Thurs. July 30/15
0500 Wide
eyed and bushy tailed (Not) Actually had to use the head. But now that I’m up
did the usual made tea, checked the weather, watered the boat ( Heard somewhere
that if you added water it would grow up to a 38 footer. It hasn’t happened yet
) and then I woke Sally.
We were
underway by 0600 headed to the island of Rona so motoring in a South Easterly
direction at 6 knots more or less with the help of the sails. We passed a few
of the anchorages that we would have liked to visit but the weather window
rules all. We arrived at 1400 after sailing through a Gazzilion Jelly Fish.
Dropped the hook in 8 feet of water at low tide. I wasn’t satisfied as another
gale was forecast so as soon as another
boat dropped the mooring and left we tried to grab it!
Tried
being the operating word! Sally could get hold of it but not pull it on board!
So I being the stronger not necessarily the brighter of the two of us. Changed
places and I got it. I managed to get the 2 ½” line up to the choke but it
wouldn’t fit! Also it was too short to reach anywhere else! And to heavy to
hold onto to loop another line to. We played with this for about a half hour
while listening to” why didn’t we stay on the anchor” “It’s not going to work” “Oh
look there is a #20 charge as soon as you pick it up” I dropped it like a hot
potatoe and we went back and anchored again behind a small Island.
I was
in need of a libation after all the above exercise so had one to lower the
heart rate then I cooked Lemon Sole for dinner. As I was doing this Sally
learned where the outer and inner Hebrides were. The wind started to blow as
forecast. We went to bed.
Fri. July 31/15.
Slept
in until 0900. Well not really sleeping but no reason to get up as we wer’nt
going anywhere as it was blowing a hooley and raining. You’ve all heard the
term raining cats and dogs? Well, There was so much water falling from the sky
that when I looked up through the hatch I could see dolphins, Seals and fishes
swimming by! I checked we weren’t sunk and the anchor was still holding.
Eventually I got up made tea couldn’t check the weather as no internet or cell
or vhf! We’re alone in the whole world! Caught up on my reading while Sally did
some sewing and we both played some cribbage. Crib is a game you play with
cards and a board that you move pegs around on. No one was the winner we tied!
Had roast pork for dinner and when the wind lulled in the evening we put the
dinghy together and went ashore and had a muddy wet walk and terrorized some
sheep for entertainment. When we returned to the boat the Sun came out and we
saw five deer on shore.
Sat. Aug.1/15 Another wet blustery day so we didn’t leave
the anchorage! Sally sewed, I did some of the blog and in the afternoon we said
to heck with it and dinghied ashore and went for a long walk and explore.
During our walk we came to a cross path with a signpost pointing to “The Cave
Chapel” or to another bay. We chose the Chapel trail.
After a
whole lot of uphill, down dale, stream crossing bog walking Neolithic site
finding(have we told you?How good we are at that now?) we eventually came to
the top of a cliff with a path leading a way down towards the sea. “Hmm we’ve
come this far, What do you think?” Sally gave me the look and said”” I won’t repeat
what she said suffice to say I slithered and and hopped and climbed down until
it got steeper! But there was a rope! So I continued all the time thinking I
have to climb all the way back up here! Eventually I came to a cave.
Wasn’t
much and no sign of a church. Was this someone’s idea of a joke I thought to
myself. I then went a little further
around a rock,,,,,,,Drum roll sound of cymbal’s Angels singing OK no Angels but There was the Cave Chapel! I
made it! As caves go it wasn’t small and it wasn’t really huge either just the
right size.
Inside there were 4 or five rows of flat stones (pews) further
in there was what one could loosly call
living space and off to one side was what was probably the Altar. And a wooden
box with a guest book and bible inside. I did some looking around and I heard a
spooky sound behind me. “Oh MY what is it” I thought. I slowly turned around
and there was.
This
Cave/Chapel was founded by St. Ronan back in the 8th? Century when
all them monk fellas were going forth and living in the wild to get closer to
god.
That’s the official story.
Now I think it was probably because they were
all @#$%$^&*$%#@ nuts and no right or left minded person of either sex or persuasion
would have anything to do with them! So
they all became Saint this or that because they were the only ones dumb or
crazy enough to live the way/where they did!
Oh the Spooky sound. Wasn’t a
ghost/spirit/angel or a Bear or wolf It was Sally! She (who I love dearly)was
worried about me and clambered all the way down to see if I was all right. We
both then climbed, clammered back up the cliff and made our way back to the
boat.
The anchorage filled up with four
other boat! Whooppee a party. Whiskey tasting with Angus Barry and Peter.
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