Events Calendar 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR 2015

(Round Mull Race fleet 2014 - H. Kilpatrick 'Sarah')

With the New year looming and thoughts turning to the cruising itineray for 2015 we thought it would be a good time to share just a wee glimpse of the events on offer to those enjoying the waters of Scotland's West Coast in 2015. Remember 2015 is Scotland's year of Food & Drink so in addition to the annual favorites below there will be lots of other smaller events to enjoy all over Scotland this year. 

Mull Music Festival

Start: Thursday 23rd April to Sunday 26th April

The Mull Music Festival is a weekend of Scottish music featuring folk-rock bands, traditional fiddle & accordion dance and ceilidh bands, and Gaelic singers. It takes place largely in Mull's public houses spread around the island, plenty of variety is offered within Tobermory which has excellent facilities for those arriving by sea.  The events aren't ticketed, and most are very crowded!
FIND OUT MORE

Scottish Islands Peak Race

Start: 12 noon Friday 15th May (Finish entirely down to weather and crew!)

This adventure race is for teams of Sailors and Fell Runners (both adult and teenage) and is held annually on and around the most beautiful parts of the West Coast of Bonny Scotland.

The Race starts in Oban with a short hill run, then a sail to Salen on Mull, run over Ben More, sail to Craighouse on Jura, run the Paps, sail to Arran, run Goat Fell, then sail to Troon. The Race takes 3 to 4 Days and caters for Multihulls, Racers and Cruisers.

Each team consists of 5 (usually 2 runners and 3 sailors), there is also an all-rounders class for sailors that can run and a class for young people (with the assistance of a few adults).

FIND OUT MORE

(Fyne Fest Festival- www.fynefest.com)

Fyne Fest Festival

Dates to be confirmed

Over the past few years Fynefest's reputation as one of the most popular beer festival has been spreading far and wide. From small beginnings in the brewery courtyard to a big marquee in one field, camping in another the festival has just got bigger & better. Filled with quality craft beer, locally sourced food and excellent music in beautiful Argyll. All this to enjoy at your leisure over the full weekend based around the Fyne Ales Brewery at the head of Loch Fyne, next to Loch Fyne Oysters.
FIND OUT MORE

Scottish Series

Start: Friday 22nd – Monday 25th May

Ever thought of taking part in Scotland’s biggest regatta?

It’s not all about the race boats with the black sails and experienced race crews. Many people take part just for craic of it. The event in Tarbert Loch Fyne is open to all and for some can just be a great weekend away with you friends relaxing with passage sailing in between the parties. Come and see what you are missing!

FIND OUT MORE

Round Mull Race 

Start: Thursday 2nd - Sunday 5th July

We are proud to support this event as joint headline sponsors with Owen Sails of Benderloch. The Round Mull Race has acquired a loyal following over the last 25 years with many of the boats making up the fleet of approximately 50 boats having made the annual pilgrimage round the island of Mull many times. Every year the event stalwarts are joined by boats and crews from all over the UK who have come to experience this unique event; offering great sailing in some of the west coasts most picturesque waters around the coast of Mull.

The event see the fleet enjoying the hospitality of Oban Sailing Club on the Thursday evening with the opening buffet. Racing commences on the Friday morning with start line being positioned off Oban Sailing club, the fleet races from Oban to Tobermory on Mull via the Sound of Mull. Saturday see the fleet start at the entrance to Tobermory Bay before heading westward to the open waters of Mulls west coast before heading South for the finish line at Bunessan. Spending the night at anchor the local community offer a buffet and ceilidh on the Saturday evening in the village hall, a short walk along the road from the pier. The final leg of the race on the Sunday takes the fleet west again through the Sound of Iona before heading east along the south coast of Mull and toward the finish at Frank Lockwoods Island.

Described previously as competitive cruising rather than racing the event offers something for everyone with a white sail class and two handed class. 

FIND OUT MORE

(Tiree Music Festival - www.tireemusicfestival.co.uk)

Tiree Music Festival  

Start: Friday 17th - Sunday 19th July

The set list of local, national and international music acts is just one of the huge draws of TMF – come prepared for a true island adventure. Think picture-perfect white sands. World-famous surf. Deserted roads lined with lush greenery and wild flowers. Not forgetting more sunshine than practically anywhere else in the UK. It’s little wonder that the tiny Hebridean island of Tiree is nicknamed the ‘Hawaii of the North’.

Add to this three separate campsites – the main campsite, family campsite and campervan area – and the now famous Community Village with its many stalls and events, and TMF guarantees you an authentic flavour of Tiree. Which, in a nutshell, is the whole idea behind the festival.

TMF has gained wide spread acclaim since its inception in 2010 since when it has won Best Small Festival at the Scottish Event Awards (2012 & 2013) and Best Cultural Event at both the Highland & Island Tourism Awards (2013) and Scottish Thistle Awards (2013). Evidence, if ever it was needed, that small can indeed be beautiful.

FIND OUT MORE

(West Highland Week - www.yachtingimages.co.uk)

West Highland Week

Start: Saturday 1st - Friday 7th August

The historic and unique sailing regatta is now in its 67th year. It has evolved into the West Coast's biggest sailing event taking in 3 venues, Craobh, Oban and Tobermory. 1000+ competitors from around the world enjoy national and local media coverage. The event has evolved a distinctive blend of competitive racing combined with a varied and full programme of family social events.
FIND OUT MORE

Round Shuna Race & Feeder Races

Start: Saturday 22nd - Sunday 23rd August

Run by the Clyde Corithian Yacht Club the Shuna race weekend is a fun filled weekend after the Scottish Schools return from the summer break. The weekend starts with feeder races from Oban and Ardfern to Craobh where boats muster for the next days round Shuna race. Unusual in its format the race around Shuna is a pursuit race with a prolonged start sequence seeing the slowest boat setting off first and the fastest last; to add to the fun its entirely the skipper's (or perhaps willful crew) decision which way round the island is circumnavigated.

Keep an eye on the blog for further updates

         (Pirates Parade, Ardfern, our chandlery manager Guy Neville with his daughter Kay)

Craignish Arts Festival

Dates to be confirmed (normally mid August)

Primarily a visual arts festival in the West Highland community of Craignish, Ardfern, the festival also encompasses a variety of live music nights at our local pub The Galley of Lorne Inn and The Lords of the Isles in Craobh Haven, storytelling sessions, markets, sporting competitions, guided walks and family events, in particular a range of arts workshops and the incredibly popular Pirate Parade.

Mull of Kintyre Music Festival

Start: Wednesday 19th - Sunday 23rd August

Enjoy the best in traditional and contemporary Celtic music and this popular annual music festival held in the scenic area immortalised in Paul McCartney’s 1977 hit song Mull of Kintyre.

Established in 1992 in the west coast town of Campbeltown, the Mull of Kintyre Music Festival showcases the finest talent in Scottish and Irish traditional music with a fantastic programme of concerts, ceilidhs, jam sessions, workshops, free outdoor events. This is accompanied by other exciting events which range from children’s entertainment to heritage and cultural tours and parades. Watch excellent local ceilidh bands, Gaelic choirs, pipe bands, brass bands Highland dancers perform alongside acclaimed international acts which in recent years have included Altan, Davy Spillane, Four men and a Dog, the Tannahill Weavers, Jerry Holland and Dave McIsaac, Dougie McLean, the Micahel McGoldrick Band, the Full Moon Ensemble, Arty McGlynn and Nollaig Cassidy. This family-friendly event is held every August across a range of venues and is a must for all lovers of traditional and contemporary Celtic music.

FIND OUT MORE

        (Best of the West Festival, Inveraray)

Best of the West Festival

Dates to be confirmed

Set in the stunning venue of the ground of  Inveraray Castle, this family friendly festival highlights the best in food, drink, crafts, music and entertainments from the West of Scotland. From fine crafts to fine food and from local pipe bands to world famous headline music acts, the programme offers something for everyone, including a range of children's activities, horse riding, archery and survival skills to tire the kids out. 

(Craighouse, Isle of Jura - www.jurainfo.com)

Jura Music Festival 2015

Start: Friday 25th - Sunday 27th September

The Jura Music Festival, now in its 22nd year, is a firm favourite on the festival calendar. It's a fantastic weekend of traditional Scottish Music in a beautiful, remote island setting. 

As well as a great line-up of musicians, there are also workshops and sessions to encourage up-and-coming talent. From the Friday night ceilidh right through to the Sunday night concert in the distillery co-operage, this is a foot-stomping weekend for music lovers, easily reachable under sail from Ardfern.

FIND OUT MORE

These are only a highlight of the many events happening around Scotland's west coast during 2015. If your looking for more information on events to be enjoyed afloat the CYCA 2015 Event Calander is an vital resource, even if its only to avoid being in the same anchorage as a race fleet! Locally the Ardfern community is very active and during the year there are many events going on within the Craignish area open to all, the Craignish Village Hall website has details of events going on within the hall.

We look forward to seeing you all in 2015!

Festive Opening Hours - 2014/15

24th December 9-3pm

25th - 26th December CLOSED

27th - 30th December 9-4pm

31st December 9-1pm

1st - 2nd January CLOSED

 

 The workshop and the boatyard are now closed until Monday 5th January

 

 We wish all our customers Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year 2015

Workshop news

It's Winter.

Honestly, it is. The sun is splitting the trees and the calendar says mid-October so it is technically an unseasonably warm Autumn. But as far as we are concerned, there are only two seasons per year: boating season and winter.

The other sign of winter is the non-stop procession of boats arriving to have their masts unstepped before being moved round to the slip where China collects them in his company car (a 40T Sublift) and takes them to their allocated winter storage space. We've got 60+ boats out already and there is about the same again still to come. We have started the winter maintenance work on the boats, and we have a long long list of other works and estimates for work to complete that will keep us all busy well into next year. 

We will showcase some of the works being carried out over the next wee while, and introduce some of our staff along the way.

Re-inventing the wheel....

One of the problems that needed addressed as part of the ongoing refurbishment of the Grand Banks Eastbay 43 currently residing in our shed, was to fix the 'wobbly wheel' at the helm station. Initially, it was thought that it had loosened on the spindle over time and tightening up the locking nut and maybe packing it out with a couple of shims would do the trick. However, this was only part of the problem. On removing the wheel for closer examination we noticed that not only were the spokes loose where they connected into the hub, but it would be impossible to repair them without first dismantling the wheel.

A couple of phone calls and a few emails later, we had confirmation from Grand Banks shipbuilders yard in Singapore that the problem was with the joints between the spokes and hub, and they sent us this photograph to fully explain the problem:

Next stage in the process was to ask Grand Banks for the price for a replacement wheel to be shipped to us. On being told that it would cost $3,600 + VAT + shipping, we swiftly moved onto the next stage in the process and re-visited the idea of repairing the wheel. Engineering and boat-building ideas were bandied about before we settled on designing, manufacturing and fitting two polished stainless steel plates on either side of the hub that would overlap onto the base of each of the spokes and allow us to pin the plates, the spokes and the hub together.

Work in progress cutting the plates and drilling for fitting

Plates were fitted to the wheel, the keyway was marked and cut, before final polishing and fitting to the wheel.

The boat is still in the shed with other works ongoing, so the wheel is currently sitting in the workshop office. But the project is nearing completion and our next few blogs will have further details and pictures of the extensive works carried out - and some photos of the end result when she is fully fitted out and back in the water again.

What needs fixed?

The torrential downpours, impending gale force storms and dropping temperatures all confirm that we are still in the midst of a traditional Scottish summer. So time for a quick review of your sailing season so far........

You negotiated traffic jams and diversions, sat behind caravans and tour buses on your journey here, but finally made it to Ardfern safe and sound.

You unloaded more equipment, food and drink than you thought could fit in your car.

You made numerous trips back and forth between the car and the boat using the trolley with the wobbly/squeaky wheel or in the dinghy that seems to have shrunk and become less manoeuvrable than before, but did finally manage to get everything, including friends/family/pets, safely stowed on board.

You cast off and set sail in good/bad/indifferent weather and, managing to avoid rocks and any other objects that might cause some damage to your boat (including unwanted visitors), you had a lovely time sailing or motoring around the west coast of Scotland.

However, whilst under way, you remembered all the bits on the boat that weren't working last season and that you forgot to get fixed.

You also identified an alarming number of new breakages and pieces of equipment that aren't quite working as they did or should.

You then read all the boating magazines and got fully up to speed with all the latest equipment and gadgets and electronics that you don't have but think you absolutely must have, or should have, or would like, or intend to get anyway because it's your boat, your money and you deserve it.

In addition to that, you saw that rather annoying skipper from the boat a couple of berths along from you that you would like to be able to casually drop into a conversation next year the line "yes, ours is the latest model, much more compact and powerful, I think you'll find the version you have is now obsolete...."

Now, before you finish up for the season, and unpack all your gear again, and shove it all in the car for the journey back home, why not bookmark this post or make a note that, before you forget everything that needs done, you really should fill out the Winter Maintenance Form for 2014/15 and send it to the workshop at Ardfern Yacht Centre.

Select here to go to Winter Maintenance Form 2014/15 now and tell us what you need fixed.

August has started wet, lets hope it improves!

After the glorious weather of July; which saw temperatures in Ardfern reach a sweltering 28 degrees for the better part of a week, August has got off to a rather damp and disappointing start!

Fingers crossed the weather will improve before the annual Clyde Corithian Yacht Club Round Shuna race weekend on August 23rd and 24th. The weekend starts with feeder races from Ardfern and Oban to Craobh Marina on Saturday August 23rd with the Round Shuna Pursuit race getting under way on Sunday 24th. Its a fun event with a great family atmosphere and a relaxed attitude, if you have always fancied trying a bit of racing this is an ideal way to dip your toe in the water. Full race instructions and entry form available for this years event available here.

If you have now dusted off the waterproofs which were hanging idle for July and found they are leaking why not treat yourself to a new pair? In the Chandlery we have a sale on all waterproofs for the month of August (or while stocks last) with 20% off everything there is a selection of jackets and trousers for every budget from all the big brands.

YACHTSMAN AND DOG RAISE OVER £13,500 FOR MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT FOLLOWING ‘ISLE TO ISLE’ WALK AND HOG ROAST

A STAGGERING £13,680 has been raised so far by yachtsman, Alistair Pratt and his loyal Labrador Tess, who completed their 230-mile walk from Lewis to Arran in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support at the end of May.

Walking in memory of Alistair’s wife and Tess’s mistress Margot, who sadly passed away from cancer in September 2013, the duo set off from their home near Reef beach on the west coast of Lewis on 30^th April and had made their way to Goat Fell on Arran by 24^th May.

“This was always Tess’s walk for Margot and I just went with her,” said 69-year old Alistair.

The pair walked down through the Morsgail Estate on Lewis, across the Harris hills to Tarbert and onto Leverburgh, before taking the ferry across to Berneray and making their way down North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and on to Lochboisdale.

“From there we caught the ferry to Oban and walked to Ardfern on the Craignish peninsular, before we headed off to Skipness on the Mull of Kintyre for the final ferry trip to Lochranza on Arran.”

With mixed weather conditions along the journey and three particularly gruelling days heading into gales, Tess and Alistair didn’t always have the easiest of conditions for their adventure.

“We had three pretty horrible days with gales and rain in your face when we were in the Highlands, but we battled through it together and on the whole we were lucky with the weather for the duration of the walk and it all went very well,” said Alistair, adding that the longest day of walking saw them cover over 20 miles across the moors of Lewis and Harris.

“One of my biggest concerns was how Tess’s paws would cope with such a long walk everyday and I am pleased to say that her paw pads held up very well.”

Although the walk sometimes saw the pair making their way down the long route on public roads, they mostly used old drovers or coffin tracks together with forestry roads.

They also had various friends joining them along the way, including David Wilkie from Kilmelford who helped drive the campervan for accommodation purposes, along with John and Jane MacInnes of Tayvallich and David’s wife Lynn who joined them for some of the walking stages.

A charity hog roast was also held at Ardfern Yacht Centre (AYC) as Alistair and Tess passed through the Mid Argyll area, which raised some £4,016 towards the grand total, according to AYC director Joanna Ashton.

“I would like to sincerely thank all of our customers and friends of Alistair and Tess who attended the hog roast and who gave so generously towards this valuable cause,” she said.

Tess’s blog available at www.tesswalk.wordpress.com had also proved a real hit with many during their journey.

“She proved to be a whiz on the laptop with some interesting updates and observations on the daily happenings as the walk progressed,” said Alistair.

“We still have money coming in now and I know Tess will be up for more challenges in the future, so we need to see what adventure comes next,” added Alistair, who retired from running a local education authority outdoor activity centre on Arran and now works part-time at Ardfern Yacht Centre during the spring and autumn rush periods.

Donations to Alistair and Tess’s walk can be made on-line via the Macmillan Tribute Funds website by going to www.macmillan.tributefunds.com and typing in Margot Pratt in the ‘find a fund’ name section. 

The race is on....

The story so far....

A few weeks ago, Guy was allowed out from behind his desk in the chandlery to go and helm a Sonata One Design on one of the race days during the 2014 Scottish Series at Tarbert. He completed four races on the Friday of the race meeting. First race - he placed seventh. Second race - he placed seventh. Third race - he placed third. And in the fourth race he placed first. So, in less than a day he took a boat he hadn't sailed before, with a crew he hadn't met before, and beat everyone else in the race.

This weekend, Mark has managed to escape from his desk now too, and is on board a Westerly Storm 33 taking part in this year's Round Mull Race. He knows the boat having sailed it before, he knows the crew having gone drinking with most of them before, but he doesn't get out on the water as often as Guy does and so might be a bit rusty. So, the question is, will he do as well as Guy did when he went racing, or will there be any number of excuses presented to his staff on his return to work on Tuesday without any sort of trophy whatsoever????

Given that Guy is sitting beside me as I type this, we are anticipating the latter scenario and so have decided to see if we can't make things slightly easier for Mark by drawing up a list of excuses for his epic failure for him to choose from.....

1.  As general manager of Ardfern Yacht Centre, and being aware of the need to keep staff morale high, I chose not to win any races to let Guy feel better about himself.

2.  We were so hungover after the Friday night that we were lucky to be able to find Mull never mind manage to sail all the way around it.

3. As Ardfern Yacht Centre are co-sponsoring the Round Mull Race, it wouldn't look right if I won - a bit like hosting a raffle and winning the main prize - it's not the done thing!. 

Any other suggestions as to what Mark's excuse might be? Or are we doing him a huge disservice and we should be building a trophy cabinet for his office before Tuesday? !!

Anyone for some cucumber sandwiches and a glass of Pimms?

We had a glamorous new arrival at Ardfern Yacht Centre recently - a Hinckley T34 Picnic Boat. Built in the US of A and shipped over the Atlantic, she arrived on the back of a low loader, under wraps and waiting to be commissioned.

Chris Jordan of Hinckley Yachts also turned up, 

not via a container ship or a low loader as his employers obviously think more highly of him than that and, once the boat was off the transport and on her cradle, started the unwrapping. One big football net (soccer net if you are reading this at Hinckley HQ and wondering where on earth Chris has got to) and an awful lot of plastic later, and the boat was uncovered and attracting some admiring glances.

Chris then got to work commissioning engines, fitting the mast and electronics antennas, and readying the boat for launch

Once Chris gave the go-ahead, we shoved it down the slipway using a couple of crowbars and some strategically placed kicks*, and she took to the water first time (at least on this side of the Atlantic) and gracefully sidled up to her berth under her own steam. Steam might be understating it a bit as she is powered by twin Yanmar V8s pumping out 320hp through twin Hamilton 274 jets!

And here she is heading out for her initial sea trials - with a couple of our staff along for the ride using the "we need to know how everything works just in case we need to move her sometimes" excuse. And the review from our staff is that it is a very smooth and quiet ride, a beautifully built and finished boat but, on the downside, they couldn't find any sandwiches!

And the last words from Chris before he headed off to commission the next Hinckley were "other than home, there haven't been many more beautiful places than Ardfern that I've visited, hope to come back one day soon, but preferably when there aren't any midges!"

*we can assure all owners who keep their boat with us, and any owners who may be considering bringing their boat to Ardfern Yacht Centre, that we don't actually use crowbars or kick boats down the slipway to launch them. We are very careful and attentive with all boats and only nudge them slightly with our foot every so often...

A busy start to 2014 at Ardfern

A BUSY START TO THE 2014 SEASON AT ARDFERN

.....AND WITH AN INTERNATIONAL TWIST.

That's the rain on now, so summer must be just around the corner! Having completed around 200 boat launches this year, and with a brief respite before they all want lifted back out again, we thought this would be a good time to pass on some of our news about what has been happening in the workshop so far this year.

The spring of 2014 has been busier than normal at Ardfern Yacht Centre. Just about all the 130+ boats we've had wintered ashore in our yard have now been recommissioned, antifouled, upgrades and renovations completed and chucked back in the water (when I say chucked, I mean carefully placed back on the water by the gentle caress of our 40T Sublift), most of the bigger boats that have wintered afloat have also had a brief visit to dry land for some maintenance and, unfortunately for the owners, we have also had a few boats in our sheds for repair work after some unintended visits to dry land!

Some of our visitors have come from far off lands - some with critical issues that we've managed to live up to our reputation and find solutions for, others with (in the grand scheme of things) slightly less than critical issues but which we have still managed to help resolve - you can decide for yourself what degree of urgency each of the following jobs arrived at the workshop with with....

1. The Finnish Sail Training Swan 65' Vahine called in for a quick crew change and repairs to her Harken furling gear. Vahine had left Finland during the late summer of 2013 and headed over to the Caribbean for a winter cruising in warmer climes, with an ever changing crew of young Finnish sailors aboard. Prior to leaving the Caribbean the Harken furling gear suffered a bearing failure leaving the system completely inoperable. Due to their busy schedule, and the need to have Vahine back in Scandinavia for her summer commitments, the boat couldn't stay in the Caribbean to await repairs. So began an exercise for the crew to find a port that had rigging expertise and high-reach facilities to repair the furling gear in tandem with the Harken technical experts despatching the necessary parts to meet up with the boat.  After failing to make the repairs in the Caribbean, Azores or Ireland, a call from the skipper to Ardfern Yacht Centre had us organising our rigging crew, clearing a berth, and arranging delivery of the parts from Harken. When Vahine turned up, we had the furling gear system stripped, cleaned, re-assembled and back in operation ready for the boat to depart Ardfern the following morning. To quote the skipper 'It all came together perfectly at Ardfern'. Actually, that's just a soundbite, the full Finnish/Scottish translated comment from the skipper was that it was fantastic how it all came together perfectly at Ardfern, he was so impressed by our rigging team, and he was especially pleased at how quickly we had fixed the problem because it meant he could now go to the pub!

Finnish Sail Training Vessel 'Vahine' 

2. From the other side of the Atlantic we have the American yacht 'Toodle-oo' now ashore following a light grounding while enjoying the delights of the 'Whisky Isle'. Having lost steerage following the incident, passage was made to Ardfern under tow. Now safely ashore and with the damaged rudder removed, ourselves and the skipper are now awaiting delivery of a complete new unit arriving all the way from China! The technical aspects of this job aren't complex, but we have had to have the patience of a whole busload of saints when dealing with the Customs & Excise Helpline and trying to track down the correct forms and codes to use!

'Toodle-oo' along side before slipping

3. Skipper of the sailing yacht Cinquante, heading across the Irish Sea, called us with the opening line "you probably won't be able to help but.....". Three phone calls, two photographs, some texts, a visit to the chandlery, an envelope and press-ganging of a friend into acting as courier as part of their own sailing voyage and disaster was averted as the replacement hinge for the cockpit table was on its way......

Our yard facilities have also seen regular use over the winter months by other local marine businesses - Crinan based fishing boat 'Golden West' was re-launched recently after having a new engine fitted.

 'Golden West' heading down the slip

We will keep you up to date with stories of interest and news from the yard over the summer season, and we look forward to seeing you all in Ardfern during this coming summer, wherever you home port is. 

Yachtsman's 'Isle to Isle' Walk

YACHTSMAN’S ‘ISLE TO ISLE’ WALK SET TO RAISE FUNDS FOR MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT IN MAY
EXPERIENCED yachtsman, Alistair Pratt, will swap the sea for the rugged tracks and hills of the West Coast of Scotland when he tackles a challenging walk from the Isle of Lewis to the Isle of Arran in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support this May.

Along with his faithful black Labrador dog, Tess, Alistair is set to complete the 230-mile adventure in memory of his wife Margot, who sadly passed away from cancer in September 2013.

“This is Tess’s walk for Margot and I am just going with her,” said 69-year old Royal Highland Yacht Club and Royal Cruising Club member, Alistair, who has been busy planning their route since the autumn.

Departing on 1^st May from Reef beach near their home on the west coast of Lewis, Alistair and Tess will walk down through the Morsgail Estate, across the Harris hills to Tarbert and onto Leverburgh. From there they will take the ferry across to Berneray and make their way down through North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist before heading to Lochboisdale.

“We’ll then catch the ferry to Oban and walk from there via Ardfern on the Craignish Peninsula on to Skipness on the Mull of Kintyre, before taking the final ferry trip to Lochranza on Arran,” said Alistair, adding that he and Margot had spent many years living on Arran before their move to Lewis 19 years ago, hence the route of the walk. It was also Margot’s wish to have her ashes scattered on the beautiful Reef beach and on the dramatic summit of Goatfell.

“Our aim is to be on the top of Goatfell on 26^th May, which would have been Margot’s 69^th birthday.”

Although the walk will sometimes see the man and dog duo making their way down the long route on public roads, they will mostly use old drovers or coffin tracks along with forestry roads.

“During the autumn we spent a few weekends with boating friends trying out some of the tracks we plan to use in order to check just how feasible some of the old routes are, and many of them are quite challenging,” added Alistair.

The three-week expedition will see friends also joining Alistair and Tess on various stretches of the walk, with Argyll-based good friend and fellow yachtsman, David Wilkie, not only taking the helm of the campervan, which will follow the pair around to provide an accommodation base on-route, but also joining them for most of the walking.

“I really want to enjoy the walk and take time taking photographs as we go,” said Alistair, adding that anybody was welcome to join them on their adventure and particularly those who knew Margot.

“Tess and I are also planning to write a daily blog of our various tales and happenings as we make our way down to Arran, which will be available via Margot’s Macmillan Tribute Funds website page,” he added.

Well known in West Coast sailing circles, experienced yachting couple Alistair and Margot, had completed three Atlantic passages, as well as voyages around the North of Norway, Greenland and some six visits to Iceland on their yacht, along with exploring the whole of the European Coast and many excursions around the West Coast of Scotland.

A holder of the Tilman Medal for Sailing and Mountaineering in High Latitudes for these past achievements, Alistair retired from running a local education authority outdoor activity centre on Arran and now works part-time at Ardfern Yacht Centre during the spring and autumn rush periods.

“The main reason I want to do this walk is to remember Margot, who for six years handled her illness so very well with such a positive and upbeat attitude. I also want to repay Macmillan Cancer Support for all that they have done, and, for all the support and effort the Macmillan nurses put in at the time when we really needed help.”

It was also important that Macmillan sponsored some areas of the Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow, said Alistair, adding that he also wanted to show his support to Macmillan’s work with the hospital.

A charity ‘hog roast’ will take place at Ardfern Yacht Centre on Saturday 17^th May in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support as Alistair passes through the Mid Argyll area, for family and friends of Alistair and customers of the Yacht Centre.
Keep up to speed with Alistair and Tess's progress on Tess's very own blog at www.tesswalk.wordpress.com

Donations to Alistair and Tess’s walk can be made on-line via the Macmillan Tribute Funds website by going to www.macmillan.tributefunds.com and typing in Margot Pratt in the ‘find a fund’ name section or by sending a cheque addressed to ‘Tess’s Walk For Margot’, C/O Alistair Pratt, Ardfern Yacht Centre, Ardfern, Lochgilphead, Argyll, PA31 8QN. Please make cheques payable to ‘Macmillan Cancer Support’.

Entries are open for the 2014 Round Mull Race

Oban Sailing Club are now accepting entries for the 2014 Owen Sails/Ardfern Yacht Centre Round Mull Race. If you want to join the fleet for a unique, action packed weekend of passage racing in some of the West Coasts most stunning scenery download an entry form here.