From the lone shieling of the misty island
Mountains divide us, and the waste of seas-
Yet still the blood is strong, the heart is Highland,
And we in dreams behold the Hebrides
It may be the first verse of the Canadian Boat Song. But such dreams of Scotland affect many Americans. And in the current wave of heatwaves, there are thousands throughout Europe and elsewhere who are thinking that a dreicht day or two in the Western Isles would be bliss.
Don't take it for granted. When they get seriously good weather off the West Coast of Scotland, the long hours of sunshine can have ferocious effects. Back in the day before inflatables, when everyone carried an inverted clinker-built dinghy on the coachroof as the ship's tender, we spent an engine-less day gliding up the Sound of Sleat in such intense sunshine that only the helmsman stayed on deck under a sort of home-made parasol.
When we finally reached Isle Ornsay in the welcome first cool of the evening, we'd to get a lift ashore to the inn from a passing lobsterman, as three planks in the dinghy had split in the sun and heat from end to end with such leak-making enthusiasm that it was unusable. And it remained so until we found a port where the village shop sold chewing gum, the flexi-filler of its day. I don't think I've been able to face chewing gum since.
FIFTEEN YEARS SINCE CLUBS JOINTLY VISITED HEBRIDES
Either way, there's not really a cruising person's dream that can't be fulfilled in the Hebrides one way or another. Yet 15 years have passed since the leading cruising clubs got together to pay their respects to this very special area, which has been celebrated over centuries by many of the "greats" of cruising, and now deserves another salute.
Cometh the hour, cometh the woman. Barbara Watson and her late husband used to be a power couple in Scotland's Clyde Cruising Club. Then when they re-located to Florida, she transferred her energies to the Cruising Club of America, becoming Rear Commodore at one stage, and in 2022 being awarded the CCA's Richard S Nye trophy for services to the club.
Scenery and history at every turn – Ainmara and the rocky stronghold of the MacNeils at Castlebay, Barra
THE "GREAT DICK NYE"
Regular readers will know this columnist yields to no-one in admiration of the great Dick Nye and his monumental international offshore racing and cruising achievements with a trio of superb boats called Carina. Receiving the Richard S Nye trophy is a singular honour. But is it is measure of the sheer depth of administrative talent with today's cruising clubs that although Barbara Watson's unique links from the US to Scotland and Ireland provided a special input for the CCA25Scotland Committee set up under co-chairs Jonathan Brewin and Rob Childs, there were many others providing support.
THE FLEET GATHERS
For the fleet is now gathering in Scotland in the Oban area for the opening party on the island of Kerrera on Saturday 19th July, and CCA Commodore Jay Gowell, already on station with his classic 52ft Bob Perry-designed cutter Moonstone, has been rightly enthusing about the long-distance involvement of the Ocean Cruising Club, the Royal Cruising Club (additionally celebrating its 145th anniversary), the Irish Cruising Club, the Clyde Cruising Club, and the Royal Highland Yacht Club, with the latter hosting the most westerly party on the wonderful silver beach at Vatersay in the Outer Hebrides for a fleet of upwards of 60 vessels which will have have gathered from the US, the Caribbean, Norway, Spain, Ireland, the Mediterranean and
wherever.
A worthy flagship. CCA Commodore Jay Gowell has brought his Bob Perry-designed Tayana 52 Moonstone across the Atlantic to head the Cruise-in-Company of six clubs.
INFORMALITY
Informality is the keynote throughout, but as anyone who has ever undertaken the cat-herding challenge which is involved in organising a Cruise-in-Company, there are times when a bit of regimentation wouldn't go amiss, particularly when they're in Loch Drumbuie to put together a sunflower raft after an informal race up from Kerrera up the Sound of Mull to Tobermorey.
The Irish Cruising Club led by Commodore Alan Markey will be hosting the gathering at Carbost in Loch Harport on Skye, and other events are in the pipeline, or anticipated as flowering spontaneously. That's the way it is with the socialising in cruising – sometimes the best parties seemingly manifest themselves out of no specific plan at all.
"OTHER PLACES BEYOND THE SEAS"
Finally it will all end with with a cruise-concluding party back at Kerrera as July morphs into August. And then in time the many little ships will go their various ways, outward bound – as the evocative phrase made timeless through its use in traditional ship's papers would have it – for "other places beyond the seas".
