Very happy to finally leave Bunessan after being stuck in the area for a week or so with bad weather. We were planning on checking out Lochbuie, where apparently there's a beautiful white sandy beach with Highland Cows, but there were no cows when we passed and the protection just wasn't there. We're also pretty desperate for a shower, so a passage closer to a proper marina is definitely a win for us 😂

After our trip to Erraid in 3.5m swell, we were a little anxious about going back out, but the increasing pressure and upcoming change of wind direction meant it wouldn't be safe to stay any longer. We did debate going forward for an excellent sheltered anchorage on the south of Mull, but decided for once to play it safe and turn tail back to Bunessan, where at least we knew there's decent sounding and a little shop for supplies. For once, the swell was actually a little less than expected, so we were happy with our decision to leave Friday evening rather than Saturday morning, and spend just a few hours at sea vs the 10+ hours we would have had to sail had we gone the other direction!

No pictures today because we were more focused on staying upright and alive. Today's lesson is that if all the weather forecasts say 3.5m swell - believe them! They only ever seem to be wrong the other way around 🙈 Thankfully, it was relatively calm out of the first anchorage, so we had time to stow our belongings properly and prepare for the increase, but it got worse and worse as the sail progressed and at one point we weren't even sure we'd be able to make the turning into the new anchorage! We do have a friend here already, but we're doubting his advice to come now that we're here - it seems his catamaran has given him an unfounded sense of calm and safety 😂 We'll dry out here, which I'm already dreading. Not to self: if you see big waves/swell and you're in an anchorage that's comfortable enough not to believe it... STAY WHERE YOU ARE!!! Good advice for everyone, I think 🥸

I've done a lot of these lately, so I'm going to let David take this one (including the advice)... Two reefs in the main and genoa.... that was our sportiest test for a while and a nice bumpy sea to add to the mix. Great sail! I'm super proud of Pippa today. Close hauled isn’t her thing, but did like a champ... although I'm sure the Vodka and Coke helped 🥂😂😜 Top tip.... Less heeling = faster boat speed. Basically, heeling too much will result in weather helm and going sideways rather than forward direction. Simple as that!

While waiting for the high tide to get into Ulva harbour, we couldn't resist going ashore and checking out the waterfall up close! And seeing as showers have been a bit of a challenge lately, we decided it was a good idea to have a quick wash - I even braved the cold, dark waters to wash my hair under the waterfall itself... What an experience!! Feeling much fresher, we hoisted the anchor to continue our passage to Ulva. We knew it would be a little stressful with lots of hidden rocks and a slightly wonky route, but we took it slow and kept an eye on our charts and depth to get us in safely. Which leads us onto our next top tips for sailors... when entering an unfamiliar harbour, set lines and fenders up on BOTH sides (saves you having to faff about while trying to navigate onto a pontoon) and take unfamiliar entrances slowly, giving yourself plenty of time to deal with weird currents, unexpected gusts, or unexpected obstacles in the water. In addition to checking your destination on the familiar chart apps, it can also be a good idea to scout out the harbour on Google Earth, taking advantage of their street view if possible, to get an idea of the layout and sounding of the harbour. Happy sailing, everyone!

Set off a little earlier than we planned as the swell in our anchorage at Ulva picked up in the morning and caused a pretty restless sleep. Despite the swell, the anchor lifted easily, and Opie and I were able to get an extra couple of hours while David enjoyed a morning of close-hauled tacking around the stunning stone islands. Our next destination will be Ulva, with a walkashore pontoon which will allow Opie to stretch his legs after a week or so at anchor! We can't get in until later this afternoon, so the plan was to anchor by the entrance... but as we approached, we spotted a stunning and massive waterfall, so we quickly changed direction, deciding this would be a much nicer spot to wait out the tide - we may even head ashore and try to shower under the waterfall if it's not too cold! 🤞 When it comes to sailing, those of us who spend much time on the water know that even the best laid plans shouldn't be set in stone. And that sometimes the wind, water, and weather don't align to enable you to do the things you wanted. But while changing plans can be disappointing, today's lesson is to remember that you can also change your plans for beauty or joy. For example, changing our course to anchor by a waterfall. Don't forget to seek joy, you never know where the next stop will find you, or what wonderful things you'll uncover when you allow yourself to be flexible ✨️

Ah, another example of clicking "end track" not saving this morning 🙈 So sorry this is late and the track looks a little weird. It was an early start this morning, but light conditions meant David was able to get us underway solo, giving me a couple of extra hours in bed, ready to start work when the anchor dropped. Although the sail was generally peaceful, a patch of big swell did knock us over, sending freshly washed up cutlery across the saloon and breaking Opie's last wet food dish - a significant annoyance that we'll need to fix sooner rather than later, as he doesn't like eating wet food out of the other bowls! So, that brings us to today's top tip for sailors... Make sure you put everything away properly before setting off! This includes putting away the washing up and checking your breakables are safely stowed before EVERY passage - even the super early, light wind, sea-looks-flat ones 🤡

A gorgeous flat sail today. We were planning to only go as far as Sanna and take the next tide tomorrow with better winds, but as the passage was being so stress-free, we decided it would be better to carry on and anchor at midnight so I could get straight to work in the morning. The only stress on this passage came when we were pulling down the main a little before midnight, when we didn't shake out enough wind and it got stuck. But it was thankfully no real drama, as we were able to get it uncaught and down without too much hassle. Now, to carry on with my top tips for our Learn, Teach, Repeat challenge... Here are 5 more bits of great advice we've been given over the years (and we actually used on this passage): 6.) Apply more suncream than you think you'll need! Even on cloudy days, the sun's rays are doubly strong when out on the water, so make sure you're protected - especially around the face, neck, and ears. 7.) Night sailing sounds stressful, but it can actually be much easier to figure out what other ships are doing at night. To check if you're on a collision course, look for their nav lights - if you can see either the red or green, you're fine, but if you can see both, you should adjust your course to starboard. Remember, everyone is responsible for avoiding a collision at sea, and you should always give way to starboard if you can. 8.) If you have WiFi or any form of good signal, download as much as you can before leaving Port. Even if you're not going far. Offline charts can be literally life saving, and having some tv shows, movies, and music downloaded will make boring passages much more enjoyable. A bit like the shower advice in our last post, never assume you'll have signal on the water or at your next stop, so download whenever you get the opportunity. 9.) Write your ships log by hand. It doesn't have to be complicated; I just enter the time, our longitude and latitude, speed, and notes roughly every hour. Takes just a few minutes and if disaster ever struck, I feel good knowing I can always give a "last known" position if I ever needed to. Your ships log should also contain where you set off from and where you're going - and it's a good idea to update this if you change your mind during the passage. Best case, you never need it and it just becomes a nice record for you to look back on. Worst case, it could be the difference between life and death in an emergency situation. 10.) Inspired by the above - keep important information about your vessel written and stuck prominently near your VHF radio. At a minimum, this should include your boat name, MMSI, and callsign, ideally in phonetic spelling as well. It's also a good idea to keep a mayday/panpan template in the same area. Even if you think you know these things by heart, recalling this sort of information under pressure can be much harder than you expect, and having a cheat sheet makes it much easier to stay calm and relay the necessary information if/when you need to.

A lovely calm sail yesterday to Eilean Shona, which is a truly beautiful spot surrounded by wildlife - making us feel very connected and grounded. Annoyingly, this didn’t post yesterday, but at least it means we have some more pics to share of this beautiful spot. I'm writing this post- beach yoga and sauna, so I'm very chilled. Now, in-line with this week's challenge, it seems the perfect time to share a few of the best bits of advice we've been given over our 6+ years as sailors and full-time liveaboards: 1.) Reef as soon as you think about reefing. It's easier to shake out a reef you don't need than it is to put one in when you really need it. 2.) Reef when going around corners or headlands - the wind is almost always doing something different around the corner, and, like in point 1, it's much easier to shake out a reef than put one in. 3.) Close the v-berth hatch as soon as you realise it's open - even on calm days, it only takes one freak splash to soak your bed! 4.) Always carry a spare gas canister - the gas will only ever go out when you're using it, and there's nothing worse than a half-cooked dinner or the disappointment of having to go without tea/coffee! 5.) Always shower when you have one. Obviously this is more important for us smaller yachts, but good advice anyway. Never assume your next port will have a shower or that it'll be any good, and take a shower when you have the chance. I'll try to come up with some more tips before our next passage. But for now, stay safe out there, fellow Sea People! 🌊