🧭 Factsheet
Route: From Corpach to Port Ellen
Period: 24 June to 12 July 2026
Log: 140 miles
Highlights: Harbour porpoises in Loch Linnhe, sailing past the notorious Corryvreckan
📍 Our route & legs
Leg: Corpach → Lismore
Our last day in the Caledonian Canal: after a week, today we head back out to sea via the Corpach sea lock. That means an early start: the alarm goes off at half past seven, as we are first through the lock. The westerly wind is still blowing straight against us, but nowhere near as strong as the day before. So we motor comfortably out onto beautiful Loch Linnhe towards our anchorage at the island of Lismore.
On the way, we make a short detour to admire Castle Stalker and take a few photos. Afterwards, we turn towards Lismore and are greeted in the bay by sunbathing seals. After all the busy days in the locks, we really enjoy the peace and nature. Right on cue as the anchor drops, the clouds clear and the sun comes out.
Leg: Lismore → Tobermory
We want to use the remaining days of our holiday to sail once around the Isle of Mull. First, we set course for Tobermory. The roughly 25 miles along the Sound of Mull have to be motored again, as the expected westerly wind turns north-westerly here—straight on the nose once more. And there is traffic like a sunny Sunday on the IJsselmeer: we have not seen so many other boats in a long time. Fortunately, we still manage to find a spot in the harbour at Tobermory.
Our plan to sail all the way around the Isle of Mull and visit the Treshnish Islands is thwarted by weather and wind: first a strong thunderstorm, then the wind shifts from west to southerly directions. We did not want to sail along the side exposed more or less directly to the Atlantic swell under those conditions. So we made the best of it and stayed in Tobermory for a few days. We stocked up on delicious food from the small speciality shop (the pies and fresh sourdough bread were amazing) and—whenever the Scottish weather allowed—went on walks to the lighthouse, Aros Park, and took a bus trip to Duart Castle.
Leg: Tobermory → Oban
On our way back to Oban, Scotland once again shows us how good it is at bad weather. It starts with drizzle and we still hope for improvement. But then the rain really sets in. At first we are still sailing and accept the slow pace as the wind dies away, but at some point we decide enough is enough. Soaked through and freezing, we start the engine and finally reach Oban. While our friend Pierre bravely stays with us in the cockpit, his better half sleeps through the journey on the sofa. Our holiday is coming to an end. We spend one more lovely day together in Edinburgh, after which we return alone to Tiamat.
Leg: Oban → Port Ellen
The bad weather and strong wind continue for a while, and we do not really feel like leaving the lovely harbour. We stay a few more days in Kerrera, then it finally gets warmer and drier. At last we can move on. We sail to the nearest anchorage. The famous Puilladobhrain (Pool of the Otter), or as we call it “Otter Bay”, has been on our list.
After a few days, we continue south. At first there is only little wind, so we hoist the gennaker. It takes a good quarter of an hour to set it. After half an hour of sailing with it, the breeze disappears and we pack everything away again and start the engine. Then we turn into the Luing Sound and enjoy perfect champagne sailing conditions with 10 knots on the beam. Finally, in the Sound of Jura, past the notorious Corryvreckan, we get a good bit of wind again with 20 knots in gusts and current speeds of up to 4 to 5 knots. Even though we give the Corryvreckan a wide berth, we clearly feel the different currents pushing our Tiamat first one way, then the other. It is quite remarkable how noticeable—and even visible in the water—the current conditions are despite very good overall conditions. You can hardly imagine what it looks like here when conditions are not so favourable.
In the end, we find a pleasant spot for the night on the west coast of the island of Jura in Lussa Bay. We do not often have days like this where we actually manage to set every sail.
The next day, we at least have sailing wind for half the route across the Sound of Jura, then it dies around midday and we motor the rest comfortably to the island of Gigha. The beautiful twin bay at the northern tip gives us good shelter from the easterly wind. The next day it carries us back across to the other side to Port Ellen.
🗺️ Special experiences & learnings
- Enjoying a delicious cream tea in the castle gardens of Duart Castle.
- The strongest thunderstorm we have experienced in years passes over Tobermory and us.
- Watching lazy seals sunbathing on the beach.
⚓ Our favourite place on this trip
💡 Practical tips for fellow sailors
- Instead of the town harbour in Oban (where you may only stay three days), we opted straight away for Kerrera Marina opposite, which is run by genuinely lovely people and beautifully located. The small, regularly running water taxi gets you into Oban quickly as well.
- The anchorage off Port Ellen looks open and easy to access, but the holding is only good in certain spots. The information from Antares Charts is best here.
- In the waters off Scotland’s west coast, strong tidal currents lurk, just as elsewhere in the UK. A good tidal atlas or at least Reeds is essential. In our experience, the current information from Navionics does not always match reality.
🖼️ Gallery
