands on the north of Benbecula.

The following morning we motored a few miles north, suddenly shrouded in 50m visibility fog which thankfully cleared as we approached the south-east corner of South Harris. Our target was the tiny anchorage of Pol am Tighmhail, more commonly known as Rodel, which needs careful timing as you can only get through the narrow rocky entrance at high tide. 

Rodel. The main access is through the narrow entrance to the NW

As we moved slowly through the shallowest point the skipper was heard to mutter, "There's f*** all water under the keel!" and the depth sounder briefly read 1.8m. Maunie draws 1.8m so there really was only a few millimetres of clearance between boat and bottom!

The stress was worth it, though, because we had the anchorage to ourselves and enjoyed the bird life and a walk ashore.

We came through that channel! The west passage at low tide

Looking north east towards the second Sea Passage

The inner, drying harbour. The hotel has been closed for several years but is currently being rebuilt

The entrance at low water

The C16th St Clement's Church above the anchorage

Now a Historic Scotland site, the church is the final resting place of generations of the Macleod clan

Whilst waiting for high tide to allow us to leave the anchorage, we did a beach clean. There was, unfortunately, a lot of debris from the fishing industry so we collected discarded net, rope and pot markers and persuaded the builders at the hotel to let us put it in their skip.

From Rodel we've come north to familiar territory that we visited last year. First to the island of Scalpay, with its award-winning fish restaurant - North Harbour Bistro - and now into the ferry port of Tarbert. Our luck with the weather is about to change, however, and there's a gale coming in tomorrow. 

Tomorrow's forecast!

We are therefore heading up to Stornoway today to hunker down in their marina for a couple of days, while Barbara is hoping that the ferry crossing to Ullapool won't be too boisterous!