Great Britain

The South Coast is the most popular area for yachting in the UK due to the more favourable climate and ease of access to many marinas and harbours. For the more adventurous it is possible to make a crossing to the Channel Islands if you want to experience the freedom and peace of open sea with almost nothing around you. Scotland offers very exciting sailing opportunities with its spectacular coastline and scenic harbours. There are extensive lochs and rugged mountains to explore if you like to do some hiking as well, or just enjoy them as a beautiful backdrop to your sailing adventure.

The Solent is excellent for sailors of all abilities due to the shelter provided by the Isle of Wight. For more confident sailors there are many opportunities to go further afield along the coast with many sheltered anchorages and moorings available. A suggested itinerary might be:

• Day 1: SOUTHAMPTON – Tourist attractions include the SeaCity Museum, Tudor House & Garden, Southampton City Art Gallery and the Solent Sky Museum.
• Day2: COWES - The world’s oldest regular regatta, Cowes Week, occurs there annually in the first week of August. Interesting attractions include the Maritime Museum and the Sir Max Aitken Museum. For mooring you can choose from Cowes Yacht Haven, Shepards Wharf or East Cowes Marina.
• Day 3: LYMINGTON - A beautiful Georgian town surrounded by an area of outstanding natural beauty with the New Forest to the north. For moorings there is lymington Yacht Haven or Lymington Harbour Town Quay.
• Day 4: POOLE - Poole Harbour is one of the world’s largest natural harbours, the mudflats and salt marshes are of great ecological value and there are award-winning beaches.
• Day 5 : YARMOUTH - A picturesque fishing, ferry and yachting port at the Western end of the Isle of Wight with an old world aura.
• Day 6 : PORTSMOUTH/GOSPORT - Portsmouth is home to many famous ships, including Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, and HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose. There is also the Submarine Museum and Spinnaker Tower just over the water in Gosport. You can choose between Port Solent Marina or Gosport Marina to stay at.
• Day 7 : SOUTHAMPTON – Return to home port after your tour of the Solent.

These are just some suggestions and there are many other interesting places to visit on land, or you could just enjoy the scenery along the coastline, ‘The Needles’ is a famous landmark with its interesting pillars of chalk jutting out into the sea.

There are many sheltered anchorages to choose from and many small harbours and marinas with excellent facilities dotted along the coastline. Popular cruising grounds include Argyll and the surrounding Islands, the Firth of Clyde, Orkney and Shetland Islands, and the Isle of Skye. For the really adventurous you may want to try getting all the way to the Faroe Islands, but there is plenty of choice to visit different islands closer to the mainland. And of course we cannot forget the famous Caledonian Canal which goes right through the heart of Scotland between the West and East coasts. Here is a suggested itinerary:

• Day 1: LOCH FYNE TO CAIRNBAAN - Your adventure begins by sailing across the Firth of Clyde and up Loch Fyne to the Ardrishaig, at the start of the Crinan Canal. Make stops along the way at Portavadie or Tarbert and enjoy the local seafood and stunning scenery.
• Day 2: CRINAN & ISLE OF JURA - Cruise along the Crinan Canal and watch as vistas of the Inner Hebrides open up before you. Craighouse on the Isle of Jura has a famous whisky distillery where you may want to indulge in some of the fine local produce.
• Day 3: ISLAY – It is a short hop from Jura to her sister island Islay, Port Ellen is one of the isle's prettiest towns. Three of the isle's eight working distilleries; Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig are handily located just a few miles away from the harbour.
• Day 4: WHISKY TASTING - The three distilleries within easy reach of Port Ellen have different whiskies to try. Ardbeg claims that it has the 'peatiest whisky' on Islay and offers a range of fascinating distillery tours and tastings. Lagavulin is situated in a small bay in the shadows of Dunyveg Castle's ruins and has a history which dates back to 1742, which includes illicit whisky distilling. Laphroaig single malt has an unmistakable flavour and is thought to be one of the most distinctive tastes in the world. Learn about 200 years of whisky-making from a tight community of islanders who are passionate about this spirit.
• Day 5: MULL OF KINTYRE & CAMPBELTOWN - This stretch is a superb place for watching marine life, with porpoises, dolphins and other mammals frequenting these seas. Sail past Sanda Island, a fabulous bird-watching spot which welcomes puffins during breeding season.
• Day 6: CAMPBELTOWN TO LOCHRANZA - The final leg of your sailing adventure includes a voyage to another magical island, sail into Lochranza on the northern edge of the Isle of Arran. There are so many possibilities of things to do and see that it is easy to spend a couple of days on the isle before sailing back to the mainland. There is also the alternative options of sailing into Lamlash or Brodick.
• Day 7: – Return the yacht to the home port in Largs, hopefully with an increase in your whiskey collection stowed safely onboard.