That has become our mantra now that we are in the third year of our travels in the British Isles. Today we are anchored in a lovely cove called Camas an Lighe on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula waiting out yet another big blow, this one with strong southerlies and rain. Not to worry though; I did a thorough boat cleaning and engine maintenance and Nancy is baking oatmeal scotchies to keep my energy up.

The last we spoke we were closing up Zephyr in Ardrossan to head home. Well I won’t bore you with details but we spent a month traveling through Scotland by rail, which is comfortable and convenient. A week in Glasgow found me at the Transportation Museum and Nancy at the hair dresser’s. Next it was off to Edinburgh to work through all the Potterniks stalking any place with a connection to that franchise. We had a lovely tour of Edinburgh castle and Holyrood House as well as an all day trip to see Hadrian’s Wall. Nancy’s photos will do it all better justice than my blathering.

Then it was off to Cardiff, Wales. Other than a chronic lack of vowels, Cardiff was an exciting adventure. We stayed in the heart of the city where walking malls and park footpaths are the norm. A wonderful walled castle is a central focus of town. We found great dining and a superb Vermouth bar. We spent our time just wandering the parks and university campuses; quite a lovely time.

We headed to London next and just enjoyed our neighborhood with walks through the parks and Sunday Roast at the corner pub. The Underground took us into the heart of town where we, of course, took a double-decker bus tour. We got tickets to see Hamilton at the old Vic. theatre and heard the London Symphony play a couple world premier pieces. Oh By the way: We had tickets for the symphony on Sunday evening. No worries running into crowds on the Tube right? Wrong! We got to our exchange at Waterloo just as the NFL football game was letting out. You think Londoners are crazy about soccer, well, they are MAD about American football. 64,000 people were trying to get on the same train as us. Every NFL team was represented. Most weren’t even fans of the teams that played but just wanted to see a game.

After the bustle of London it was down to the New Forest where we relaxed at a country inn. I hired a mountain bike for some trail riding and Nancy had a glorious spa day. We chose this spot as it was near Southhampton and the Queen Mary II. Yes, we took passage on the QEII again. I already had my tuxedo didn’t I? We met some lovely folks aboard and had particularly vibrant table mates at dinner. A true round table of characters.

After winter at home, seeing family and friends and shoveling snow and all that we decided to come back to Scotland. This time by way of Barbados. Well, Nancy wanted to get a bit of warmth, and the Royal Clipper, a five-masted 420′ sailing ship, was heading on a 14 day passage to Lisbon, Portugal. Who could resist, right? Fourteen days of pure sailing delight. Great food, muddled old fashioneds, and we didn’t have to lift a finger to get there.

We spent a few days wandering around Lisbon riding their classic old streetcars as well as their new light rail. Lovely sights, good seafood, boutique downtown accommodations and a quick flight to Glasgow and here we are again.

Zephyr was in pretty good shape upon our return and a few days cleaning and we were back in the water and on our way. This year we decided to hit some of the places we missed and return to some of our favorites. Our first stop was Campbelltown on the Kyntire peninsula hoping for a good window to get around the Mull. From there we were able to spend a few days in Port Ellen, Islay. Port Ellen is a lovely village with a fine harbor when the winds are not from the south and it is the gateway to nearly a dozen great whisky distilleries: Lagavullin, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, and more. We walked to a few for tastings then decided just to settle into the local pub and let the experts (read: old locals) guide us through the rest.

We moved on up to Oban for a few days and a big grocery provisioning. We noshed on the local scallops prepared right on the pier straight from the boat. Really! There are some lovely paths through the local forest and an old castle to romanticise about, and Aulay’s bar which has great photos and paintings of ships. But our favorite spot is the Oban Inn. It is in one of the oldest buildings in town and has seen a lot of old salts pass through its doors over the last couple hundred years of pouring out wee drams.

Scotland boasts having the last ocean-going paddlewheel steamship in the world. The Waverley travels around the UK and I was hoping to catch a glimpse of her one day. So we headed back up to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull to see her come in. Well, Nancy got us tickets to take a 5 hour cruise around Mull and Staffa. I was pleased. The three days prior to the excursion it was rainy with 25-30 knot Northerlies, but the day of the trip dawned with bright sun and calm seas. However, by our noon departure the clouds had moved in and the cold settled onto our heads.

Waverley is a lovely anachronism with her long narrow hull, three cylinder steam engine and those amazing paddles. The trip was a great success, we passed Fingle’s cave on Staffa, had cocoa and a sweet bun, and a tot of whisky to seal the adventure. The rain never dampened our spirits and the passengers had a fine old time of it. We were about the only ones aboard who thought the weather was frightful, most thought it was a fine Scottish summer day!

The next day we had a fine sail up to Rum, the largest of the Small Isles. The wind blew a steady 12-15kts from the SW and we tore along at 8-9kts on a close reach. The best sailing day so far this season. Rum belongs to NatureScot, the gov’t land trust and has a population of 40 souls and thousands of Red Deer. It also has a nineteenth century hunting lodge called Kinloch Castle. It is for sale so we thought we’d take a look to see if we’d be interested. Unfortunately we were told by the gal at the island’s visitor center that it had just been sold. I guess it wasn’t meant to be, so we walked some of the trails and marveled at the austere beauty of the place. We passed many moss-covered ruins of old cottar’s houses; victims of the Clearances of the 1820’s.

All good weather must come to an end so we left the sweet anchorage in Rum, which would be exposed to SE winds and moved to our present spot where we began this rambling manuscript. Last night our anchorage companions were a lovely 100′ wooden gaff schooner, a charming 60′ wooden gaff cutter, and an imposing 120′ steel gaff topmast Schooner. We have a beautiful sandy beach in front of us, so if the rain stops we’ll have a romp on the beach with the local dogs who live in the house nearby. They’ve been back and forth most of the day.

Well, the cookies are hot out of the oven and I have a glass of milk in hand so I must sign off til later. Keep in touch, come sailing with us, and stay well.

Randy and Nancy, aboard Zephyr.