Windleblo 2011 Cruising Plan B

Well, we've reconsidered our cruising plan for this season.

It all started when our British friend, Chris Adams, who, in reaction to our January 9th blog posting, emailed us with a compelling argument in favor of a slower pace, writing:

"I do think you’re in danger of missing out virtually all of what Scottish cruising is all about. I know I may be slightly biased but The West coast and Hebridean Islands are widely and rightly regarded as the best cruising in Northern Europe. It is packed full of brilliant sailing, amazing and empty anchorages, mountains coming straight out of the sea and drop dead gorgeous scenery. To say nothing of distilleries (some with visitor’s moorings), castles by the hundred and stunning seafood (think Maine…)... As well as missing out 90% of the Western Isles, you also miss the West Coast of Ireland. I haven’t sailed there yet but by all accounts it beats the pants off the East Coast.... So… what I would really recommend is that once you are through the canal you turn right and head up the coast, exploring anchorages as you go, head over to the Outer Isles (Lewis down to Mingulay – and a different world again), come back via the Small Isles (Run, Eigg, Muck and Canna)."

Immediately upon reading this, Jocelyn exclaimed, "Yeah, why are we rushing??"

So, with Chris's recommendations in mind, we have revised our cruising plan to slow down (quite) a bit. Here's the new plan:

Leg1: Svineviken to Lerwick; June 16 – July 10 (530 nm)

Jun 16 - 20 Seasonal commissioning at Båtvårdsvarvet Boatyard, Svineviken, Orust, Sweden. Conduct safety inspection; receive service briefings from Johannes & Urban; perform initial provisioning.

Jun 21 - 23 Move boat to Hallberg-Rassy harbor in Ellos. Take delivery of HR Parts order; attend to final HR service issues; conduct “shake down” sail; finalize systems and safety checks and initial provisioning.

Jun 24 – Jul 6 Sail to Tananger, Norway. Clear Norwegian Customs in Fredrikstad or Kristiansand.

Jul 7 – 8 North Sea passage provisioning & crew change, Tananger, Norway

Jul 9 – 10 Sail to Lerwick, Shetland Islands, UK

Leg 2: Caledonia Canal; July 11 – 26 (325 nm)

Jul 11 – 13 Explore Lerwick and the Shetland Islands

Jul 14 – 20 Sail to Inverness, Scotland, taking in Fair Isle and the Orkney Islands en route

Jul 21 – 26 Caledonia Canal

Leg 3: Sea of the Hebrides; July 27 – Aug 25 (325 nm)

Jul 27 – 28 Visit Oban, Scotland; Provision for Sea of the Hebrides cruise

Jul 29 – Aug 3 Sail to South Uist with stops on Mull and Rhum

Aug 4 – 12 Explore Isles of Harris and Lewis

Aug 13 – 19 Return to Oban via Isle of Skye

Aug 20 – 26 Sail to Ardfern, Argyll, Scotland; Layover at the Adams Bay House for a few days

Leg 4: Ireland; August 27 – October 8 (640 nm)

Aug 27 – 30 Sail to Londonderry, Ireland, via Islay

Aug 31 – Sep 17 Sail western Ireland; leave boat in Kilrush Marina, County Clare

Sep 18 – 24 Air/Land excursion from Shannon Airport to Andalucia, Spain

Sep 25 –Oct 3 Continue sailing western Ireland

Oct 3 – 7 Arrive Crosshaven Boatyard, County Cork, Ireland; Prepare Windleblo for winter storage

Oct 8 Depart Cork airport for return to Denver

As they say, plans are just a basis for change, so we may revise this plan eventually, but this is our latest thinking.