Here we have Yacht/Boat visitors to Rona 2023. Many sailing visitors to Rona are now retired or have sold their boats but still have an interest in what is going on. We keep records of the vessels that visit us and have too many stories. Mostly good, some not so good.
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July 23rd: There was a steady stream of yacht/boat visitors these last couple of weeks, the weather has been good but the mention of wind/gales there seems to be a reluctance for some yachts to move in it. Maybe the internet forecasting is too good, seems strange listening to the Stornoway Coastgaurd nowadays, the forecast seems vague compared to the plethora of web sites offering a multitude of interpretations, sometimes it is just worth looking up at the sky.
Our new folk here Bryn and Gill have taken over the mooring box, so my stress levels have reduced, most have paid, some, very few have ‘forgotten’, we haven’t!!
We have had quite a few German yachts this last while, a few Americans, French, Dutch, Belgium and Swiss. All enjoying the West Coast sailing.
It is a blue skye day to-day so overall for us this has been a good summer with lots of growth. Venison sales to the visitors have been good, our venison remains popular.
The total this Sunday morning of yachts visiting is 299 boat nights spent on Rona.
Looking at the list of boats we have: Clipperton, Cockade, Ginger, Askival, Mojo, Encore, WhiskyJack,Dogdays,Sea Rose, Sabik, Soarsa, WineKnot, Amelie, MacSea, Time and Motion, Red Moon, Whispering Wind, Scirrocco and many more, these are just the ones using the Moorings, Bryn and Gill have the list now so I am unsure of all the others but it is about 70/30 using the moorings.
Here is a selection of Yachts in the Bay.
This Dutch yacht dragged the night it was here despite its pretty heavy anchor, 3 am in the morning, there was no mention on any internet forecast, a gale came through the harbour during the night giving some of the anchorers a fright.
Venison sales are good and Willie Beedie was in stocking up on burgers, he was on route to the Rona Light to deliver an engineer, . We met David Croy, Raasay House’s main man, who took delivery of yet another load of fillet and 200 burgers!!!
Happy Days.
July 5th: Been a busy week or so. The weather broke, the lochs, puddles, pot holes all filled up again, a sigh of relief as the fire risk subdued. Yachts have been steady, no hassle at all. In fact relatively quiet but no surprise given the often torrential rain. July unfolds and I am sure there will be a burst of activity in the next few weeks.
Our Workaways had the shop open and did a brisk trade in venison/smoked fish. We don’t do much nowadays, time and the overall cost have made us rethink our position. But Rona remains a peaceful place to moor up for the night. Peace is what we do well.
The sun gave way to more plump clouds rolling in from the West and the rain came.
A pretty wet row back toYacht Confidence/Brisbane, a Girvan lad who is cruising around Scotland before heading back to Oz. (on a plane I may add, boat next year)
Been a fine morning unloading opur boat and a good chance to get some phoytographs
Lady of Heath was first away to-day heading for Harris, good luck, a beautiful morning to be doing that, with a good breeze to help them along.
Nice to see Keith on Yacht Inspiration after a bit of work on the boat on Monday, I understand all the electrics work now!! He called in for a packet of our famous Rona Venison Burgers . A quick stop in the pouring rain and away he went for Badachro.
That is about all the yacht news. Nothing too spectacular.
The sun is shining just now, I am sure there will be a yacht or two in tonight.
Yachts in this week according to the mooring fee envelopes in front of me were: Ocean Lord, L’Equille, Shiprah, Lady of Neath, Eun Mara, Fraoch, Hero, Selkie (Again).
June 27th pm:
Got speaking with Chris Perring the current owner of this lovely Yacht, whilst out reserving another mooring for a yacht tonight. (And no wonder in this horrible day).
I was quizzing him on Hiltgundand he passed over all the info’ about the boat, here it is below.
We went out to check the lobster pots and found a submarine out in the Sound of Raasay, wrong Sound, but I guess they were waiting for their slot in the Inner Sound. I got the camera out and by the time I switched it on and got organised it had dived, better luck next time. So we will settle for Yacht Selkie anchored out in the outer harbour. I am thinking it is a Yacht from Eigg?
June 27th: The weather has been ‘OK’ but now it has broken to more traditional June/July weather. Wind and rain!! There has been a steady influx of yachts and MVs these last few days. One Dutch yacht said: ‘it was too quiet, where were all the people?Yachting is a social experience‘. Wrong place me thinks.
Another suggested our signs on the pier were confusing, seem perfectly legible to me. But then again I am often confused. I think it was a reference to ‘Welcome Anchorages’ who insist on telling folk we have showers/wash machines when we have told them we no longer support these facilities, resources and cost being the main issue. I will contact them, although I think some yachts still have their paper issue on board.
We are still awaiting some mooring fees from those that ‘forgot’ to pay, must send them another reminder text.
On thast note some photos of the past few days. All paid.
June 22nd: Just a quick post this morning as I await the Sparky from Staffin coming over on his Father’s boat, lovely day for it.
Here we have Yachts, Northern Whistler ( A hinkley?), Zepherine, Tournez and Albatross (Dutch). Yacht Danae left early, all paid for their moorings bar Albatross (Perhaps still to come ashore).
Yacht Trilogy stopped by at lunch time on route to Kinloch Hourn for venison steaks and to say hello.
The Raasay Rib was in but did not stop, Stardust Boat trips too with a full boat but it only stopped to drop off paint for the ‘New Boat’.
Another lovely day but heavy showers first thing. The weather not so humid now, a bit breezier, great sailing I am told.
June 20th:
To bring us up to date before I go back over previous months yacht and boat visitors here’s the busy scene these last few days.
After the rain, it dried up again but not as hot just the first real wind for a while. There was a ‘scatter’ of yachts arriving yesterday to add to SV Firefly in earlier on anchor and Kimchi, who was in for three nights. Miss Victoria, a charter from Oban (who had an issue, see below), MV Raeda11, a Contessa 26, I cannot remember the name, ‘Coric’ possibly, I have it written down and SV Bascule (2 nights), moorings full, then another two in anchoring, too far out to catch their number and the other with fenders all over the name.
All paid, Happy Days.
It was a breezy night so I thought I would check the moorings when everyone left this morning, a bi-monthly thing. Taking them out as far as I could onto the MV Rona, checking the seizing wire and cable ties. The pontoon anchor mooring was pretty dirty but still no wear, All good. It is never a case of throwing in some moorings and lying back collecting the cash.
So here we are with this weeks, let us say a mis-undersranding.
I had to Google Miss Victoria’s comment on their mooring payment: Service= MMH. Then I got it, it was basically having a go at our lack of facilities. I did see the crerw of Miss Victoria loaded with bags coming ashore, looked like they were looking for showers/wash machines. Well the sign is on the pier, says, no showers/no wash machines.
No reason on the notice but just to bring it up to date, it takes a lot of our resources to maintain showers and washing machines. Electricity, gas, water and labour to clean the showers, at £5 per shower or wash it simply was not cost effective and we are after all off grid with colossal transport costs. We were never a marina. We tried to make money from these services but anywhere up and down the West Coast sailors told me we were the most expensive showers and complained so we pulled this ‘service’. We will leave it to the marinas to supply that.
No, the thing about Rona is that it is not a service point, it is a safe (Even safer with our moorings) anchorage, very peaceful with abundant wildlife and a place to walk in nature to get away from it all. Everything is in limited supply except for peace and quiet which costs nothing and that is what we give for free.
So I am sorry Miss Victoria if we did not meet your expectations and I know it is stated in some guides that we do supply showers etc but despite telling the guides our current status this mis-information persists.
Mid June:
So here is a selection of boats in the Galleries below of this months many visitors. According to my diary we have had 141 yachts visit Rona so far this year. Our average is around 3/400. Not all come ashore.
There are a lot less Charter boats coming to Rona at this time as Skye Yachts has sadly retired but by coincidence one of their boats ‘Discoverer of Sleat’ was in here last night.
At last we have real rain, we have had a couple of brief showers but to-day, heavy rain. Good to see but we hope it does not forget to stop.
From to-day, if possible and time/weather allow we will photo and record every boat. A bit of a project let us say.
Even fishing boats dropping their creels around the mooring!!!! We have comments from our visitors on the creels but we don’t fish, not ours!!
So that is June so far, not all the visitors, some to come once I go through the pics’.
For those that are still to visit and come across this page, we have a much reduced facility nowadays. After Covid we assessed the services and came to the conclusion that we were losing too much cash on our wash machines/showers. With the impact on our limited resources we will leave it to the mainland marinas to supply these services. We still have local produce, 5 moorings at £15 per night, WiFi when it works, hopefully soon to be upgraded, walks and a museum. What we do have for free is the peaceful anchorage that is Acarseid Mhor.
