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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
