Iona

 

Wednesday July 19 2017.

0630 Up Quick cup of tea and then out the door and walk to the bus stop to catch the early Bus to Oban. Today is the Mull, Iona and  Staffa tour day. It’s raining and blowing a half hooly all ready. We get into town early enough that Sally and Dianne can go up to Tesco for sticky buns. I’m not up to it and settle for a Bacon and egg sandwich in the ferry terminal. We all met up in the waiting area and boarded the ferry for the ½ hour ride to the Island of Mull where we caught the tour bus for the drive out to Fionna Port.  The road is only a single track so we did a lot of stopping for others to pass us in both directions! The trip took over an hour to go approx.., 20 miles. Up hill down dale twisty curvy and a lot of fun. Double decker we sat downstairs amd stayed dry and warm. When the rain stopped and you could see the scenery was breath taking.

Mull is quite a large island and the main town is Tobermory on the North East corner. We were going to the far South West Corner.

We eventually arrived and there were numerous other buses parked near the small wharf. We were told to get off and wait on the right side of the landing for our boat that would take us up to staffa.

We waited in the rain and wind. Blowing a hooley and a half at this point. Had to deploy the special Tilley Hat holder on devices. A small boat shortly arrived. It was obvious that their were too many people for the one boat. No bother they told us to wait for ten minutes and another boat would come get us. 15 minutes later it did. We boarded. Sally and I got tucked up inside where we could stay dry! Most of the boat was open but the did supply rubber coats.

We were on our way  toot sweet and roared out through the Bull hole anchorage and then the fun began. We were now in the open ocean with nothing between us and North America! Guess where the wind was coming from! We’re now up to two hooly’s and six foot seas with 50 of our closest friends on a rolling tossing yawing speed boat. Anyone outside was drenched pretty quickly and they would stay that way for the duration as there was no dry room. And no room inside. Now some of the paying guest’s were beginning to experience  what real boating is like. The shades of green was simply amazing. But no turning back. About an hour later we were at the Island of Staffa. But couldn’t land as now it was blowing 3 hooly’s! In case your wondering that’s a lot of hooly’s or about 40- 45 knots of wind. We can’t land as the pier is being covered by BIG WAVES rolling continuously over it. So we do a drive by of Finnigan’s cave make a u turn in a hollow and after another hour or so and after more green people we arrived at the island of Iona.

Iona is a Holy Island and has a restored Abbey on it. The Abbey was started by St. Columba when he came over from Ireland to spread the word. He was buried in the Abbey but at some point dug up and parted out so other churches would have holy relics. About 45 of Scotland’s Kings were buried in the church grave yard. Their grave monuments are now on display in the museum.

So we get to the landing the same time as the BIG Ferry and shortly after our buddy boat and during the tooing and frowing we hit the bottom with a thump! Judicious use of horsepower managed to get us off and along side the pier so we could all disembark ( Sea talk for getting off the $#%# boat. For a lot a rapid change from grey/green to Healthy pink as soon as they were on solid ground. Take note I didn’t say dry. We walked up to the Abbey walked around saw the sights. Sally said a few prayers and pretty soon it was time to catch the last ferry out of Dodge.

I could have spent the whole day on the Island but that was not to be. We got back on the bus and repeated the trip out only backwards.

We arrived back in Oban got off the Ferry and went to the bust stop. We had an hour to wait for our bus back to Dunstaffnige. But we had a gift of the High School Pipe band was practicing in the square so we were entertained and the time just flew by even if it did rain some more.

After the birthday!

 

Saturday July 15 2017.

0700 Up. Sea Pilgrim underway for Port Ellen. We all say goodbye and watch them disappear into the driving rain. We had checked the weather and decided to stay one more day for the weather to clear. Crystalyn decided the same. Did some small jobs(there are always small jobs on a boat to keep one occupied!)  I had taken the outboard off and hoisted the dinghy onto the deck and made everything ready for sea. Dave came over and we went over to Crystalyn for larder stew and Uno. Had a blast and Dave drove us home in one trip as the wind had died down.

Sunday July 16 2017

0800 up, tea, puttering. 1030 raised the main and Sally sailed off the mooring!  Sally not feeling well but we had a grand sail up the sound of Jura with 1 reef in the main and the full 130% head sail. We even managed to catch and pass one other boat. Bonus. We arrived at Tayvallich at 1500 only to find it full! Bummer. We sailed up Loch Sween a little further to the anchorage at Fairy isles. It was empty so we followed Crystalyn in snd anchored in 12 feet of clear water. I put the dinghy in the water and went for an explore and had Dave and Dawn over for dinner. Fun times. A very nice anchorage and would like to return some day.

Monday July 17 2017.

0600 Tea time.  Short scope the anchor while crew get’s themselves up! We get it hoisted and secured by 0700 and motor out of the anchorage. Saw 8 Seals sunning themselves on the rocks and at 0830 we altered course to head for Ardfern. Hoisted the sail and had a very nice sail making 7.4 knots sog until 1115 when we dropped the sails and motored into Ardfern Marina. Passing Princess Anne’s boat on the way in. Secured at the fuel dock and took on 75.5 litres of fuel. Made our way from there to our assigned pontoon and got squared away. Had a nice lunch of soup and then went walk about and found a geo cache right where it was supposed to be. Girls did a laundry and we all went out for a pub dinner of fish and chips. Sally worked out the tides for tomorrow and time for our departure.

Tuesday July 18 2017

0430! I don’t like this but get up anyway on a rainy wet morning. Note left by Dawn they are not leaving as they have an oil leak in the gearbox! Bummer. We leave anyway at 0520 to catch a fair tide going through Doris Mor a really wild passage you don’t want to be near if you get it wrong! We see lots of seals and birds and get there a little early but that was OK as we went through at flat water. By the time we were up to the Sound of Luing we were getting a little wind against tide effect but it didn’t slow us down one bit.

We motored through the sound of Karrera and past Oban where the new pontoons were in place but not open yet! They were waiting for the new office complex to be finished first. Wouldn’t you think they could have put an Office trailer on the pier and opened for business at a reduced rate and had a season of paying  customers who would have contributed to the cost of the facilities? Nope. So we continued on our way and arrived at Dunstaffnige. Secured on the assigned pontoon C7 and then off to Oban to the Tourist Office and West coast tour company where we booked a tour of Mull Iona and Staffa. We also looked for a geo cache on the pier but too many muggles around and the location was fenced off anyway. We went for Ice cream and then a local store for some veggies and we returned to the boat for a dinner of fried potatoes and mince an ratatouie. Sally got lunch together for tomorrow and off to bed we went.

Glasgow to Ghia

Monday July 10 2017 0730.

I’m up so I put the kettle on, boil the water ,put one tea bag in the pot, pouring  the boiling water and make a pot of tea. The crew arouse themselves and after tea they go off to the city. I do the engine checks, transmission. Oil and coolant and belt. All OK so I go to the museum before the crowds arrive and see all the things I missed yesterday. We all get back to the boat by 1130 and we are underway by 1210 for the ride on the tide out the river. It’s dark grey, cold and a heavy rain pelts us as we motor past Greenock. We head to Rothesay as the weather wasn’t the best and we could do a walk about and a little food shopping.

We arrived at 1710. Sally and Dianne went off to the tourist office and by the time I got ashore they were disappeared! I went to the co-op grocery store and waited outside. No luck so I went back to the boat. They both arrived shortly after.  We had dinner and then showed Dianne the town.

Tuesday July 11 2017 0530!

You read that right 0530!! Guess who is up and makes the tea? We cast off our lines and get underway at 0700 to get through the kyles at slack water.

The Kyles are a very narrow passage between the Isle of Butte and the mainland with currents of up to 6 or 7 knots and it is not a strait through passage so we wanted to be there at slack high water so when through and the tide turned we could run down the coat to Tarbert with it.

This we did on a very nice day and got to see someDolphins, birds and seals along the way. We arrived at Tarbert at 1045 found an open pontoon slid in and secured the boat. We then went walk about. Met our friends Dave and Dawn from Crystalyn (we met them two years ago first in Tobermory and then Oban and we ran into them literally in the Crinan Canal and we’re still friends).  D and D had seen us and made reservations at  the Starfish Restaurant for 1930. We did a little shop Local eggs and cheese then showers (well needed) and  Happy hour at 1830 on Kalinka 1 . We all 5 of us had a leisurely  stroll over to the restaurant and had a superb dinner. I had the sea food stroganoff, Sally had crab toes, Sea food curry. Dianne had fish and salad. We all wobbled back to our respective vessels! Tomorrow is going to be a long day so slummberland.

At one time the whole Western part of Scotland was owned by Norway! Chiefly because of a Viking named Magnus Bare legs or Hairy legs depending on who is telling the story.  The story goes that at Tarbert a long time ago Magnus was discussing politrics  with a Scottish King. As happens when people talk about politrics a few meads were consumed (To early for whiskey to be invented). So a bet was made and a deal struck that Magnus could have all the land he could sail around. Well the next day off Magnus went and dragged his Long ship  across the narrow bit of land dividing Tarbert from West Tarbert.  He got a whole lot of land! Then a few hundred years later Norway deciding they really didn’t want Scotland because of all the Jimmy’s gave it back. Magnus is still spinning (verified by the whirlpool we were anchored in later in the story)

 

Wednesday July 12 2017 0500!

Hope this early morning stuff doesn’t become a habit? Do the usual tea ceremony and we’re off at 0530 for the trip around the Mull of Kintyre to the Island of Gigha.

A pretty much uneventful trip to Campbell town where we were going to stop for fuel. A bright sunny day. We arrived at Campbell town and met Sea Pilgrim coming out! Entered the harbor had a look at the steel piling wall where the fuel bowser was and decided life was too short and turned about and headed back out onwards to Gigha. We left the Harbour and got the main up and motored out to Sanda Island to check the anchorage in case we can’t get around the Mull. Nice spot will maybe stop here on our way South. We get to the Mull and get the head sail unfurled and have a very nice sail The tide turned and we were in the overfalls with the standing waves beginning to form! We sailed on and were soon in smooth water again and up to Gigha where we all take moorings. Sea Pilgrim comes in much later.

Thursday July 13 2017.

Get up before everyone else. Do the usual. Then we put the dinghy in the water mount the outboard and zoom ashore. We all (Tony,Anne Sea Pilgrim)( Dave and Dawn Crystalyn) (Sally, Dianne and I Kalinka 1) all meet at the landing around . It’s decided to rent bicycles and go for a ride. What the heck it’s an island what can go wrong?

Get personally fitted for an 18 speeder Sally and Dianne get 7 speeders. Tony get’s a girls bike because that’s all they had left. So it begins.

We leave the shop head up the hill. Yup right off the bat uphill. This does not bode well. Waiting at the top,,,,,,,,,,,No Tony! Wait some more,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, He arrives. All scraped up. He fell off but seems OK. We ride North pretty much all up hill on our way to the Giant’s Tooth! (A standing stone next to the road) We finally arrive and then the hunt for the geo cache begins. 7 of us looking for a ½ hour and we can’t find it! Check the logs and it hasn’t been found in over a year! We declare it gone. We saddle up and continue our journey North. Not many hills that I make to the top of riding the bike! We arrive at the North end of the Island. It was worth the ride.  We turn around to head South. Another uphill start! I get ½ way up. Before I can get leg over bar to get off I come to a stop, get leg over step down foot goes in hole, I follow. Everyone laughs before checking to see if I’m all right! I’m laughing to so must be ok. Get back on even if it’s not a horse and we huff and puff our way back to town. Stop for an Ice cream. Everyone else game to go to South end. I’m persuaded. We head off. Get to junction with road to Ogam stone. I quit. Return bikes Everyone else back while still in shop. South half obviously shorter than North half! Returned to the boat. Beat.

Friday July Sally’s day 2017.

The usual but not early.  I do some boat jobs Crew get’s ansy they want to go ashore no one asks me. We go ashore do the walk about thing. Reservations made for dinner at the boat house. We all meet on Crystalyn for drinks and then  ashore for Sally’s birthday dinner. Great time had by all!! A late night full of laughs not at my expence! So ends the chapter.

 

Glasgow.

 

Friday July 07 2017.

Had a long pause there while I did the dishes and poured a drink.

I left off with Sally not being able to talk. Well she still can’t.

We left Rothesnay at 0930 and motored up to Greenock and called Clyde control on the vhf radio to see if we could proceed up stream. No bother was what I could understand of the reply so up we went at a steady vroom rate of 1900rpm controlled by a bungy cord as the friction in the control cable leaves a might to be desired. Anyway at a steady 6 knots except for stray currents( not currants because they are berries) and we motored past instead of sailed past which would have been the preferred mode of travel as it’s free kind of and motoring no matter what is not free unless you’re the government. All what remains of the Clyde ship building legacy. Which is not much. Most of the yards etc have been converted to housing with no remains of any previous activities. BAE seems to be the only operation left. Lots of scrap yards recycling everything including I think my 1957 rambler.

The reason for coming up here was a free pontoon! With a Tall Ship (The Glenlee), The transportation Museum and Glasgow city also A good spot for Dianne to find us.(so I thought).

Anyhow we motored up the river and eventually could see the masts of the Glenlee in the distance.We rounded a couple of curves and there she was in all her Glory. But. OhOH the pontoon is full! %^$#^&*(!@#%$ words not suitable for anyone under 100). We passed by the GlenLee and waved at a lot of people who took our picture. The next thing I see in the not too far distance is the Waverly.(The last and only River Clyde Steamer) We motored up and passed her took some pictures were stopped by a bridge and turned around.

Then we  spotted another pontoon just upstream from the Glenlee and the Museum. We hustled(means hurried)over and secured along side at 1520.

We secured Kalinka1 tidyed up had a drink and then tried to get off the pontoon. A Locked Gate with an email address to check in. Hustled back to the boat fired up the computer no internet connection!! OH MY. Fired up the dongle.

Have I told you about the dongle? Anyway it’s device that in theory should connect you to a wifi network no matter where you are. It doesn’t work that way. We bought it in Wexford Republic of Ireland not the other part that is part of the UK. For the express purpose of getting wifi when there was no other available.(it’s not fun around here not being able to get the weather.) But. When we crossed to the UK all bets were off even though the company is active in both.

The badboy eventually locked on to a site and I was able to send an email to the powers to be to get the secret code to get back in once we have left the pontoon. Phooey 1655 Fri afternoon What’s the chance of any Government employee picking up the phone or checking emails when the go home at 1700? Your right El Zippo. Then,,,,, Two(2) lads came down to the pontoon and to their newly purchased Matilda ? sailboat that they were going to go up the canal to Edenborough .  they had the secret code! Hoozzaw 1507 and it works if you push and hold the button in until you hear the sound. (Glad Sally is with me). We’re now free to do what we want. Except the world closes at 1700(5pm). We go for a short walk over to the Tall ship and back. Have dinner watch a movie and slummberland.

Saturday July 08 2017

0730 up. Who else gets up at 0 whatever on their holidays? Up tea then off to visit the Tall Ship before the crowds arrive. Neat. Built in the 1890’s survived two wars converted to a Spanish training hip rescued  from a fate of razor blades or a honda towed back to her place of birth and restored.

We hung around the boat because our new crew Dianne was scheduled to join us today. 1430 she arrived. We had a short visit she was tired we left her on the boat with the secret code and Sally and I went for a walk along the river. We managed 4 cache’s. Returned to the boat had dinner and then beddy by’s.

Sunday July 09 2017.

0800 Up and you know the drill. 1030 Campbell arrived. (Campbell is Elsbeth’s cousin) (Elsbeth is a dear friend from Shellbacks). He is a volunteer guide at the transportation museum. He arrived with a bottle of 10 year old Laiphroi single malt.( He is my friend forever! ) We all follow him like sheeps and we have a grand tour of the museum. Facinating! We start at 11is and he has to go 130ish seems like we only had 5 minutes.All kinds of neat stuff. Steam tractors Steam locomotives. Early street cars or trams horse drawn hursts bicycles (including the oldest one in the whole world) Motor cycles(even found a matchless!) on a wall and cars hung on the wall to plus a whole bunch of ship models. A fascinating museum. Then had lunch on board Kalinka1 then off to the hop on hop off bus tour thingy. Rode down town got off near the station for walk about. Found a wait for it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Tim Horton’s) Of course we couldn’t resist but the wouldn’t comp Canadians so we had to pay for our small and sticky bun. Alass no Cinnammon buns. Just like home. Sort of. During walk about we managed another 4 caches1 A record 4 two days in a road! Spilling rain so back on the old two decker and back to the good ship Kalinka1. Bed.

Up the creek!

 

So we get to Ardrossan about an hour after our friends Tony and Anne who we last saw two years ago.  Did some catching up and then off to dinner . I had mussels and for my main Sea food linguini.Sally had fish stew.  Back to the boat about 2200 and crashed.

Wednsday July 5/17.

 Up early and decided to get the outboard ready. One of the mounts was seized solid! Tried wd 40, other lubricants a wrench,Then a bigger wrench and that broke the end off! Things are not looking good at this point. Then vice grips. They didn’t work either. So next I got the torch out and had Sally standing by with the fire extinguisher! I figured an open flame around an old oily Outboard might just lead to a conflagulation. Otherwise known as a big fire. After some judicious application of a lot of heat to a strategic spot the stuck bolt loosened! Hooray no fire we still have our boat and it’s sunny out. A lot to celebrate. Went looking for a replacement bolt. (What do you think the chances are of finding a replacement mounting bolt for a 1973 Johnson 9.9 hp outboard motor in Ardrossan Scotland?)

By now Tony was ready to put his main sail on so we went over to his boat a Catalina 34. And helped thread the foot into the boom bag and then thread the whole thing onto and into the track on the boom. It went all together finally and then I noticed we hadn’t attached the end slide! So we did it all over again this time attaching said slide. Once that was done we hoisted it up the mast and put in the battens. (The plastic or wood or fiberglass thingy’s that stiffen the leach of the sail. All went well.

Thursday(also known as Thors day). July 6/17

 We got up early had a shower and then and got a Geo Cache. Paid our bill and then over to the fuel dock where we had to wait for an hour and a half for someone to show up and turn the pump on. Not impressed! We finally got underway at 1330 and turned the engine off at 1355 and tried trolling under sail. It worked but didn’t catch any fish! 1540 The engine was back on and we motored the rest of the way to Rothesay arriving at 1700.

Got squared away on the pontoon . Then Tony and Anne on Sea Pilgrim arrived. Sally Anne and I  went walk about and managed to get 3 geocaches. We have finally broken the 300 mark! Anne is now hooked!! Whoopee time to celebrate. Rothesay is a nice tourist destination on the Island of Bute that has preserved most of it’s Victorian buildings and even has a castle with a moat right down town. The castle was attacked numerous times twice by Magnus barelegs who got his name for wearing a kilt!

Magnus also got a chunk of land on the Kintyre peninsula by bargaining with an Engish King who agreed to give him what land he could sail his boat around! Since the peninsula is not an Island the English guy figured he had outsmarted the dumb Viking. Ha. There is a long fjord that cuts almost the whole way through at Tarbert. Magnus got his trusty crew together. They were in the pub so not hard to find. Got some rollers and dragged their Ship across the narrows and Bob’s your uncle he got a whole bunch of good property that he didn’t have to fight for or steal. The moral of the story, There isn’t one really just thought I’d throw that in. Back to Rothesay.

Friday July 7 2017. Rothesay.

0800 we drag ourselves correction I drag myself out of bed put the kettle on make the tea,when it’s steeped I gently wake up Sally. Oh I havn’t told you all yet Sally is. Got you!!! She has lost her voice somewhere between Ireland and Scotland.  She has sent for a replacement. (I hav’nt mailed the letter). In consequence it has been a very quiet trip.

We have our tea say syonara to Sea Pilgrim fire up the trusty beta and off we go put put put out of the harbor then vroom vroom up to our cruising revolutions of 1900 rpm giving us 6 knots and we motor all the way up the river Clyde to Glasgow.

Northbound to?

Saturday July 1 2017. Happy Birthday Canada 150 years young!

1000 We’re underway. Nice day so far.  Clear the harbor say good by to the Seals. And at 1020 turn the engine off. Quiet just the sound of the sea swishing along the side of the boat. We’re making 4..9 knots over the bottom and the tide is about to change and give us a nice lift North. This trip we’re sailing inside Irelands eye and Lambay Island.  For those of you who have not experienced sailing inside an eye it’s dark and upside down. We have a nice S/W wind and pretty soon we are doing around 7 knots.  This continues for most of the day and then as we get closer to St. John’s Point the wind picks up suddenly and we have to put in a reef which Sally does quite well. We’re booming along and we have a sneeky suspicion that maybe we should have put in two reefs. Yup you guessed it. We should have. We’re now doing 8 knots the tide has turned and the seas are getting confused. Confused Seas are not good.

Ok we’ll divert to Ardglass is the decision.  We put in the 2^nd reef. We don’t slow down. The seas are getting really really confused now. We decide to furl the Jib.

Now it really gets interesting. The jib will only furl so much. Not good! We keep trying to clear it. No luck now it’s blowing a hooley and a half. Decision to drop the Jib we do. Things are now a whole bunch easier. Sally ties it all down with the dinghy painter. We start the engine drop the main and enter the harbor.

Ardglass is not the easiest port in the world to enter. There is not much water and the channel  is very narrow and rocky. The last time we were here we touched bottom. The tide is running with us and the wind is now up to two Hoolies  The Harbour looks full! OHOH. There are a bunch of people yelling at us from the dock. I have no idea what they’re saying . While trying to hear the current takes us into a stake. Crunch port side. Phooey I say. Figure out that the dock people want us to go inside the last pontoon. So we do. Lots of help and we sqeeze into a small finger and get secured. Shattered we are.

Boat not badly hurt but pride took a beating. We spent the night and then I woke up early 0630 had a look around and saw most of the N/B boats gone. Lickity spit I roused out the crew and underway we were by 0700. Sea was flat so kettle went on and we settled in for a long trip across to Stranraer Scotland. We arrived and shut the engine off at 1616. The wind then started too blow and the sky opened up.

Monday July 2/17.

We spent the day doing walk about and taking it easy.

Tues. July 03/17.
0600 woke up Cold windy bucketing. Decided to leave. (Not one of my better decisions) We got underway at 0900 sort of. We left the dock. Reversing out Wind took the boat not enough room to go into foreward! Gosh Golly this is not good.Kept trying but no cigar! Wind didn’t let up and we were pushed down to the end of the fairway against the long dock. Pinned there for a bit catching our breath and another boater came over and gave us a hand by taking a long warp out onto another boat and was able to pull the bow around while I work the engine against a spring line. We managed to get the bow into the wind and were able to leave. Shattered! We motored out of the loch and turned the corner to head up to Ardrosssan. The wind died Seas flat and we motored the whole way arriving at 1710 where we met our friends Tony and Ann.