Over the winter Gordon has been busy on the boat with one thing or another. If he wasn’t doing jobs on it he was chasing engineers to get jobs done. Maybe it’s just the nature of boats but it seems to be one tiny step forward and at least five big steps backwards. No sooner had we got one thing done than some other problem would present itself.

However, the long and the short of it is, we have had another two new fuel pumps fitted, so that’s all three been renewed. The engineer reckons there is not at lot wrong with it now  having fitted new pumps and it would be throwing money away if he replaced it .He’s probably the best on the Clyde so Gordon is willing to try another season testing.

Gordon installed an additional battery solely for the engine, replaced the high tension cabling and installed a battery monitor. Having two domestic batteries and a dedicated engine start should hopefully allow us to use the fridge and indeed other 12V requirements more liberally.

A piece of the foresail foil needed replaced that somehow had a crack half way up it?

The morse (gear and throttle mechanism) cable had worn right through and had to be replaced.

So as you can see, we, that is the royal we have not been idle. However, the timescales in which this was all done did not allow us to get any of the other things done that we would need to allow us to go further afield. So  we are again planning on cruising the West coast of Scotland for another year.

 

We stayed in Kerrera for five more  days waiting to see if the weather was going to be suitable for returning round the Mull of Kintyre. Alas! It was not to be. The wind was against us again, we could have beat down but it was also forecast to be a bit wild so the Crinan Canal won the day yet again.

Had a good sail to the canal, in fact probably one of the nicest sails of the trip so far. As we got into the canal, Andy and Brenda were just coming in at our back so off we went to Bellanoch Basin again to pinch a pontoon. Ssshh! This time it was ok, we kind of had Andy’s permission as he invited us to dinner on his boat. Well, I call that permission ??? We had a lovely night and I just managed to pull Gordon back to Camira before he and Andy could do too much damage to the line of malts on the table.

We set off through the canal the next morning with a pilot to help us with the gates at the locks. We hardly got going before…………….yes, wait for it………………the engine gave up the ghost again. Some of the lock keepers towed us into a basin to tie up and decide what our strategy was going to be. Our first thought was to call Andy and perhaps see if he could tow us through, but it wasn’t fair to ask him as Brenda and him were driving back down south that morning. Andy being Andy offered his help.

As a last ditch resort, Gordon tried to turn the engine over again and lo and behold it sprung into life. Let me tell you, that was one nervous transit through to Ardrishaig.

   

We went along to one of the local pubs for dinner that night which was not too bad other than the waitress serving us. She was only young and when I asked her for the wine list she told me they didn’t have one so on asking what wine they did have she said they had “Some red stuff in a bottle and some white stuff (hopefully that was in a bottle as well) and some others as well” I decided on the red stuff just to be safe. I think she was maybe filling in for someone that night. Aye! That’s Ardrishaig for you We found it hysterical but a rather grumpy pair made her life a misery.

We spent one last night in the canal then headed back to Largs the next day. I must admit in some ways it was nice to be back in the Clyde where so many things are familiar and the sailing seemed so much easier because you kind of know where you are and what to expect. On the other hand, it also marked the end of our trip which was quite sad.

Largs Yacht Haven in sight

Fifty days on Camira, who would have thought it?

We waited here for a weather window and did a bit of walking on the Island which we haven’t managed to do on previous trips here for one reason or another and trips ashore to Oban on the free Kerrera Ferry

   

The Shuttle Ferry and views from above Oban across to Kerrera

We met up with a couple, Andy and Lesley, who sail a 32ft Westerly and have spent the last few years sailing around the Canaries, mainly La Gomera. It was good to speak to people who have done the things we are hoping to do in the future and get their take on it, also given that they have done it on a boat the same size as ours.

We left Mallaig early the next morning in what can only be described as a very uncomfortable sea. We corkscrewed all the way till we rounded Ardnamurchan point. Then……………… what happened next can only be described as amazing.

About eight or ten porpoises joined us for the next twenty minutes, playing in the bow wave, darting back and forth, popping out of the water in line with the deck height and generally just having a great time. I sat at the bow of the boat trying to catch them on the camera, but they were so quick it was difficult picking out where they were going to pop up next. I did manage to get some of it on video which turned out not too bad but the photo’s really don’t do it justice. The last time we saw dolphins / porpoises this close was when the engine failed leaving Portree, but this time I managed to get up a bit closer and could almost put my hand out and touch them.

   

We carried on after the dolphins regretfully left us and made our way down the Sound of Mull  to Kerrera,  an Island off of Oban.

Today, Tuesday a 47 foot gin palace arrived with the skipper wearing a bugs bunny hat and scarf. This should have been a warning. He had three attempts at parking and during the shenanigans hit four yachts, one of them us. Luckily Gordon had foreseen his ineptitude and managed to get a fender between us and him at the last minute, Unfortunately the fender did not protect his glasses which he knocked off his napper and stood on – he is now kited out with his Roy Orbison prescription sunglasses.

Then Gordon & the harbour master had to help him park the cruiser cause he was p@@shed. To protect the guilty I won’t mention his name but he does hire out equipment big time in Glasgow

You might think that was the end of it for today…………..not so…………another motor cruiser next to us decides to leave and scuffs along our beam having earlier denigrated the earlier “Bunny’s” attempts.

Ehh Whats Up Doc?

 

At this time Mallaig does not have facilities in the marina, you have to walk round to the Fisherman’s Mission with all your gear to have a shower etc.

We however tend to do it alfresco using the pontoon hose to the amusement of other pontoon users.

 

Once settled in Mallaig we again called out the local engineer, Ian Mcphee. Turned out this guy already new about our problems from Neil in Skye who had been picking his brains for a likely issue.

He tested the thermostat and ran a temperature gauge over the engine and said he was happy with the temperatures and that he would replace the temperature sender on the engine which could be faulty . This seemed to do the trick ! I remember him now saying he wasn’t overly happy with the sound but it should get us back to the Clyde.

While we were in Mallaig we went on the “Harry Potter Train” to Fort William and the normal one back to Mallaig In retrospect we should have got the normal one both ways . It had better view ability and was a lot cheaper. However it was fun

 

 

 

 

Views from the HP train and the cost of a pee at Fort William Station.

I took the toilet attendant and the ticket master to task over charging 20p a pee and planned a letter to Fat Salmond in the Scottish Parliament , given the price of the ticket. lol!

 

 

The entrance & start of the Caledonian Canal

   

The views on the return journey                      

Today was the day to try the beast. She started first time – ish! and just her usual bit of smoke.

 

High Hopes

Unfortunately the overheating alarm sounded again as before

So to cut a longish engineering story short, Gordon removed thermostat, giving us two hours before the overheating alarm would cut in, and we set off from Portree heading towards Mallaig.

 

Leaving Portree

We reached Mallaig after an eight hour sail in a F6 and surfed in on a wing and a prayer hoping the engine wouldn’t fail at a critical point.

 

Do you think Louise has got a good enough grip here ? lol.

We chilled,

 

 

Portree at sunset

 

Louise’s anti Midgie net !

Took a bus tour of the Island, well part of it, up to Staffin and Uig.

    

Went walking out to Sgeir Mhor ……… the point where Bonnie Prince Charlie fled from the redcoats to Raasay with Flora. Then further on up to get a view of the Old Man of Storr. It was a bit cloudy but you could still see it a bit in the distance.

     

Finally some walks around Portree town itself quieter now since the highland games had passed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite ,or perhaps because of the issue with the engine we got to know Portree and some of its in habitants quite well. Its a lovely place. Gordon travelled about here in the 80’s on his motorbike, but you cant beat arriving by sea!

If your going to be stuck, there are far worse places , we’ll be back.

Friday came and the new fuel pump was fitted, it was decided just to do the one that had the faulty spring and take our chances with the others just now. Sorted, or so we thought…..We got up at seven the next morning to go and Gordon checked the oil which he had filled up to the max mark on the dip stick the day before, however, it was now milky white mayonnaise again ! and three quarters of the way up the dipstick. So, there we were again, having to call Neil out yet again.

It transpired that the water pump bearings had also gone and sea water was mixing with the oil so parts were ordered and the pump rebuilt and yes again it was two days before they could be here and fitted , imminent births allowing?

This brought us to Tuesday 21 August we have been here two weeks now.

(Editors note – I am now fluent in Gaelic and getting the eye from the old woman in the fish shop at the head of the pier ….. and ….. although these pictures aren’t actually from that day  they do probably sum up the overall situation, lol)

  

 

We decided to stay till Friday when the wind changes from Southerly to North Easterly, this way we will have wind and tide with us and it should be a smoother journey, also, there is less chance we will need to use the engine. We don’t want to take the chance of having to use the engine a lot, at least until we are comfortable with the repairs that have been done are wholly successful.

Neil arrived on the boat about 4pm and put everything together again. The cylinder head had been cleaned and the new gasket fitted.

 

We sat with fingers crossed as Gordon turned the ignition…………………nothing. Well, nothing is not quite right, it turned over in neutral, as it had done before and died as you tried to put it into drive, as it had done before.

Back to the drawing board. Neil was there till about 10pm and just before he left he found that one of the springs in one of the fuel pumps was broken, rather than go into all the technical stuff about this let’s just say that he thinks this may be the problem.

(Editors note – just like the pantomime audience….”Oh no it isn’t”)

One of the other pumps also had a bit of a sticky mechanism so he thinks we should replace all three. You think this is bad news……you ain’t heard nothing yet. Each of the pumps costs £260 but Neil managed to get a discount which brings them down to £230 each, the gasket cost about £80 and all that is before we take Neil’s time into it. It will be two days to get the parts so nothing will happen till Friday, that is, if Neil’s partner doesn’t go into labour before then, she is due her baby on 20 August. Fingers crossed again.

We took Neil ashore and managed to get the last fish suppers which we ate in the cockpit smelling of diesel, no power,no water!

Next day we decided to try and get a shower, we were minging after trying to clean up the debris from the night before. There was about three inches of diesel and oil in the bilge, dirty rags, canisters of oil and diesel, reams of paper towel covered in diesel and generally just a pigsty to clean up. Gordon looked like he had committed mass murder, he had so many cuts and grazes on him and if they could, his clothes would have jumped in the sea themselves they were so minging.

 

We had had showers in the Youth Hostel the other day and I recalled the guy there saying something about after 4pm, however, we thought we would give it a try and go earlier. Yep, I was right, 4pm no showers at the hostel then.

Off we went to the swimming baths which are attached to the school about a mile up the hill, we knew you could also get showers there. Got there about 2.30 and the school receptionist said “after 3.30”. It was a lovely day so we sat outside in the sun for an hour then went in at 3.30. This time we were told by the swimming pool receptionist not till after 4.00 pm when the schools were finished using them. Honestly, do you ever feel the world is conspiring against you, all we wanted was a wash. Dogs were following us and tramps avoiding us by now!