Local Millport knowledge
I read with interest Dag Pike’s article (Anchorage, Millport, YM, May 2019), and as much as I would be fearful of questioning anything Dag says on the subject of sailing, he clearly has not been in the east side of Millport Bay in a hard southerly.
As an ex Millportonian I can confirm from personal experience that when it blows from the south, the otherwise very attractive bay is not somewhere you would wish to be.
Local moorings which are, in the main, inside the Eileans, have gradually moved eastwards over the years. I would certainly not want to spend a night at anchor there if there is more than 15-20 knots forecast from anywhere between south-east and south-west. We regularly still visit Millport from our home base in Largs Yacht Haven and thoroughly enjoy the east side of Millport bay, anchored in 5-10 metres with good holding in firm sand.
Neil Wilkie
Dag Pike responds: I bow to your local knowledge, but I do mention that anchorages ‘are a bit exposed from the south’ which is fairly obvious when looking at the chart. Little Cumbrae is too far away to give good shelter when the wind freshens. I have not been there in a fresh southerly, and it is not an anchorage I would choose in those conditions. I guess I should have made it clearer about the southerly exposure but thanks for your local knowledge of this.