16 July, 2009 - Troon to Loch Ness
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12 July, 2009 - Leaving Troon for Tarbert tomorrow
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21 July - The Caledonian Canal, the Loch Ness Monster and out to the sea again.
16 July, 2009 - Troon to Loch Ness via Tarbert, the Crinan Canal, Dunstaffnage and up to the Caledonian Canal ...
We've been moving pretty fast as we are playing catch up now. It's getting hard to remember every sail. The sail up to Tarbert on Monday 13th took us to a beautiful, if tiny, marina, hidden in a small bay just off Loch Fyne. The land crew meanwhile got to go to Arran, where there were dear so tame that they would eat out of their hands. It was also our first introduction to Scottish midges. It had rained fairly heavily the evening we arrived, so very few were about. At 5 AM the next morning however it was a different story! Even Lotti was being bitten to the point where I asked someone to cover her head in midge repellent! We were accompanied up the loch by a motorboat who kindly made us coffee and tea, a real luxury when it's not out of a flask.
We were extremely lucky when we reached the Crinan Canal on Tuesday morning as the local yacht club (I'm sorry, nobody ever said which yacht club you were from, but thank you) helped us through the locks. As canal novices it would have been tough without you, so thank you very much. We spent a beautifully sunny day undergoing a bizarre experience when we have been in open water for so long. Suddenly we were surrounded by trees, people and then houses beneath us! We were a bit unlucky as we arrived at the last lock it started to rain and by the time we reached the basin we were experiencing monsoon conditions! We were all soaked to the skin, despite our foul weather gear which has put up with waves that were hard enough to knock me about in my seat! The dry crew were definitely not dry, despite their best efforts to shelter. I don't think any of us had ever seen rain like it.
Paul, with his usual expertise, had found us a campsite at very short notice - a huge achievement in itself at this time of year - which claimed to have disabled facilities. Often the difference between what people think are "accessible facilities" and my ability to get through the door or up steps is huge. Fortunately the Crinan Canal had a disabled shower halfway along, so it wasn't difficult to get a shower and dried off after our soaking. The following morning saw Jo clearing the ladies shower block so that Toby could get me in and on to the loo, even though we couldn't shut the door with a wheelchair in place.
On a personal note it was great to catch up with a couple of friends, who managed to come in the RIB for a few locks. Thanks for coming such a long way to see us, it was hugely appreciated.
We reached Dunstaffnage on Wednesday 15th a good few hours earlier than expected. We saw our first sign of dolphins in Oban Bay and the harbour master, Tim, and his daughter welcomed us in. We caught the local Lions on the hop a little, but they still managed to organise a welcome party with members of Ayr Council who presented me with a silver cup for sharing whiskey.
The Lions also organised a trip around SAMS, an internationally renowned marine research institute. It was a huge treat for me as I got to catch up on some of my biochemistry. Huge thanks go to Anushka for taking the time out to show us around. The whole team enjoyed the trip, which just goes to show how good the tour was as most of us are nonscientists!
In the evening the Lions also organised a trip to the Oban distillery, something I wouldn't have missed for the world as I'm a big whiskey lover, but unfortunately my system decided to give up breathing temporarily. I also seem to have become - as the pressure drops the harder I find it to breathe... I was very sorry to miss out on my first opportunity to look round a distillery, however they very kindly gave me a fantastic bottle of Oban single-malt whiskey, which I've hidden!
The sail up to the Caledonian Canal the following day was a bit of a disappointment as, despite having some decent wind, it was on the nose and Arty failed to make any headway in the short chop. This meant a wet tow as the wind was against the tide. The only common factor between the wet tows and the dry ones seems to be that Huw is on board! I did sail towards the end of the loch, after we had passed the tidal gate at the Corrin Narrows, right up to the entrance to the Caledonian.
Page last updated on 22 July 2009 at 15:47