A rare combination

Despite what they say we do get lots of warm sunshine here in
Scotland, and it doesn't get much warmer than it was over the weekend.
Generally with a high pressure area plonked over the UK it also means
little wind but this was the exception on Saturday and Sunday.
I got together a scratch crew of Julie, Lynne and Sheena and we
undertook an epic voyage to Millport from Largs, some 3 miles, and
anchored off the pier in the sure knowledge of a timetable that no
paddle steamers would be interrupting our evening. When we took the
photographs there wasn't a breath which is the norm on an evening but
then a brisk Easterly picked up and stayed with us all weekend,
tremendous sailing weather and being on the water it was just a
comfortable temperature on board. Ah if only it could be like this
every summer.

Thanks to Lynne for being photographer and for her sommelier duties
pouring the wine.

Dinner

Just as I was leaving the ship one of my shipmates gave me a fresh lobster to take home for tea. I was a bit circumspect that the crustacean would survive the three hour bus trip back in my suitcase to Glasgow, but it did. 10 minutes marinating in boiling water changed Eric from spotty black to red. Very tasty with a little bit of garlic butter.

The week progresses

As ever at this time of year we have been busy here on the Isle of Mull. A lot of folk going across to the Island for their holidays along with day trippers on coaches and either due to a water leak or shortage, tankers full of Oban water. Today we had 6 coach loads on our first trip out of Oban with 550 passengers.

At the start of my fortnight we had glorious weather but then on the Monday morning we woke to fog across the Bay, as the week progressed it took longer and longer each day to burn away so we were manoeuvring at slow speed when we were in it. On Friday this resulted in us running two hours late but we did do all of our trips, the lifeline
service continues.


This is a picture of the radar and each of these yellow dots is the return from a target, most likely a yacht or fishing boat moving about the Sound of Mull just near Craignure. A busy bit of water and
probably quite scary for the yacht skippers caught out in the fog as they will not necessarily have the radar we do to detect other vessels, but they will be able to hear our fog signal and know we are
out there somewhere.

By the way, I find it strange how some of my colleagues dislike all yachtsmen, considering them to be an impediment to the stately progress of the ferry, conveniently forgetting that CalMac doesn't own Oban Bay and the £121 million subsidy we received last year was paid no doubt in part by these bloody Wafis's taxes. Ho hum.


Today we had a rather elegant passenger ship anchored off the North Entrance to Oban, the Costa Voyager. Presently of Italian register and quite a handsome vessel in comparison to a lot of other modern passenger boats. A very impressive flair on the bow which you can see better on this photo.

Unusual visitor

The Club Med 2 visited Oban today, anchored just outside the North

entrance its little landing craft have been ferrying their passengers
back and forward to the landing stage in the bay.

I had a walk up Pulpit Hill last night and took a couple of photos of the Bay. Looking good in the sunshine.

This is the Oban Distillery with our local Tower in the background.

Round Mull Race

Spent quite a lot of time dodging yachts today, some like these were
racing others were pottering and on occassions sitting with their eyes
closed. The sun tried to break through but never really managed it,
unlike the rest of you. Well done to Andy Murray and a very worthy
talented opponent in today's semi's.

Not so warm here

Looks like a heat wave for most of the UK except for our bit here out west, still it's quite pleasant. I went for a walk along the Oban prom last night and didn't need a hat! Sailing as 3rd Mate this time, off to meet up again with my old fire extinguisher chums today. 

Fife Regatta

The sharp eyed amongst you will spot that this is not a picture of a classic Fife yacht but rather the Puffer VIC 32 chasing them across to Rothesay. We went out today to look at the yachts racing from Largs across to Bute and others have taken much better photos than I could, see here
On Saturday there wasn't enough wind for their race around Great Cumbrae, today there was more than enough, indeed we chickened out half way over to Bute and made a run back to Largs and the safety of the marina.  Here's a link to the Official Site
It was quite a sight to see these fabulous craft under full, maybe too much but they were racing, sail heading off up the river.

Too much food

Where were we last night? A place where you can purchase fresh prawns and where there is a narrow strip or isthmus of land. 

Lochranza for the night.

Yachting day

Fabulous day here on the Costa Clyde. The full crew of Julie, David, Lorna & Lynne were available for an anti-clockwise navigation of Great Cumbrae. Yesterday the heater was on in the car, today it was the AC. Funny old place Scotland. 

Weekend sailing

Home on leave and the weather good too, well it was up until today, but never mind it was good over the weekend.  The two Margarets and Julie were free so we headed off in a flat calm on Saturday morning passing the pipe layer Audacia which was anchored off and being serviced by a little fleet of vessels.  

Fortunately a zephyr like South Easterly breeze picked up and we got a nice little sail up the East Kyle of Bute, turned right at the top into Loch Riddon where the wind died away again and we anchored off for the night.

Nary a breath.

Then we noticed that we weren't alone, all about us in what must have been millions were purple jellyfish, as they bobbed to the surface it looked like it was raindrops all over the surface of the loch.  

The next day and there was an excellent breeze that blew from all points but wafted us along at a grand pace down the west side of Bute and back to Largs.  On our way up the Largs Channel this big lump came past us and then stopped off Largs.  Have we struck oil off Great Cumbrae?

Relative good news

For those who know her my mum went into hospital yesterday to have her third, yes third, hip replacement. This evening post op the news is all good. 

View from the office window.

What an amazingly good weather week this is turning out to be,
particulary given that it is the Whitsun holiday and we are regularly
carrying over 600 passengers per trip. Good weather and holidays in
my experience seldom seem to coincide but we seem to have cracked it
this time.
A view from my cabin window when in Oban, showing the Calmac Terminal.
The interior of the ship is now reaching sub tropical temperatures
but as 2nd Officer this trip I am treated to the luxury of an opening
port (window) and with the judicious placing of a fan it keeps my
cabin to a temperate temperature. Junior officers, e.g. 3rd Mates, of
course do not need an opening port and it is clearly not warm enough
in the Chief Engineers cabin to justify the air conditioning being put
on yet.
And yet another sunset, but even this photo doesn't really do justice
to last night's natural show looking out west over Mull.

In the news

In the Daily Record today a good photo of our back end packed with happy passengers   

Holiday weekend

I can't recall a busier day than this one, it is the Whitsun week and today we have been full virtually all day here on the Isle of Mull.  We have carried over 3,500 passengers, 750 odd cars, 7 coaches and a pile of motor bikes and cycles.  It has been a bit fraught at times and even now at 21:00 at night we are still running half an hour late, but everyone that wanted to has got across to Mull.  Fantastic weather for it.

TV Moment

T

onight, Tuesday 21st at 9:00 pm BBC2 is Town, a programme about the bustling port town of Oban.  There is a good chance that yours truly may have a small part. 

Warmest day of the year

It must have been, I managed to get sunburnt again despite slapping on
the sun block and wearing a hat. We had a grand sail to windward and
then it died, this is a picture of my sailing companion John.

The leisurely cruise continues

Day three of our little cruise we spent overnight in Troon and as
forecast the wind died down and went round to about the SSW. When we
left at 10 we put up full sail and as the day went on the clouds
dissipated and the sun shone all the way to Kames. The NW swell of
the previous day was replace by a SW chop that made conditions on
board a little boisterous with the rolling but we continued to make
steady progress at 4 to 5 knots up the West Kyle. Arrived in the
sunshine and picked up one of the many vacant moorings off the hotel.
Ashore for fish and chips and noted that nothing has changed since
last year. As usual the wind died away altogether to leave us with a
calm and lovely evening. For the day we sailed 31'and for the season
111'

Sailing away

An old friend John and I have been out sailing for two days now.

Tonight finds us in windswept Troon, we should know better it always
blows old boots whenever we come here. We set off from Largs this
morning and sailed under a little jib to Lamlash where we had lunch
tied up to a mooring buoy and then a very bumpy 14' across to here.
Quite big following seas with a F5 to 6 NW'ly behind us but we
survived but going ashore tonight I was all over the place with my
newly found sea legs. If the weather forecast is correct then we
should have a S or SE'ly tomorrow which will waft us up to Kames for a
meal ashore there. Still blowing from the NW just now though.

The photos are of the sunsetting over Great Cumbrae last night, a
Fifer in Largs and looking North towards Goat Fell on Arran as we
entered Lamlash Bay, spot the snow on the tops.

Old friends visiting

The last fortnight has been a quiet time for me, my two weeks on the
Isle of Mull is nearly over, slightly extended this time due to
manning problems till Thursday this week. Today is the end of the
Bank Holiday weekend and the old paddler is in Oban for four days,
heading back to Greenock tomorrow. Co-incidental with the holiday we
have had four days of rain, and on Saturday a near gale.
Despite this we have been very busy with traffic going out to Mull,
many of them nice English folk visiting the dear green brown place, I
do feel for them given that 300 miles South of here it is scorchioo.