Day 77 - Jobs and Provisioning
4 hours ago in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Morning walk with Basil to the monument. It honours David Hutcheson, a shipping pioneer whose steamship company laid the foundation for modern CalMac ferries. Matt repaired the cockpit cover.Read more
Day 76 - Walk around Kerrera
Yesterday in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
We had to walk around this idyllic Island, with views to Jura, beneath a ruined castle, and the excellent Kerrera Tea Garden, we had to stop for some lemon drizzle cake. A easy walk from theRead more
Day 75 - Passage to Kerrera
June 22 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Left the anchorage early to move towards Oban and a small island called Kerrera. A really calm morning with sadly not enough wind to sail. Saw dolphins and porpoises as we motored along. A bit of rainRead more
Day 74 - The first stunning anchorage
June 21 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
We left Fort William at 10am to get past Corran whilst the tide was not too strong. Motored along Loch Linnhe, stunning views absolutely everywhere! Past the beautiful 36 acre Balnagowan Island thatRead more
Day 73 - Back to the sea
June 20 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Caledonian canal, done. Along the route there were 29 locks, 10 swing bridges, and 4 lifting bridges. The total rise in water level, 32 metres. ‘Haste ye back’ as the Scottish phrase says. Tied upRead more
Day 72 - Lots and lots of locks
June 19 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
We had to wait until the afternoon to tackle the transit of Neptunes Staircase and 8 Locks. There were 7 boats squeezed into the chamber, it was very cosy. No major mistakes from Team Wind Dancer, weRead more
Day 71 - Locks, lochs and bridges
June 18 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 14 °C
We got into the first Laggan lock with Fingal of Caledonia, a 39 metre commercial barge. Motored on through Loch Lochy and through the Gairlochy Lock, one of the biggest drops of 4 metres. Rain andRead more
Day 70 - Rain, cloud, mist and Eagle barge
June 17 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
A morning of drizzle, followed by a walk along the Great Glen Way along Loch Lochy. Great scenery and lots of sheep and lambs, some fabulous flora and fauna.
Early dinner at Eagle Barge, great beerRead more
Day 69 - A Lock, a bridge and a Loch
June 16 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Beautiful morning walk along the Great Glen Way this morning. Headed off through the Collochy Loch and Aberchalder Swing Bridge into Loch Oich. Past Invergarry Hotel and the castle ruins and moored upRead more
Day 68 - Lots of locks
June 15 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Fort Augustus provided a large audience for us to transit the flight of locks. And a flight it was, the 5 interconnected locks raised the boat by a total vertical height of 16.5 metres. We only madeRead more
Day 67 - Seaport to Fort Augustus
June 14 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
A few bridges, the Muirtown Locks and we sailed into Loch Ness. It is the largest body of water in the British Isles by volume. It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and WalesRead more
Day 66 Sealock to Seaport Marina
June 13 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
An early start to get to the Clachnaharry Lock for 8.30am, we were starboard side to behind a fishing boat. Gusting 30 knot winds. Followed them through the rail bridge and into another lock beforeRead more
Day 65 - And we are back
June 12 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Had a whirlwind of a week back at home. Helping Sandra prepare for Gran’s funeral and catching up with friends and family.
Arrived back to Wind Dancer about 3.30pm this afternoon, unpacked the car,Read more
Day 64 - Canal walk & Muirtown Locks
June 3 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 14 °C
The Muirtown Locks are a flight of four interconnected locks on the Caledonian Canal, located one mile west of Inverness city centre. They lower boats by 10 metres towards the Beauly Firth. TookRead more
Day 63 - Always look up
June 2 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Walking around the city and noticing the beautiful architectural details. Inverness has a diverse architectural landscape shaped by 4,000 years of history. Its aesthetic relies on traditional HighlandRead more
Day 62 - Carnac Point
June 1 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Carnac Point in South Kessock, Inverness, is a small peninsula where the River Ness meets the Beauly Firth and the Moray Firth leading to the North Sea. Could see Ord Hill and the forest in theRead more
Day 61 - The Ord Hill Walk
May 31 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
The Ord Hill walk is a peaceful, mostly wooded circular trail just across the Kessock Bridge on the Black Isle. A 6 mile walk with an elevation of 1,000 feet with fantastic scenic viewpointsRead more
Day 60 - Prior planning prevents poor performance
May 30 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
There is a reason Scotland is so green and lush, the rain!
Planning for the next section of our trip, with lots to do and organise. The next four months we will not have the availability of allRead more
Day 59 - Exploring Inverness
May 29 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 16 °C
Inverness originates from the Scottish Gaelic Inbhir Nis, which translates directly to "Mouth of the River Ness’. Spent the day walking around Inverness and Ness Islands. Stumbled across aRead more
Day 58 - Passage to Inverness
May 28 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Our last passage for a while, we will leave the boat in Inverness marina for a couple of weeks to go back to Colchester for Gran’s funeral. Sunny day, calm seas and light winds. There is nothingRead more
Day 57 - Exploring Lossiemouth
May 27 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Locally known as ‘Lossie’ and home to RAF Lossiemouth, have seen and heard a few Typhoon fighter jets flying out to protect our air space. A morning walk with Basil to the West beach along towardsRead more
Day 56 - Passage to Lossiemouth
May 26 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Early morning walk along to Inverboyndie beach with Basil. Left at 12 midday for the short sail up to Lossiemouth. Slowed right down as there was not enough water to get into the marina until 6pm.Read more
Day 55 - Walk to Banff
May 25 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
A morning of jobs, washing down the boat, laundry and splicing ropes. Gorgeous walk along the coast road to Banff, beach balling and swimming for Basil and some barefoot paddling for us. SealsRead more
Day 54 - Passage to Whitehills
May 24 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
A leisurely 10am start to get around the notorious Rattray Head, one of the wildest places on the Aberdeenshire coast, at slack tide. Calm seas and not much wind, Motor sailed past some rugged andRead more
Day 53 - Visit to HM Peterhead Prison
May 23 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
The Peterhead harbour
breakwaters protect vessels from the harsh North Sea conditions. The massive granite blocks forming the South Breakwater were quarried and laid using convict labour from theRead more
Traveler
Lovely photo of you both. Xx