The voyages of the Fulmar
The serialisation of a log book from the yacht ‘Fulmar’, recording her 1956 voyages and the adventures of her crew.
The dog-eared log book was sent to the Argyllshire Advertiser accompanied by an unsigned note saying the log book had been bought among a lot of assorted items at an Edinburgh fleamarket.
The ‘Fulmar’, a 41-foot gaff cutter built in 1901, was owned by Commander Ralph G Mowat, RN (Rtd).
Information on Commander Mowat was unearthed after an appeal by this newspaper, but we would love to hear from any surviving relatives. The yacht won her class in the 1956 ‘Tobermory Race’ from Bute to Tobermory, via the Crinan Canal, before setting off on a cruise from Crinan up the west coast, around Mull and back home.
Crew of the Fulmar and their nicknames: RG Mowat, ‘Skipper’; Mary R Mowat, ‘Mate’; G Paterson, ‘Pilot’; S Stanger, ‘Doctor’; JM Mowat, ‘Bosun’; Chris Paterson, ‘Tanky’; Robin G Mowat, ‘Tar’; Shena R Mowat, ‘Purser’ and dachshund Ruddiger von Stoer, ‘Major of Marines’.
Part eight
We had a lunch of chicken noodle soup strengthened by the jelly from yesterday’s tinned chicken followed by bread and cheese and tea then the Mate, Bosun and Major went ashore for meat, bacon and exercise.
By this time we were having long sunny intervals but it was very cold and a slight swell was setting into the bay but not enough to make us lie uneasily.
As soon as that party came off the Pilot, Skipper and Bosun went ashore. The Pilot got some medical comforts in the shape of ‘Old Mull’ and some fishing hooks and the Skipper who had been feeling the cold very badly, after borrowing £2 from the Pilot to pay for them, bought a pair of fisherman’s thick worsted trousers and, to the surprise of the shopkeeper but his own great comfort, proceeded to put them on in the shop over his flannels. They then went to the MacDonald Arms and over their beer heard a poor forecast and the result of the Test Match. On their way back they failed to pass the Mishnish at the first attempt.
No sooner were they back, than all but the Skipper, Major and Bosun were off ashore again.
Bay
Tanky and the Pilot walked to Ru na Gal and the Mate and Tar went a part of the way there then, on their return to the Fulmar, the Tar rowed the Pilot round the bay.
Meanwhile on board the Bosun washed and shaved then read the papers he had brought off when ashore the first time and the Skipper had a snooze.
At eight we had a great disappointment – we found the glass had started to go back up again.
While our dinner of really splendid fillet steaks and onions followed by rice and coffee was being cooked, the Pilot tidied up our fishing lines, cutting one big line into two, mending the line carrier which had been pulled awry by the dry line being wound on too tight then allowed to get wet and tying on his newbought flies.
By the time dinner was finished it was a dead calm with a clear sky and altogether a very pleasant evening and the first time since Puilladobhrain that we could enjoy being on deck.
The Bosun thinned out the petrol of the outboard and the Pilot toasted the plug and between them they got the infernal machine going, then with it and with the Tar they went fishing out of the bay towards Ru na Gal. They had no luck.
The Tar did hook a fish but just as it was being swung inboard it broke from the hook and disappeared. The Tar, not being old enough to lie about the size of ‘the one that got away’, admitted it was only a wee one.
On board, the Mate wrote letters while the Tanky and Skipper sat about the decks and enjoyed the evening but the two last named were turned in before the fishing party returned. Wednesday August 1 During the night the wind blew up quite stiffly from the south-east and there were a few showers after dawn. The weather forecast was back to gales in nearly every area and the glass fell three tenths.
It was dry and fairly bright when, at eight o’clock, the Pilot and Skipper went ashore for the milk and rolls. The rolls were sold out but they got porter biscuits in lieu and these proved very popular. The milk they got at the Cooperative and it shook the Skipper when he was asked for 1/7d for two pints.
Improving
As soon as they were back aboard the Pilot went ashore again with the Major who was definitely improving but who had to be carried back to the dinghy after they had walked to Brown’s shop where the Pilot bought a new painter for the dinghy. Meanwhile aboard, the Bosun had started making breakfast.
The Lochard and Claymore came to the pier and a puffer, Lady Isle, kept manoeuvring amongst the yachts waiting for a berth. We wondered how the Tobermory folk liked it as all the time she poured out a great thick cloud of black smoke which covered all the houses as it drifted slowly up the hill with little dispersal. The Caillich which was anchored nearby asked the Skipper what he thought the prospects would be at Ardnamurchan and the Skipper replied that for a boat like Caillich they should be all right and a few minutes later she sailed under power but got her sails up (!) out in the
Sound. It was the first time we had ever seen this craft under anything but power.
We heard later she made a record trip and was in Mallaig in four hours. When she left the wind had eased to a fresh breeze and though it was not raining there was a moisture in the air that was quite wetting.
After breakfast, all but the Skipper and Pilot went ashore for a store hunt and an incidental cup of coffee in the cafe. They also got a tin of varnish and a brush to do up the skylights in the main cabin which were leaking a little and, as the Skipper’s trousers bought the night before were considered such a good buy, a similar pair was purchased for the Tar. These last, however, though the smallest available were too big for the intended user and the Bosun appropriated them.
Black yawl
When they came back the Bosun rowed furiously as he was ‘fair desperate’ to get below. While they were ashore the black yawl that had not sailed yesterday left for the south. They went across the Sound making nothing of it then got down their sails and put on their engine and were last seen bashing into the head sea with spray sweeping their decks – and they could have gone down yesterday in perfect comfort!
Ayrshire Lass and an ex-six metre Sabrina came in from the south and Soldian, a typical Shetland type yawl with a peculiar bowspirit with no guys and neither bobstay nor forestay and manned by a Gordonstoun master and half a dozen of his pupils, came in from Loch Sunart. A big motor boat also came in and anchored very close to us but after a party from her had been ashore for only a few minutes she left again and proceeded north.
By noon the glass had dropped another tenth and the mid-day forecast promised prolonged rain and fresh south-easterlies for our areas but renewed gales everywhere to the south and east of us.
We had a lunch of baked beans, bread and butter, fruit, tea and biscuits then hoisted our sails leaving the two reefs tied down in the mainsail. At half past two we were away followed by Soldian who was having a little trouble with their anchor as we passed them.
We reckoned they were anchored just about where the dredging for the Galleon had taken place last year. Both of us headed over for Loch Sunart and Soldian gradually overhauled us until at Auliston Point she was close astern but here we had to start beating and very quickly we left her a long way behind.
On the passage the Bosun and Pilot repacked the mast wedges which had been leaking badly. They did it with Plasticine but unfortunately had not enough to do all they wanted to do but with what they had they effected a great improvement. Previously the water just streamed down the mast in the cabin, now it was only the occasional drop or two that trickled through. The Pilot then made a new pick-up rope for the anchor.
Heavy shower
It had been quite pleasant crossing the Sound of Mull but in Loch Sunart we ran into a heavy shower which only cleared up as we approached the entrance to Drumbuy. At this entrance we got the sails down and motored in and at a quarter to five anchored off the big boulder on the beach but when we swung to the wind we found the Skipper had let his old vice of going too far in take charge and we were too close to the shallow shelf and had to get the anchor up again and go fifty yards further out.
When anchoring the second time we found the winch drum had seized up and the chain would not run out and had to be hauled out and let go by hand yard by yard.