22/32 Crinan to Campbeltown. Shark Bay sets off towards Ireland...but the outlook is still not good

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With poor weather still forecast Shark Bay leaves the calm of the Crinan Canal behind and heads west towards Portree - the first place to ever record deaths from sharks! They overnight in Campbeltown but then have to put on the wet weather gear again as they pass spectacular scenery and progress westwards when, at last, the weather begins to open out. Portrush is their first landfall in the emerald isle.

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22/32 Crinan to Campbeltown. Shark Bay sets off towards Ireland…but the outlook is still not good

Sponsored by MS Amlin Boat Insurance.

We got through the Crinan Canal yesterday, we’re just inside the sea lochs at the eastern end. Great night’s sleep – really calm, great little mooring… And what we’re planning to do now is head down through the locks, down to Campbeltown and then – if we can, if the sea’s looking good – head across to Portrush. The forecast was not good for today but it doesn’t seem to have materialised so far. A bit of grey sky but apart from that, seems alright – not a great deal of wind – so we’re hoping Campbeltown, maybe down to Portrush today.

We’re about 8 miles north of Campbeltown now, running down Kintyre. I’ve come in here to this quiet little village, somewhere I’ve always wanted to see. This is actually called Portree, and just around the corner is a village called Carradale. It was here that the first ever recorded human deaths from sharks in Britain occurred. One day there was a rowing boat that had gone out from here, with a few of the locals in it. They were out just fishing, and it seems that a basking shark came up underneath the boat and actually tipped the boat over. Some of them managed to scramble back on board, but again the shark came back around and they didn’t survive. So they were in fact the first ever recorded human casualties here caused by sharks. It’s not a vicious Jaws shark attack, it’s an accident – the big shark obviously rubbed against the boat, brushed against it, came up underneath it and turned it over.

Just pulled into Campbeltown. Can have some breakfast now - although it’s 1 o’clock. As soon as we got out the Crinan Canal we just carried on, motored on… It’s a bit bumpy and a bit splashy but no worries really. So we’ll have a wander around here, have a look at the weather this afternoon and see if we want to go to Northern Island or not.

Early morning in Campbeltown we spent the night here on the pontoon. Really nice little town – got a good atmosphere to it. We had been promised by the forecast that this morning was going to be clear skies and no wind, but we’ve got up and it’s grey skies and a pretty strong breeze – looks even stormy, some clouds out there. So it’s on with the wet weather gear again and we’re heading off.

We’re south of the Mull of Kintyre now. Scotland there, Ireland there, and the sun’s shining over Ireland, so all is looking good. Got my predictions totally wrong this morning – flat calm sea, little bit chilly but gorgeous glassy sea to take us across to Ireland.

Even in these calm conditions, there was a tide race developing off Rathlin Island.

And so we pulled into Portrush Harbour in bright sunshine, our first port of call in Northern Ireland.

Ed, they’ve got showers!

They got showers?

Yes!

Have you got towels?

Yeah.

You’ve got towels. We’ll have to get involved. I do need one – it’s been too long.

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Видео 22/32 Crinan to Campbeltown. Shark Bay sets off towards Ireland...but the outlook is still not good канала Haven Knox-Johnston