Devil’s Cauldron
There are not many places where you can sail an ocean-going vessel into the very centre of the mountains, but today we have entered the heart of the Cuillins of Skye.
In appearance Loch na Cuilce looks like an innocent mill pool surrounded by the cliffs and peaks of Sgurr Dubh Mor. But when the wind blows here it blows fearsomely.
Many sailors have experienced the violent katabatic winds of this place, winds that swirl downwards like a giant vacuum cleaner, and threaten to tear your anchor out.
Conor O’Brian, the Irish Republican gun-runner brought his 26-ton cutter „Kelpie“ here single-handed in 1921, seven years after delivering rifles to the Irish rebels. He first saw sea spray „streaming UP a perpendicular cliff“, then his yacht was slammed by an enormous fist. „Kelpie“ swerved around the loch in alarm, and rolled her rails under the water. O’Brian had to leave his boat to her fate and climb aboard another yacht. Luckily for him his yacht survived.
Then in 1938 Eric Hiscock, the famous British sailor came here and was also hit by these ferocious katabatic winds and feared that his cutter „Wanderer II“ woud snap her anchor chain. He described the experience:
„The squalls tore round and round that devil‘s cauldron, whipping the spray from the sea and whirling it away overhead to be lost in the low mist which made a roof for the dark pit in which we lay.“
I came here myself years ago on the longest day – 21st June – in an attempt to traverse the world-famous Cuillin Ridge from a boat in one day. This proved to be too ambitious. We anchored safely, and we got up at 3.00 a.m. to start the climb. I noticed that I could read newsprint clearly at that time in the morning in these Northerly latitudes.
However, during our climb the weather deteriorated and one climbing companion started crawling along the ridge in terror. We had to abandon the attempt.
Today the Devil’s Cauldron of Loch na Cuilice looks as innocent as a duck pond, but we are ready for anything. Anchored in the pool with us is Kendrick, an American sailor who has come here single-handed in his yacht „Spindrift“. Amazingly, he has travelled across the Atlantic just to arrive in this extraordinary place.
We dinghy ashore, where we meet my friend Simon Pierce who is filming an interview with me about my cousin Howard Somervell, who made the first solo traverse of the Cuillin Ridge in 1921, when Connor O’Brian was here. In my book „First on Everest“ I describe how Howard Somervell gazes down at the Devil’s cauldron 3,000 feet below him.
Later, Uli makes a wonderful drone film, flying down the freshwater Loch Coruisk, following Scotland’s shortest river, River Coruisk, just a few hundred metres long, then circling „Anuk“, lying in Loch na Cuilce.
In the morning we feel our way out cautiously, realising that we have got away without being caught by the furious winds of Loch na Cuilce.
Text: Graham
