Inverness

This morning we passed through the last few locks and bridges of the Canal, and made the short journey to the marina at Inverness. We have very much enjoyed our few days in the Canal with its magnificent scenery and changeable weather. I have of course been fortunate in having an excellent crew to help navigate the difficulties with the many locks. We have also been fortunate to have the help of Jay Cresswell, a local gaffer who knows the Canal well.

The picture shows Sian and Ant: Bonita is floating in fresh water in the last lock - the water beyond is salt. The boat in the background is Indian Runner.

We manoevered Bonita into a suitable but rather cramped marina berth with ropes as we never would have done it under engine. We then went to explore Inverness. It is 

 a lively town with lots to see.

We came across this more-than-life-size stature in a park. It represents Faith, Hope and Charity. Despite the labels, Hope is the one on the right holding the anchor. The anchor wouldn't actually be of any use, as it is missing the stock, the horizontal piece at the top. The anchor however is an old symbol representing Hope in the face of difficulty and uncertainty.

Sian and Ant have now sadly run out of time and Bonita stays at Inverness waiting for new crew.

Loch Ness

This morning we worked down a tier of locks in Fort Augustus and entered Loch Ness. We mostly had very light winds and a lot of gentle rain. Even without the monster stories, Loch Ness has an impressive grandeur of its own. Despite their being so little wind today, we were interested to see there were lots of patches of disturbed water on the surface of the Loch without any apparant cause. Presumably these are the result of water moving up and down from the great depths due to fresh water inflow or thermal movements. Or maybe a shoal of monsters.

The picture shows a fairly typical scene today looking down the loch with the hills emerging from the mists.

This is Urquhart Castle on the edge of the Loch. There are lots of ruined castles in Scotland, but this one has been turned into a popular tourist attraction. It occupies a magnificent site with a commanding view down the loch. The castle is  hundreds of years old and was involved in many of the wars in Scotlands history. It was finally blown up and ruined in 1692

This evening we are in Dochgarroch just after the exit from Loch Ness. Usually we have found the locks and bridges stop working at 5pm or even before, but as we approached this lock just before 6, we found two cheerful and helpful lady lock- keepers who were happy to let us go through this evening. 

We tied up just below the lock in company with Indian Runner, Moonriver and Sequoia.

Fort Augustus

Finally we got through the bridge at Gairlochy this morning. The mechanism to open it is still broken but they devised a way to move it by jacking it up so a few boats could go through. There seemed to be lots of Scottish Canal staff there working on the problem.

The picture shows us going past this venerable but troublesome bridge. We then had a fine journey down the canal. We had a fair wind and sailed down Loch Lochy and Loch Oich. Lock Oich is the highest point in the canal, about 100 ft above sea level. We had intermittent rain all day  with an exceptionally heavy rain squall on Loch Oich.

However the scenery in the Canal is spectacular and we were pleased to be making progress at last. We are now at Fort Augustus, about half way down the canal, and on the edge of Loch Ness. The lock keepers go home at 5pm so we can make no further progress today. We had a pleasant supper in a restaurant overlooking the Loch.

Banavie

We are still stationary in the canal, but this morning saw groups of schoolchildren setting off in kayaks. With exams over, they are doing their DoE gold expedition, kayaking the whole length of the canal and camping and cooking by the water. It will take them several days to reach Inverness.

The kayaks were loaded with stores, and at the locks they empty them out and carry everything around the lock. Character building stuff. Shortly after they set off down the canal it started raining, and rained heavily for most of the day. We felt a bit sorry for them.

After the rain eventually stopped we had a jolly evening on the Dutch lifeboat Hilda, entertained by Ron and Mieke, along with Barbara and Chris and Roger from Indian Runner.

Ron played the accordion and we sang a variety of sea shanties to mentally prepare ourselves for the hoped for journey down the canal tomorrow.

Caledonian Canal

We are still in the Canal at Banavie, we have not moved and are unlikely to be able to move until Monday when they will have another attempt to open the swing bridge. When we went round the UK 10 years ago, Bonita went round the top, via the Orkneys. This time, planning some complicated crew changes, I thought going through the Canal would be quicker and more reliable. Well, maybe not. We are envious of the little boats that were able to get under the bridge by lowering their masts and have enjoyed fair winds today on Loch Ness. This morning we said goodbye to Alastair who had helped so much with cruising around the islands but had sadly run out of time. He left on the train from the minature Banavie station. Sian and Ant have generously said they will stay with the boat until we get through the Canal..

We went to Fort William today on the train and looked around and did some shopping. It turns out that Fort William is twinned with the city of Hiroshima in Japan.

The Caledonian Canal seems to be twinned with the Rideau Canal in Canada. Both are well known to our friend Trevor who now lives in Ottawa, but apart from that there seem to be few similarities. 

The Caledonian Canal was designed and built by the Scottish engineer, Thomas Telford (1757-1834) and was a very substantial undertaking for the time. Telford was one of the most eminent engineers of his day, and the first president of the Institute of Civil Engineers. Less well remembered than his more mercurial contemporary, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it could be argued that his contribution to engineering and the general wellbeing of his society was just as great.

Neptune's staircase

The canal staff seemed a bit more optimistic about the bridge repairs today - though still no definite date for opening. However we felt sufficiently encouraged to enter the canal. With luck a few days out of salt water might discourage the weed beginning to grow on the waterline. A short distance into the canal you come across Neptune's staircase- a series of 8 locks, originally built in the early nineteenth century by the famous engineer, Thomas Telford. 

With help from Sian, Ant and Alastair we negotiated this formidable set of locks in company with Recipe and 2 other yachts, and now the old lady is floating in fresh water 65 feet above sea level. Sian, Ant and Alastair had of course been through these locks yesterday with the smaller gaffers, so are thoroughly familiar with the process.

We are now waiting at Banavie, with Recipe, Hilda, Indian Runner and Moon River. It now seems the Gairlochy bridge can somehow be made to open by Monday lunchtime, so we wait here till then.

These delays are frustrating, but we also have sympathy for the canal staff who are trying to provide a good service in difficult circumstances.

Corpach

We are still at Corpach, just outside the entrance to the Caledonian Canal. It seems work has been going on to fix the bridge at Gairlochy, but we don't yet know when it will be possible to open it to canal traffic.

The Internet tells us this is a steel swing bridge  about 90 years old. In 2021 it had a major refit to update its mechanism and improve its reliability. Any improvement must have been relative however, as it then broke down at the end of 2022 and again in April this year. The latest breakdown was just a day or so before we arrived.

A group of smaller gaffers entered the canal this afternoon: they all have masts that can be lowered and they can slip under the 3.2m height of the bridge while it is closed. Thats not really an option for us. Sian Ant and Alastair helped the boats go through the locks smoothly.

The picture shows Step Back in Time, Titch and Charlotte Elizabeth in the first lock. 

Bonita will be staying put until they can fix the bridge, or I get some crew that can help going 'over the top' north of Cape Wrath. In the meantime we are reassured that work is being done and various bits of bridge mechanism have been removed and sent away for repair or replacement.

There is no significánt commercial traffic in the canal, but plenty of yachts, some fishing boats, and small passenger liners offering a luxury experience - no doubt at luxury prices. Any prolonged closure of the canal in mid summer would surely hurt the tourist industry which is so important in this area. Let's hope it can be fixed soon.

Fort William

It was raining this morning, but this had almost stopped by the time we heaved up the anchor in Loch Corrie. We then had a fine sail up to the top of Loch Linnhe. The wind was very variable as it came gusting down the hills, but was more or less Westerly most of the time. At one point we were doing over 5 knots under mizzen and headsails. It was refreshing to have a reasonable fair wind at last.

The picture shows Step Back in Time with a backdrop of dramatic hills.

 There is a narrow gap half way through the trip at the Corran narrows where the tide runs at about 6 knots so its important to get the timing right. We went through about an hour before slack water when the water was swirling around impressively. Our speed under sail dropped to about 2 knots, but we were soon through. We passed Fort William under the shadow of Ben Nevis and tied up at Corpach marina at the beginning of the Caledonian Canal.

 We were met by Sian and Ant who had come up to Scotland to help us through the Canal. However it looks as though things may not be so straightforward. One of the swing bridges over the canal is out of action and the canal authorities don't seem to have any idea when it can be repaired. Several gaffers are trapped in the canal at present. If they can't open the bridge then Bonita can't go through, though some of the smaller boats might be able to lower their masts. The uncertainty makes it very difficult to plan anything, and we don't even know if they will let us into to the first few locks of the canal tomorrow in the hope that the bridge might be fixed. Very frustrating.

On a more restful note, this picture shows Ben Nevis, its peak shrouded in mist, taken from beside the canal.

Loch Corry

We left Tobermory at slack water, about 8am. There was a moderate SE breeze pushing Bonita onto the pontoon, with other much newer boats berthed close ahead and astern. However with Alastair pushing the bow out hard with the boathook, and a bit of juggling the engine controls we managed to leave without disturbing our neighbours. We tacked to windward all the way down the Sound of Mull, but had to motor the last couple of miles to avoid being pushed back by the tide. We then had a fair wind up Loch Linnhe, and have anchored for the night at Loch Corry. This is a remote and peaceful spot surrounded by huge hills.

Two other gaffers are here, also heading up to the Caledonian Canal- Charlotte Elizabeth and Step Back in Time. Above is Martins picture of the boats in this isolated and picturesque anchorage. We all (Alastair, Tony, Sally, Martin and his dog Jack, and me)  had supper aboard Bonita. 

Sound of Mull

After days of Mediterranean conditions, the weather has suddenly become a lot more Scottish. It rained at lot last night and this morning there was drizzle in Loch Aline with clouds of mist obscuring the surrounding hills. Sadly the rain also revealed a couple of small deck leaks which I thought I had cured. However despite the peaceful solitude of the Loch we felt we had to move on. The picture shows the lovely motor yacht Chico which was moored in the Loch. She looks splendid. 

Dating from 1932, she was once owned by Sir Malcolm Campbell,one of the few people to hold the world speed records on both land and water ( though not in this boat). She was named 'Bluebird' as were all his yachts. She took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940 and is now available for charter.

We had a nice close hauled breeze up the Sound of Mull, and the rain had stopped by the time we reached Tobermory. Alastair and I dried out by having tea in the splendour of the warm terrace of the Western Isles Hotel with its dramatic views over the harbour and surrounding countryside. 

The picture shows two pipers playing a duet by the harbour. There is a clan gathering here today with lots of people in tartan.

There are some other gaffers here too - Susan J, Lahloo and Cygnet.  Susan J and Cygnet are planning to go 'round the top': Lahloo is likely to go through the Caledonian Canal a few days after us. 

We has a jolly supper with Dave and Julie, Fiona and Helen from Susan J and we shall watch their progress as they head north with interest.

Parade of Sail

Today Jonathan who has been so helpful sailing in the Western Isles had to leave us, but has been replaced by Ds cousin Alastair who is an experienced sailor and sailed on Bonita on a Channel cruise many years ago. We have now left the Kerrera marina where the staff we so helpful and understanding.  We have had a splendid time with the Gaffers at Oban thanks to the organising skills of Julian and Alison Cable. The Scottish Area of the OGA, once quite quiet, is clearly in good hands.

The final part of the Oban celebrations this afternoon was a parade of sail past the Oban waterfront for the benefit of all those there. We had brisk easterly winds all day which caused some difficulty in leaving our marina berth, and made the parade of sail quite lively. Some boats had a reef ( or two) in, but we didnt think that necessary. Sorry, we were too busy to take any pictures but I am sure we put on a good display. After the parade of sail the wind died and we carried on sailing up to the entrance to the Sound of Mull. We have anchored in the lovely Loch Aline, which is almost entirely landlocked and surrounded by hills.

It is forecast to be wet and windy tonight but we should be safe enough here.

Racing at Oban

The Oban Sailing Club had kindly agreed to organise a race for the Gaffers this afternoon. Sadly there was very little wind - for some of the time there was none at all - and Bonita does like a bit of a breeze to get her going. She also has a bit of weed on the bottom, no doubt partly due to the hot summer weather  However we felt we should take part, with Jonathan and Alasdair as crew. Alasdair helmed the boat throughout the race with skill and patience despite some fairly frustrating conditions.

The picture shows Alasdair steering, and Susan J in the background. They have all new sails this season and did better than we did. As we neared the finish line we found the wind had gone, the tide was against us and we had started going backwards, so reluctantly we decided to retire and motor back. Several other boats did the same.

The picture shows Ferryman, based on the Itchen Ferry design, and undergoing a major programme of restoration. 

 The most dramatic event was when Letty, the 35ton Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter, lost her propellor and retired from the race. Let's hope they can get a new one sorted out soon. 

In the evening everyone met up for a meal and prize-giving at the Oban Sailing Club, after which Alasdair had to return to Arnside.

Oban Party Port

Actually we are still in Kerrera, but this weekend is the first of two Party Ports in Scottish waters on the OGA Round Britain cruise. We and most of the other gaffers dressed the ships overall with lots of flags.

It was another warm day with little wind. 

In the morning I walked up the hill above the harbour to look at the Hutchison memorial and admire the view over the islands.

David Hutcheson was a victorian businessman who helped found the Caledonian MacBrayne shipping company that bought steam ferries to the islands

 The ferry company provides a vital service to these communities and is now owned by the Scottish government.

Throughout the day gaffers have been arriving and we now have about 24 here - a few local gaffers as well as the Round Britain boats.

The picture shows a few of them. A festive evening was spent in the Waypoint restaurant, and if there is any wind, a race is planned for tomorrow. We have been joined by Alasdair who has come up from Arnside and is seeing Bonita for the first time. 

Gaffers in Kerrera

We woke up to another day of Mediterranean sunshine and a light SE wind. We left Tobermory at 7am and tacked down the Sound of Mull towards Oban in company with Ricks in Recipe. As so often has happened this summer, the wind faded away after a few hours. We ended up motoring against the tide, which seemed to be both more turbulent and more adverse than the tide tables had led us to expect.

We arrived at Kerrera mid afternoon to find a number of gaffers already here. All the Round Britain gaffers and a number of local boats should be gathering in the next day or so. Some we have not seen for several weeks so it will be good to catch up.

We also met our friends Jane and Julian who in a change of plan have decided to leave their boat ashore in the boatyard for a while. It was nice to see them both but we were sorry about the problems with the boat.

Loch Sunart

It was so hot in Tobermoray today we decided we would be better off at sea. In company with Ricks on Recipe we started out to visit Loch Sunart, a few miles from Tobermory. We started with a promising wind but sadly that petered out after a couple of hours. Loch Sunart is very pretty, almost completely landlocked with a narrow rocky entrance, and surrounded by hills and mountains. The picture shows Bonita and Recipe in the loch rafted up for lunch.

On the way back we passed the ketch Bessie Ellen under sail. Built in 1904 as a West Country trading ketch she has now been repurposed for Hebridean cruising holidays.

The ex- Brixham trawler Provident is currently in Tobermory and also taking tourists. These venerable old wooden craft cost a lot to maintain and its good if tourism can  help to keep them in seaworthy condition.

Tobermory

Today was a very warm day with no wind. Jonathan and I felt we had seen everything we needed to on Kerrera so we motored all the way to Tobermory in the company of Ricks who is sailing single handed on Recipe, a Norfolk Smuggler.

We also met our friends Jane and Julian on Wombat coming the other way. They live in Hampshire but Wombat has been kept in Scotland so they have been able to expore the area properly. The picture shows Wombat at sea.

When we picked up a mooring in Tobermory it was so warm that we both went for a swim off the boat. This was fairly brief as it soon became clear that the warm weather had not had so much effect on the sea coming in from the Atlantic. After recovering from this we went ashore for supper, and met up with Martha who is working in Tobermory and helped out with crewing on Bonita on her Baltic trip in 2016. The picture shows Tobermory harbour from the terrace of the Western Isles hotel, overlooking the bay.

Kerrera

 We are not really in Oban: Bonita is in Kerrera, which is a short distance away across Kerrera sound. There is a regular ferry service to Oban. On Saturday John and I had a look around Oban which is a lively town with lots going on and much to see. The picture shows one of the  many buskers playing the bagpipes in full highland dress.

 After walking round the town, John went to the station to go back to London, and I went to the supermarket to stock up. 

Today our friend Jonathan arrived  fresh from supervising fell walkers in the Lake District. Jonathan was last on Bonita on our previous round Britain trip 10 years ago, and was relieved to see that hardly anything had changed. However today was not only very warm, but also there was virtually no wind, so we walked around Kerrera island instead. The picture shows Gylen castle, a ruin on the western end of the island.

For all its remote position and spectacular views, it does not seem to have been a great success as a castle. Built in 1582 by the MacDougall clan, it was besieged in 1647 and had to surrender, probably due to lack of any supply of fresh water. It was set on fire and has been a ruin ever since. Quite a lot of work was done about 20 years ago to stabilize it in its ruined state and it is open to the public to wander around.

Oban

The tide wasn't in our favour till 3pm so we spent the morning at Crinan. The area where the canal meets the sea seemed idyllic in the warm sunshine,: there is a boatyard, a small hotel and a coffee shop, with interesting boats coming and going at the leisurely pace you expect with canal life. 

We had to head out to the open sea though. We went through Dorus Mor at slack water. This is an area known for its turbulence with massive whirlpools on display even when the tide is at its quietest. The photo shows the infamous Corryvreckan, one of the worlds most notorious tide races, looking as though it couldnt harm anyone.

The white speck on the right of the photo is a small sailing boat that we watched go through the race - at slack water - without suffering any obvious ill effects. Only to be attempted with a lot of local knowledge.

We are now in Oban - rather ahead of the rest of the Gaffers- as John has run out of time. Having helped get us all the way from North Wales he sadly has to go back to London for real work.

Crinan

It did blow hard from the east last night- the only direction from which Ardminish Bay on Gigha is not well protected. It certainly wasn't a very restful night but I felt fairly confident in the mooring (rated for yachts up to 15 tons) and I shackled a loop of anchor chain to the buoy rather than relying on a piece of rope. So we spent the night secure if not peaceful. This morning it was sadly still too rough to go ashore in the dinghy, but the wind moderated by midday and so we got going. We had our best sail for many days- a brisk close reach in reasonably protected waters and the boat going at 6-7 knots for much of the time. The scenery is always spectacular, but with so many island peaks in view it can be difficult to sort out which is which.

We are now at Crinan,  not because we want to go down the Crinan canal, but because starting from here we have the best chance of getting the tides right for the difficult waters tomorrow.

Gigha!

As far as is practical I have tried visit new ports on this trip rather than going to places we went to last time round. Gigha, an island north of the Mull of Kintyre however is a bit special and is well worth revisiting. 

John and I left Campbeltown at about midday to get the tide round the Mull. The guidance is that to avoid the worst of the turbulence its best to stay within quarter of a mile of the cliffs, which does provide some spectacular views. Once again we had light winds and motored for much of the time. We picked up a buoy in Ardminish Bay in Gigha about 7pm.

One welcome change since we're last here is that they have installed a very fine new dinghy pontoon - pictured.

The previous one was clearly unsafe and seemed to be held together by rust. The restaurant at the top of they quay seems to be under new ownership but still provides an excellent fish supper. Ron and Mieke on Hilda are here and we were interested to look over the Hilda - a Dutch lifeboat built in steel in 1922 that has been converted into a very comfortable and seaworthy cruising yacht.

Ardminish Bay is the site where Iskra, a gaff cutter owned by the writer Frank Mulville was wrecked. She was on a visitors mooring ( as we are) when a strong onshore wind blew up. She was only attached to the mooring buoy by a single rope which chafed through - not the sort of mistake you might expect from such an experienced seaman. The boat was driven ashore and wrecked. Rather surprisingly Mulville persuaded his insurance company that the boat wasn't a write-off and that they should  pay for the boat to be repaired in the West of Scotland by shipwrights that he bought over from Essex to do the work. All this is told in his book 'Rescue and Repair'. Sadly Mulville died some years ago but I believe that Iskra is still going strong.

Campbeltown

In midsummer with long warm days and (mostly) light winds it is easy to forget how hostile these waters can be. The picture shows a memorial in Portpatrick commemorating the loss of the Princess Victoria off this coast on a stormy January night in 1953. 

The Princess Victoria was a car ferry sailing to Northern Ireland. She set out in a gale and the waves broke open the rear doors to the car deck causing her to take on water and sink. 

There were difficulties in organising the rescue attempts, partly because the rescue ships were unable to find her. Many passengers and crew died in the shipwreck.

Today was much more peaceful and we mostly motored from Portpatrick across the Firth of Clyde to Campbeltown. We had light head winds which later faded away. Head winds have been a feature of this trip so far: we have had head winds or no wind all the way from Lands End to the Clyde. Maybe things might get better soon.

The picture shows the lighthouse at the entrance to Campbeltown Loch. The small marina was quite crowded but eventually we managed to raft up alongside another boat.

Most of the other gaffers that were here have moved on, but Indian Runner is still here and we had a pleasant evening enjoying a drink aboard with Roger and Chris Hardman and their crew. Chris writes a blog of Indian Runners adventures which is always worth reading.

Portpatrick

It turns out that Sir William Hillary, the originator of the lifeboat service, was a Manx resident. Here is a rather weathered statue of him in a park in Douglas. He  is staring thoughtfully out to sea.

We didn't feel the attractions of the TT should keep us in Douglas so John and I decided to move on. When we came to Douglas I hadn't given much thought to the rather complex tides round the Isle of Man. For going up towards the Clyde, it seems its much better to start from Peel on the west side of the island, and for us it worked out better to go round the southern tip of the island before heading north. First though we had to get out of Douglas inner harbour. There wasn't enough space to turn Bonita and so we reversed her rather laboriously out of the inner harbour and under the lifting roadbridge that crosses the harbour entrance. John was fully occupied fending off, and as it was Sunday lunchtime lots of boat owners emerged from their cabins to cheerfully adjust their fenders when they saw us coming.

There wasn't much wind and much of the time the sea was like glass. We motored overnight all the way to The North Channel and ended up in the miniature harbour of Portpatrick. We are now in Scotland!

This minute harbour was apparently originally built as a ferry port serving Northern Ireland, but the ferries left long ago and much of the structure of  the harbour is in very poor condition.  It is now owned by a Community Action Group. We wish them well but there doesnt seem to be much sign of recent improvements.The entrance is very narrow, surrounded on both sides by the remains of the old harbour walls, though the small inner harbour still provides a secure berth but with no frills. 

Douglas

 The trouble with leaving the boat and going home for a few days is that you get involved with all sorts of important things that make it hard to go back. However John and I managed to find a day between strikes when the trains were running and on Thursday made the scenic but rather lengthy journey from London to Pwllheli.

The next morning we extricated Bonita from the marina berth she had been in for the last ten days. I had been worried about the tides inside Bardsey Island on the southern tip of the Lleyn peninsula. All the guidance agrees this can be a very disturbed piece of water, sometimes dangerously so, and is best transited at slack water. There does seem some difference of opinion in the books as to exactly when slack water is, however. We left Pwllheli about 2 1/2 hours before local low water and that seemed to work OK, The picture shows John, with Bardsey island and its turbulent sound safely behind us.

Originally I had planned to go to Holyhead, but  before we got there we found that progress was so depressingly slow against the tide and a head wind that we had a change of plan. We motor-sailed through the night with a light NE wind and by morning were off the Isle of Man. This is the start of TT week on the Isle of Man, and I had heard that all the harbours might be full. As soon as we had radio contact, I called up Douglas harbour, to be told they had several free berths. These berths were all taken during the course of the day, however. We locked into the inner harbour and after a great deal of slow speed manoevering with John busy with fenders and boat hook, we were snugly berthed up.

The TT does dominate the Island at this time. Quite apart from the competitors, there are motorcycles and motorcycle enthusiasts from many countries everywhere. There are people in 'leathers' ( now Kevlar I believe) in all the clubs and bars, which have extended their opening hours. Its clear dry weather so it should be a good year for the TT.