The show must go on…….

Here we go again; another update, another plan change...... but a recap on the last month or so. We wrote the last one in Stornoway, a place we have great affection for. Excellent harbour and very friendly people made our stay very enjoyable. It was there we took the opportunity to scrub off the bottom of Hannah as we’d noticed a gradual slowing and lack of manoeuvrability. It took a day working together to scrub and wash the weed away; clean up the prop and replace a couple of corroded bolts. Plus chatting to people of course, one of whom, Andrea, took some excellent B&W photos of us to prove we still exist and we can be seen on this link. www.flickr.com_photos_schlapp_796045601_in_set-72157600193260506_

We wandered south from Stornoway to a sheltered loch and decided that the radiator cap was leaking and digging out the bikes thought we’d have a gentle ride back to the town................wrong. Very hilly and MUCH further than we thought. Bee, of course, was charging ahead leaving a red faced, hairy old git in her wake. Until we got to the downhill bits when weight and experience saw me through. We found a small shop that sold radiator caps (now rarely used in modern cars it seems) and then bumped into a Dutch couple we’d met earlier. They live on a modern version of a Colin Archer (same type as Hannah) but so different. Below decks was more like a very modern, tasteful flat with every convenience you might wish for. We were bowled over with the tour and talked about the boat for days afterwards. Totally out of our price and life style range but Redjecki remains the nicest boat we have yet come across. From the Outer Hebrides we sailed back to the mainland and wandered as far north as Loch Laxford, perhaps 20 miles south of the northern tip of west Scotland, before turning south again. This part of the coast is remote and sparsely populated and consequently far fewer boats so anchorages still remain relatively quiet. It was around here that the radiator system began to go seriously wrong. As we prepared to anchor one evening Bee noticed the engine temp was in the red. We spent the next day checking pipes and, reluctantly, opted to remove a 3 armed pipe that had been hard enough to access when the engine was out of the boat but now…. We got it off and discovered it had worn in the same place as the one we had replaced some 6 months earlier – the engine vibration causing it to “chatter” against the engine foot. We repaired and made a sleeve to give it better protection and put it all back together. Sorted. From Loch Gairloch we decided to head across to Rona a small island off the coast of Skye. Very little wind and we persevered with our new found speed from a super slick hull – 2 knots. But as we closed the coast and the tide was setting us toward the shore we motored keeping a sharp eye on the eng. temp. All was well and then within the space of minutes the temp rose rapidly, we shut it down and slowly sailed back to where we came as the anchorage we were heading for was rocky, complicated and not somewhere to sail into. On the way back a phone call from Geoff, a friend from Quayside, provided us with enough info and tips to enable us to run the engine (leave the rad cap off and keep an eye on it, topping up as required) to get back to Gairloch. The next  day I rode off to buy some anti-freeze and then we drained the coolant before back flushing the system. That day saw us connecting a 3 metre pipe to a hose tail near the engine thermostat, standing on top of the doghouse with a funnel and 10 lt water container and pouring the water until it finally came out clean from the bottom end. We then connected up a bicycle pump to the pipe and pumped away until all the water was drained…..We’d also taken out the guts of the heat exchanger to check that wasn’t leaking. It wasn’t but as we put it back together we noticed one of the rubber boots that secured the brass tube to the exchanger didn’t fit properly and it was through the gap that the coolant had been leaking away. Except that further chats with Geoff and a mechanic, Steve, we had met in Stranraer suggested that we may have a head gasket problem. However for the moment all was hunky dory and we set off, again for Rona. Aciarsaid Mor on Rona is very popular and eight boats anchored up that night. The entry is guarded by several rocks and reefs and as we worked our way in at low water Bee would create waypoints on the GPS so we could exit without hitting ‘owt. We left the following morning on an ebbing tide began following the waypoints out. Another boat was ahead of us. Perhaps it was that or simply lack of attention but I noticed I was way off course, saw a fishing float in the water bow and we both saw with horror the white gleam of rocks below the surface and almost below the boat. By now I had the helm well over and stood there open mouthed, heart thumping as we slipped alongside the danger and somehow didn’t touch anything. Not a good moment as the ebbing tide would have left us high and dry.

 The pilot book is full of doom and gloom about some lochs citing frighteningly high winds caused by the adjacent mountains

This is all true of course but only in certain conditions but it seems to deter many people from sailing below the banner draped across the entrance “Abandon hope all ye who enter” but Loch Hourn was a gem despite the dire warnings. Several quiet and very picturesque anchorages awaited us and it was wonderful. Although we only went through two of the 4 “gates” it is definitely a place to go for peace and quiet.

By now we had discussed the plans for the next winter and what to do. The prospect of wintering over in Scotland was losing its appeal or rather the thought of not moving for 6 months and we began to pursue the idea of going south and naturally onwards across the Atlantic. The more we chatted about it the more it seemed the right choice; cheap wine; movement; new experiences etc and so that’s what we’ll do. We were working our way south and came down through the Kyle of Lochalsh with fast tides and little wind we still knocked up 10+knots and found far more boats than we’d seen for months.

Further south still and we pulled into Gometra, a small natural harbour that for some reason we thought might be empty. Hah. But as the wind turned south the following day only two boats remained us and Peggy H, a gaffer built in1896, and up from Fowey for the summer. They were heading north and a few days later we parted company us for Iona, they for Tobermory

Our route took us via Staffa and Fingals Cave. The weather had been rough for the previous days so the slop left over added to the SW wind made the 3 miles out to Staffa unpleasant.

but thought the prospect of a long beat across to Iona not worth the effort so turned and headed north for Tobermory and a route that allowed far more anchorages. By now, of course, we are south of Ardnamuchan Point and boats are everywhere although we still haven’t been able to meet up with friends from Nova Scotia. For once we had several days strung together of decent winds and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Headed north for a brief look  at the area around the Firth of Forth and anchored in an almost deserted loch. Minutes later the first of 8 boats from Gordonstoun school arrived………….. Interestingly enough, well it was to us is the forecast was for a bit of a blow from the south for that night yet 7 of the boats were rafted up in groups of 3 or 2 each group to a single anchor. Surely a school such as this could afford anchors for all its boats?

The journey back to Campbeltown gave us a great sail. From Loch na Ceil we headed for Gigha but arrived to find a crowded anchorage. A quick check of the tides indicated we could still make it round the Mull of Kintyre if we kept up a good speed. As it happened we had speeds of 9 knots and covered 33 miles in a little over three and a half hours and arrived in the anchorage about midnight. Loaded up with diesel etc over the next few days before heading across to Stranraer to get the engine sorted. Toots has had her annual rabies jab and is looking forward to home delivery of flying fish….

So the engine is sorted thanks to Steve; new head; various gaskets, water pump etc and we’re ready to head off. Steve who runs a fishing trip set up can be found on: http://www.stranraer-fishing.com