BLUEMOMENT

Set off on Friday 1500 to meet Avilion in Puilladobhrain. Wind was light and on the nose and after four boards it was 1730 and I was only halfway down Kerrera so fired up the buzzbomb and arrived at about 1915. Dave had been titivating his hull so I anchored astern of him.

He was alongside in the inflatable before I'd even killed the engine and after a quick drink we went over the hill to the T'n'T since there was some doubt as to whether last food orders were at eight or half past. Dave had crab claws and I had prawns and 9 or 12 Sisters each to wash it down.

Left at ten for a few drams aboard Avilion. That brought back some memories though fortunately Dave kept his breeks on this time.

After a leisurely rise on Saturday I switched on the radio for the 1110 (thanks Donald) WIB, 0600 forecast. The low had deepened and was now moving in rapidly. All the west coast sea areas featured severe gale 9 and storm 10 and even the Caledonia inshore waters forecast had the delightful "perhaps severe gale 9 later."

After a quick brunch I got the anchor and motored over to Avilion where Dave was applying the final coat of Poliglow to his topside stripe. He had another hour to wait for the tide in Cuan but agreed that a run for home was very much the better part of valour.

With just the genoa out the leg to the SW corner of Kerrera was a bit rolly with wind and sea on the quarter but the Firth of Lorne was a dead run. The wind never got above F5 but we were touching 6 knots on occasions.

So, somewhat shorter and with a very much more select crew list than normal, tradition has nevertheless been upheld. A fine time was had by all (both) and the final night party was again held in the T'n'T though the singing wasn't quite up to the usual standard.

Sounded like a pleasant couple of days, although the wind on Saturday night was a bit roch. Saturday sailing on the Clyde looked fantastic - good breeze, decent weather.

Stilll on the hard (again), we spent the weekend cleaning out the engine/prop/fuel tank area, mountain of stoor and general grot, and errrm, painted it all in preparation for the new engine etc..

Hoping to get up north again soon, 2/3 weeks?

By the way, an' 'at, where are you keeping her now? Back at Staffnage, or a move to Creran?

Back at Dunstaffnage now but down to Balvicar again in a fortnight since the lovely Nick has allowed me to use Fairwinds' mooring again until her return.

I actually had to wait most of the afternoon for the flood to slacken before I could try to get back through Cuan. A bit of an anxious wait, listening to the forecast getting steadily worse - Inshore now giving 8 to 10 imminent - but there was still some sun, the pressure was dropping quite slowly, cloud level was still quite high and the actual wind was F3 or 4 so I reckoned there should be a bit of time in hand.

Puildobhraoin is usually a mobile phone "no service" area, so I was very surprised to get a call. This offered a few days on a narrowboat on the Thames later this week - which I accepted, subject to being able to leave Puildobhraoin!

I eventually left under motor, timing it to get to Cuan about 3/4 of an hour before the tide turned - trying to balance the known problem of a foul tide, which should just be stemmable and anyway slackening rapidly, with the unknown of just how quickly the bad weather would arrive. The wind was no higher than F4 (on the nose, of course) with no waves but a fair swell also coming from the SW confirming that something energetic was on it's way. The rain started just as I reached Cuan and in the first part of the channel I made about 1.5 knots with the engine flat out, but by the time I was past the Cleit this had risen to 2.5.

As it turned out the depression arrived significantly later than forecast and I berthed the boat in F 2-3, so I could have left an hour later and saved £1 worth of diesel. However...

I'm glad to read that you both had an enjoyable, and safe time.

As I lay in my bunk on Saturday night, with the boat shuddering in the gusts ( in the marina ), I thought of you and hoped that you were somewhere safe and not testing the relative merits of various anchoring systems [ This is NOT an anchor thread ! ! ]

At least you did some sailing. I was working till very late on Friday night, so had a long lie at home, and didn't get to the boat till late Saturday afternoon. Should have gone sailing for a couple of hours, but lazed about instead and fitted my Lidl gas detector. Sunday spent reading the papers in wind blasts, rain, hail, and sunshine in random cycles.

Ash

. . . a perfect mini CC . . .

Honour and tradition satisfied and both home safe.

Apologies for missing your call, Silkie, (bit of a cock-up on the answering service front) and failing to provide my wind-abating services, but whisky duties precluded and in any case I had failed to keep up to speed and had assumed Silkie was still hors de combat with a partially-detached front sail-stick wire thingy. Glad all proceeded relatively pleasantly.
Be reassured that I have engaged the services of a frogman chap to investigate the state of Fairwinds' parking space and expect a report on its suitability as a tether at the weekend.

Pleased to hear that your failure to return my calls was merely an administrative oversight and not the result of some dreadful social gaffe I had committed at your recent barbie.

Glad also to hear that you are at last gainfully employed. Perhaps Jenny could scale back to two or three jobs now? Thanks for organising the mooring inspection. If we arranged another sail soon we might be able to go flying?

PS - I see that this is post number 3,333.