Another attempt at Shetland is pencilled in to start the week before or the week after Easter for the best tides; but the weather may well change that, it usually does.
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| The two main options for departure to get favourable tides to and past the Mull of Kintyre. |
Leaving on a Spring tide is the best time for good tides to help a quick passage to the Inner Hebrides, if the wind and weather cooperate. With the 31st March being the highest tide of the year (a range of 7.5m / 24.6 ft at Milford) a couple of days later or the 15th April is probably more likely as tides on the 1st will be fierce out past The Smalls and off Tuskar and it will not take much wind to make the sea very uncomfortable and not much more to make it dangerous, especially off South Bishop.
The route will be dependant on the weather but ideally from Mull I would visit Coll and possibly the Treshnish Isles, cross the Sea of the Hebrides where the wild life sightings were so fantastic in 2023 and north to Stornoway via the Shiant Islands, again sailing in waters rich with wild life in 2023. But if the weather is not favourable but OK to go up the Sound of Sleat and inside Skye I will probably go that way as there is always the chance of doing that route in reverse coming back in the summer.
The plan is then to minimise long legs by routing to Stromness via Hoy Mouth (as last year), hop round to Kirkwall in one tide, then sail up through the islands to the bay of Otterswick (Sanday) before starting the 64NM leg to southern Shetland or the 78 NM direct to Lerwick.
