 |
| Tobermory Bay is a very sheltered haven for boats and many yachts visit it during the summer. In 1588 the San Juan de Sicilia anchored here to take on provisions. She had been chartered by the Spanish government to carry Sicilian troops and is said to have carried gold coins worth thirty million ducats. A fire started on the ship and it - and the gold - sank to the botton. Not surprisingly, there have been many attempts to recover the gold. |
 |
| Dunollie Castle stands on a prominent crag overlooking the entrance to Oban Bay. It was the castle of the MacDougall Lords of Lorne and dates from the 12th century. |
Looking back at Tiree, the houses seem to float on the sea as the land is so low and the roofs of the houses are not many metres above sea level. Looking eastwards, Ben More on Mull towers above Lunga. The other Treshnish Islands, including Flodda and numerous other small islands are then passed as the ship heads towards the north coast of Mull and the Sound of Mull. This part of Mull has a very rugged coast but there is a very obvious beach of white sand at Calgary Bay, a favourite picnic place for locals and visitors alike.
As the wind picks up, this is the opportunity for people to go down to the engine room. "I'm going to see the engines" is traditionally a coded message meaning making a visit to the bar for a "refreshment"; nevertheless, most passengers really do go down to see the engine as it is a magnificent piece of engineering. Three pistons move in and out of the cylinders, their huge shiny piston rods dramatically and noisily moving backwards and forwards, causing the massive crankshaft to rotate; the rhythmical sounds of these motions are accompanied by lots of hissing from escaping steam. Onlookers just gaze, silently, as if transfixed by this elaborate mechanical monster which drives the ship`s two great paddlewheels. No matter what the weather is outside, this is usually the warmest part of the ship. Even warmer than the bar.
When Ardnamurchan`s
Ben Hiant and Loch Sunart are passed the ship enters the
calm water of Tobermory Bay in order to drop off passengers. Before
leaving the town`s pier, yet again the pier staff are given a round of
applause, Waverley-style.
As the sky gets a bit greyer the sun again disappears behind a cloud and in only a few moments the sky becomes dark grey and it starts to rain. Too heavily for most people so only two passengers, including this author, are hardy enough to remain outside at the stern. The darkened sky adds to the depth of colour of the grass and bright yellow gorse on the Morvern peninsula as we approach Lochaline. As Duart Castle is passed and the Firth of Lorne reached there is a magnificent view of the mainland hills, from Ben Cruachan (to the east) to Ben Nevis (to the north-east). Ben Nevis (at 1344m, Scotland`s highest mountain) is still capped with snow which is picked out by some narrow but brilliant shafts of sunlight.
As the island
of Kerrera is approached the sea takes on a glassy appearance,
so still is the water after the heavy rain. With the northern end of Kerrera
rounded and Dunollie Castle passed, we are now back in the wide
and sheltered expanse of Oban Bay and heading for the North Pier.
The end of another superb day on Scotland`s West Coast.
| Previous Page |
| First page of this article |