Autumn Adventure – Oban and Beyond!

FULL VOYAGE DESCRIPTION

Embarking from Oban

The unofficial capital of the West Highlands, Oban’s transport links make travel planning nice and straightforward, and there are some glorious landscapes to travel through en route to join the ship. We’d recommend arriving early to explore the town, perhaps visiting McCaig’s Folly with its stunning views across the bay, or nip into the distillery for a bottle to share with your fellow sailors.

Once on board you’ll enjoy a familiarisation from the crew before setting sail. 

Exploring the Lochs 

Explore the delightful sea lochs of Loch Linnhe, Loch Aline and Loch Buie on Mull on this late summer 5 night voyage. You’ll feel as if you’ve stepped back in time as you explore the stunning and rugged landscape aboard the nearly century old Sailing Trawler, Provident. Be sure to bring your binoculars as Loch Linnhe and the Sound of Mull teem with life. Harbour Porpoises lazily watch as you pass by and once in the Sound you may get a Dolphin escort. You may even see a pod of Orcas! Eagles and Buzzards sore above you while noisy groups of Oystercatchers hurry by. Sandpipers and Turnstones potter about on the shore.

Loch Linnhe is a firm favourite among photographers with it’s dramatic scenery and incredible sunsets. You may be lucky enough to spot otters feeding and playing in the loch. 

You entre Loch Aline from the southern tip of Movern, passing Movern’s main village, similarly named Lochaline in the process. Lochaline is a bustling village with a well stocked village store. A short walk to the west takes you to Keil Church, with it’s display of the “Carved Stones of Kiel” Although today’s church was built just over 100 years ago, there has been a place of worship on the site since the 6th Century. Loch Alain itself is a small, pretty Loch, surrounded by woodland on most of it’s perimeter. At the Northern end you’ll see the towering Kinlochaline Castle – 4 stories tall and made from stone containing fossils. It’s said that the castle was paid for with a mound of butter – the equivalent in size to the castle itself! Hence, it is also known as Butter Castle. 

Loch Buie lies at the southern end of Mull. At the Northern end of the Loch you’ll be greeted by the impressive Moy Castle – now a scheduled monument. It overlooks  the tiny village of Lochbuie. If you take a short walk north through the village you come to the Lochbuie Standing Stones. 

Living History

100 year old Provident is a Brixham Sailing Trawler and spent the majority of her working life fishing out of her home port of Brixham. Brixham has been an important fishing port for hundreds of years, and it continues to be so today. 

Provident’s story is even older than she is – the Provident you see today is in fact a copy of an earlier trawler of the same name. The original Provident was stuck and sunk by a U Boat in 1915. Today’s Provident was one of the last sailing trawlers to be built (1924). By the mid 1920’s, the heyday of trawling under sail was quickly fading out in favour of more modern motor vessels. In contrast, 50 years prior (in the 1880’s) there were  over 3,000 sailing trawlers registered around the UK.

After her life as a sailing trawler came to an end, Provident became a private yacht in America for some years. More recently she was a she returned to Brixham to work as a Sail Training vessel with Trinity Sailing Trust. 

WINDS, WAVES & WEATHER

Mostly flat seas between the islands with some more exposed dashes or longer sails in open water to St Kilda and to the Outer Hebrides. Expect a real mixture of conditions, as things can change quickly, but the crew are incredibly knowledgeable and familiar with all the sheltered anchorages and hiding places around the islands. The itinerary is kept loose to make the most of the conditions at the time, and the focus is on enjoyment, rather than ticking off any particular destinations. 

A NOTE ON VOYAGE DESCRIPTIONS

On a sailing voyage we never use the word itinerary, as skippers will always be aiming for the best and safest sailing routes for the forecast. They are as keen as you to include some of the highlights described above, but when it comes to sailing, you have to go with Mother Nature, not fight her. The description provided is based on what we think might be possible, based on past trips, or prior experience, but nothing is guaranteed on a sailing voyage. As such, the scheduled joining ports, routes, activities and/or destinations may be altered. Due to the complexities of weather systems, this may be at very short notice. 

HANDS ON HOLIDAYS

Whether you are an experienced sailor or a complete beginner, the professional crew will train you to be guest crew from the moment you arrive, with the intention that everybody works together to sail the ship. The common thread to all Classic Sailing holidays is ‘Hands on’ participation on ships that use ropes, blocks and tackles and ‘people power’ to set sail. Handling cargo adds an extra dimension – building teamwork and communication skills and leaving you with a great sense of achievement.

SAILING STYLE & LIFE ON BOARD

We cater for a wide range of ages and physical abilities and how much you are expected to do varies a bit between vessels. See the vessel tab above which explains all about the ‘sailing style’ and what to expect in terms of hands on participation. There is a lot of information about day to day life, the ships facilities and accommodation on the vessel pages.

What to pack for a sailing holiday on Provident

What is Included:

• Bedding
• All meals and soft drinks aboard.
• All safety equipment, including lifejackets
• Fantastic sailing

What is Not Included:

• Travel to and from your voyage
• Personal travel insurance.
• Alcohol (although reasonably priced wine, beer and whisky will be available to purchase on board). Consumption of alcohol is always at the discretion of the skipper
• Waterproofs - If this is your first voyage good walking waterproofs will be fine. We only recommend buying sailing waterproofs if you are frequent sailors.
  • You will find exploring ashore in walking gear much better than struggling around in sailing kit!

What to Bring

• Enthusiasm!
• Waterproofs - see above.
• Your own towel.
• Hats for sun and cold weather.
• At least two sets of warm clothes - layers e.g. tracksuit bottoms, shirts, fleece jacket, wool jumpers, thick socks, and neck scarf. It can get cold at sea even in mid summer.
• Swim suit, towel, and suntan lotion.
• Flat shoes with a good grip e.g. trainers or sailing deck shoes. Sailing boots or wellies are also helpful.
• (An alterative to boots in summer is to bring another pair of flat shoes with a good grip in case the first pair get wet).
• All terrain type Sandals are great for dinghy trips ashore – but you do need shoes which protect your toes for sailing.
• Camera, binoculars, sketchbook, a relaxing read.
• Any medication, spare spectacles. Seasickness tablets or pressure-point wrist bands (talk to your pharmacist)
• Your own logbook if you'd like to keep track of your sea miles
• Tech chargers (USB sockets are available in all the cabins) and waterproof cases for anything valuable

N.B. BOATS HAVE LIMITED STORAGE SPACE SO PLEASE LIMIT YOURSELF TO ONE SOFT BAG OR RUCKSACK  (NOT SUITCASES)