We’ve been lucky with weather for rowing all this year, from
the fantastic summer sun over the Skiffieworlds to the calm water for the Loch Venachar
sprints a few weeks ago. Last weekend it held up again for the Selkies and
their friends the Uisges as both skiffs set off from Ardrishaig for a long row to Otter ferry for
lunch at the Oystercatcher.
We set off mid-morning with a couple of hours of spring tide
left to carry us up Loch Fyne. Forty five minutes of brisk warm-up rowing got
us to the bays at Castleton for a short break, then we were out into the tide
for the stretch across to the spit.
At Otter Ferry we were met by the Tighnabruaich folk, who
had trailed their Archie Smith across.
The pictures show the three skiffs plus
mid-Argyll’s wee Orkney-style support boat.
Lunch was enjoyed by the log fire in the pub, then we were
off back home with the ebb.
Through Castleton again with the water much lower we had to
dodge the shallows to get through and found quite a chop in the short stretch across
to Loch Gilp. By that time a South easterly was coming in, speeding us back to
the jetty but reminding us how cold and miserable the trip could have been.
