Wombling Free in Tobermory

The trip to Tobermory from Muck was a short one, about 16 miles, which was a good thing because there was almost no wind, so Yanni powered us and George steered us.  The early favourable tide through the Sound of Mull turned out to be unfavourable around Ardnamurchan Point, which slowed our progress.  Ardnamurchan Point is famous as a difficult point to round, when the weather is bad.  We’ll be back this way in about 2 weeks and conditions might be more challenging by then.  The fine weather has turned cloudy and gales are forecast for later this week.

Tobermory Marina

Tobermory on Mull seems very crowded and busy after the Small Isles.  All of a sudden we are alongside a pontoon, with water and power and a street full of shops only a short walk away.  The houses are brightly painted and there are tourists arriving in coaches.  All very different from our recent anchorages.

Marinas are good places to recharge one’s batteries, have a shower, clean up, wash clothes, re-stock provisions, fill up with water and generally sort things out.  In our case, the boat’s batteries literally needed attention because they were charging very badly from the engine, our only power source when not plugged into the mains.

I took out the two service batteries and trundled them, in a marina cart, to the local garage for testing and they both proved to be well down on capacity.  I trundled back two expensive new ones and refitted them.  They should be good for a few years, all else being well (fingers crossed).

We cleaned ourselves, our clothes, the bilges, the topsides and have been shopping and done some maintenance, so it felt reasonable to reward ourselves with a walk and a great meal ashore in Café Fish last night.

Walk to Aros Park - Waterfall

Lochan, Aros Park

I now feel keen to move on but there is that gale arriving tonight, so we remain firmly tied up with plenty of strong lines.  The rain is getting heavier.  This is frustrating but does at least give us plenty of time to enjoy the museum, distillery, art centre and more local walks.  Which one of these options to start with, that’s the question.

Later:

Tobermory Distillery - Copper Stills

How to decide, which whiskey is best?