And whales and castles (and whisky distilleries) too! It has been quite a while since Dublin and here we sit in North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. So, we crossed the Irish sea to the island of Arran where we spent a few lovely days wandering the hills before heading to Ardrossan to meet up with our old sailing friends Amymarie and Roy, with their 3 year old twins Rowdy and Phil. Boy how they have grown! (The boys that is). They are on a tour of Britain while awaiting delivery of their new catamaran.

While in Ardrossan we took the train to Glasgow to see the sights. I found the architecture to be lovely; all the red sandstone buildings and mix of styles. Central station is wonderful, with its glass train shed. We wandered up to the Kelvingrove museum and enjoyed a concert on the pipe organ while looking at the wide variety of specimens. Everything from planes to paintings to paleolithic pachyderms! All in a beautiful structure.

From Ardrossan we worked our way up the Firth of Clyde to Ardrishaig to transit the Crinan Canal. So, this canal was cut in the early 1800’s to eliminate the 70 mile rounding of the Mull of Kintyre, an often nasty bit of water at the entrance to the Firth of Clyde. It is nine miles long and requires passing through 14 locks, each one staffed by cheerful boys and girls with a great summer job. Like being a lifeguard except you have to work in the rain. We entered the canal at high tide and waited overnight in the basin at Ardrishaig. The next morning we worked up through the first four locks while the entire village, along with an immaculately dressed pipe and drum corps played and cheered. Alas, it was not for us at all. Princess Anne was passing through town after rededicating a museum somewhere up the road. She didn’t even stop for tea!

The canal is very narrow with some tricky curves for a boat as long as Zephyr. The locks are only 78′ long with some tight bends on entry. We made it to the top of the canal by the afternoon of the first day and tied up before locks 9-13. We stopped in a park-like setting with a small lake across the footpath. Lots of dogs out for walks with their humans, too. The next day we lowered ourselves down the canal, in the rain, to the basin at Crinan. This is a really cool place with a traditional boatyard and a steam lighter in the basin! These Puffers, as they are called, were ubiquitous in the firths and islands of western Scotland from the mid 19th to the mid 20th centuries, hauling all types of cargo, from coal to timber to feather caps. One was even immortalized in the adventures of Para Handy, a collection of stories written in the first quarter of the last century and revived as a TV series in the ’60s. (See Book Nook for review).

We departed Crinan at high tide and crossed the Sound of Jura in order to await the flooding tide the next morning to take us up through the Dorus Mor and Sound of Luing. This particular stretch of water is notorious for its tidal gate and rapid tidal currents which can flow as fast as 9 knots. Not to mention the infamous Corryvreckan which creates a 14′ standing wave during the flood. With this in mind, we headed out into the stream at slack water before the flood and….

Enjoyed a delightful sail with a 1-3 knot push and calm seas all the way to Loch Spelve on the island of Mull. Even the Corryvreckan was sedate as we passed by its narrow channel. We were accompanied by another half-dozen boats with the same plan. At Loch Spelve we anchored on the west side where we were serenaded by a phlegmatic old seal who liked to talk while he ate.

From Mull we headed over to Oban to meet up with Chris and Irene, (see Barcelona in a previous post) and Irene’s delightful mother Margaret, who lives just a few hours away. Oban is another quaint village with our first distillery in Scotland. Four drams later we were left to find our way back to the boat. Another day we walked up the side of town to see the view from on high. The marina has a three day limit, so we said goodbye to our friends and sailed up the Sound of Mull to Tobermory. The anchorage there was beautiful, with a waterfall cascading down in front of the boat and lovely walks through the forest glens. Oh yes, there is also a whisky distillery in town. We partook of the tasting presentation which was informative, and took three drams of Tobermory’s finest. MMM GOOD! The fish restaurant at the other end of town was wonderful, with the best view and sunshine.

From Mull we went around the Point of Ardnamurchan to Sanna Bay to position ourselves for the jump to Canna. A great sail with sun and 8kts of boat speed, woo hoo. The next day we went to the isle of Skye where we anchored in Carbost right in front of the, surprise!, Talisker whisky distillery. The Old Inn Pub in town was the place to be. Folks from all over passed through with rucksacks and backpacks and dogs and tales of adventure! Quite the spot. At the distillery we, of course, joined the immersive tasting experience with video and lights and another three drams of Talisker’s best.

We then sailed up the island to Dunvegan. This is truly one of the prettiest spots we have anchored. The castle in front of the boat and rocky knobs all around us covered in lounging seals with their new pups. We tied the dinghy at the castle pier and wandered through the gardens which were most enjoyable with a cascading stream through part of them. We roamed freely through the castle, which has wings dating from 1300 to the 1800’s. It has been occupied continuously by the chief of Clan McCleod for all these years. Pretty impressive. We puttered around the bay getting closeups of the seals. Some, with their two week-old pups, were a bit shy, but others mugged for the camera.

Yesterday we sailed up Loch Dunvegan and across the Little Minch to anchor here. Along the way we passed a pod of Minke whales feeding, along with a flock of diving birds eager to get their share. If that wasn’t enough, we were escorted by a pack of dolphins who played off our bow wave for half an hour before heading off for more adventure. Quite the nature trip.

So, here we are. It’s blustery and raining today, so we’re doing laundry, maintenance, and a bit of housekeeping. All the usual routine of boat life. Don’t forget to write, check out the book nook, and come join the fun.

• There were dolphins and puffins.