Sailing is back at Loch Melfort

In this article: Yachting near Loch Melfort | Yacht chartering | Learning to sail

With miles upon miles of stunning and varied coastline, many and beautiful islands, mixture of sea lochs and open seas, Argyll is the place to go sailing. Whether you are a seasoned sailor or a beginner, our beautiful West Coast has tons to offer. As the weather becomes more clement, now is the time to go out and explore at sea.

Yachting near Loch Melfort

There are plenty of safe anchorage areas, marinas and pontoons all along the coast giving sailors and yachtsmen and women a multitude of options when charting a course in the area. For full details, have a browse of the Sail Argyll website, which is full of information about local facilities all along the Argyll coast.

We, at Loch Melfort, have 4 moorings ourselves for those who fancy sailing over for supper or a night in the hostel (Lat 56-13-907 – Long 5-33-177). The moorings are just a few minutes’ walk from the hotel and great food! The Chartroom Bistro is well set up for visiting sailors with a place to leave oilskins and other equipment and hot showers to freshen up before a great meal and/or refreshments between 10am and 11pm every day.

Nearby Craobh Haven and Craobh Marina provide excellent berthing facilities within sight of Loch Melfort. There are also plentiful yachting facilities at nearby Ardfern Yacht Centre, and Kilmelford Yacht Haven, and a little further away on Loch Fyne, Tarbert Harbour. Oban and Dunstaffnage, further up to the North on the coast, are also good places to throw an anchor. You can also go further afield and sail the Inner Hebrides, most of which are very well equipped for yachting. A sailing trip you won’t forget in a hurry!

Yacht chartering

For those of us without our own vessel, there are a range of facilities to charter yachts in the area. Many of the yacht and sailing clubs mentioned above, as well as Argyll Yacht Charter, will offer yacht chartering and/or sailing holidays, with well equipped and maintained yachts as well as guidance on the best places to visit along the Coast and across the islands. Feel free to browse their websites for more details.

Learning to sail

Ever wanted to learn to sail? Now is the time. It’s a brilliant way to discover the area. Nearby Oban offers a range of sailing clubs / RYA training centres including Oban Sea School, Oban Sailing Club, West Coast Sailing, to name but a few. From introduction to sailing one or two-man boats (pico, topaz, etc) to more advanced skipper training and longer guided sailing trips along the West Coast or Firth of Clyde, you won’t be short of opportunities to experience the wonderful scenery and wildlife in this part of the world we are lucky to call home.

Sailing is a sport for all ages and you will learn under the close supervision of experienced instructors, following the RYA syllabus. The thrill of being out on the water, feeling the wind on your face and soaking in the freedom of the sea is not a cliche, it really does feel that good. Go on, give it a try, you won’t regret it.