Sounds like…

Firstly, I have to say that Richard’s contribution to the last blog was rather exaggerated and mostly ‘out of context’. I didn’t edit it as this would be rather akin to censorship and we are not in Putin’s Russia, so it remains as a tribute to the freedom and integrity of the blog, for what it’s worth.

Bodily functions would appear to be a sensitive subject though, especially between men and women. A good friend of mine who I will not name but who has the nickname of a warty amphibian (very apt), has what, to me, seems to be an overly sensitive attitude. He claims never to have flatulated in front of his wife and always uses a different toilet to their en-suite which is the preserve of his wife. When they were courting, if he needed the loo and they were in an hotel, he would go down to the lobby to use the toilet there, so as not to be overheard abluting (well, it is his third marriage…). This seems perverse to me, but he claims that it is my apparently reckless abandon that is abnormal…

While we are (marginally) on the subject of toilets, those unfamiliar with yachts might like to know what happens in this regard on board… Hejira has two toilets or ‘heads’ as they are known on yachts, one in my master cabin and one shared by the crew up front. They double as showers and have extract fans and everything you would expect in a compact but very adequate facility. The contents are pumped straight out to sea when well offshore but into holding tanks when in harbours, anchorages and marinas, for later discharge to sea, which is more than can be said of our water companies.

Having bought fresh croissants, pan au chocolate and bread in the excellent bakery in Mallaig, we headed off towards Tobermory on the island of Mull. This took us  down the Sound of Sleat (this is the actual name not a description of the weather – but not far off), past the islands of Rum, Eigg and Muck (no comment) and it was a relatively short 33 mile passage. It would have been nice to have seen the islands around us but once again the Scottish weather continued to punish us with persistent drizzle and very poor visibility.

We intended to make Tobermory a lunch stop on the way to Oban but we were ‘spooked’ by the presence of the Clipper Round the World fleet in Oban and thought that mooring places would be in short supply. A call to the Port Authority allayed our fears and we restored our aspirations accordingly, so we only popped into Tobermory to do a ‘drive past’ then continued down the Sound of Mull to Oban

We were fortunate to secure a berth in the Transit Marina in the heart of a bustling Oban town and we walked ashore for a beer and took fish and chips back on board. An early night was called for in preparation for our 04.20 departure to ensure we made the tidal races with a favourable ‘flush’ on our 60 mile passage to our final destination in Scotland.

Full oilies were required for another miserable day of rain and poor visibility although the temperature had improved slightly. The wind was just not free enough to allow us to sail unaided but we flew at nearly 10 knots through the Sound of Luing race and with the Sound of Jura giving us a lumpy passage, we were pleased to make the quiet of Port Ellen at the southern tip of Islay.

The following day was not inviting for an attempt on the North Channel with fresh southerly winds, so we decided to take the day off and explore what Port Ellen and Islay have to offer. The answer to this is – DISTILLERIES !

While John went for a run, Richard and I took the 4 mile ‘three distilleries walk’ with a reward at the end in the Ardbeg distillery.

The distillery tours were fully booked, so we had to make do with a tasting and lunch. The bus back was curious as it stopped in the middle of nowhere and an old chap and his dog got on. He chatted with the driver for some time then got back off and we carried on, it is clearly a different pace of life on Islay!

So, plans are fluid but it is looking as though we sit out the rain and southerly winds tomorrow morning and leave with the second tide in the evening and sail overnight towards Ireland with an acceptable wind forecast. Our destination will depend on progress, our appetite to continue, and the prospects offered by what we can see of the future weather systems for the impending crossing around Land’s End.

Richard writes:

Crikey, I didn’t expect that! To be accused of distorting the truth? I know that there are many that will support my corner and will testify that life aboard Hejira is actually much worse than Putin’s Russia; perhaps more akin to Stalin’s Russia, perhaps? No doubt, this will also be edited or redacted or deleted altogether. You, dear reader, will never know!

If I offended anyone’s sensibilities when talking about on board toilet practice, I apologise. But it is nice to sometimes use the facilities ashore when you know your pull of the toilet roll is not attracting attention.

Apart from garlic, onion and chilli the catering on board has been pretty good. Tonight, would you believe, we had fresh cabbage. Now, I know this will backfire on us later, but at least it was a healthy option. John has an aversion to cooking. He claims he poisoned his wife cooking an omelette, but I suspect that was just a diversionary tactic? But he is a great washer-upper. Nick has an amazing repertoire, including; corn beef hash with tinned mince, a packet of potato rosti, beans and chilli. Mmmm? He has tins of produce stowed everywhere. Even Paula hasn’t found all of his out-of-date stock yet (but she might now! – unless this is censored, of course).