Crew
• Barry
• Declan
• John
• Ray
• Ronnie
 

Skipper: any of the above
Navigator: some of the above
Purser: John (perpetually asking for levies)
Ships heads maintenance: Ray
Fisherman & Sanitary engineer-in-waiting: Ronnie
Landlord - keeps an eye on the Tennents: Barry
Photographer(s): all of the above
Ships cook(s): most of the above

Rusty Nail

A traditional Scottish drink; 50% Drambuie and 50% Scotch whiskey.

Thursday 11th June 2009
Left Dublin 09:30 on AerLingus to Glasgow. Ronnie was immediately identified as a security concern due to discovery of his restraining harnesses and other items of recreational gear he packed to use during the trip. An omen of things to come occurred on arrival at Glasgow (a very slow airport for buses and baggage) was the confusion as to location.  The first priority was to locate an ATM to withdraw some sterling. John and Ray had no difficulty but Declan must be on a black list as the machine refused to dispense any cash. Eventually, after trying a different card and ATM, Declan secured funds.

Declan received a call from Heather, our minibus driver, telling him that she was waiting in car park 1. While Declan was arguing with the ATM, accompanied by Ray for security, John returned to join the others at Starbucks coffee shop, the designated meeting point. When Declan and Ray returned to Starbucks the others were not to be found. Declan and Ray then went to car park 1 to meet Heather, assuming Ronnie had also received a call. Heather was found but none of the others were with her!
On returning to the terminal building Ronnie, Barry and John were eventually located hiding in the bar; where else! Ronnie blamed John stating that John was detailed to wait for Declan and Ray. John, of course, strenuously denied this stating that “Ronnie was delegated to watch out for them”.

With all the ducks lined up we all joined Heather for our drive to Dunstaffnage (2.5 hours) with Ray taking up position alongside Heather to ensure our safe passage.  Ray then proceeded to give Heather a detailed synopsis of Irish social, political and economic development and the efficacy of policy initiatives in response to the recent financial and banking crisis. Heather talked about her two dogs.

John and Barry went to Oban for provisions while Declan, Ray and Ronnie checked the boat inventory and went through the handover process. The first levy for the kitty was raised but was immediately exhausted as the provisions were of such quality and variety.  On the return of the shore party, provisions were stowed and we began our Scottish Cruise for 2009. Declan was somewhat concerned at the ratio of drink to food purchased for our passage. John explained that the wine was such good quality and value that he could not leave it behind. Barry agreed. 

Departed Dunstaffnage  at 17:00
Arrived Tobermory 22:13
Distance: 25.5nm

The passage was uneventful on a choppy sea with a soon to be an established feature for this trip of “wind on our nose”. We came alongside the pontoon in Tobermory at 22:13. Betty’s stew, the most welcoming of meals, was consumed with gusto; or should that be with several bottles of wine? A run ashore saw us assembled in the Mishmash Hotel for a few pints.  The following morning enabled purchase of more provisions  and a stroll – the number of Gallic signs etc. was remarked upon as was a sign in a shop window “missing one ferret – last seen a month ago - brown coat”. 

Tobermory boasts a well appointed marina with spotless facilities. Once given the code, toilet access is free. Showers run on a timer of 5 minutes for £2. A laundry is also available.

Friday 12th June
Departed Tobermory for Arisaig: 12:28
Friday dawned a beautiful day except that no matter what course we took the wind was “on the nose”.  We motored to the South Channel where there was a complicated entrance to Arisaig. We followed the pilot book instructions carefully; “aligning the transits over the Grey House, hanging a left when the road appears on the right and follow the perches”.

Arrived Arisaig 19:01
Distance: 27.2nm

Arisaig had little to offer from a distance and less when up close. Barry, John and Ronnie went ashore to check out the restaurants and discovered that both were booked out. The run ashore was affected by means of the “Rubber Duck” which presented a very sorry (pathetic) sight as it wallowed through the water to get the shore party ashore – more air required. The only alternative eating establishment on shore was a “hotel” (not recommended by the local shopkeeper) which had odd-looking food on offer but palatable Guinness which persuaded the rest to come ashore. We returned aboard and dined regally on Aine’s stew with new potatoes.  A glass or two of wine confirmed all was well with the world.

Saturday 13th June
Departed Airisaig 15:22
Arrived Inverie 12:15  ?????? (to check DW)
Distance 16.2nm

The original destination was Dun Ban Bay, North of Loch Nevis, to visit a restaurant strongly recommended to Ronnie and at which Ronnie had insisted we must dine. Based on Ronnie’s insistence Declan phoned the Pier House Hotel on Friday and made a booking for 20:30 this evening. While on route it was “discovered” that the Pier House restaurant was actually at Port Appin, almost 8nm north of Dunstaffnage  and many hours away on the wrong side of the Movern Peninsula where we were! A quick change of plan and a phone call to cancel our booking had us en-route to Inverie in Loch Nevis.  This turned out to be a lucky chance. We arrived and picked up a mooring opposite the Old Forge Pub. There we discovered the ‘afters ’of a local wedding in full swing. This was day two of the wedding celebrations and a pre-warmer-upper for the celeidhe later that night in Mallaig. Judging by the condition of a number of the guests’ day one was a day not to remember! (insert photo of sleeping guest). 

The weather had been dull with some rain earlier but shortly after our arrival the sky cleared to present us with a beautiful evening. The wedding group had their own traditional musicians in tow, who despite their advanced state, were well able to sing standing on the tables.  The craic was terrific and the dancing inside and outside the pub was a sight to behold. Fallai Luimnigh is in the halfpenny place compared to this lot with two bagpipes belting in out in the open air for the dancing. Fiona & Derek (the bride & groom) danced in turn with all the guests before marching off behind the pipes to take the ferry to the mainland and the next part of the wedding celebrations – a ceilidh where no doubt the celebrations would continue into the small hours - a memorable occasion.

Guinness was the drink of choice and when Declan announced that he had never had Guinness he was presented with a pint of the black stuff. Suffice it to say he did not finish it! We dined at the Old Forge, there was no alternative other than self catering, but the meal was pricey for steak and chips. Although part of mainland Scotland this area is not accessible by road.

Declan, Ray and Ronnie went for a walk while Barry and John enjoyed the local company – including a neighbour of Barry who was attending the wedding. It had turned into a beautiful evening ideal for sitting out under the evening sky. Unfortunately this was not to be as the local midges getting the scent of fresh meat descended in their droves. By and large we escaped their onslaught as we had been forewarned and brought an armoury of SoS from the Avon Lady. This apparently protects the wearer preventing the midge from biting. It does not keep them away.

After their walk Declan, Ray and Ronnie returned to the boat with Declan tasked to return in the dingy to collect the socialites in an hour. On returning Declan found Barry in the company of the pub owner who was insisting on buying them drink and who gave Barry a complimentary CD of the local music. John on the other hand had found a redhead chain-saw yielding Scottish female forester and was deep in conversation. Having failed miserably at extracting the two from the pub Declan returned to wait at the slip where he became dinner for the local midges. After some time had passed, with no sign of the two emerging from the pub, Declan started the dingy motor to be greeted by faint cries from the pub entrance; “Declan, wait for us...”. He did!

Sunday 14th June
Departed Inverie 10:40;
Arrived  Canna via Mallaigvaig at 21:18
Distance: 19.4nm

As we were heading to islands with neither moorings, shops, water nor power we decided to proceed to Mallaigvaig and pick up some provisions. Our plan was to dine out on Canna but when Ronnie phoned to make a booking he was told the restaurant did not open until July.

Arrival at Canna was uneventful and we dropped anchor after much discussion as to the best position. The pilot book had warned of kelp in the area. John, Ray and Ronnie went ashore for some exploration with Barry and Declan remaining on board to prepare the evening meal. The shore party returned and we all enjoyed a very pleasant evening under a beautiful sky. 
The wind began to come up a little just before midnight and Declan, feeling a little uneasy about our anchor, decided to begin an anchor watch of 2 hour shifts. Ronnie was to take the second and Ray the third shift. Declan geared up for a cold couple of hours and the rest retired.

Declan enjoyed his stint on watch, the moon came up and it never got dark. At the end of his shift Declan decided that there was no further need for an anchor watch as we had maintained our position relative to the other boats in the bay. He went to bed leaving Ronnie asleep.

At around 05:00 Declan and Ronnie were woken by an anxious Ray who on his night time stroll noticed that we had moved closer to the rocks behind us. The three donned the requisite gear and proceeded to reposition us and drop anchor. Because of difficulties with the boats windlass, it jammed a lot and was very noisy; the anchor was raised and dropped by hand. All then returned to bed and the remainder of the night was uneventful.

Monday 15th June

Canna to Rum
Arrived Rum: 15:53
Distance travelled: 9.4nm

Monday dawned yet another beautiful day. The by now traditional breakfast of muesli, yoghurt and tea (except for John) with toast and marmalade was consumed by all.  After breakfast all went ashore to do some sightseeing as Canna was the site of a monastic settlement associated with St. Columba in Iona. Declan was also on the hunt for somewhere to plug in his camera batteries for a charge. Canna is a beautiful island and we saw it at its best under clear skies and warm sunshine. Shorts and t-shirts were the order of the day. Part of the plan was to use the shower facilities on shore. These are a facility provided by enterprising locals and are about a 30 minute walk along the shore from the ferry terminal. At the “shower block” we discovered a small “craft shop” where a number of gifts were purchased and post cards sent. A 50% off closing down sale was in progress.

Canna is an idyllic place with a calm dignity made all the more attractive by the wonderful weather while we were there.  The people (population 25 including 4 children enrolled in the island’s school) we met were most welcoming and had time to talk as they went about their business.

We anchored again, at Rum, for the night in the bay leading to Kinloch Castle. A meal had been booked on route for 18:45 at the Castle which is an extravagant Edwardian example of a hunting lodge in the ‘Scottish Baronial’ style – now a crumbling pile owned by Scottish National Heritage.  The castle is all the more amazing when you consider that the lodge and all the facilities on the island were visited by the owner for only three weeks a year.  The meal was peculiar, Venison Chilly Con Carne served with rice and chips. To call it boil-in-the bag would give boil-in-the-bag a bad name. The jaffa cheese cake for “pudding” would give an industrial adhesive good competition.

Tuesday 16th June

Rum to Tobermory.
Plotted course distance: 32.1nm

Arrive Tobermory: 19:04
Distance travelled: 41.7nm

We had an early start this morning, well earlier than usual, with a departure at 09:59. The plan for today was changed based on a forecast of southerly winds of 7+. The original plan had options on Eigg, Muck and Coll but with each of these only offering south facing anchorage it was decided that a return to Tobermory was a preferrable. Tobermory offers a nice little marina with water and shore power and some very nice, and much needed, shower facilities. 

The journey started under power and switched to sail in light winds of 10 to 16kn. With variable winds for much of the day the trusty engine was called into service several times. However at around 16:30 the wind came up to around 24kn putting us back under sail for the entry into the Sound of Mull. Some very nice sailing was enjoyed by all.

On arrival at Tobermory we found the pontoons full and finally picked up a mooring at the east end of the harbour area, quite a distance from the pontoons. Weather conditions dictated a night on board and Ray and Ronnie went ashore for some provisions. A vast quantity of pasta, meat and anything in the larder provided an ample meal for all.

A night on board was probably a good call as it allowed the crew deal with the vast quantity of Tennants on board. Barry and Ronnie started on the remaining Stella but then in an effort to reduce the volume of Tennents Declan began decanting the cans into Stella bottles. This proved the theory that “after the first couple you would drink anything” and helped substantially reduce the number of Tennents on board. Ronnie was in on the scam and thought he was immune but also, unknowingly, managed to assist in the campaign to consume a couple. He may have had his suspicions!

Entertainment was lead by Barry closely followed by Ronnie with an excellent rendition of jokes.  Later during the evening, John, we discovered, could not remember the last joke told never mind contribute any jokes to the party. One joke included the phrase “Sahara pipe line” and these were to be the first words uttered by John when he awoke the following morning. He was determined to remember at least one joke!

When he went to bed, Declan was to discover his bed and any gear on it was wet. The window in his cabin, a corridor really, although closed was not locked tight and leaked. Why are cabin windows so badly designed?

Wednesday 17th June
Depart Tobermory for Dallens Bay 12:20

Arrived Dallens Bay: 17:25
Planned course: 26.7nm
Distance travelled: 27.8nm

The morning began wet and very overcast after a night of continuous rain. After a breakfast of scavenged remains we slipped our mooring and went alongside on the pontoons. A shore party was dispatched to check on the fate of the ferret that had been posted as missing on our last visit. The marina shower block facilities were availed of to shower and dry Declan’s gear. After taking on fresh water we departed Tobermory for the last time on this trip. With apparent wind of just 4kt we were motoring again.  The wind picked up considerably on the downwind leg of the Sound of Mull.  As we turned up towards Dallens Bay we had sufficient wind to enable Declan knock Barry off his bunk in the course of one of a series of gybes as were beat up to our destination.

On arrival we picked up a mooring and a very friendly “mooring manager” came out by launch to greet us and relieve us of a mooring fee; £10.

The next priority was to arrange transport to the Pier House restaurant in Port Appin. The friendly boat man suggested “Appin Taxis” and Ronnie phoned to make arrangements. John also phoned to confirm our reservation at the Pier House. Thus begins the last night of Scotland 2009.

Thursday 18th June

Depart Dallens Bay: 0805
Arrive Dunstaffnage : 10:20
Planned 9.6nm
Distance covered: 9.8nm

We had an early start this morning for a planned arrival at Dunnstaffanage of 10:30. Last night we left a voicemail for Heather, our minibus driver, asking if she could facilitate us to Prestwick for 20:00 today. She called this morning to say she could collect us at 16:45 for a 2 hour 45 minute journey to Prestwick at a cost of £230. We agreed.

The weather forecast had been correct and our decision to moor at Dallens Bay rather than Port Appin had been the right one, particularly when we saw the conditions at Port Appin on our way past. Declan took us out of Dallens Bay and had difficulty seeing where he was going with driving rain on his glasses. He was ably directed by John and Barry.

The passage to Dunstaffnage  was uneventful but wet! We all packed and began the long wait for our minibus, due at 16:45.
Thus ends Scotland 2009.

Photographs to follow.