News

2010

Mini Chandlery Now open / Successful RYA Inspection / Latest Staff Recruits

The next phase of our planned expansion is now fully underway. We have long felt that there was a need to make some basic marine supplies available in Ballachulish to both local and visiting sailors. Ryan Tozer has added another title to his job description and as well as being our Chief Powerboat Instructor is now our "Retail Manager" and is in charge of our "shop".

Whilst we cannot possibly compete with the major chandleries - and don't want to!!! - we now carry a limited stock of essentials such as shackles, split pins, sealants etc. We are particularly proud to have been appointed a stockist for English Braids and now carry an extensive stock of their marine products at very competitive prices. Any requirements not in stock can usually be sourced overnight. We have also made a particular point of stocking a full range of the ropes and lines required by the many Topper and keelboat owners in Lochaber so there is now no reason why their rigging cannot always be "class compliant".

Ryan - aka Chief Splicer - recently attended a training course organised by English Braids and we can now also offer a variety of multi-plait splices at reasonable cost should these be required.

The annual visit by the RYA Inspector is always a bit of an ordeal and 2010 was no exception - especially with the recent changes at Lochaber Watersports. We worked hard to ensure that both the boats and paperwork were in first class order and were delighted at the end of a long day of questions and examinations to receive a formal report sheet which merely said "No further action required"!! This outstanding endorsement by the RYA fully reflects the dedication and hard work put in by our Team. Thanks, Guys!!!

We are delighted to welcome John Paul back for the summer season. John worked with us four years ago before spending two years at Plas Menai where he gained his Powerboat Instructor and Dinghy Senior Instructor qualifications. Welcome back, John - we know you will be a useful member of the team

Ryan "Squeaky" Macintyre helps out in the Centre at weekends and during the school holidays. As well as being an aspiring member of the Scottish National Topper Squad, Squeaky is proving to be an excellent boat cleaner!

The Polar Front Update

Greetings to all from Iceland, where our sister company, The Polar Front (www.thepolarfront.com), are currently adventuring! 72ft yacht Polar Bear has completed the first leg of her summer migration, having visited the Shetland and Faroe Islands, en-route to Akureyri, Northern Iceland.

Next stop Jan Mayen and onwards for East Greenland! We are having a cracking adventure so far and would love for you to follow our progress on www.twitter.com/ThePolarFront or join The Polar Front on Facebook.

We would also like to take this opportunity to invite you to step aboard and join us for part of our adventures;

We will be sailing from Reykjavik, Iceland to Oban, Scotland hoping to take in the Faroe Islands or St Kilda (depending on wind conditions) Dates: 11th -20th August. Cost: £1000.

Our final voyage on this adventure will take us from Oban to Newcastle, through the beautiful Caledonian Canal.
The full trip is 9 days; 23rd - 31st August, and costs £850. *There are opportunities to join or leave the boat along the way if you're running short on holiday!*

We will depart Oban on 23rd August, sailing down Loch Linnhe to Fort William, entering the Canal at Corpach. We'll leave Inverness on 29th August and sail Polar Bear home to Newcastle.

If you are not able to join us for a trip but are in the area, we'd love to meet you and introduce you to Polar Bear - please pop along and say hello, welcome us in or wave us off (details of where and when, beyond Oban, to follow)!
Please email us for more details: info@thepolarfront.com

The Annual Matthew Log

Each year we look forward to receiving the account of one of our regular charterer's trip. This year, Matthew and his crew aboard FREEDOM, undertook a sailing & mountaineering mission to Skye. You can read his log here to find out where they played golf on the beach!

Well Done Team Fantom

A Lochaber based yacht has just completed the 33rd Powerbar Three Peaks Yacht Race.

The Barmouth to Fort William Three Peaks Yacht Race is a unique event combining sailing, running and a little cycling to become one of the world's toughest long distance events.

The course includes sailing 389 miles, climbing 13,000 feet and running 73 miles.

The Sadler 32 yacht FANTOM, based at Ballachulish and managed by us was chartered by a team of 5 sailors and runners to compete in the event. Skipper Nigel Bonnet had attempted the race on two previous occasions but this time he and his crew finished the course coming 15th out of 23 entrants and also winning the coveted WRINKLES TROPHY for the crew with the greatest aggregate age!!!

After the Race Nigel said that there had been very little wind during the 5 day event and they had rowed FANTOM for most of the length of The Sound of Jura.

Needless to say the team have already booked FANTOM for the 2011 event!!

St Kilda and all that

After a hectic couple of months Lochaber Watersports is back in a fully operational mode. We launched FIGMENT and FANTOM in late March but as FREEDOM was to have a new 25hp Beta engine fitted she wasn't afloat until the middle of April. Our new arrival LILLY J - and baby of the fleet - a brand new Beneteau Oceanis 31 was launched at the end of April following a hectic few days organising the thousand and one things that have to go on board. LILLY J is MCA coded Category 3 but this still gives her plenty of scope for adventures on the West Coast.

On top of that we were currently running a series of Powerboat Level 2 courses for Marine Harvest and a Day Skipper Theory course for Lochaber College so in the middle of March Alec emerged from "retirement" with the bit between his teeth and all ready to sort things out. Needless to say Ryan Tozer proved an absolute star, working huge amounts of hours to get everything back on schedule.

The high spot of May is always our Outer Hebrides/St Kilda cruise and on this occasion we had 9 crew aboard FIGMENT - skippered by Alec and FREEDOM - skippered by our Chief Sailing Instructor, Dave Hanna. I didn't tell any of the participants that this was my thirteenth attempt and it was with some trepidation that we left the pontoon after the now traditional breakfast at the Isles of Glencoe Hotel. The boats were heavily loaded with food much of which had been prepared and frozen earlier by Kathy in the comparative luxury of a stable kitchen.

The advance weather forecasts looked fairly favourable but we had a pretty bouncy crossing across to Castlebay with the wind almost on the nose. Further headwinds and rough seas resulted in an unplanned diversion into Lochboisdale the following day to lick our wounds. The objective was to get as far north as possible so that we could sail on a broad reach across to St Kilda so we paused at Lochmaddy for fuel, water and other essential supplies before heading for Rodel to shelter from a forecast gale. Neither Dave or I had been there before but it is a fantastic spot with a VERY narrow and shallow entrance which completely dries out leaving the boats isolated in a very sheltered pool.

An early start the following morning had us transiting the Sound of Harris and then on course for St Kilda in glorious sunshine. The visibility was incredible and we could see the outline of the archipelago from around 30 miles away. Unfortunately the weather soon deteriorated and for the final 20 miles or so we suffered Force 6 headwinds and a violent sea. It was good to arrive in the comparative shelter of Village Bay and I was relieved to see that the two big mooring bouys used by the Day Visitor boats were unoccupied so we spent a secure if somewhat bumpy night. Those crew that wanted to go ashore did so - and it was with some trepidation that I watched them in our dinghies being tossed by the waves and they approached the pier.

An early start the next day took us back to Lochmaddy for a welcome meal and shower in the hotel. Then it was Rum, Tobermory and home.

We had done it! My seventh successful attempt out of thirteen. Not a bad average - so I am told!!

Our next Hebrides/St Kilda cruise is scheduled for 4th to 12th September. This is always a popular date so if you want to try to sail to magic St Kilda - get in touch now.

Welcome Back Alec!

Yes - it's true! Who said Alec was handing over the business to enjoy of life of Riley…

In actual fact, you may remember we were never waving a final goodbye to Alec and had laid plans for his involvement with various courses over the year.

We are pleased to report we have gone one better! Don't ask us how, but we've managed to persuade Alec to come back to take control of Lochaber Watersports again and would like to give him a big welcome back!

Now all hands back on deck please - the season is fast approaching!

Twitter with us

Lochaber has started Twittering! Spend the summer with us up at Lochaber - share our news as we prepare the boats and centre for another glorious season, and sail with us on the beautiful West Coast. Be part of the daily action by following us at www.twitter.com/lochaberws

Preparations Underway

And so here we are at the beginning of February - and not yet waved farewell to the snow - the Scottish slopes are seeing much business and the hills are ever so welcoming!

Winter may still be here, and roads have been closed due to bad weather, but Lochaber Watersports does not sit still! Pete Hyde continues to prepare for the charter season ahead, whilst brave souls hit the water and the classroom to acquire powerboat qualifications!

The team are settling in well - Pete busies himself in the centre come snow, ice or rain, Harriet joins us from the big smoke of Edinburgh - and ventures North on occasion - to formulate clever plans and secret tricks including advertising and marketing, and Ryan currently resides on Polar Bear helping with the refit before the summer season! Our MD Phil has been up and down between Polar Bear in the North East and the centre at Lochaber - and looks forward to spending more time exploring the waters of the West! We are moving forward positively with bookings coming in, plans to update our centre and LillyJ joining the fleet.

We still have berths available for a variety of RYA courses - please contact us for further information. In addition, our St Kilda dates have been confirmed (please see the 'St Kilda' page for more details) and it's not too late should you wish to join us on a voyage to the archipelago of St Kilda; the remotest part of the British Isle, situated 41 miles west of Benbecula, in the Outer Hebrides.

We continue to settle ourselves into the local area and hope to meet you soon! Please come and join us on the water!

A snowy Happy New Year from the team at Lochaber Yachting and Watersports!

As you may be aware, Alec Blanc handed over the business in the latter parts of 2009 - and we are delighted to continue to build on the good work and reputation set up by Alec himself over the years. We are also delighted that Alec will not be cutting all ties, and will continue to be involved, including charters to St Kilda proposed for May and September 2010. Please see the 'St Kilda cruises' section on the website for more details - and don't hesitate to get in touch if these trips float your boat (for want of a better phrase!).

You will see over the coming weeks and months that we will be making some changes to the centre and the website, in addition to the arrival of new boats, including, we hope, a visit from Polar Bear (www.thepolarfront.com), the 72' steel yacht before she heads north for the Arctic.

We are also pleased to introduce LillyJ; our fantastic brand new Beneteau Oceanis 31 (European Yacht of the Year 2009) who will join the fleet of yachts available to charter - at a special introductory rate for her first season only. Please refer to the 'Yacht Charter' section of the website for more information.

We are thoroughly excited to be working from such a beautiful spot, and look forward to further exploring the waters surrounding us. Please come and join us! If you are planning your holidays, and fancy hitting the water, or looking for a course to build up those qualifications, please do not hesitate to get in touch on 01855 811931 or 07760 793894 or by using the email request form.
We look forward to meeting you all, from existing to new clients, to visitors and locals.

2009

A New Dawn!!!

Well, it has happened at last! On Tuesday 1st October, ownership of Lochaber Watersports Ltd finally passed to Phil Richardson. I am absolutely delighted with the deal and I don't think the company could be getting a better owner. Phil owns a 72 foot steel yacht called "Polar Bear" which regularly cruises to Northern Norway - and beyond! Have a look at www.thepolarfront.com for lots more details.

I am also thrilled that Phil has asked me to stay involved with Lochaber Watersports so you haven't seen the back of me yet!!! Peter Hyde - latterly of Outward Bound, will be joining in the next few days as RYA Principal and I know that everyone will be pleased to know that Ryan Tozer sees his future in Scotland and plans to stay with us for some time. Ryan has just bought himself a bright red Honda 600 motorbike and can now be seen roaring around the neighbourhood in matching red leathers, helmet, gloves and boots - The Red Devil!!

I was surprised to find that I got quite emotional when the business was eventually owned by some else. I suppose when you have spent nine years building up a business from nothing it does become a very personal thing. I also know that Phil is exactly the right person to take things forward to the next stage.

Lochaber Watersports would never have got to where it is today without the support and enthusiasm of lots of people -
The Centre staff over the years - Ryan, Will, Leon, Fraser, Chris, Paul, Greg, Stu, Jean-Paul, Mungo, James and Mark.
Our skippers and Instructors - Dave, Jeremy, Alistair, Chris, John, Lawrence and Brian.
Our engineers and Mr Fixits - Peter, Euan, Charlie, Lachie, Liam and many more
Our boat owners - Laurence, Paul and Jill, and Sean who also does a fantastic job managing our website
My wife - Kathy who washed and ironed tea towels, cooked bulk meals for St Kilda and kept lots of statistics for me

And finally, our customers and friends - numerous private individuals who came on a RYA course or chartered a yacht and our corporate customers - Forest Enterprise, The Underwater Centre, Marine Harvest, HM Coastguard, Scottish Sea Farms, Bidwells to name but a few.


THANKS TO YOU ALL!! It has been a tremendous experience that I have enjoyed immensely - most of the time!! - and will never forget.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERONE - AND NOW TO THE FUTURE!!!