We arrived in Port Ellen on Islay with the intention of anchoring in the bay, but the weather had other ideas. There was a very strong westerly blow forecast and so we decided to move to the "self service" marina. This concept was new to us, but was a pontoon run by the local community, rather than a company, and involved paying the correct amount of cash in an envelope in the honesty box at the office. A lovely idea that seemed to work really well.
It turned out to be an excelllent decision as we got a great spot behind the hammerhead, with our bows pointing into the wind and chop that rolled in over the next three days. The weather was always windy, sometimes sunny, and sometimes the rain would roll in reducing visability so that you could no longer see the otherside of the bay. The marina became full, as boats ran for cover, with boats rafted on the outside of the hammerhead.
Just past the pontoons, the water became very shallow, very quickly, causing boats to run aground every day that we were there. Most got off with no significant problem, using their engine to churn up a bit of mud, but one 50ft yacht got well and truly stuck. It was across the channel and side-on to the strong wind. It took a combined pontoon effort to sort this out, with Phil taking them a line in the dingy so that they could winch the bow around to point up wind and up channel. It is always good when yachties come together to help each other out as you never know when it might be you who needs the assistance. No photos of this though as taking a photo in someone's hour of need is just rude!
I also went for a lovely 10km walk by myself whilst Phil was working. Walked around the bay and over the headland to a beauitful beach where I was able to have a paddle.
It was a very sociable three days. The other yachties were very friendly and chatty. We bumped into a couple that I had chatted with when the stopped briefly in Penarth at the start of the session. A couple of evenings with drinks followed, with an morning 8km run to balance things out.
Islay is a beauitful Island with a whisky distillery in every bay. From our pontoon you could walk (or run!) to three different distillleries, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg. Port Ellen itself has a rum distillery, which is currently being extended. As I absolutely can't bear whisky we did not go on a tour, which is a shame for Phil who doesn't object to a drop, and probably considered a crime by my in-laws. However, we left Islay very satisfied with our stay there.
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