I thought a brief note of our trip so far this year may be of interest.
We left Milford Haven at the beginning of May for the Scottish West Coast. On our trip we have visited anchorages at Fishguard, Porth Dinllaen on the Lleyn Peninsula, Port Ellen on Islay, Craighouse on Jura, Tayvallich on Loch Sween, Crinan Loch Aline and Salen, Loch Suart. Picked up a buoy at Peel Isle of Man, Ardminish Bay Gigha and Tobermory. We have taken berths in harbours at Victoria Dock Caernarfon, Peel Isle of Man and Port Patrick on the Mull of Galloway and Oban.
Weather, or more accurately for us, sea state, has probably been better than the average so far this year with no rough passages. Ship's cat Cleo seems to have acclimatized and recovered from her initial sea sickness. At Caernarfon we had a trip on the Welsh Highland Railway to Portmadoc and met up with a cousin and his wife who live in Bangor (and are planning their own sailaway). The Isle of Man is still in an earlier age and we can report that the Peel kippers and smoked bacon are excellent. Port Patrick is a fabulous little harbour and village, well worth a visit and with a good assortment of seafood eateries. Ardbeg distillery on Islay serves excellent lunches and Laphroaig distillery seems to serve unlimited free samples! Tobermory is is picturesque and we were obliged to sample the distillery and the local cheese production. Loch Sunart we had not visited before. It is a fabulous place and treated us to some incredible dusk displays of light over the hills (photos attached). Currently we are back at Oban on a buoy waiting for the wind to blow itself out a bit so we can go back down the sound of Luing and past the Gulf of Corryvreckan to Crinan, where we hope to enter the Crinan Canal to cut through to Loch Fyne and the Clyde Estuary.
The major disappointment of the trip so far - NO DOLPHINS, more accurately one seen briefly going the opposite way in the Firth of Lorn and only a brief visit from a couple of seals. Still we have time yet.
