The tidal island of Soay lies just off of Ruaig. It encircles an inlet known as Am Acarsaid Falaich ‘the hidden harbour’. It is said that it was given this name in the early nineteenth century when smuggling whisky and tobacco from Ireland became an important source of income on Tiree.
Boats with their masts down could not be seen from excise cutters patrolling the Tiree Passage or from Tiree itself.
The outermost of the skerries in Gott Bay is called Clach a` Chomharraidh ‘the rock of the mark’. This was used as a guide by captains navigating the bay.
