Whisky and Sail – Oban to Oban
What could be more natural than trying delicious whisky and combining sailing in the Scotch-Irish sea? So the idea of Whisky and Sail was born – visiting whisky distilleries and whisky tasting was on the agenda, besides sailing and sightseeing in Scotland.
started at Oban
We started our trip from Oban, a small town in the middle of the Highlands. Oban is a very good starting point to land in the Scottish Sea and Hybrids, but also to sail in the Caledonian Channel. On the first day we sailed all the way to Craobh Haven. A very good marina with nice restaurants was waiting for us. Just the right thing for the first night. On the way there we had to sail through and around water turbulences, also called “Eddies”. So we knew directly what to expect on the Scottish Sea.
From Scotland to Northern Ireland
The following day we wanted to reach the island of Jura, where we also planned a visit to a distillery. First of all we attached ourselves to the buoy for the coming night and could use our carried dinghies. The tour in the distillery on Jura, was very informative and the whisky was delicious. But we also knew that the El Dorado for whisky fans would be waiting for us tomorrow in Port Ellen. There are several distilleries on the island of Islay and all of them are characterized by individuality. Therefore you should spend a little more time here and walk and taste that what you can do best in Scotland.
Rathlin Island, a small island in the middle of Northern Ireland. This island became famous for a short time, because Richard Branson, the eccentric billionaire, made an emergency landing there with his hot-air balloon. In return for his rescue, he invested in the island’s infrastructure. But in general it is very quiet there and served us as a jump towards Belfast. The crossing from Port Ellen to here, however, offered us sailors a lot, because we could set the white cloth the whole passage and also had to deal with tidal current and TSS-crossing.
Our last stop before we were in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was Glenarm. Unfortunately there was hardly anything to sail from Rathlin to Glenarm and there is no restaurant near the marina, but a good pub with the charm of the 60s. The marina was also in a good condition.
Arrived in Belfast
Finally arrived in Belfast we had to throw everything overboard that we had expected from the city. We imagined a quieter or more boring city than we found it. Belfast made a lively and modern impression and invited us to visit it. The marina in the middle of the city was the ideal location for sightseeing and crew changes. The access through the industrial harbour was more demanding than usual, but easily solved. Belfast is proud of its past, as the Titanic was once built here. However, they like to push the information behind with a wink:
“she was alright when she left here“
Back to Oban
Past Campletown and the Clyde Marina, we reached Tarbert. Great sailing days over the Irish Sea were behind us, which demanded and trained the crew and the boat. Arrived in Tarbert, we knew “this is the right place”, a beautiful spot on earth, with everything a sailor’s heart desires. Afterwards we went through the narrow Crinan Canal, Hera should hardly have been wider and longer, but the crew mastered the locks and the canal splendidly. Back in Oban, everybody was happy and is looking forward to the next trip on board of Onboat.Events.
Of course we tasted much more whisky than described above, be there yourself next time it’s “Whisky&Sail” with onboat.events and experience the world of whisky and sailing.