Outdoors: Sailing off Argyll's Cowal Peninsula

There must be a point in the attempt at any new sport at which you finally realise why people love it. After hours, or sometimes days, of failing to get a ball over a net, or wrestling with a nine iron, you actually attain a degree of competence.

And so it was, late on day two of my sailing course, when, driven by a gentle breeze and warmed by mild Scottish rays, that this landlubber sailed a little dinghy as part of a flotilla across the Kyles of Bute, surrounded by porpoise, to moor off an empty beach for a picnic. So this is what everyone has been banging on about.

The west coast of Scotland is one of the most spectacular sailing areas in the world. With stunning scenery, abundant wildlife, sheltered bays for beginners and challenging weather for experts, it has everything a sailor could ever need.

Argyll's Cowal Peninsula is dotted with marinas, chandleries, hotels and boatyards just over an hour from Glasgow so it is a great place for a beginner to pick up the basics, and generations of Scots have learned to sail in Tighnabruaich, either as children or adults.

In lieu of a lazy, carbon-fuelled and expensive week abroad, this year I signed up to a five-day course over the summer at the famous sailing school. You could say I took the plunge, but that might be tempting fate.

The courses are run by husband and wife Derek Andrews and Fiona McPhail with the help of seasonal instructors so there is a good teacher/pupil ratio. The school is set a couple of miles out of the village, at the pretty Carry Farm, on a quiet single track road overlooking the Kyles of Bute and the island itself. Most of the 10-12 attendees stay here, in wooden lodges on the beach, surrounded by hens and sheep. There also caravans and tents if you prefer, or the cosy Kames Hotel or upmarket Kilfinan Hotel a few of miles up the coast if a cooked breakfast is a priority.

My fellow seadogs ranged from an airline pilot and his cabin crew wife, a retired couple who holiday here every year, an American recovering from surgery and a Polish girl based in Glasgow. We settled down to the first of our morning talks from Derek on weather conditions and seamanship, before getting into waterproofs and heading off to the beach to be assigned boats.

For the adventurous, or experienced, there is a choice of crafts from single-person Peco to competition standard racing Lasers. For those less secure in their ability to stay upright, there are the steadier Wayfarers, which hold four people. Our first outing was as an all-female crew of three, as the endlessly patient Fiona reminded us again which way the sails were meant to be pointing in order to go forwards and how to turn the tiller against our better instincts. We learnt the mantra of the five essentials - sail setting, balance, trim, course made good and centreboard long before we understood what they meant.

After a packed lunch, it was back out to gybe, tack, reach and stop. By the end of that first day, however, I had wet feet, and was stiff and tired and began to think this wasn't the sport for me.

Cowal has plenty to offer those who don't hear the call of the sea, of course. Long-distance walk The Cowal Way starts from the ferry from Tarbert on Kintyre and snakes its way the length of the peninsula to eventually join the West Highland Way at Loch Lomond. One of the most beautiful and secret beaches in Scotland, Ostal Bay lies between Portavadie and Ardlamont. It is also a foody area, with places such as Inver Cottage and The Oyster Catcher serving up local seafood. The modernist marina at Portavadie is a wonderful setting for a meal, even if you haven't got a super-yacht moored outside. There are artists studios throughout the peninsula and a gallery in the village.

I'd almost made my mind up that a return to these, excellent, noble, dry pursuits was in order when I had my second-day epiphany and suddenly all the joys, some of the principles, and the whole of the point of sailing fell into place. I couldn't wait to get into my lovely dinghy and sail close to the wind for the rest of the week; I even enjoyed learning how to capsize in order to complete my RYA Level Two sailing certificate. This means I am now competent to sail in light winds, the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Golf? Tennis? Skiing? They can wait.

THE FACTS

Tighnabruaich Sailing School adult courses, 315 for instruction and self-catering accommodation. A non-residential course is 230. Fully catered weeks are available for children. Tel: [phone] or visit www.tssargyll.co.uk for more details.

This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, 18 September, 2010