Gulf of Corryvreckan

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The Corryvreckan whirlpool

The Gulf of Corryvreckan (from the Gaelic Coirebhreacain meaning "cauldron of the speckled seas" or "cauldron of the plaid"), also called the Strait of Corryvreckan, is a narrow strait between the islands of Jura and Scarba, in Argyll and Bute, off the west coast of Scotland.

1 Topography
2 Mythology
3 Modern cultural references
4 Notes
5 External links

[edit] Topography

Gulf of Corryvreckan from the air

Strong Atlantic currents and unusual underwater topography conspire to produce a particularly intense tidal race in the Corryvreckan channel. As the flood tide enters the narrow area between the two islands it speeds up to 8.5 knots (≈16 km/h), and also meets a variety of seabed features including a deep hole and a rising pinnacle. These features combine to create whirlpools, standing waves and a variety of other surface effects.

The Corryvreckan is the third largest whirlpool in the world, and is on the northern side of the gulf, surrounding a pyramid-shaped basalt pinnacle that rises from depths of 70 m to 29 m at its rounded top. Flood tides and inflow from the Firth of Lorne to the west can drive the waters of Corryvreckan to waves of over 30 feet (9 m), and the roar of the resulting maelstrom can be heard ten miles (16 km) away.

Formerly classified by the Admiralty as unnavigable (the Admiralty's West Coast of Scotland Pilot guide to inshore waters still calls it "very violent and dangerous" and says "no vessel should then attempt this passage without local knowledge"), its treacherous waters are nevertheless still sailed and swum by a few hardy adventurers. Writer George Orwell and his son (who lived at Barnhill in northern Jura) were briefly shipwrecked on the skerry of Eilean Mor (south of the whirlpool) when boating the gulf,^[1] and Orwell's one-legged brother-in-law Bill Dunn was the first person to swim the gulf.

In 1820 the world's first passenger paddleship the PS Comet was wrecked nearby to Craignesh Point as a result of encountering the strong currents hereabouts.

The whirlpool has been dived in recent years by experienced Scottish SCUBA divers who have noted an unusual underwater ecosystem.There was an article on this in a recent British Diver Magazine issue.

The area is currently being considered for Special Area of Conservation status. Minke whales and porpoises swim in the fast-moving waters and only the most resilient plants and corals thrive on the seabed.

[edit] Mythology

In Scottish mythology the hag goddess of winter, Cailleach Bheur, uses the gulf to wash her great plaid, and this ushers in the turn of the seasons from autumn to winter. As winter approaches, she uses the gulf as her washtub, and it is said the roar of the coming tempest can be heard from as far away as twenty miles, lasting for a period of three days. When she is finished with the washing, the cloth is pure white, and becomes the blanket of snow that covers the land.^[2] Another legend surrounds Norse king Breachan (or Brecan). In various stories, Breachan moored his boat near the whirlpool to impress a local princess, or fled his father across the gulf. In both stories Breachan was swept into the whirlpool, and his body dragged ashore later by his dog. Breachan may be named after the whirlpool, or its current name may be a Gaelic pun on his name. Writing in the 7th century Adamnan called it "Charybdis Brecani".

[edit] Modern cultural references

Part of Powell's and Pressburger's 1944 film I Know Where I'm Going! was set at Corryvreckan. They filmed in Corryvreckan and the nearby (but less fierce) waters at Bealach a’ Choin Ghlais. The footage obtained there was then used in back projections with the actors in a replica boat rocked on gimbals while buckets of water were thrown at them. Model shots of the whirlpool were made to give a medium view of the boat being drawn in to Corryvreckan

[edit] Notes

^ "Uisge! Isle of Jura Distillery". Accessed 19 November 2007
^ McNeill, F. Marian (1959). The Silver Bough, Vol.2: A Calendar of Scottish National Festivals, Candlemas to Harvest Home. Glasgow: William MacLellan, 20-1. ISBN 0-85335-162-7.