Off to Sea Again

We left the boat on a mooring in Oban Marina and made a quick dash home by train for Doug to join the singing with the Tavy Tars at the Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival.

The Tars at the Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival - in "Toast" bar

This quick dash took us 13 hrs on a sequence of trains on the way down and 16 hrs plus an un-planned stopover in Glasgow when our train to Edinburgh narrowly missed the last connecting train to Oban - dohh!

We were keen to make progress when we finally cast off after lunch and set a course up the Sound of Mull.  The sun shone and we tacked against a headwind but with a fair tide until we reached Ardnamurchan Point just before 5:00 pm.
Here, the wind died and we motor-sailed to drop anchor in Port Mor Harbour on the island of Muck once again.

The next day, our trip ashore took us back to the lovely café, where I bought a pair of the renowned Muck socks - to be stored away until colder times later in the trip.

Rosie Sporting her Lovely Soft and Warm Muck Socks


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rum - The Forbidden Isle and Midge Magnet

Image
Our next voyage through the Small Isles took us to the Island of Rum.  This is a wild and mountainous place with just one anchorage on the east side. View of Rum Island from the Sea Rum has two interesting claims to fame.  One is the exotic and rather curious Kinloch Castle, a hunting lodge for a previous owner, Sir George Bullough.  Sir George used to have his staff fire at unwanted boats who dared to enter his waters, earning it the title of the "Forbidden Isle". The other is that they boast the largest and most prolific population of midges - maybe not something you would normally want to advertise to potential visitors! Kinloch Castle The island was sold by the Bulloughs in 1957 and is now owned by Scottish National Heritage (SNH), a government funded organisation that promotes the natural environment for the public to enjoy. The population is currently about 30 people and they have a primary school (described as "very remote, rural") with 1 pupil...
Read more

The Lost Priory on Oronsay

Image
Yesterday, before setting sail, we decided to visit the ruins of the old priory, about a mile inland.  To make sure we could find it in the peaty moorland, we took the hand-bearing compass and I carefully showed Rosie how to navigate in rough ground.  We walked a long way but we never did find the ruins. Doug Demonstrates the Handbearing Compass This continuous sunshine is beginning to worry me.  I was told that it was supposed to be wet with clouds of biting insects in the Western Isles of Scotland.  Instead, we have yet another day of glorious sunshine and only very few bites so far (even Rosie, who normally attracts the little devils).  I’m not sure that we are enjoying the full authentic experience.  Still, there is plenty of time yet. Oronsay looking SW to Jura Then another short sail of about 20 miles, between islands, over clear sparkling waters with almost no waves.  This is beginning to feel a bit like Greece, although quite ...
Read more

Sluiced Out of the Thames

Image
A Family of Great Crested Grebes With Their Unusual Nest Site We enjoyed our short stay at South Dock Marina with its friendly live-aboard locals and watching the birds also making their homes there. But we needed to press on and the tide would carry us out with a fair wind when we set off again at midday. It was much faster unravelling ourselves through the twists and turns of the Thames and we felt much more at home this time.  The out-going tide is stronger than the in-going due to the added alluvial (river) flow in this direction.  So we positively speeded along as we sailed our way out, reaching 11 knots over the ground at times. So it was that we were able to return directly to Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppy, this time choosing to tie up alongside their floating pontoon albeit for just 8 hours overnight.  We never got to see Queenborough in the daylight - or even to walk ashore there! The following morning we started out from Queenborough at 03:50 in...
Read more