Achanarnich Bay Scotland

The pilot book gave dire warnings of the strength of the tidal streams from the top of Jura to the Firth of Lorne so we left Lussa Bay on Jura at 1530hrs, at the start of the north-going flood for the short 13nm sail to Achanarnich Bay on the mainland shore close to the tip of the Craignish Peninsula.

Approaching Achanarnich Bay

Again, we had a good northwesterly breeze and had a lovely close reach up the Sound of Jura.

Achanarnich Bay is a wild place and feels very remote though, in truth, it is only 4nm from Crinan.  However, there are no roads down this side of the Craignish Peninsula, no houses on the shores of the bay and more distant signs of human habitation are difficult, if not impossible, to see.  The mouth of Achanarnich Bay is open to the southwest but inside boats are apparently surprisingly well sheltered from southwesterly winds by the strong tidal flows outside.

After only two and a half hours underway, we arrived as the light was fading and the sky became more overcast which added to the sense of wilderness.  There are 2 possible entrances, both of which are narrow with strong tidal cross-currents.  We nosed in carefully, paying close attention to the Antares charts running on a plotter on my phone.  Though the space is quite restricted, the depths are good and entry was straightforward.

We dropped anchor on the east side of the long rock which runs down the length of the bay, a little to the west of the bay’s centre.  The anchor dug in well first time and we were happy we had good swinging room for the forecast wind overnight.  We had a prompt start planned for the following morning with the OCC BBQ in the afternoon.  But, for now, we could enjoy the solitude of the area and the beauty of our wild surroundings.

Achanarnich Bay, Scotland