25th July onwards

25th July 2007

On the 25th we caught the train from Oban to Glasgow to meet up with Lil. Due to the way in which the rail networks originally developed Glasgow has two stations. One that seems to serve north and one where southern trains begin and terminate (I think).
Because of this, anyone travelling through has to change station which entails a 10 or 15 minute walk through the centre of Glasgow.
What fantastic scenery on the three hour journey. From the water you only see from one perspective and it was great to see it from a completely different one for a change. Shows the speed we’ve been travelling at over the past few months though, as several times we got worried that the train’s brakes had failed! Before arriving in Glasgow we passed Bowling harbour which marks the end of the Firth and Clyde canal. It seemed like a lifetime since we’d passed through. A big hello to everyone there if you’re reading…J
Lil arrived bang on time at Glasgow Central. It was great to see her. It had now been 10 weeks since we left Nottingham but felt like it could’ve been a year. Scamp went absolutely mad on the platform, jumping and barking and running around like a…..well I suppose like a very happy Jack Russell!

Wow….nearly back up to date!

We got back to Oban late on Wednesday evening and caught the shuttle ferry back to Kerrera. Yesterday, after filling up with last minute supplies, we headed up Loch Linnhe and are now anchored up in Loch Leven. This according to the pilot ‘is one of the most spectacular of west coast lochs with hills over 800 meters crowding in on both sides’. Well one thing for sure is that it’s flipping windy. All of last night squalls came down from the ‘hills’ (I’d call them mountains! I think anything you wouldn’t want to walk up must be a mountain J) that threatened to break the anchor free. Actually at one point during the night the anchor alarm did go off. But on investigation it was only because of low water that Tiger had strayed outside of the set threshold. This anchor alarm is a reassuring feature of the GPS. You set your anchor position and a swing distance and if the boat strays beyond this threshold an alarm goes off…..very nice to have!
On the subject of anchoring…many guides will tell you to have chain and warp (rope). Chain to give the line some weight (this ensures the pull on the anchor comes from the horizontal) and rope to absorb shock. OK in theory but I tell you there is nothing worse than wondering if the warp is being cut to pieces by rocks on the seabed and wondering whether or not the connection or splice between the two is up to the job. Put it this way, nearly every boat we’ve seen uses chain only and so do we now. Bla bla bla bla!

With Tom and Jase arriving in Fort William after the weekend we’re taking it at a steady pace until then. Today we’ve travelled up to the head of Loch Leven which only took a couple of hours. The timing was semi critical as the tide runs quite strongly at a narrows half way up. The scenery was as promised, dramatic and fjord like…ish.
On arrival at the top and after doing some unusual anchoring we went on one of Conny’s now infamous walks which usually involves going for much longer than anticipated and getting soaking wet. Even Scamp could be found trying to clamber back into the dingy when she realised what was happening. In Conny’s defence though we had a good time but we mustn’t tell her…. J.
Just heard from Bjorn....he’s now in Ireland.

Sunday morning started unhurriedly as we needed to work the tide up Loch Linnhe towards Fort William and our rendezvous with Tom and Jase. I gave Tom a ring to see what progress they were making, thinking they might have reached the Peak district by now. No….11 O’clock and they were still in Tamworth but they were up! What had I been thinking!

We had timed our departure so as to pass through Corran Narrows one our after slack water. As the name suggests this is a bottleneck through which all of the water has to squeeze each turn of tide. Even though the tide had only been turned for an hour or so, we still got a 3 knot boot up the backside as we passed through.
We arrived at Corpach Sea Lock at about 5 O’clock and only had to wait an hour or so for Tom and Jase’s arrival. How mad…. It had taken us ten weeks to get here by boat, and them just five and a half hours by car. It was great to see them both but in another sense it only felt like yesterday we’d seen each other…. quite strange!

The next morning we had an 8.30 start at the request of the lock keeper. This, we were told, was to enable all the boats to get through ‘Neptune’s Staircase’, a series of seven ‘back to back’ locks a couple of miles away. After an hour underway, this turned out to be quite a comical hour and a half as a couple of ill prepared yachts clearly struggled with the concept of lock operation and the surge of water each time a lock was filled. Then it was on to the beginning of Lock Lochy and our stop over for the night.
This morning we’re heading for Fort Augustus and the beginning of Lock Ness. Yesterday we covered twelve miles which included seven crossing Lock Lochy. I’m pleased we weren’t out at sea yesterday. The wind, according to the forecast, was gusting to force 7 and even Loch Lochy had 3 feet waves travelling down its length. We’re all looking forward to a bit of Nessy spotting now. We’ve been told this time of year is one of the most favourable time to see the monsterJ.
Loch Ness is a monster!

20th August onwards

Friday 20th July –

Today is a sad day...finally we must say our farewell to Bjorn. He and his visiting Sister and family are heading off south and then over to Ireland. Conny and I are really going to miss him. If someone had said we would meet a Danish chap on this trip and spend over 4 weeks travelling together 24/7 (well ok 16/7) I would've never believed it. We've grown to love this guy. In a world often full of dis-trust, suspicion, greed and pre-occupation, Bjorn is a real one in a million. We'll miss his limitless generosity, his company out on long trips, his company in between trips, his humour, his compassion, his optimism, his 'glass half full' approach to life and his constant smiling and laughing...

Anyway, where to start catching up..... After meeting up with Bjorn we stayed in Puilldobhrain for a couple of days exploring the area. I had it in mind that I'd like to navigate under the 'Bridge over the Atlantic' later in the trip. This is a famous bridge linking the island of Seil to the mainland. Water depths here are low and if the boat has a shallow enough draft it can make it through on 'high water springs' when the tides are at there greatest. Upon investigation though we found the waterway to be thick with weed making it not such a good idea.

From Puilldobhrain we headed for Oban where we topped up supplies and had a mini-tour of the town on foot before spending a very rocky night in the harbour on a mooring buoy.
The next morning we headed for Tobermory. The crossing of the Lismore peninsula went without incident but as we headed up the Sound of Mull a north westerly wind picked up and started to make life a bit uncomfortable. On the threat of increasing winds for the afternoon we 'changed tack' and headed into Loch Aline. This understated Loch (in the pilot book) turned into a nice surprise. Surrounded by wood lined shores we spent a nice afternoon and night there.

The following day or two we spent in and around Tobermory before heading over to Loch Drumbuie. Sort of part of Loch Sunart (if it wasn't for Oronsay), this area was beautiful (I'll let the photos speak for themselves).

Just 3 or 4 miles further into Loch Sunart lies the Island of Carna. The previous night we'd seen people on the summit and commented on how great the views must be and agreed we should walk up the next day. So off we went in Tiger the following morning. The passage was tricky with rocks, both above and below the waterline, scattered along our route. The pilot book described the area as containing 'some of the most spectacular bits of rock dodging in the Western Isles'. The routes laid out in these pilot books are something else and go something along the lines of 'line this tree up with a hut on the right, then once past a big rock on the left head at 240 degrees to the other shore until 2 thirds of the way across' etc etc....all this with a 2.5 knot tide, a depth reading that had gone from reading 110 meters deep down to 2 meters in a matter of seconds and the responsibility of leading Chili through who was following! Anyway we got there only to find (because we'd been concentrating on the pilotage) that you couldn't see the summit of Carna for fog and it had just started raining....doh

Bjorn had offered to take us out to the Atlantic side of the Isle of Mull on Chili at some point, something we couldn't do unless very settled weather was about. So with this plan in the offing we set off back to Tobermory to find Tiger a place to stay and get some supplies. On the way over Fiona confirmed she was coming to visit for 3 days. So we buzzed Bjorn on the vhf radio to check if it would be ok for her to come along on the trip.

The next morning Bjorn and I went shopping on the back of the joke that we'd be back by ten past nine. In the event it was 10 o'clock and Fiona was already on Tiger. Get this! She left Redhill the evening before. Got to Glasgow at 12 o'clock. Then back on the road at 4am reaching Oban at 6.45. Then a ferry and a bus ride to reach Tobermory! We were chuffed to bits to see her.

By 11ish we'd set off in Chili and were motoring (no wind) our way out to the island of Coll. We'd been told that the plankton blumes were at their strongest this time of year and with this area being the best feeding ground in Europe, that we stood a reasonable chance of seeing minke whales, killer whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks. Anyway it wasn't to be. After 3 hours of motoring we hadn't seen alot and so changed course for Staffa (what a magnificent lump of rock!) and then onto Bunessan on the south side of Mull close to Iona.

The next morning there wasn't a breath of air and mist hung low all around so we decided to make the most of the settled conditions and visit Iona. Iona was beautiful. Turquoise water 5 meters deep (and you could still see the bottom) and white sandy beaches....
We had a walk round the island whilst pulling Bjorn's leg once more about Viking invasions (the Vikings invaded no fewer than 7 times). But as he pointed out how mad would you be if you'd sailed and rowed an open boat all the way from Scandinavia only to find a load of monks and no women! Anyway, by late morning the mist had burnt off leaving blue skies and sunshine and the wind was on the increase. By the time we were ready to set sail we had a force 4 or 5 and from a favourable direction. Wow.......what an afternoon! We were flying along at up to 8 knots and surfing down 2 or 3 meter waves! OK not Vendee Globe stuff but exhilarating never the less.
Our first sighting was of a basking shark not 5 meters from the boat. No kidding, if we'd arrived at that point 30 seconds earlier we'd have hit it!. Bjorn quickly turned into the wind to slow down as the sleepy giant went about it's plankton eating business. Next was the best though.....a Killer Whale and an infant...I can't explain it but there was something really magical about seeing them. We were all like excited kids. They surfaced perhaps 4 or 5 times as they disappeared off into the distance. Wow......
Not long after and having covered some big distance in 3 hours, we entered into Loch Cuan, our anchorage for the night. As we stopped to drop anchor we realised we had an audience of seals not 20 or 30 meters off.
That night wasn't the most comfortable as the wind made Chili lie side on to the resident swell. The rolling of the boat meant I had to pin myself into the 'dog bunk' to stop myself from falling out. Ok in itself, except I was sharing with Scamp who growled at me every time the boat moved!
The next morning was an earlyish start to get Fiona back to catch her bus at Tobermory. Motoring again due to light winds we passed a school of porpoises....what a great few days!

After bidding Fiona farewell we decided to head back to Loch Sunart. On the threat of strengthening winds (for a change…..NOT!) there was no time to loose. This time we headed for an anchorage we’d seen from the previous occasion, a fantastic spot surrounded by mini islands and completely deserted.
The wind picked up as promised that afternoon so we were careful to make sure our anchors were well bedded in. Then it was over to Bjorn’s and ‘chilli rice’ for dinnerJ. Afterwards out came the Tobermory scotch Fiona had bought Bjorn as a thank you. I have to say neither Conny nor I are whisky fans but this was something else.
The nest morning (14th July) we trekked up a nearby (hill/small mountain) and were greeted at the top by some fantastic views of Lock Sunart and beyond.
On our return it was time to go wood collecting. We’d already identified a spot on one of the islands and planned to have barbecue. I became fire manager whilst Conny and Bjorn went back to the boats to organise the snap. What a great evening. After finally managing to get a fire going with damp wood, we settled down with plenty of Skin So Soft midge repellent and some great food. At 11 o’clock (Danish midnight) we celebrated the start of Bjorn’s 50th birthday (still can’t believe he’s that old).
Bjorn must be a righteous guy because the next day (his birthday proper) saw clear blue skies, hot sunshine and calm weather. It was glorious. It was as if summer had arrived overnight. The previous day we’d been dressed in fleeces and jackets, now it was shorts and tee-shirts.
Bjorn’s sister and family were arriving in Oban in a couple of day’s time and we needed to use the facilities of the town so we headed off in that direction with Chili. We used Loch Aline as a stop off point for the afternoon and night and then headed to Oban the following day (which incidentally had returned to fleece and jacket weather! Summer had lasted a day L).

Bjorn’s Sister (Ditte), her Husband (Frank) and kids Ziggy and Bugge arrived in Oban on the 17th quite late on. Not knowing when the next ferry would be, we went over from Oban Marina (which is situated on the island of Kerrera) to the town in Tiger to pick them up (many bodies and lots of weight).

Bjorn had decided that he would like to head up to Loch Sunart to show everyone the anchorage we had found previously and to see if they could see any ocean wildlife on the western side of Mull. So off we went again up the Sound of Mull. We had a great barbecue and camp fire again at what had become our favourite spot. My party trick for the evening was to demonstrate how NOT to break firewood and ended up with a black eye framed by two cuts on my face…..doh.
Sadly this was to be our farewell evening and possibly our last tipple of Tobermory whisky together. Unfortunately, I finished the evening slightly the worse for ware and gave Conny quite a hard time with the dingy when leaving (something along the lines of my superior dingy handling skills). Just for the record, I think it was due to the bang on the head and absolutely nothing to do with the scotch!!! J
The row back to Tiger was amazing. It was now dark and as the paddles of the dingy disturbed the water it lit up with a thousand tiny glowing stars. This phenomenon is known as bioluminescence which is usually, but not always, the result of plankton giving off light. The same happens when it rains and it’s something that has to be seen to be believed. Just as an aside, we’d been talking with Bjorn about this and he recalled that he’d first seen it when peeing into yacht’s see toilet in the Atlantic… can you imagine getting up in the night to find the toilet glowing green when you pee’d into it! I think I’d worry that I’d become radioactive….

The next morning Bjorn rowed over quite early on. It was a sad affair and quite emotional. It’s strange to have made such a strong tie in such short time….

Following Chili’s departure we hung around in Sunart that day but it did seem a bit quiet. Until that is, we met up with Alan and Rhoda. We paddled over to meet up with them in Loch Drumbuie and had a lovely meal with them.
Over the next couple of days we meandered our way back to Oban whilst awaiting the arrival of Lil (my Daughter).

15th July onwards

15th Jul 2007

Loch Aline, United Kingdom - Where to start!

Wowwwwwww....

Jellyfish, Seals, Puffins, Porpoises, Basking Sharks.. KILLER WHALES (Yeh really!), crystal clear turquoise seas, white sandy beaches, idyllic anchorages, island campfires, bioluminescence (thousands of glowing specs of light in the sea at night when it rains or when you disturb the water), great company and Tobermory Scotch!

We've just arrived in Loch Aline (off the Sound of Mull) and will be in Oban tomorrow for a couple of days. So we'll be doing our utmost to catch up with the blog. We're still with Bjorn but only for a couple more days. It's his 50th birthday today so I guess the Scotch will be out again! It's a hard life

P.S.- Soz to everyone that have posted messages. One of us accidentally pressed a tab on the website that meant our authority was needed before the massages were posted. Back to normal now.

8th July onwards

8th Jul 2007

Loch Aline, United Kingdom - Onward and Upward...

Well, we had a lovely night at our anchorage in Shuna. We walked Scamp and then played around in the bay (in the dingy) with two resident seals. Great fun! Each time we moved towards them they would dive, only to re-surface where we'd just come from. Very inquisitive and cheeky chaps! We returned to Tiger where Conny continued to watch them on and off through the night. After our return to the boat they later came out on to some rocks in the bay to spend the night.
The next morning we prepared for another tense passage. This one by the name of 'Cuan Sound', a short cut avoiding the 'Sound of Luing' but one with it's own list of casualties (as we later learnt from a nearby resident). Again the close proximity to spring tides amplified the dangers and get it wrong, and we'd be heading against an 8 knot flow and literally 'uphill' water (in full flow a form of rapids develop which have a 2 or 3 foot drop off) . I double checked the times and off we went. It soon became a fuss about nothing and apart from some turbulence at the beginning, we chugged through admiring the scenery.
On we went to our next anchorage at a Puilldobhrain, a very popular place 10 or so miles south of Oban. Bjorn (the Danish guy we met on east coast in 'Chili') had phoned us a couple of days earlier and at that time had only been 30 odd miles north of us. We'd made some outline plans to meet up here with Bjorn at this anchorage but with quite loose timescales. Imagine our surprise then on seeing Chili already at anchor in the bay. Out came the foghorn and we gave 3 long blasts to announce our arrival. How embarrassing! As our view of the bay opened up, we found ourselves being looked at by the occupants of practically every boat! Apart from Bjorn that is, who was asleep in his bunk....doh.
We tied up beside 'Chili' as a very weary looking Bjorn emerged from below. It turned out that he had said farewell to 2 visiting friends the same day and had only managed to catch 1 or 2 hours sleep the night before.
It was great to meet up with him again....

P.S. As mentioned previously, the trouble now we're having with the blog is signal versus time. When we've got signal we're too busy stocking up the boat, re-fuelling and filling up with water etc. And when we've time. We've no signal! Added to which is the PC uses a lot of power from the batteries, so we have to be careful there.

4th July onwards

4th Jul 2007

Shuna, United Kingdom - Will someone tell me what that big black fin's attached to!

Hey, some signal at last!
Well we're out of the Crinan canal and in the Western Isles. We spent 3 days in the Crinan and it was absolutely average! They say it's the most scenic 10 miles of canal in the UK but it was spoilt by BW employees. Within 10 minutes of entering the canal Conny had a BW guy telling her to watch his lips before repeating a sentence that was utterly incomprehensible (but much louder than the first time). And not an hour later I had an altercation with the next lock guy over the description of a British Waterways 'watermate key' and it's uses! I'll spare the detail of him showing me several times, and in extreme slow motion, how a BW toilet opens and closes, when all I wanted was to open a swingbridge. (same old, same old! It a shame but idiots like these only serve to undermine all the work of all the good guys!)
Travelling the canal, we spent 3 days alongside Dan and Christan. Dan a 24 year old that does something with radar on submarines, and Christan, a Canadian graduate from Vancouver. We had a nice time with them in the evenings whilst being eaten by midges!
This morning we left the calm waters of the canal and headed north into Lock Craignish while waiting for a tidal window. We were chugging up to the head of the lock when we saw some huge fins, not 25 meters of the port bow (bloody hell)! We soon identified them as belonging to a basking shark but anyway these guys can grow up to 15 meters in length and weigh more than 6 tonnes. It seemed utterly un-interested in us probably because we didn't look like plankton!
At 1 pm it was time to tackle Dorus Mor. This is a narrow straight a few miles east of the notorious 'Gulf of Corryvrekan'. Although nowhere near as bad as the gulf, you can expect 8 knot tides and big overfalls here. With spring tides peaking today (they're the biggest) and the prospect of strengthening southwesterlies this was not a place we wanted to be at when flows reached their strongest! So, whilst constantly surveying the picture in front of us through the binoculars, we edged towards the narrows. I could see some overfalls some way off and lined Tiger up to meet them head on. If there's one thing I've learnt on this trip however, it's how hard it is to judge the size of seas at a distance and the overfalls I'd been looking at turned into little more than flood water on the River Trent. So, round the corner and up to Shuna, our anchorage for the night!