Achamore House

Accommodation

Gigha Sea Tours
Achamore House
Isle of Gigha
Argyll PA41 7AD
Tel: 01583 505 404
achamorehouse.com

News

January 9th, 2009

This winter has been unexpectedly calm and settled for several weeks between the middle of December 2008 and early January 2009, so we have been able to get out and about in the Thalassa more than expected. (So far this winter she is still tied on the mooring in Ardminish Bay, making for easy access.) On December 31st we were went to Ballycastle to collect a guest from Co. Wrexford, who came to stay with us for a week at Achamore House.

On Sunday the 4th of January the day was so fine and calm, a small group of us headed over to Colonsay, where we refreshed ourselves with a pint and crisps at the Colonsay Hotel. Angus MacPhee showed us the changes that had been made of late at the hotel, taking us upstairs so we could see one of the lovely rooms. We were grateful to Angus for the lift back to the boat, and we decided we had just enough light left in the day to head back via the Corryvreckan. The tide was not running in the gulf when we got there, so there wasn't much in the way of whirlpools to see, but it was a lovely sunset! We passed by Barnhill at the northeast end of Jura on the way home, the cottage where George Orwell wrote his great novel 1984, and then back to Gigha with the last light.

On Wednesday the 7th of January a party of 6 of us headed off to Iona and Staffa, with Lunga and Fadda thrown in for good measure. Passing a mist-shrouded Colonsay on the way, the journey was made all the more enjoyable by the dramatic sky and cloud-scapes, the sort of wonderful skies you only get in the winter.

Two hours and 10 minutes from Gigha to Iona, where we dropped off one of our party for a couple of hours - the rest of us headed off to Staffa, hoping that we just might be able to land there. Heading off from Iona, at first the view towards Staffa was shrouded in mist, but gradually the astonishing island emerged into full glorious sunshine. Alas, the sea-swell and tide combined to make the landing at the small jetty too perilous to attempt, but we all got many marvelous photos! With a bit of time to spare before our rendesvous back at Iona, we headed off to the NW to get a closer look at both Lunga and Fadd. These are islands which these days are fairly well neglected on the tourist route, but the cliffs and rocks were wonderful to see.

Back to Iona, then straight back to Gigha on this occasion, as we were wishing to be back in daylight hours. In the summer a stop at Colonsay would be a welcome break.

Then on Thursday our guest was brought back to Ballycastle, just in time before the weather turned for the worse. Gale Force 8 is forecast for this weekend, so there will be no boating in the coming few days! But wonderful to have had this mid-winter calm, and to have the chance to take advantage of it in this way. Thalassa has shown herself to be valuable and clearly sea-worthy!

December 2008

Our big news of the year was having to sell our beloved catamaran, the Ultimate Predator, due to the soaring cost of fuel. Though oil prices have collapsed as of November and December 2008, this was not easily foreseen in June and July. So she is now providing a valuable service in Aberdeen, helping to take crews to and from big ships.

In order to operate a tour boat when fuel prices are high (and they are bound to climb again as we move out of the recession) we opted to buy an 8.4m (27.5') RIB from Redbay Boats in Cushendal, Northern Ireland. We had previously operated one of their boats, but had made the mistake of buying a petrol outboard model, which was fast and fun but oh my did she drink the fuel like there was no tomorrow! So we knew that the best boat for us had to be inboard diesel, and for our purposes, a single yet powerful engine would suffice, and be more fuel-efficient.

The catamaran had traveled at a somewhat sedate pace, and this meant that the question of seating was not especially important. But with a small RIB traveling at 28 to 30 knots in say Force 3 or 4 winds, the matter of seating and shock-mitigation comes high up the agenda. This is especially so for the skipper, Don Dennis, who has an old back injury from his youth in playing sports. And so he opted for seats in the cabin from Ullman Dynamics of Sweden. The boat also has a special flooring inside the cabin, called Skydex. More on these on the other pages of this site.

We took delivery of the Thalassa on November 29th 2008, and we are delighted with her! Able to reach a top speed of about 36 to 38 knots, and with a range of about 380 nautical miles thanks to her extra-large fuel tank. See the About our Boat page for the full specification.

To book a ride call us on tel: 01583 505 404
or email: info@gighaseatours.co.uk