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| Caisteal nan Con |
I am fascinated by the House of the Dogs on Torsa. It is generally supposed to have been a hunting lodge of the MacDougalls and is known to have become Campbell property the year before Bannockburn, to become MacDougall property again in the Sixteenth Century. The MacLeans of Duart also possessed it for a while and as they were known as the dogs their tenure provides another theory about its name. It's probably of prehistoric origin and has been cleverly built into a natural rock outcrop with later modifications including possibly the installation of a chimney, an item only found only in the grandest of Scottish homes until quite recently. Nearby is a lovely sheltered bay, ideal for beaching boats.
Torsa islands lies at the South entrance to the Cuan Sound, an exhilarating narrow passage which gives a quick route from the quiet waters of Loch Melfort to the Atlantic. The Lords of the Admiralty advise:-
"Cuan Sound should only be used by small vessels with local knowledge. On account of the strong tidal streams and eddies, passage is not recommended except at slack water."
The tidal streams vary between three and six knots.
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| The Atlantic outside Cuan Sound |
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On a fine day in early May 2009 the fleet had sailed up to Torsa and we had our picnic under the Caisteal nan Con. From the height of the castle we could feel that the wind had backed North-west and there was the prospect of an interesting afternoon. The obvious challenge was to see if our boats could beat up against the ebb, now running strongly South, and circumnavigate Torsa while there was sufficient depth of water in the narrow gap down to Ardinamir. About twelve little boats made it and there follow some images of the trip.
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| The Widdakers, Topher and Kelpie. |
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| Widddakers, Seapod and Beechnut |
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| Sciurus in a tide rip |
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| Seapod driving hard |
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| Bonny, an Iain Oughtred Whilly boat |
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| Kelpie's sprit shows the strain |
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| John in his Nutshell |
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| Rocks on the way to Ardinamir |
