Last time we were expecting good news on the pesky engine issue. Unfortunately, starting issues turned into catastrophic engine failure, days turned into weeks, and Away’s clean hull turned into a prolific undersea garden.
I’m not the only one that needs a beard trimWe started counting the passing ferriesclimbing and reclimbing the local hillstaking regular trips on the ferry to Oban for critical suppliesoptimistically reprogramming the boat to heat water using the sunmaking excursions to London and Glasgow to apply for visasbathing with the localsenjoying a meal outeven the deer learned that there was no need to run when Bernie trotted byBut as the colour returned to Scotland there was a glimmer of hopeThe correct gaskets had been worked out, the broken fuel lines replaced and the engine burst into life.It had been an education (‘Wow, look at that redesigned exhaust elbow that allows free movement of the turbo waste gate!’) both in engine mechanics and engine mechanicsFor our first trip we were joined by local and gin connoisseur Chelsea who we had met at the tastings she runs in the local areaWith only a small diesel leak outstanding we decided it was finally time to say goodbye to our winter familyEarly one morning Away and her luscious marine garden drifted off the dock and headed south for new adventures.
We aimed the bow at Lock Tarbert on Jura and were soon reactivating our sailing muscles pushing into a perky swell and a solid sou’wester. A quick poll was taken and it was concluded a night at in a local bay and an adventurously early start to catch the next tide was in order, rather than an extended and slightly damp bash along the Jura coast.
Away loving the conditions. Crew, not so much.Next mornings rainbow reminded us we were still in Scotland
The next day it was a short back track to catch the impressive tide down the sheltered east side of Jura. The 5 knot tidal flow validated the early start! We passed the notorious Gulf of Corryvrecken well known for its tidal whirlpools. We had momentarily considered a short cut through the Corryvrecken but the overfalls and surging cross current confirmed our decision. Soon we were travelling as fast sideways as forwards! The local lifeboat roared up and down in what looked like a search pattern. Perhaps a crew member had lost their hat overboard. The tidal assistance declined and we tacked into Port Ellen between some squalls. The marina is on the compact side and a wee cross wind added to the fun. Not satisfied with the challenge we flattened the bow thruster battery on our reconnaissance pass and we were well satisfied (relieved) to reach the dock on our first attempt.
Coincidentally Port Ellen is walking distance from three of the finest Scottish distilleries and not far from several others, the perfect final stop in Scotland. We made a considered decision to leave the bikes at home and head out on foot towards our first stop: Laphroaig.
Laphroaig has been a long time favourite and we were taking this visit seriouslyThe ‘old and rare’ sampling flight did not disappointCuriously, Fi was starting to leave yellow footprints behind and the day had only just begunAnother 30 minutes walk brought us to the next stop, the smoother and more jovial Lagavulin.Off to our final destination, and even the cows were startled by our ponderous walking styleWe were too!At first we couldn’t find the entrance despite a large black arrow pointing at it. But persistence paid off and we enjoyed our final tasting even more after discovering that a dog friendly bus could whisk us home.
The next passage involved one of those squeezy bits between the Mull of Kintyre and the Guinessland coast. Once a land bridge it now squeezes the waters rushing out of the Irish sea amplifying the waves and inspiring song lyrics. With tide and wind in the same direction our passage started well, but the afternoon winds continued to build to ‘a bit brisk for this early in season’ level and we decided to make an early landfall at Glenarm and celebrate our first new country of the year.
Land ahoy…I think I spy GuinnesslandWhen in Rome…
Next time we continue our travels through Guinessland, search for long lost relatives, and meet a distinctly live one.
Away doesn’t feel like moving right now due to her heart being taken apart, so we decided that given we would be stuck on the dock for a couple of weeks, why not go and visit another Scottish island that we don’t believe we would have sailed to (due to lack of anchorages).
A nap was needed after all the engine stress.
Off we popped one day into town, packed up with food and a dog and our bikes, and jumped on the CalMac ferry for the 2.5 hour trip over to beautiful Colonsay.
Arriving just on dusk, we rode our bikes up to the little cottage we would call home for a few nights.
Dusky clouds over the island of Jura as we arrived at our little cottage hideaway.
And just like that, we woke up the next day to blinding sunshine! Its like Colonsay knew we needed a little vitamin D and some lovely weather as a tonic to the engine shenanigans.
View from the kitchen window of the CalMac Colonsay ferry coming in to port. We took this across the day before. Is this sunshine even real?
Colonsay is about 60kms south west of Kerrera, and is home to about 100-150 people. Its one of the most remote places in Scotland. They don’t allow camper vehicles here, and so they maintain the number of tourists to a manageable level.
Bernie as he gets older gets confused when we’re not in the wobbly house.
On the island there is a pub, a small shop, a little restaurant, 2 distilleries, a book shop and a couple of gift shops. Also a fish smokery, airstrip and loads of old things.
Our first day was getting our bearings. We rode our bikes into town and had a look around. Bernie ran along well beside us and wore himself out a little. That afternoon we had booked a distillery tour at the Wild Thyme distillery which was about a 30 minute bike ride away on the other side of the island to our cottage. Its probably the nicest gin I had ever tasted. We tried their London gin, their Old Tom, their Navy strength and a few other drinks, and came home with a couple of bottles. The distillery is run by a couple who started it simply because they like gin, and had moved to the island and were looking for something worthwhile to create. Its delicious.
We also took Bernie for a little walk up in the hills.There are wild goats on the island which are just HUGE. Apparently they are from a Spanish war ship that sank here ages ago. They just run around wild, but seriously I would not want to run across those horns on a walk in the hills.Bike riding around to the distillery was a wonderful way to get our bearings, and see this beautiful island.
Colonsay has a neighboring island just to the south, which at low tide, is no longer an island. Its connected by these huge sand flats a couple of hours around low tide, so its walkable over there. The connected island is called Oronsay, and so on our second day of exploring, we noted we had the perfect time of tide to go for another good bike ride and then a 5 mile walk around Oronsay. Bernie ran and ran and ran with us, then walked with us over to Oronsay across the flats.
Tide looks low. Here we go for a possibly wet walk.It was actually fine, as long as you had good boots. A few people were taking off their shoes to get across. Way to cold for that!
Once across, it was nice to visit the Priory. Built in 563AD by St Oran. It also has a farm house attached. The people who live on Oronsay are really governed by the tides, as they can only get across to Colonsay and on to the mainland at low tide, then by taking the 2.5 hour ferry to Oban. This is such a remote place.
The irises are coming out. The view up to the Priory.First time wearing a tshirt in what feels like years! Walking and bike riding really keeps us warm. Too warm.The Priory has been added on to a lot since 563AD.The main hall area.We saw graves here as recent as the early 1900s.
We saw there was a pretty white beach nearby too, and we still had time before the tide would cut us off from Colonsay, so we headed down there for a beach walk. The sand is so white, and alas it wasn’t a swimming day (note the hiking boots and puffy jackets). We couldn’t believe our luck with both the weather, and the timing of the tides.
Ok, so I still have my puffy jacket on. Its still cold for me.Glorious beach. If only it were 20 degrees warmer.With Bernie going pretty deaf these days, he’s rarely allowed off lead, much to his dismay.We timed everything perfectly so that we could still walk back across the sandflats before the tide came in too far.As we walked back, we discovered how the residents on Oronsay get their post. The postman delivers but only at low tide. I guess we still had plenty of time, as he was going across to Oronsay now, and would have to deliver post and get back again before he gets bogged and then washed away.
Riding back, Bernie was getting pretty tired, but still found energy reserves to sprint after a rabbit while he was attached to me on my bike. That was fun, and made for a quick trip.
“I’ve got spaniel energy reserves Mum.”All the little baby lambs are everywhere and they are so cute.
The following day was our day to leave, but the ferry doesn’t go until the evening, so we decided that Bernie wasn’t worn out enough, so back across the island, but this time instead of to the distillery, we went north to Kiloran beach. We explored for a while, Bernie running and running, before he decided he should go swimming in the Atlantic. With his new haircut, the water gets onto his skin pretty quickly without the benefit of water repelling fluff, and so once he was done swimming and running, he realised he was freezing. He desperately needed to sleep an after some convincing, he realised snuggling up to me, despite the salt water drenching his skin, was probably the warmest place he’d get. He promptly fell asleep shivering, so my jacket went on top to get him warmed up. He’s definitely getting older these days.
We walked over the hill and were presented with this view of the beach! Perfect spot for a picnic, and not too crowded.He walked straight into this rockpool, then quickly out again when he noted the temperature.He still got in the water looking for fish though. This water is coming from the Atlantic and the wind was reasonable this day. Bernie began to shake when he was too tired to run around any more.Again, wish it was 30 degrees because I’d be swimming, but this was so absolutely beautiful.But while he was running around he was the happiest dog in the world.
After Bernie’s nap, we rode back to the ferry, and were on our way back to Kerrera. Colonsay was definitely the tonic we needed after a bit of stress with Away being sick. It was great to see such a beautiful island and in such spectacular weather.
Spectacular sunset over Mull as we pull in to Oban on the CalMac ferry.
Hopefully next time we will have good news to report about us kicking off sailing again. As I write it is sunny here on Kerrera, 21 degrees today and I am in a tshirt. The wind is perfect for sailing, sun is shining, and we would love to leave Hotel Kerrera, despite the friendships we’ve made and how beautiful this place is. The show must go on and we must continue to be Away.
Next time we hope to have good news about the engine. Hope.
Away was lifted out of the water for an annual health check. The boat lift here drives into the water and picks up your boat. It helps to have a high tide and no long keel to get in the way.
This year we dropped the centerboard out and replaced the fittings.
After we serviced the engine we headed out for a quick shakedown cruise. There are so many beautiful anchorages only a couple of hours sail from the marina.
On the first morning we awoke to still conditions and the island of Mull reflected in the loch.
The shakedown cruise uncovered a number of boat issues that needed to be addressed. The engine not starting was top of the list. We eventually managed to start it and headed back to the marina to work out what the issue was.
We could tell summer was on the way as the overnight snow didn’t reach sea level.
We quickly worked out that there was still a little air left in the fuel system, so it was time to head out for another test.
Bernie was happy to be leaving the marina again and took up his lookout position on deck.
Our first stop was a Loch Aline that we had passed on the way from Tobermory last year. The Ardtornish Estate at the end of the loch looked like a lovely place to stay, for those who don’t bring their home with them. They even had a farm shop and we were able to replenish our deer supplies before leaving.
The anchorages are not too crowded at this time of year.
Next stop was the Boathouse Restaurant in Loch Choire. We had wanted to visit over winter but they had been closed or the weather had not worked out. This time we had a delightful meal of local produce sitting by the window looking out to Away.
Dinner arriving at the restaurant just ahead of us.What a lovely view from our table at the Boatshed restaurant.Leaving Lock Choire next day with some Scottish atmosphere blowing in
The following day we stayed mostly indoors as Away sailed back to Kerrera in a following breeze and some light rain and sleet.
Its well into 2024 and we have ticked off many boat jobs and are fully engaged in our annual visa battle. The days are getting longer, the winter gales have turned into spring gales and the temperatures soar over 10 degrees from time to time. Its time to make a plan for 2024.
The Plan for 2024
This years plan is to find warmth. After two years barely seeing temperatures over 20 degrees, we have decided its time to visit somewhere warmer. We overheard someone in the bar saying that it gets warmer if you go south. So we are looking for favorable winds to blow us south to warmer lands…
May Update:
Its early May and we are still at Kerrera Marina, or Hotel Kerrera as its now known. We were warned that you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. And so it seems as we have met many people who came for a visit and are here years later. Each time a boat tries to leave it tangles its prop on a mooring line, has an engine failure, or can’t find crucial rigging that was on the boat last season.
We were ready to leave and say goodbye to Gill and Tim who run the marina and have our farewell pint in the Waypoint bar, but decided to get a last minute engine check as it was still surging on idle. The pink champagne was on ice and we remembered the day so long ago when we arrived here.
On a dark rainy Friday Freezing wind in our hair Warm smell of fresh coffees Rising up through the air Up ahead in the distance We saw a shimmering light Sails grew heavy and our wind grew light We had to stop for the night
There Gill stood in the doorway We heard the last drinks bell And we were thinking to ourselves “This could be heaven or this could be hell” Then she lit up the Waypoint She showed us the way There were voices down the corridor Thought we heard them say
Welcome to the Hotel Kerrera Such a friendly place (such a friendly place), such a friendly face There’s plenty of room at the Hotel Kerrera Any time of year (any time of year), oh, you can find it here
Her mind is marina twisted She got the fifty ton lift, uh She got a lot of pretty-pretty boys Who she calls friends How they dance in the boatyard Sweet winter sweat Some dance to remember Some dance to forget
So we called up the captain Please bring us some oil, Tim said “We haven’t had Volvo oil here since 1969” And still those voices are calling from far away Wake you up in the middle of a gale Just to hear them say
Welcome to the Hotel Kerrera Such a friendly place (such a friendly place), such a friendly face We’re living it up at the Hotel Kerrera Oh, what a nice sun rise (what a nice sun rise), hide your surprise
Burns night on the island With wee drams on ice, and she said “We are all just prisoners here of our own device” And in our engine chamber They gathered for the fix Stab it with their steely tools But they just can’t mend the beast
Last thing we remember We were running for the door Had to find the passage plan to the place we were before “Relax”, said the ferry man “We are programmed to believe” You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave
Hmmm…serious
Next time we butcher the lyrics to another seventies classic and avoid going completely mad by taking a break from island and boat life: we take a trip on a different boat to different island.
Away has spent the winter at Kerrera Marina in Scotland. Kerrera is small island a 10 minute ferry ride from Oban, one of the larger towns on the west coast of Scotland.
As the days grow shorter and colder the population disappear indoors. We enjoy settling in as local’s on the island, joining yoga class, shopping in the farm shop and maintaining fitness in the rain and gales. And keeping the dog entertained with rabbits, deer, cows and sheep.
At New Years we join a traditional dance called a Ceilidh. No dancing experience or skill required, just people of all ages and backgrounds keen to have some fun. We danced until midnight and watched the fireworks from Away.
Ceilidh action New Year was celebrated by circumnavigating Kerrera Island
We got used to seeing the grey areas of intense winds on the forecast chart as the winter storms passed by. We’ve only sustained a couple of scratches, and one broken fender and a few ripped fender covers during the multitude of named storms this winter season.
The forecast would warn us before the next wee blowCooking in Away during a wee blow. Good practice for being at sea.This boat broke its mooring in a blow and amazingly missed other moored boats and came to rest on a nearby beach. It was eventually floated off on a high tide with the help of some air bags.
Later in January, the Scottish poet Robert Burns is celebrated with an evening of poetry, haggis and a wee dram or two.
On Burns night a man in a kilt with a dagger recited poetry before slashing the haggis.
Soon Fi was off to Australia and our friend Nick came up for a few days. We drove up to Glencoe in some appropriate highland weather.
The marina managers also run a farm on the island and there were no shortage of volunteers to help out when one of the calves needed hand feeding four times a day.
This little guy was being hand reared and we got to feed him his formula.They lived next to the calf…super cute.
A friend at the marina invited us out for his first sail on his boat. We started in light winds and sunshine, which can only mean one thing in Scotland…
…its about to start snowing and blowing a hooley
It was sunshine again a few minutes after this was takenBetween the storms there were some colder still days and even a dusting of snow.We tried our hand at sourdough baking and even managed some edible loaves. Sourdough pancakes have become a breakfast treat.Bernie searches the island for fresh rabbit and deer poo, occasionally chasing one of the many rabbits.
Next time we prepare to leave Oban and discuss our plans for this year…
Its been a little while since we blogged. Last time we spoke, we had just arrived on beautiful Kerrara to tuck in for winter. And we really have! The cold and frost is upon us, and we’re keeping our days busy with boat jobs, extra sleep ins, doggy walks and some winter keep fit activities.
Couldn’t resist risking taking my phone up the mast for this lovely shot of the marina and hills on Kerrara.Jobs jobs jobs
We’ve also discovered a beautiful community of people here on Kerrara and I’m enjoying yoga with the girls three times a week, and beers at the pub on the weekends.
Not long after we docked, we were actually off to France to participate in the “Dare to Dream” seminar run by Garcia. Its primarily targeted at new owners, and because we’re old owners, they asked me to come along and give a bit of a talk about our experiences on the boat, what we’ve done, how we felt about it all, and of course, a bit of a chat about my Fastnet adventure. I told the lovely Garcia folk that as this was my THIRD trip to France this year, there is the distinct risk of divorce if I can’t bring my husband as well, and so that was enough for the Garcia team to be convinced that the seminar should be the “Fi and Adrian show”, not just the “Fi show”.
The seminar was to be located on the island of Tatihou on the north coast of France, quite close to Cherbourg. So we hopped on a plane from Glasgow, and into Paris for the evening, and on to Cherbourg the next day.
Happy faces after arriving in Cherbourg.
It was great to catch up with my Fastnet team mates Marie and Clothilde, then on to St Vaast the next morning to catch the amphibious ferry over to Tatihou.
Tatihou is on the left, and the breakwater at the entrance to St Vaast harbour on the right.The ferry is amphibious as the harbour entrance dries out with the tide.Adrian on the ferry, anticipating what the weekend here will hold.
We found ourselves in St Vaast again. St Vaast was the destination for our very first trip on Away, and Tatihou is a small island that you can walk to at low tide from St Vaast, through the oyster fields that St Vaast is so famous for. We never got to Tatihou on our first trip, as when we were walking through the oyster fields, we were told that Bernie wasn’t welcome as Tatihou is a bird sanctuary, so we turned around. So it was great to finally visit and it is beautiful!
Lovely old buildings and gardens abound on the island.
The seminar was so much fun, and it was great to dust off my presenting skills and get up and chat and make people laugh for 90 minutes. I was pretty rusty, but eventually found my stride. I had so much fun and we ate so much beautiful French food and drank all the wine.
Day one of the seminar, getting to know everyone.We were given a tour of the island. The Battle of La Hougue took place just near here between the French and the English in 1692. In the 1700s the area was defended by a number of large forts, a lot of which are still standing.Fort fun.Dusted off my presenting skills and had a GREAT time doing it!Well into the swing of my presentation.Much relief after finishing. Signing the wall.Fabulous group of people to meet and talk about adventures.Marie took us the scenic route back to Cherbourg via Barfleur and the lighthouse. Me and Marie, my teammate on the Fastnet.A little sailboat, taking the opportunity to sail past the Barfleur tidal race at slack tide. It would have been lovely sailing on this day.Lovely Barfleur. A quaint fishing village on the east side of Cherbourg.
It was lovely to come home to Away on Kerrara and get back into our little groove here. Hiking, yoga, friends, trips into town on the ferry, boat jobs.
After staying in a dog kennel for a few days while we were in France, Bernie needed to get shaved as his fur got matted. So streamlined.Bernie and I all dressed up for Halloween.Halloween at the pub was fun!We also watched the fireworks from the pub on bonfire night.We take a trip over to Dunollie Castle which is just opposite the island of Kerrara. Its a medieval castle ruin of Clan MacDougall.“What you do up there Mum?”“Take cute photos of my family”View over Kerrara from Dunollie Castle.We take a good hike one day to Gylen Castle on the south side of Kerrara. Again, this was occupied by Clan MacDougall before it was abandoned as it burned down after a siege.Stunning location. Decent walk too!
We did decide that we ought to go see some friends while we’re here in the UK, so one extremely chilly morning, we hopped on the train to Glasgow, hired a car and drove around England for a couple of weeks.
Our trip took us to Nottingham to see my Dad’s friends, to Oxford to look at Blenheim Palace again and check out the super cute town of Woodstock, then on to Sommerset to visit Adrian’s friends, then to Bristol to meet up with work mates, then up to Malvern to visit more work mates, then on to Cheltenham to visit more friends, then to the Lake district because its so beautiful, then the big trip home.
With his new haircut, Bernie loves to sit close to the fire in these old English pubs.Blenheim Palace. The Christmas market was really lovely.Another pub, another fire for Bernie.We went to see the Uffington White Horse, the oldest intact white horse in England.And took a walk along the ramparts of the ancient castle that was here – Uffington Castle.We saw the standing stones at Avebury were amazing. The town basically sits right in the middle of these absolutely massive circles.We stay at the George Inn, which has been serving beers for over 700 years. It looks like a movie set, or something out of a video game. I was expecting to meet a bunch of non-playable characters.We took a walk to the top of the Malvern Hills.And had cream tea at Croome Court, before exploring the grounds.Designed and built for the Earl of Coventry, Croome Court is an 18th century mansion.The owner never wanted Croome to change, and it fell into disrepair, before being sold to a property developer who did some pretty weird modifications to it. Since, it has been preserved by trusts and you can now visit and see the mansion, as well as viewing various art installations. It was spectacular, even with the weird bathroom the developer put in.Beautiful grounds at Croome, even with the winterness.Our transport for the morning in the Lakes District.Misty lake.We get back on the water to navigate to the start of a hike along Ullswater.Bernie not so impressed with the chilly conditions and his new haircut.Spectacular winter weather.But a little frosty on the shadowy side of the lake.Unlike Bernie, I am dressed for the occasion.The Lake District was really shining.
So, Merry Christmas dear friends and family. We are safe, warm and happy here on Kerrara and I’m recharging my sailing batteries ready for next season.
Back to this beautiful island of Kerrara.And finally, the highland cows enjoying some seaweed. They are actually quite intimidating up close but I’m assured they are friendly.
After waiting out our… well… second big Scottish blow in Malliag, we decided that given our body weight had increased last time we were here courtesy of the amazing bakery, and was continuing to do so, we should leave. This decision was also assisted by becoming too famous in the marina due to Away – she is stunning and everyone wants to talk to us, and we are introverted and we don’t want to talk to them, although we secretly like it, but we also get a little tired. Anchoring for a while is the tonic we need to recharge our batteries, while we use Away’s batteries.
Away looks so special in Malliag.
We find a beautiful sunny day to head back on over to Rum, planning then to go to Dunvegan castle the next day. You might remember we went touring there with Nicole and Nick by road when they were here adventuring with us. We thought we’d go check out the anchorage and wait out the blow that was coming in that anchorage.
The red sky in the morning on the island of Rum, before the storm.
A lovely night on Rum, followed by a nice sail to Skye. We changed plans however part way through. The winds weren’t great, and we decided to stop near the Talisker distillery. The forecast was changing minute to minute. Safely anchored outside Talisker, we set our anchor in really well, ready for the blow.
Away anchored opposite the Talisker distillery. Picture taken from the oyster shop.
We rediscover the distillery, and also the super great local shop, local cafe (amazing coffee and I’m Australian, so… you know its exceptional if I say that), plus an oyster shack.
Chilling out with our oysters, whisky and coffee for a day or so, we check the weather and decide that actually, this anchorage is great, its protected from the prevailing gale wind direction, so lets just wait it out.
Get ready.
Ok, so we waited it out. We were fine. The winds were strong, but our trusty anchor with its nice new snubber was holding like the boss it is. That was until…
Hmmm, about a 60m drag.
The wind was due to change direction then increase to gusts of over 50 knots. We knew. BUT, our error was to not manually reset our anchor for the new wind direction. We spun around to the prevailing wind, and everything seemed absolutely fine. We assumed the anchor had reset. It had not. We were just hanging on the chain. When the wind did suddenly increase to the predicted strengths, the anchor popped out of its spot, and tried desperately to reset, but just couldn’t as it had 16 tonnes of aluminium floating at a suddenly epic pace to try to stop, plus it was probably also covered in chunks of mud. It just skipped over the sea bed.
“Adrian – we are dragging bad” – I said as I quickly got dressed and went outside to turn the motor on. We had already set the boat up to be ready for “sea” as we knew this was coming. So engine on, and I just put it in reasonable speed forward to try to buy us some time.
I wanted to go and let more chain out, but its a little complicated as we use a chain hook for the rope snubber that provides “bounce” for the anchor chain, so I would need to pull chain in, take off the hook, put chain out, put the hook back on for the snubber. Not an appealing job in the needle like rain, massive gusts and bouncing bow situation we had going on as we dragged out into the bay. I have since learned, that having the snubber attached to the chain with some velcro, and utilising a second snubber, I could just drop the first snubber, let out more chain, then attach another snubber – learnings.
Fortunately, Adrian noticed that with me driving the boat forward, we had slowed down our drag enough for our wonderful faithful anchor to grab into the seabed. And grab it did. Sure, we were basically out in the middle of the bay now, but we were stuck in properly.
We spent the night and most of the next day on anchor watch. When we had dragged it was the forecasted worst winds for this gale, so given we were stuck in now, it was okay, but I wasn’t playing with this situation. We watched.
All was well. I managed a trip to shore the next day for more oysters and supplies. Its is truly a lovely spot, and really good holding, we just learned our lesson that if the wind is predicted to suddenly smash you from a totally different direction, but starts out light in said direction, then we’ll be resetting our anchor manually.
So, after that fun, we noted the forecast was for the wind to spin around (and get quite strong again) to the opposite direction (meaning we would be blown onto the shore this time), and so we found an anchorage that would be protected from those prevailing wind conditions.
We travelled the hour or so up to our new anchorage at Loch Bharcasaig. And it was perfect. We anchored up in the evening, dug that anchor in like the dickens, and had a good sleep. The wind picked up before we went to bed, and all was well. We could sleep, we were so protected.
Beautiful anchorage well protected from the north and west. This was our view to the south.
Knowing more gales are forecast, we elected to head back to Malliag to wait them out and eat even MORE baked goods, then further on south on to a secure marina for winter.
Gales gales gales forecast. Autumnal weather.On a dog walk around Mallaig one day, I waved at the driver of the Harry Potter train, and people in the carriages thought I was waving at them so then I waved at them as well and ended up waving to the entire train as it went past. It was the BEST fun!We took a train trip to Fort William so Bernie could have his yearly vaccinations. Enjoyed the pub and a walk around Fort William. Happy to not be sailing this day as the gale was in full swing.The Harry Potter train runs on the same line as the Malliag/Fort William regular train so we got to meet these guys while we waited for our train.Using the regular train service, you still get to go over the Glenfinnian Viaduct, made particularly famous in the Harry Potter films when Ron and Harry are flying in the car. Its beautiful, and a lot cheaper at 9 pounds for the ticket, as opposed to 90 for the Harry Potter train. But steam train enthusiasts would love the Harry Potter train.
The gales pass as they tend to do, so after a super fun sail, playing tacking tag with another sailboat, we stopped in Tobermory which is gorgeous! Plus it has a dairy that makes yummy hard style cheese much like a cheddar. Plus another distillery. Our whisky stores are increasing.
Tacking tag was super fun in the Sound of Mull.Isle of Mull cheese make yummy cheeses and you can visit the dairy for lunch and cake and buy yummy things from their farm shop.This vine covers the glass house cafe and was planted decades ago. It provides shade in summer and the leaves fall in autumn to allow the winter sun in. Beautiful.Our view with coffee and cake from the cafe at the dairy.Tobermory is colourful and well worth a visit.Sailing to Oban was grey, but great wind for sailing.
After a beautiful sail through the sound of Mull, we arrived in Kerrara Marina just near Oban. We were (or perhaps, I was) quite finished for the season given all my racing adventures, so with some quick replanning, we negotiated with Kerrara for us to stay here for the winter. Its a beautiful island with great hikes, secure facilities, and its just a quick trip in their water taxi over to Oban which has excellent shops, pubs, connections to Glasgow plus a distillery. Happy.
Our wind instruments had broken, so up I go to the top of Away to replace with a new one. Beautiful Kerrara Marina on a still sunny day. Not seeing too many of those lately.It doesn’t look that high from the ground, but when I’m up here… Whoo its high!We take Bernie to Dunollie Castle for a look around. Its on the headland opposite Kerrara.I suspect he was more concerned that there was no food to clean up on the ground.But it was good exercise and new sniffings.View north from Kerrara on a gorgeous day. Perfect sailing weather!A quick trip on the water taxi takes us into the main Oban town for provisioning.Oban is one of the busiest ports in Scotland.But Kerrara is just busy with cows.
We will stay here for the winter, heading home in February for a little sunshine, then continue our adventures in the new year. I’m sure we will find some breaks in the weather and get a couple of trips in over winter. The heater is working well!
Mallaig, it turns out, is a popular hub for accessing the west coast of Scotland. With one of the few train lines to the coast there is a regular influx of day trippers, walkers, and stalkers. We become familiar with the green jacketed parties boarding charter boats heading off to stalk some wildlife. Hikers abound and we later discovered many are heading to and from the most remote pub in Britain which is a boat ride away.
After locating probably the best bakery in the west of Scotland at the end of the marina we wondered if we would ever leave. But increasing girth and a rare forecast of good weather overcame our Mallaig malaise and we moseyed out to the islands.
Away discreetly hiding at the end of the marina dockUK signage has a certain clarity not found in other English speaking parts of the world. I wonder what tourists with limited English think this means?
Rum seemed an appropriate destination in part of world dominated by whisky. The island had a long history of habitation from the standing-up-stones period to the current day. Its mostly a tourist destination now for camping, walking and shooting.
There were mooring buoys for visitors, but we chose the quieter anchoring option on a windless evening. I suppose I should mention this isn’t us, simply a nice neighbour who had the same idea, on a beautiful morning.In 1888 John Bullough bought the island and his son later built this cottage to accommodate a few friends on hunting trips. Its not open to the public at the moment so we had to make do with a walk by. Seemed like nice spot for the weekend with a few friends. In recent years there have been several attempts to buy and renovate the property, but a deal is yet to be made.250 000 ton of soil were imported for the gardens. Of course there is a sprung dance floor, a squash court, a golf course and a bowling green for when guests run out of things to shoot.
Bernie demanded we head ashore for a spaniel walk to the other side of the island. It was a hot still day so we agreed and headed off on an 18km traverse of the island.
Yep that’s a location appropriate thistle with Away in the background.We shot these deer with Skye towering in the background.We sat by the beach for lunch. Definitely a walking day. Not good for sailing.Suddenly there was a big bellowing sound and everyone looked around.Deary me, we were staggered. He had been sitting in plain sight and we hadn’t spotted him till he stood up to survey his kingdomIt was a hot day but Bernie discovered the muddy drainage ditches along side the track were ideal to cool ones paws, and tummy, and ears, and tail. I think its going to be a dog bath day!As we got back to the boat the coastguard helicopter swooped into the bay and landed in front of the castle. We expect someone was suffering from heat stroke after temperatures had soared into the early twenties that day.After a hot sunny day we knew what was coming.Some Scottish atmosphere drifted across the bay.
Time to move on to Skye which was only a short hop away. Relatively settled conditions meant we could try an ‘day anchorage’ with ‘the worst katabatic winds’ in Scotland.
Skye is mostly sky, but occasionally SkyeWe braved the grey and went ashore for a quick look. But it wasn’t till the next day that we discovered why there is a steady stream of tourist boats arriving here.Plenty of Scottish drama: lake, waterfalls, rapids and a hut run by the Junior Mountaineering Club of Scotland, Glasgow Section.We didn’t need to go far to find the lake and spectacular sceneryBernie was happy to be on land but we were all a bit tired from our long walk on Rum.Skye with less sky.Bernie knows the dinghy means adventures and will jump in, just in case, even if we are not going anywhere.Leaving the anchorage the seals and shags were wildly excited to see Away pass close by.This one even looked up. It was probably the last sun they would see in days so sun baking was more important than passing vessels.We were heading back to the coast when we spotted one of the more remote beach houses on Skye
A blow was forecast but before heading for shelter we headed to Britain’s most remote mainland pub, The Old Forge at Knoydart. Its accessible by a ‘2 day 18 mile hike’ or a somewhat shorter ferry ride from Mallaig. While most of the hiking booted punters downed pints in the manner of long distance walkers satisfied after a challenging walk, we had dinner with a chap who had run the 18 miles that afternoon. Apparently there is a free beer for achieving that feat which was enough of an incentive for some.
Few things better in life that looking out of a pub window at your safely moored house.
The next day we enjoyed the short sail back to the bakery at Mallaig for a much needed dose of scrolls, chocolate croissant, sourdough, focaccia and sausage rolls.
Mallaig is also the destination for the ‘Harry Potter train’. It had arrived at the station so we had a look and a quick chat to the driver.Fi chose a suitably contrasting outfit for her portrait in front of the locomotive.
Next time we sit out the first winter storms and then go to a distillery to sit out some more winter storms, and head back to Mallaig before more winter storms roll in.
Last year we were lucky enough to have a guest (Tara – Adrian’s daughter) come and visit us on Away. Word must have spread because we are now on our 3rd guest visit this year and we love it! In our last post, we had Phil and Cheryl come visit for the North Sea crossing and some adventures around Norway and Scotland. This time…
It was to be in Ullapool that we would pick up one of my most oldest friends Nicci. She’s an adventurer, and one of the most fun and lovely people I know. Oh, yes and of course she’s bringing her brilliant husband, Nick along for the journey too!
Ullapool is a pretty place. We thought it would be really industrial after reading the descriptions on the cruising guides, but it was really quaint!
We are sat on a mooring ball in Ullapool that is only *just* rated for Away, so rather than drag them out there in the choppy waters via dinghy, we thought we’d pop in to the temporary stay dock and pick them up. Away in all her glory comes on in to the dock, and we are all together with happy tears to see each other!
Here we goooo! Ready for some adventures!
After a bit of a run down of the ins and outs of boating life, we have convinced Nic and Nick that we should spend the evening on anchor close by, and then do a proper 7 hour sail the next day.
Adrian getting straight into his sailing teacher get up.This is definitely my happy face.Pretty anchorage, and all the fashionistas on the beach.Even with the grey, the colours are magic.
After a little “beach” walk on the pebbles, we have a good sleep in this safe anchorage, and head off the next morning for our sail to the Outer Hebrides. Its a lovely sail! The wind is just forward of the beam and stays reasonably consistent, until it doesn’t and we all get a big excited with reefing, then naturally, just as we are about to get to harbour a lovely squall wanted to come and visit. No matter as we turned downwind and as it passed, we put down the sails and tied up in Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides.
Yes it was cold and grey. But the wind was great!She’s smiling (and not just because she’s wearing red crocs)!Getting towards the harbour, and we got smacked with a squall. Sails to the ready, we were okay and could turn downwind while it passed, taking the sails in a few moments later.Bernie loves having new friends. Well, old friends, but new company.Tied up safely in Stornoway, we heard bagpipes the next morning!
Here, the weather looked like we should stay for a few nights so we hired a car and drove around the Isle of Lewis and explored loads of old things.
Near the Marina is Lews Castle. Once owned by a mean drug dealer, it is now a lovely hotel with a tea room, museum and lovely gardens to explore.
A few of the Lewis chessmen (curious name as some queens were discovered too) were on display here – they were discovered in a sandbank on Lewis in 1831 and are 12th century chess pieces carved from walrus ivory and whales teeth.
We had a little look at the museum, and took Bernie for a walk around on this lovely sunny day!We see this little one on the path and all rush up to take photos. It just decided to face the wall ad pretend like we weren’t there. Poor thing. Sooo cute though! Never seen one before! Little hedgehog.First stop on our road trip was Scotland’s largest standing stone – Clach An Truishal Standing Stone. Its very large. A princess lives inside but she didn’t answer when we knocked. We also tried to take a decent family photo but its just resulted in me looking like I’m relieving myself on the dog. Payback?
You may be interested to know that I have purchased a Harris Tweed headband which is in my favourite colour – matching my jacket, and my crocs too but I couldn’t wear my crocs today as it was raining and we were possibly hiking.
Perhaps we will learn from Nic and Nick how to take a nice photo.Next stop was the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse and this amazing view.We forgot to take a photo of the lighthouse… Because we were too busy giggling about taking photos of each other.Our next stop was the Port of Ness beach, and a little explore around.It DID NOT look like a harbour we were going to safely squeeze Away into any time soon.
On the way south, we also stop in at the local museum and learn about some bronze age finds near the area, have a nice lunch and stop in at the local shop. We also buy some eggs from the side of the road which I always love! They were all different shapes and sizes.
Onwards! To the Blackhouses! The weather was perfect one minute, and squally the next. Happily we had a car and could keep Bernie dry, and get him out when we could.
The Gearrannan Blackhouse Village was built in the 1800s. Each house it built on a slope, and the animals would live in the lower section, and would warm the building. There were no internal walls originally. People were living here until the 1970s (the did put in internal walls, and the animals were removed by then).I listen intently to the old mate with the stories by the peat fire. Apparently when the last people who lived here were sent to council housing, the Scottish Trust took over and in the 90s restored them.Most houses in the village are now accommodation (inclusive of internal walls, electricity and running water). Its a beautiful spot.
Next stop in our whirlwind tour of Lewis was the Calanais Standing Stones. We arrived after the visitor centre was closed, but the stones are still open so we had a bit of a look.
Very eerie. Its nice because unlike Stonehenge, you can walk right up to and around these guys.Almost a nice family photo…This is the main site. There are 3 other sites that you can also visit very close by. Why were these even built??? Also how did I get a shot with NO ONE in it? Talent that is.On the drive back to Away, we see some red deer in the field off to the side of the road.
Once our exploring itch was scratched and a couple of pub meals were had, we planned a passage to the Shiant Islands so go find some puffins, and then on to an anchorage, before a hike the next day, finishing with a quick sail to Tarbert on Harris.
Happy but cold faces.Oh look its grey!
Arriving and dropping anchor, we couldn’t find any puffins but there was an extraordinary number of gulls and shags. A quick google search enlightened us that the puffins would have left the day before for warmer pastures. Oh well. Off to our protected anchorage for the evening.
Happy, but no puffins face. Apparently they left the day before we got there for warmer weather.
After a great sleep because the wind died off just as we anchored up, and stayed away until we started sailing the next day (amazing), we planned a short trip to Tarbert on Harris, with a stop for a lovely hike on the island of Scalpay.
Our stunning anchorage for the evening. The Antares charts (our cruising MUST HAVE for this area) say this is in their top 10 in Scotland.
This short trip involved our new autopilots helming us over to the harbour where our hike starts. We needed to time it right, because the bridge we go under was 19m high, we are 20m high, and there is a bunch of water that makes things lower or higher to consider. As it were, we timed the tide perfectly, gingerly went under the bridge with no scraping noises, and parked up on Scalpay. Back packs to the ready, we were off!
New autopilot doing a great job! Bernie is loving walking with his crew.Happy to be sharing this adventure together!Skye is there somewhere!The heather is beautiful and in full bloom.Happy because we remembered to take a photo of a lighthouse!And we finally get a nice family photo.
Once that epic hike was done, we were off to Tarbert for a couple of nights. Nicci and I enjoyed a cuppa inside, while Nick and Adrian motored the half an hour over to Tarbert.
For some reason, Tarbert is devoid of photographs. We visited the Harris Tweed shop, which funnily enough sold reams of tweed, and we had some food at a local cafe and visited the not whisky distillery. I’m calling it that because I fully expected whisky, but their premiere whisky batch was coming a week after we were there, instead it was gin. No matter, we bought gin.
Nicci did take a nice photo of the 3 of us in Tarbert!
From Tarbert, we plan a big trip to Skye. It was tantalisingly close, and keeps peeping through the clouds. Off we go, and picked out a nice anchorage for some evenings of no wind.
And WOW the amount of dolphins! We haven’t seen this many since we were sailing the NSW coast.
We decided stay on the island of Rona, just opposite Skye. There was supposed to be a lovely anchorage, deer and hikes on Rona.
This little girl appeared on the hill top while we were enjoying sundowners.Beautiful spot to park, then repark Away. It was a very tight and shallow spot, so we anchored, then reanchored so that I could get some sleep.Hiking on the island was boggy but beautiful. We saw our dolphin friends in the bay opposite, and a cave church thing.Lovely no wind anchorage. And sunshine. The island also produces its own venison and sells it with an honesty system. We picked up a few frozen packages for later.
After a couple of nights, Skye was calling and we saw the perfect opportunity to get out the big red sail and float on over to Portree on Skye!
Lookin spesh.And our dolphin friends came back to say hello!Happy sailors!
We sail near a boat called “Arvik”, a French expedition boat who are raising awareness of humans impact on the oceans and on wildlife. They are making great progress with the fishing industry by helping them change small things, to make it safer for wildlife and reduce by-catch. They do however have many sad stories about things they have discovered. Its people like this that will make the world a better place. We had them over for a drink and a chat and they are really inspiring. Check them out here: http://arvikocean.org/index.php/en/home-english/
In this picture, they have a tonne of rubbish they have picked up on the bow. Can you see the broken mooring ball? It had washed up somewhere and they collected it for proper disposal. Amazing humans.
I digress, we anchor up in Portree, enjoy the super moon, and hire a car for some Skye fun, before we need to get Nic and Nick further south to Malliag where they will be leaving us to head home.
SUPER MOON! Of course in the photo it looks like nothing, but in real life – SUPER.Heading into town to go pick up our car and also have some breaky.
First stop the Old Man of Storr! It was featured in the Prometheus movie and Nick was keen to see. We were more than happy to oblige on this beautiful day – plus I love that movie.
Taking photos of each other taking photos again. Happy couple!Mutual scifi fans.No way… Another nice family photo?
After a good hike and with a tired spaniel, we drive to Dunvegan castle, home to the Macleod family for 800 years! There is an extensive collection of Jacobite relics here, including a lock of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s hair.
Lovely castle. I believe they still live here. Extensive castle grounds too with amazing gardens.This is actually an anchorage. Perhaps we will come back?I rescued Bernie from car prison so he could also enjoy the gardens once we were done in the castle.
Next stop on our little adventure was the Talisker distillery where we tried out some of their whiskys, but neglected to take any photos though. But don’t worry, as I write this we have spent a lot of time in the area near Talisker, with some enjoyment, and also some terror. You’ll have to wait for another blog post for those shenanigans.
So, being the sober designated driver that he is, Adrian drove us to the Fairy Pools. Beautiful cascading pools where you can swim – alas you had to hike for 40 minutes, and as it was so late in the day (also whisky), we decided to enjoy the views and get back to Away to get ready for our trip the next day to Malliag.
The pools are up along this track for about 40 minutes. Perhaps we will get back here one day.Yep amazing. The heather is still out. Scotland is gorgeous.There are some pre-pool pools to enjoy.
After our Skye adventures, we head off VERY early to make sure we catch the tides through the Loch Alsh area. They can run very fast, and so up we get at 5AM ready to go by 6, and swooooosh, we get the tides.
Away at anchor in Portree.Yeah I might look happy, but mornings are not my thing. I’m happy because we left in time, would get the right tides and would get to Malliag before the wind picked up drastically.Pretty sunrise. I include this as I don’t often see it. Its quite nice really.It may not look like it, but we are hooting along in the current. We had to motor this leg, because there was absolutely no wind, and we needed to get Nic and Nick to Malliag. The wind was due later, but in the totally wrong direction for us, and I didn’t fancy putting them through tacking in tight channels as their last goodbye to sailing with us.It was an EARLY start so Nicci enjoyed a nap in all her clothes in the sunshine. It was really chilly!
Safely tied up in Malliag, we do a little turn about town, before enjoying our last night playing cards.
Malliag harbour. Really safe, really nice, and with an excellent bakery – that was shut because we arrived late.I promise I wasn’t cheating.
Bye Nicci and Nick! What an adventure to have my people on board. Its so nice to share a little more of my life now, and it was so nice to see my wonderful friends. See you soon!!!!!!
After Fi got back from the Fastnet, we went straight to a sauna, to break the news to her that we could be doing the north sea crossing the next day.
“No…” Fi said, even after this relaxing sauna, and that was settled.
Instead, we compromised and did a passage from Trondheim to Kristiansand where we could check out from Norway and cross the North Sea to Scotland. Finally. We were supposed to do this crossing last year but we left it too late because we fell in love with Norway.
We sent Fi up the mast for a pre North Sea crossing rig inspectionAll rigging checked and we are ready to go once we get Fi down
We also had our lovely friends visiting from America! Yay visitors! We love sharing this adventure with our loved ones and we hadn’t seen Phil or Cheryl since our canal boat adventures together.
We had chosen what we thought was the best weather window, catching the good winds at the edge of a storm that had developed over south western Norway before it engulfed the coast in strong winds and rain for a week. And indeed, it was PERFECT!!
The local fish restaurant has been recommended and didn’t disappoint.After checking out we left the dock early the next morning.Kristiansund harbour. Our last port in Norway.Whales pop up to say goodbye.This boat was parked exactly on the waypoint we had plotted. We decided to go around it.Another cruising boat passes at sunset.
We avoided the oil rigs, and played the usual games with the fishing people. They like doing fun things at night. This night they stop right in front of our track and spawn some new AIS targets. We gybe away and they turn around and go parallel with our new course leaving their spawned AIS targets behind. We call them to ask them what in the world they are doing and is it safe for us to gybe again to pass between them and the other AIS targets. All settled we gybe again and head for the Shetlands.
We turned left to avoid two fishing boats. They spawned 4 other fishing boats and then headed off in the opposite direction. We turn and go between the newly spawned and old fishing boats.There is actual night time now.
After about 42 hours we arrive in Lerwick and clear into the UK. It had been a fast a relatively uneventful passage matching closely with the weather predictions. Rather than go to town, we decided to stop in a quiet anchorage and enjoy our first Scottish gale. Phil and Cheryl go into Lerwick for provisions while Adrian and I stay on the boat watching the gusts.
We pass our first Broch… An iron age dry stone castle.Our first anchorage in the Shetland Islands.Away sits out a blow in a somewhat sheltered bay.
After a few days of this, the wind decided to abate, and we sailed south to the Orkneys and another anchorage. We are just so amazed at how different the landscape is here from what we have been seeing the past year. North Orkney was flat!
Wondering where all the mountains are.Its not all hard work on passage.
Next its on to Kirkwall. We see castles and tidal currents – ah yes, we are back in the land of thinking about tides. Phil and Cheryl say goodbye to us here after their (and our) first North Sea crossing!
They do wee country cottages proper here.
Adrian and I chose to stay in Kirkwall for a few days to do some shopping. We even ended up at the local agricultural fair and wondered if we needed a tractor.
It was all Romans and donuts at the local show.Some rather clever dogs tried to teach Bernie how to herd geese, but it didn’t really rub off on him.
Next up, we have some fun getting to Ullapool.
Before leaving Kirkwall, we walk to the beach where the wreck of the Royal Oak lies, and tried to get into the distillery but the coos said no.
Coos say no.The south side of the Orkney Islands get more dramatic.
Another beautiful day arrives so we leave to motor/sail around the island and through the tidal gates to Stromness. We were met by friendly locals who caught our lines and told us all the ins and outs of town. We were keen to see some old stuff, so we got our bikes out and took the 40 minute bike ride out to Scara Brae, a neolithic site that was uncovered by a storm in the late 1800s. Its amazingly intact, and old.
Neolithic buildings were primitive but very solid.4000 years later things have changed a bit in Stromness.We passed the home of a legendary figure in Australian history!
We had been in Scotland a week without visiting any stone circle so we set out to visit the local upright stones. Very Scottish. No time travel today though.
Standing stones, tick.
BUT – we have more guests arriving and we need to get to mainland Scotland! The rather scary sounding Cape Wrath needed to be rounded with a wide berth according to the charts. We find some perfect sailing weather and sail south west to the mainland. Cape Wrath was conserving its wrath, and we slid down the coast to a gorgeous little anchorage.
Leaving Stromness at dawn.Not much wrath today.
‘One of the most protected anchorages in the area’ the guide book said. Add storm Betty and it was soon gusting over 40 knots casting doubt on the shelter of other anchorages in the area. The anchor snubber even decided it was reaching the end of its life and started to unravel. So we couldn’t stay in this lovely place as the wind was forecast to get even stronger, so we had to brave the gale and get out into the sea to head further south to find better protection.
Sheltered they said… from what we wonder?No ocean swell but plenty of wind chop. Sailing up wind is all fun!
After a lively upwind sail in over 30 knots we arrived at Lochinver marina where cruising guides promised more ‘protection’. Happily, when we docked, the wind had abated temporarily, and we stayed in the marina whilst yet another gale passed overhead, clocking wind speeds of 50 knots. Ahhh Scotland! We heard it was lovely sailing, then waiting out a gale.
Away snuggled into the harbour.
From Lockinver it was just one more hop down to Ullapool, and a sufficiently rated mooring ball for us, where we could pick up our friends from Sydney!
We had imagined Ullapool to be quite commercial, but the loch was picturesque
Next time, we pick up our new guests and manage to see the Outer Hebrides and Skye!
Join Fi, Adrian and Bernie as we adventure where the wind takes us.
