Round Britain Adventure on Indian Runner

 Hooray - yesterday a lock keeper turned up at our boat at around 8.15 am and said we are opening the bridge - leave to get down there as soon as you can.  I had just had my shower but Roger was still down in the toilet block. I hollered through the window (at the wrong man it turns out), ‘Roger you need to get back to the boat - we’re off’. Luckily Roger was queuing for the shower rather than in it so within minutes we were heading off down the canal towards the bridge. We had about an hour and then, wonderfully, the bridge swung open and we were free.  Rachel and Alan had left on Sunday for Greece and today, we were meeting Steve who flew into Inverness and then caught the City Link bus.  Miraculously, as Steve got off the bus at Laggan Locks, we came out from the locks and hardly had time to moor up.  Steve was on the boat and we were off the to catch up the OGA fleet to get to the next bridge.  The day went well except in the lock before last, the lock ...

 Well things haven’t quite gone as planned.  We did indeed enter the Canal on 20th June and made the journey up ‘Neptune’s Staircase’, a flight of 8 locks in a continuous rise.  It was rather more exciting than we would have liked, as part way up we lost reverse gear, which as going into reverse is the way to stop the boat, was very difficult.  We bumped Hilda ahead of us but thankfully no boats were damaged.  That night, tied up in the canal, we tested the gears again - reverse definitely wasn’t working.  The next day, Ron from Hilda came to help us investigate.  It worked perfectly.  A relief but still unsettling, as we don’t know if it might happen again.  Our plan was to continue up the Canal into Lock Lochy but this was not to be.  We were told to stay in the Banovie Top Basin as the key swing bridge - Gairlochy Bridge - was not working. We did as we were told but were taken aback and indeed angry, that later that day, six yachts an...

After a good stay in Oban, we left yesterday morning for Corpach Marina, ready to begin our journey along the Caledonian Canal today. It was brilliant to have Bev on the boat for the day.  John and Toby met us at the Marina in the evening and we all went to have supper at their cottage. The dry weather has inevitably come to an end. For the first half of yesterday it poured down. Bev was a real star, stoically sitting in the rain, her feet getting wetter and wetter but refusing to opt out and stay in the cabin in the dry. By the afternoon, we were rewarded with a glimmer of sun and our first real sail without engine in this trip. It was beautiful.   As a bonus, as we left the marina last night for Bev and John’s place, we were there at first hand to see a steam train come past - for train buffs, apparently it was an LMS Stanier Class No. 45212, build by Armstrong Whitworth at Newcastle in 1935.  Today we are entering the Canal at 11.00 together with Moon River and Hilda. ...

 When we have done long bike tours in the past, we have always enjoyed the respite of a few days off the bike to ‘smell the roses’. I am discovering it is the same with a boat trip. We have now been on the boat for six weeks and life afloat has become the norm.  It is good to have some time here in Oban - one of our ‘party ports’.  Bev, John and Rachel arrived in Oban yesterday. It is lovely to have Rachel back on the boat and to have the prospect of spending some time with our great mutual friends, Bev and John (and Toby dog of course).  Last night we found a super restaurant, Cuan Mor, who not only tolerated dogs but laid a special place for Toby, with a rug, bowl of water and dog biscuits. The meal for humans was great too.  Rachel, Alan, Roger and I had rooms at the Oban Premier Inn for the night, leaving Mike some much needed space and peace.  Mike will be leaving the boat today and we are going to miss him.  He is a lovely sailing companion and f...

 We had a very peaceful mooring at Lock Feochan.  The entrance is demanding in navigational terms and everyone enjoyed the challenge.  We had to be self sufficient as there was nowhere to buy any provisions but we were well fed!  This morning we all went for a walk run - Alan is getting stronger day by day. When the tide was right we left in the early afternoon and had a short motor to Oban, where we are moored on the North Pier Pontoons.  The weather is glorious. Roger and I were remembering the last time we were here with our friends Rick and Mary Ellen - it poured down and was a rather different experience.   Tonight we had an amazing meal at the Waterfront Restaurant - a main course of lobster for Roger and me.  We have been avoiding lobster pots for weeks so this made it even more enjoyable.   Tomorrow we are looking forward to seeing our friends Bev and John and joy - Rachel returns to the boat.  Photos from our run this morning and sun...

 We truly have been blessed with the most amazing weather. Ok - not great for sailing (no wind or in the wrong direction) but gorgeous in every other respect. We successfully arrived in the Crinan basin and some of my helming was ok - other bits not so good. It is the most beautiful spot. The only thing that marred it for Alan and me was the midge explosion.  We got the Smidge on just a bit too late - ‘don’t scratch, you’ll only make it worse’ was the constant refrain.  Midges aside, we are loving the scenery and it was a highlight to hear a pipe band with such gifted young people playing. Yesterday evening we were invited onto Martin’s boat for a very civilised aperitif of gin and tonic and nibbles. Martin (and his gorgeous dog Jack) are on a small Shrimper but we all fitted in!   Yesterday we left Crinan and motored the short distance to Craobh Haven.  It is a lovely spot. Today we walked across the peninsula to the village of Ardfern and back again and tonigh...

 The day before yesterday we sailed from Campbeltown to Tarbert.  Tarbert is is delightful marina in the heart of the town.  The weather had changed - less sunshine with a cold East wind but by the evening the sun was out again the wind died down. We spent two nights in Tarbert - partly to do all the chores that boat life entails and partly because it was such a lovely place to be.  Alan, Roger and I had a run yesterday morning (walk run for Alan and me) and stocked up with provisions for the next three days where we would need to be self sufficient. Last night’s meal at the Starfish restaurant was outstanding - a real treat.  We set off early today for Ardrishaig, the entry to the Crinan Canal.  We had hoped to transit the canal in one day, but there is a 5.00 p.m. cut off and we had only made Lock 10 (out of 15), so we are moored in the canal with a wonderful view.  Our main hope tonight is that it is too windy for the midges.  Apparently they h...

 Last night we arrived at Campbeltown in Scotland after a beautiful day’s sail (ok - with some motor assistance).  The sun shone, the sea was smooth and we got the tides right.  50 miles in one day was a good effort for us! Our diet was not the healthiest - Greggs chicken bakes and sausage rolls featured rather heavily.  For Alan today had an early start.  Alan always sleeps lightly on a boat - sub-consciously alert to changes in sounds and movement.  At 5.20 a.m. he heard a motor running for some time, went on deck and saw that some poor man had gone aground within yards of our boat.  His boat was lying at a very worrying angle as the tide went further down and the local lifeboat crew came out to help him get off the boat. Happily the story had a good end, as the boat re floated when the tide rose and there didn’t appear to be any serious damage to the boat.  Baya, the single handed sailor, came onto Indian Runner for a much needed drink and sand...

 With our propellor now being set free from its plastic prison we set off at a great pace from Ardglass, heading towards Bangor (near Belfast).  We got the tides right and at one point hit a speed of 7 knots which is very fast for us.  We arrived in Bangor around 3.00 p.m and were greeted with bands playing and the Royal Navy - there was a festival of the sea taking place.  There was also a fair and the whole place was, how can I put it, very lively.  The most lively was a bar called Betty Blacks - an unending stream of women dancing on the tables to an admiring audience.  That evening we had one of the best meals of the trip at a restaurant called Underground Dining - if ever you are in Bangor do look it up.  Yesterday we took the train into Dublin to visit the Titanic Exhibition.  It was tremendous and very, very sad. The trail took visitors through life in Belfast at the start of the 20th century, particularly the industrial life of the city. T...

 Coming out of Carlingford Lough yesterday the engine suddenly seemed to lose power and sound very different.  After some checks we came to think it was not the engine that was the problem but the propellor.  We pondered our options.  It was not really possible to return to the marina, the tide would run strongly against us - we wondered whether to return to Howth with the wind behind us or carry on a bit longer and see if things improved. We put the engine in neutral and sailed - this went swimmingly only it was not really in the direction we needed to go, which as usual was into the wind.  After a while we tried putting some power on and the propellor seemed a lot happier so we gradually sailed and crawled out way to Ardglass marina.  The approach to our berth was dramatic.  Slow down shouted Alan and Roger to Mike, who had the bad luck to be on the helm at the time. The way you slow down in a boat is to go into reverse.  Mike tried that only to...

 This morning we leave Eire and travel along the coast of Northern Ireland.  We can see it across the Lough and it looks beautiful. Carlingford Lough is a bit like a fiord with glorious hills rising steeply on either side.  We were all pretty tired when we reached Carlingford Marina last night. We had been up since before 5.00 a.m and a long sail is surprisingly tiring. On arrival we met Pete, tied up on the emergency berth next to ours.  His engine failed and single handed, he sailed the boat into the Marina.  He said the main problem was not being able to stop! He came onto Indian Runner for a cup of tea while he waited for a marine engineer to investigate. White smoke had been coming out of his engine, and without much knowledge, we all speculated on the cause.  We all walked into Carlingford village, did some food shopping and then went to the pub for a pint before dinner (yes this becoming a little habitual). On the way back Alan made a quick dash back...