I just gave a presentation to my yacht club here in California about my "dream Scottish Cruise" which is almost exactly what you did, just add a leg up into Loch Etive. You did it in a Swift 18. OK, then!!! I will be looking into trailer sailers again!
Thanks for watching. It is a dream to sail on the Scottish West Coast. We had dream weather too. There is a written account of this trip that I wrote for the Journal of the Dinghy Cruising Association. I need to work out how to attach it here.
Wonderful film, thank you for sharing! Brings back memories of a (sunny!) week of sailing the Inner Hebrides in 1986 in a chartered motor sailer and, in 2004, sailing from the Netherlands to Scotland and back in my own 27-foot sailboat (six weeks of almost entirely dry weather). Great sailing holidays, not only weather-wise.
Great video journal. You were so lucky with the weather! I remember crossing Sound of Iona in my sea kayak into a Force 5 to hide in Bull Hole. Beautiful white sands though, and fantastic campsites/anchorages. Great area for keel-lifter wanderings.
We really were lucky. We have had spells of sustained good weather in the islands since but never so late in the year. The Sound of Iona is a strange place with its shifting sands. As you say the lifting keel made things much easier. It looks like a superb place for sea kayak adventures. Thanks for watching.
Some great youtube accounts of folk having sailed around Mull in dinghies, sailing canoes etc. You would need to play safe with the weather as we did. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for watching. This must have been the first trip on which I carried a video camera. I wrote this trip up as an article for a sailing journal during last summer and found all of this stuff in March. It has been a real trip into the past editing it.
loved that sailing video was well done very nicely edited ,west coast of scotland is exquisite for sailing ,yous hit the jackpot with the weather and wind conditions ,can i ask how many days in total was that until you returned to largs
Great video. What engine are you using to motor your swift 18. I have same #swift18 in Looe, Cornwall and looking for recommendations for engines. I see you had a 4stroke 2.5hp for your tender. Was this the same motor for your boat? or did you have two engines? I am looking forward to reading your article #DCA244 .
Hi Jasper. Thanks for watching. We had a Honda 5hp 4 stroke which was absolutely brilliant. It had a remote tank in the rear port locker. It never failed and had masses of power even when the going got lumpy. We also had the 2.5 Suzuki 4 stroke as the motor for the tender. We tried this on the Swift as a "just in case" exercise and that too pushed her along quite nicely. I would go with the Honda. As mentioned in the article we raised the lip of the outboard well to raise the motor about 5". This put the prop behind the skeg and really improved the sailing performance of the boat by reducing drag. What a great place you have to sail in. Enjoy the boat - we did.
Been enjoying many of the videos you've uploaded recently! I currently own a wayfarer and am looking into a swift 18... Would you rate it as a decent upgrade? I'm keen for the security of a keelboat but want something that would still be easily trailerable, they look like a good option...
Thanks for watching. The Swift was a good boat for us and we did some adventurous stuff in her. She did not sail as well as the Wayfarer and we tweeked her quite a bit to make her sail better. Build quality was excellent though. We kept her for three years and went on to buy another Wayfarer and a 27ft yacht. Remember that the Swift is only an 18ft boat. You still need to pick your days and stay on the side of caution. Enjoy your sailing.
@@charliehitchen5263 Thanks for the advice Charlie! Interesting that you ended up going back to a Wayfarer, perhaps I'll stick with mine a little longer, stop window shopping and save some money for actual adventuring😄
@@mbailey9955 The Swift sailed like a dog when we first bought her. We set the mast up correctly and that was better. Next we raised the motor in the well which pulled the prop up behind the stub keel. Much better! She was great downwind particularly with a kite we bought in a boat jumble; decent off the wind; pretty poor upwind in anything like a chop. Then she would fall off the waves and she needed some motor to keep her on track. I guess a few micro yachts have the same failings. We don't regret having bought her and she never let us down.
I just gave a presentation to my yacht club here in California about my "dream Scottish Cruise" which is almost exactly what you did, just add a leg up into Loch Etive. You did it in a Swift 18. OK, then!!! I will be looking into trailer sailers again!
Thanks for watching. It is a dream to sail on the Scottish West Coast. We had dream weather too. There is a written account of this trip that I wrote for the Journal of the Dinghy Cruising Association. I need to work out how to attach it here.
We used to have a Swift. Wish I'd kept it. Thanks for video. Lovely cruise.
Thanks for watching. The Swift is a great, well built boat. We loved it.
Great music.
Wonderful film, thank you for sharing! Brings back memories of a (sunny!) week of sailing the Inner Hebrides in 1986 in a chartered motor sailer and, in 2004, sailing from the Netherlands to Scotland and back in my own 27-foot sailboat (six weeks of almost entirely dry weather). Great sailing holidays, not only weather-wise.
Thanks for watching. Glad that you too have enjoyed your Scottish trips. 2004! That was a great summer!
Well done, great video. It's the sort of sailing trip we dream about.
Thanks for watching.
Great video journal. You were so lucky with the weather! I remember crossing Sound of Iona in my sea kayak into a Force 5 to hide in Bull Hole. Beautiful white sands though, and fantastic campsites/anchorages. Great area for keel-lifter wanderings.
We really were lucky. We have had spells of sustained good weather in the islands since but never so late in the year. The Sound of Iona is a strange place with its shifting sands. As you say the lifting keel made things much easier. It looks like a superb place for sea kayak adventures. Thanks for watching.
Great stuff! That's my cruising area in my Sigma 33c. Been in Tinkers Hole a few times.
Thanks for watching. We have been a few times in a bigger boat. It felt a bit out there in our old 18 footer.
@@charliehitchen5263 thanks for posting. Had a lively wee sail today from! Linnie to Dunstafnage, heating and steak on.
Damn I enjoyed that.Thank you
I've never seen this part of the world and it was beautiful. I miss the narration.
InstaBlaster.
Loved the video, Charlie. I would love to do this trip by dinghy but its just the luck of the draw with weather.
Some great youtube accounts of folk having sailed around Mull in dinghies, sailing canoes etc. You would need to play safe with the weather as we did. Thanks for watching.
Thankyou. Great adventure and great memories shared.
Thanks for watching. This must have been the first trip on which I carried a video camera. I wrote this trip up as an article for a sailing journal during last summer and found all of this stuff in March. It has been a real trip into the past editing it.
Just fantastic!
Many thanks!
loved that sailing video was well done very nicely edited ,west coast of scotland is exquisite for sailing ,yous hit the jackpot with the weather and wind conditions ,can i ask how many days in total was that until you returned to largs
Thanks for watching. I think it was 21 days from launch to pull out. It took about 8 days to sail around Mull. The weathger sure helped.
Brilliant trip. and video.What cooker was used to do pizzas on board?
We use a Cobb oven. It burns charcoal and has a water jacket to make it safe to use on deck. Pizzas are great in it. Thanks for watching.
Great video. What engine are you using to motor your swift 18. I have same #swift18 in Looe, Cornwall and looking for recommendations for engines. I see you had a 4stroke 2.5hp for your tender. Was this the same motor for your boat? or did you have two engines? I am looking forward to reading your article #DCA244 .
Hi Jasper. Thanks for watching. We had a Honda 5hp 4 stroke which was absolutely brilliant. It had a remote tank in the rear port locker. It never failed and had masses of power even when the going got lumpy. We also had the 2.5 Suzuki 4 stroke as the motor for the tender. We tried this on the Swift as a "just in case" exercise and that too pushed her along quite nicely. I would go with the Honda. As mentioned in the article we raised the lip of the outboard well to raise the motor about 5". This put the prop behind the skeg and really improved the sailing performance of the boat by reducing drag. What a great place you have to sail in. Enjoy the boat - we did.
Been enjoying many of the videos you've uploaded recently! I currently own a wayfarer and am looking into a swift 18... Would you rate it as a decent upgrade? I'm keen for the security of a keelboat but want something that would still be easily trailerable, they look like a good option...
Thanks for watching. The Swift was a good boat for us and we did some adventurous stuff in her. She did not sail as well as the Wayfarer and we tweeked her quite a bit to make her sail better. Build quality was excellent though. We kept her for three years and went on to buy another Wayfarer and a 27ft yacht. Remember that the Swift is only an 18ft boat. You still need to pick your days and stay on the side of caution. Enjoy your sailing.
@@charliehitchen5263 Thanks for the advice Charlie! Interesting that you ended up going back to a Wayfarer, perhaps I'll stick with mine a little longer, stop window shopping and save some money for actual adventuring😄
@@mbailey9955 The Swift sailed like a dog when we first bought her. We set the mast up correctly and that was better. Next we raised the motor in the well which pulled the prop up behind the stub keel. Much better! She was great downwind particularly with a kite we bought in a boat jumble; decent off the wind; pretty poor upwind in anything like a chop. Then she would fall off the waves and she needed some motor to keep her on track. I guess a few micro yachts have the same failings. We don't regret having bought her and she never let us down.
Details of your oat please. Thks
Hi thanks for watching. The boat is an 18ft trailer sailer. It is a Swift 18. It has a lifting keel and an outboard motor in a well.