19th July Kyles of Bute

We awoke to rain – what a surprise!   However in true Flack spirit, we put on our waterproofs and set sail to explore the Kyles of Bute.   The route took us up one side of the Isle of Bute and down the other.   At the head of the island are some islets named the Burnt Isles, one of which was home to a group of seals.  We used our depth sounder to go in as close as we dare without disturbing the seals.  It was a real treat.  

Tomorrow we are leaving Moonshadow for a week to visit family and attend our youngest daughters passing out parade at the Britannia Royal Naval College.   We return to Scotland on the 31^st July.

18th July Tarbert

Having ripped our foresail due to the strong winds, we had to visit the Sailmaker at Tarbert.    A return trip to Tarbert, meant a return trip to the seafood shed!

City Visits

16/17 July

Weather was still awful so we spent two days visiting Glasgow and Edinburgh.  Edinburgh was definitely our favourite City.    We visited the Castle and walked the Royal Mile with its shops, bistros and great street entertainment.

Picture - Edinburgh Castle

Leaving Arran

Photo  - Moonshadow leaving the Isle of Arran - taken by Stuart in the Dingy!

Deer

Photo     Loch Ranza

15th July - Tarbert to Loch Ranza

15^th July    Tarbert to Loch Ranza

After a visit to the seafood shed in Tarbert,  we sailed to Loch Ranza on the northwest shore of the Isle of Arran.  We secured to a mooring buoy just  off Lochranza Castle.    Tony cooked the langoustines that had been landed in Tarbert earlier in the day.   Later we took the dingy ashore to walk around the bay.   Most of the houses had high fences.  These fences keep out the deer that roam the bay! 

We left Loch Ranza and sailed back to Ardrossan arriving in the early evening. 

Photo - Moonshadow in Loch Ranza

 

Photo

14th July Loch Fyne to Tarbert

The following morning we awoke to rain and strong gusty winds, giving us an exhilarating sail back down Loch Fyne.   Winds got up to Force six and they funnelled down the loch whizzing us along at seven knots with only the foresail raised!  

No photos as it was all hands on deck!

13th July Portavadie to Upper Loch Fyne

Being away for six months means we are on a budget and so mostly eat on board Moonshadow.   However, as part of my birthday present, we planned to have a meal at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar, situated at the top of Loch Fyne.  It was an easy sail up the loch and we secured to one of the mooring buoys provided by the Restaurant.    We took the dingy ashore to enjoy a lovely meal.

Photo - Upper Loch Fyne and the Oyster Bar

12th July Ardrossan to Portavadie

12^th July        Ardrossan to Portavadie

Stuart took the helm on the passage towards Lower Loch Fyne and into the new marina at Portavadie.  The modern glass building houses a smart restaurant and bar, luxury apartments and the best heads (showers etc) on our trip so far.    Tony could not get over the fact there were hair straighteners in the men's heads! 

The berthing fees were reasonable but we were a little shocked to pay £19 for two glasses of house wine and a pint of lager in the smart clubhouse, so returned to Moonshadow's bar which was definitely much cheaper! 

Photo - Portavadie Marina

!0th July Tarbet to Ardrossan

Our son Stuart was travelling up to sail with us, so we sailed to Ardrossan to meet him.   Once again the forecast was awful.  The wind was force 5, with heavy rain and a rolling sea.   On our arrival at Ardrossan we could not see the entrance to the harbour as the weather was so bad.   Only the white light and the GPS helped us through the double harbour walls, as visibility was so poor.  We were so glad to get in safely!

Photo - Reflections in Tarbet.  Please double click on photos to enlarge.

9th July Dunstaffnage to Tarbet

We left Dunstaffnage at 0430hrs to head back towards the Crinan Canal.  As we sailed down the Firth of Lorne it was very misty and with so many little islands and submerged rocks, we were glad Moonshadow had a good chart plotter to aid navigation.  The water was flat calm and quiet and the islands were half hidden by the mist, which created  an eerie scene.  We  had a visit from a seal and a single porpoise as well as the usual gannets,  herring gulls and guillemots.    Moonshadow continued down the Firth, passing the islands of Insh,  Easdale and Seil  before entering the Sound of Luing.   By this time it was raining heavily and Tony and I took it in turns to helm, while the other took shelter under the spray hood.  We passed east of the Corryvreckan  and pushed on through the Sound to Dorus Mor.  We arrived at Dorus Mor at slack water but even so, it was very choppy and the wind had got up to a force 5.  We were both very wet on the outside, but our heavy weather gear kept us dry inside.  On arrival at the Crinan Canal we teamed up with another yacht Lollypop to make the passage through the locks.  It rained most of the way through the canal, but by the time we came out the other side the sun had come out.

 It was then a short sail back to Tarbet, arriving just after 7pm.    It had been a long day and when the crew of Lollypop invited us to join them for a meal in a Bistro recommended by 'Hairy Bikers' we took up their offer.   People are so friendly up here!

Photo - Muscles are in abundance up here, they even grow on mooring lines!

8th July Tobermory to Dunstaffnage

We finally left Tobermory!   Tony and I enjoyed our time there, but we were pleased to leave after so many days confined by the weather.  We had made some great friendships and enjoyed the social scene, but were thinking about setting up a Christmas club as we had been there so long!   Thanks go to Colin, Sue, Stewart and Jilly for keeping us entertained in the wet and windy evenings.  We look forward to meeting up again when we visit Ireland.

Both of us were disappointed that we were not going to get to the Isle of Rum or Sky, but the weather was not going to improve for several days so we decided to head back into more sheltered waters.    We sailed down the Sound of Mull arriving in Dunstaffnage late in the evening.

Photo - Ringed Plover

23rd June Sanna Bay

Still in Tobermory.  Weather just not being fair!  Force ten yesterday, still force six and very rough sea today. Tomorrow force gale 8. 

We took the ferry to Kilchoan, walked through an extinct volcano to Sanna Bay.  We had hoped to make Sanna Bay on Moonshadow, but weather has prevented us doing so for over a week. 

Picture shows Sanna Bay

 

 

2nd July Isle of Iona

In the afternoon we visited Iona Abbey and Nunnery on the Isle of Iona.  St Columba founded the monastery in AD 563 which went on to attract pilgrims from afar.  Around 1200, a Benedictine abbey replaced the monastery and the nunnery was built at a discreet distance.  The Scottish Reformation of 1560 put an end to monastic life and the abbey and the nunnery gradually fell into ruins. The nunnery remains a ruin, but the abbey was restored during the twentieth century and remains a place of Christian communion today. 

Photo shows Iona Abbey

2nd July Duart Castle

Weather still not good.  Winds of F10 forecast, so staying put in Tobermory!  Yesterday we went to visit Duart Castle.  Set on a clifftop overlooking the Sound of Mull it has been the been the base of the Clan Maclean for over 600 years and is still the home of the 28th Chief of the Clan Maclean during the summer months.

Picture shows Duart Castle