South to the Sound of Jura: Round Trip from Oban

FULL VOYAGE DESCRIPTION

Embarking in 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. It is only a few miles of open water before you are sailing in the Sound of Mull which has high mountains on either side and mostly flat water. 

There are some stunning anchorages on the Atlantic side if conditions allow. Look out for otters and sea eagles, the perfect way to wrap up your first day on board!

Lots to Explore

This will be our last sea going trip of the season.

Starting at Oban we will look at the weather for the next few days and choose the direction according to the prevailing wind. 

If the weather is suitable Provident will aim to explore close to the shore making our way past Kerrera, Lunga, Scarba and down the Sound of Jura. The plan is to go ashore in Jura where there are several sheltered anchorages on the east coast. 

Craighouse is a particular favourite and home to the Isle of Jura distillery. 

The sea Loch Sween is so sheltered that the village of Tayvallich is host to many small boats  Loch Crinan is the entrance to the Crinan Canal and a walk along the towpath is full of interest. 

There are often interesting vessels to see in the Crinan Canal Basin.

A lot of Scottish islands are called Eilean Dubh which means “black island”. There are several near Oban, but Eilean Dubh Mor and Eilean Dubh Beag (big and little black islands) provide an ideal anchorage and are easy to get ashore. 

If the weather does not allow this, Provident will sail close to Oban in Sheltered waters and or up the Sound of Mull.

The nearest Loch to Oban is Loch Linnhe which runs all the way up to Fort William and Ben Nevis. 

It has several charming islands, our favourite being Lismore with its Iron Age Tirefour Castle Broch. It is easy to be dropped off near the Broch and picked up a few miles further on. The tea room on Lismore is one of the best on all the islands. 

Loch Aline, half way up the the sound of Mull, has Ardtornish House and gardens and, as well as a lovely hour or so walk to a mountain bothy, we can buy vegetables for dinner from their gardens. We have twice seen a golden eagle up there. 

Loch Sunart and the smaller Loch na Droma Buidhe are well sheltered from the westerly winds and with our solid rib we can explore even further. If you are a kayaker, this could be the prefect trip for you. 

With a good weather window we can go round past the point of Ardnamurchan into Kentra bay with its’ perfect sandy beach. If we fancy some night life, Tobermory on Mull has quite a few interesting pubs and the Tobermory distillery tasting tour is easily arranged.  

WINDS, WAVES & WEATHER

Mostly flat seas between the islands with some more exposed stretches. 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. 

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.

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.

AGILITY & FITNESS

Every customer sailing with us will need to fill in basic medical questions on their booking application. If you are not sure if your current level of fitness and agility are up to a voyage, then please ring the Classic Sailing Office on 01326 53 1234 and we can chat through your concerns and possibly find options that might suit you better.

Provident - Kit List

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)