Day 40 (13/6/13) Gairloch to Lochinver  (39/858nm)

Depart 0930, Arrive 1615.

Wind SW F6.

Lochinver Harbour was enlarged by a £7m EU grant and is now used by large Spanish fishing boat filling Spanish lorries with cod and coley.  The village is small with a famous pie shop (The Lochinver Larder), a fine real ale pub The Caberfeidh (The Stag's Antler) selling Hebridean Gold from Skye and a hotel owned by the Roux Bros.  Above the town is the striking cone shaped Mt Suilven.

Day 41 & 42  (14 to 15/6/13) Lochinver

Excellent ribeye in the Lochinver Larder and fiddle playing in the Caberfeidh...Lochinver is a good place to stop.  Off to Stornoway (Lewis) tomorrow.

 

 

 

Day 36 to 39  (9 to 12/6/13)  Gairloch Harbour

Met up with Rob Cowley (fellow solo circumnavigator) who had sailed via the Orkneys – enjoyed a few pints of Cairngorm ‘Trade Winds’ together and exchanged photos and tales. New dongle arrived for the computer.  Did the washing today.  Put up a washing line in the heads due to near continuous drizzle.  Excellent homemade Gairloch Crab Cakes in the Old Inn this evening. Will move on north tomorrow to Loch Inver before pontoon rot sets in (I will have been here six nights).

Day 35  (8/6/13)  Gairloch Harbour

Sunny and warm.  Followed a sign to Gairloch Waterfall.  After one hour walking up a steep path through bluebell woods filled with cuckoos, there was still no sign of a waterfall so I returned to the Old Inn for a pint and a fine evening’s entertainment from a Gaelic trad group from Inverness called Ho-Ro. The Group was headed by a very beautiful girl called Rachael who sang and played the bagpipes and low whistle, Calum (accordion) who wrote many of the tunes and Sean on guitar. This is a good place to stay awhile.

Day 34  (7/6/13)  Portree (Skye) to Gairloch  (27/819nm)

Depart 0545, Arrive 1115.

Wind F4 N. Cold but sunny. Motored.

Pontoon mooring in Gairloch Harbour. Very quiet and beautiful.  Lunch at the Old Inn - Steak and Ale Pie and an excellent pint of home brewed ‘Mikes Mild’. Bought a Gairloch crab for tomorrow’s lunch.  Managed to drop my Wifi computer dongle into the Loch.  I will have to wait here several days for a replacement to be sent – no hardship!  Long walk tomorrow.

Day 33  (6/6/13)  Portree Harbour (Skye)

Sunny, cold and windy.  Spotted a loading pontoon with two hour mooring for £5.  Walked around the town (very pretty) and had smoked salmon lunch in the Lower Deck Restaurant.  Off to Gairloch or Loch Inver tomorrow.

Day 32  (5/6/13)  Mallaig to Portree (Skye)  (39/792nm)

Depart 0930, Arrive 1715.

Wind V F2 then N F4. Motored. Sunny.

Stunning mountainous entrance to Portree Harbour. Buoy mooring necessitates inflating dingy on cabin roof and rowing ½ mile to town - I will probably leave this until tomorrow.

Day 31  (4/6/13)  Tobermory to Mallaig  (37/753nm)

Depart 0800, Arrive 1430.

Wind NE F2. Sailed, motorsailed and motored. Warm and sunny.

Mallaig is a beautiful fishing harbour. Had dinner with two friends Cam and Audrey that I had met in Tobermory.  Off to Portree (Skye) tomorrow. 

Day 30  (3/6/13)  Tobermory Harbour

Warm, some sun and cloud. Cleaned the boat and repaired the Volvo engine panel.  Two instrument plastic mounting bezels fell apart (bad design) – fixed with silicone.  Met up with a friend (Eric) and two colleagues in his 880hp 25Kt motor boat.  They are off to Harris and St Kilda tomorrow.  Tomorrow I plan to sail to Mallaig at a leisurely speed of 6kts.

Day 29  (2/6/13)  Banavie to Tobermory (Mull)  (46/716nm)

Depart 0800, Arrive 1900.

Wind V F2/4.  Motored, sailed and motorsailed.  Sun and cloud and occasional rain.

Walked past the famous brightly coloured harbour front houses to the excellent Cafe Fish for a superb bowl of spiced seafood stew served with prawn crackers and wild rice.