Sailing
Bob has owned a Sadler 34 since 2009 which he keeps at Ballachulish. She is a wonderful sea-boat. He has sailed extensively in Scottish waters and loves to reach a summit from an anchorage. His penultimate Munros, Luinne Bheinn and Meall Bhuidhe, were done in this way from the head of Loch Nevis. Reaching the high points of St Kilda and the Shiant Islands, rounding Muckle Flugga, the northernmost point of British Isles, and then being rewarded with the sight of a pod of hunting orcas, were all unforgettable.
He has has also made passages to Ireland, Norway, the Mediterranean, Madeira and the Canary Islands. He sailed with his son from Tenerife to Martinique in the West Indies where he kept Ratan for two years, visiting many islands. At anchor off Carriacou he was privileged to see the elusive Green Flash sunset. The return journey to UK was made single-handed from Bermuda to Scotland via the Azores and Ireland.
150 miles from a landfall at Crookhaven Harbour in SW Ireland the shipping forecasts were indicating an approaching deep depression. All sail was hoisted to try and beat the gales, but the depression won by six hours. The final entry to Crookhaven was in severe SW gales and torrential rain – a dramatic return to the challenges of sailing in Northern waters...
