Monday 17th August

Bright, early and eager we said a fond farewell to Dougal, the harbour master in Ballycastle, and set off on our first days sail after a long and impatient wait. Port set us off with yummy bacon baps whilst Starboard motored out of the marina, leaving Ballycastle, the town that we had called home for the past few days behind. After a couple hours powering our way through tidal currents the waters cleared and the wind was eventually favourable for Port to get the sails out, much to their delight. Using our new found sailing skills and knowledge acquired whilst marooned in Ballycastle, the sails were rapidly unfurled to make the most of the perfect wind direction. We sailed on for three hours through the on and off showers, occasionally spotting a dolphin or two. Mary even spied a very large dolphin, later realizing to her excitement that it was a whale! (or at least so she says!). An hour later though, we were all forced to eat our words when another whale stuck out its fin to salute Tenacity before swimming away. To pass the time, the ever-entertaining Ian taught us a new hand gesture that vaguely resembled the Superman logo. We took great pleasure in repeating this throughout the day, being the mature sailors that we are. A while after getting out the sails, it was decided that traveling at 3 knots would not cut it if we wanted to reach Craobh, an island just off the coast of Scotland, before midnight. Starboard were on hand to reel in the sails. After battling further tidal currents Starboard’s expertise, along with a few words of wisdom from the ever wise Mary, ensured a safe and secure arrival into the marina in Craobh. On arrival we were greeted by our own welcome party of local youths, from Craobh, in a rather small dinghy, who had the cheek to heckle us in our fetching sailing gear. Luckily we were secure in the knowledge that we looked hot hot hot. Something that made us laugh until we received a radio call that an unlucky boat had damaged his stern by hitting a poor unsuspecting basking shark. Luckily we found out that the basking shark came off better in the collision, receiving only a headache. We are not sure of the condition of the boat. Port cooked a delicious tea whilst the instructors eagerly found out what species of whale they spotted, and before tea we were all informed that they had spotted two short fin Pilot Whales which Ian has christened Fishy and Sid. Port cooked a rousing dinner of fish fingers, chips, peas and sweetcorn which was greatly received by the hungry crew. Port had even taken the time to individually craft every member of the crew a thoughtfully carved potato piece in the shape of something very dear to them. The shapes ranged from a knife and fork for the ever hungry Ian to a pair of Y-fronts for Helen Moore (Starboard). With full bellies and a heavy head we hit the sack for a good night’s sleep before the last leg of our journey to our final destination, Oban.
65 Nautical Miles