Passage 20, Kyleakin to Armadale
The last passage for stage 2 and it was only 20 miles. I had caught a visitors buoy at Kyleakin and so moving off at 7:30am was easily done. Not much wind so I motored on towards Kyle Rhea in time for a bit of tide to take me through this funnel into the Sound of Sleat.
It was Springs (tides at their highest) which meant that in 3 hours time the water would be moving through at 8 knots. If I went then I'd whizz through. But with strong tides come difficult waters and although in these calm conditions it may have been a safe blast I was not going to risk it being a newbie to these waters. So I slid through Kyle Rhea at a leisurely 6 knots under engine.
In contrast to the day before the sun was out quite a bit and I got to relish the lumpy scenery. Fantastic.
I had recently developed a back problem but as the wind got up I could not resist the extra effort of sailing down the Sound of Sleat. It involved one big tack to get to Armadale by 11:30am.
I got help catching the buoy at which PRINCIPIA would now be left for 3 weeks. Mark ferried/drove me ashore to the Isle of Skye Yacht's boat yard for a shower. My back had now degenerated into complete breakdown and any movement was now very difficult. Shower took a long time!
I stayed at the yard where there was wifi and caught up on my blogging. When Mark took me back at around 5pm I spent most of the evening doing as little as possible as my back precluded pretty much any activity. I slept awkwardly and in the morning I could hardly get out of bed.
It was touch and go if I could make the journey home for my break, but with help and perseverance I managed ... just.
Summary
Cold, but a nice little passage of 20 miles with some sun and latterly wind, ending up motoring/sailing 50/50. Fantastic scenery. Marred unfortunately by an increasingly painful and problematic back.