20th June

Still no parts! been a week now. Done the sights of Plockton - live music in the local pub a couple of nights plus a dance in the local village hall. Visited the Kyle of lochalsh by train which was a beautiful journey but theres not a lot else there!

 

13th June 2013

Mallaig to Plockton.
Lovely sail up through the Kyle of Lochalsh. Left at 5:30am in order to have the north going stream through Kyle Rhea. Lovely morning and a great sail. 11.3Knts through the Kyle Rhea. Fantastic.

Arrived Plockton at 12:00, However there is an obvious electrical fault. Batteries are not charging. Luckily I bumped in to the skipper of the local Seal tour boat who put me immediately in touch with a marine electrician: turns out one battery is absolutely dead and the alternator is not working plus the earth strap is cooked and broken.



The electrician recons on Thursday of next week before the parts etc will arrive.

callum the skipper on the Seal boat took us out for a quick spin around the bay during the evening and fed us bottled beer and whiskey chasers. hey ho good fun.

But what to do for the next week or so!!!!!!!

12th June

Tobermoray to Mallaig.
Around Ardnurmurchin point for the third time! (most westerly point on mainland Britain) Lovely sailing weather with only a little bit of motoring and overcast sky. A family pod of Bottlenose Dolphin hung around the boat for about one and a half hours. When I changed speed, so did they. When I changed direction, so did they. When I walked to the bow of the boat they followed me and when I walked back to the Helm of the boat they followed me again. They seemed so intelligent and the two adults seemed to be teaching the young Dolphin how to ride the bow wave of Morgen. After a while they really seemed to trust the boat and in a funny way communicated this in their body language. I was really reluctant to turn eventually in to Mallaig harbour. but needs must!
Note batteries getting lower.

 

11th June

sailed from Oban to tobermoray. had a good sail until the last hour when the wind suddenly built up and took me unawares. I had to dump the sails and tidy everything up and then let a small triangle of genoa out.
Note: After a bit of motoring first thing this morning and last thing in to Tobermoray harbour, I noticed that the battery monitor is reading a discharge whilst under engine! have to keep an eye on this.

10th June 2013

Appointment at eye clinic. After waiting for a week I was in and out in about three minutes flat! The Optomologist said to return in two weeks time, but I explained this was impossible as I didn't know where I would be. So he replied 'ok see you in a week'. He couldn't understand what I was saying and I could barely understand him! So I will phone back in a couple of days and cancel the appointment.

6th June 2013

After sitting around, sightseeing etc - the eye seemed reasonably ok. So I sailed to a small anchorage by the name of Pheildhobrain (Pool of the Otters) Pronounced wheeldobran, I think. I intended to spend one night here and then return to Oban. Pheildhobrain is where the 'Bridge over the Atlantic is found. This is where the Scotts where made to remove their Kilts and tartan before moving further south and where they could put them back on again when traveling further north or west of this point. Anyway this turned out to be a spectacular anchorage as can be seen by the photos and I stayed for four nights in the end as I couldn't tare myself away.

 

Fantastic Weather too.

30th May 2013

At last Morgen launched at 11:00am - engine started first time, batteries fully charged just from the small solar panel - brilliant. Woke with eyelash stuck in my eye, scratching and itchy!
Creran Marine is probably the best anchorage / storage facility I have ever visited and Ewan Macgilvery has been so professional and helpful. Cannot recommend the place highly enough.

 

 

Cracking first sail to Oban - started in very light winds but once out of loch Creran the wind built and a steady seven KNts was reached for about 10 miles. Great. Although my eye is now very sore and bloodshot.

Once moored in Oban. I went to the hospital re:- my eye - quite swollen now. Given eye drops and told to return if it doesn't get better.

By the evening I cant see out of my eye and in a lot of pain. Pain killers do nothing for it. Tried to get water taxi back to the mainland but luckily Karen the marina manager saw I was having difficulty and helped me physically to get on to the water taxi and then took me in her own car to the hospital.

Once I saw the doctor in the hospital he diagnosed that I had a Corneal ulcer behind an old abrasion which obscured my pupil. After many phone calls he decided to transfer me from the Oban Hospital to the Royal Alexander Hospital in Glasgow. Afetr a very painful journey and night in hospital the antibiotics that I was taking every half an hour began to work. however they felt that some of the Cornea had to be trimmed away in order for new skin to heal over the eye.

Many tests etc and five days later I was finally discharged.

Weirdly, it turned out that my Aunt Freda was co-incidentally in the same hospital at the same time and I was able to visit her a couple of times. Which although a little distressing was also really nice to see her. once discharged however it took me ten and a half hours by public transport to get back to Oban and the boat. I then had to wait in Oban for another week to see the Optomologist as they wanted to make sure the ulcer had in fact gone.

29th may 2013

Quick rub down of hull and then applied anti-foul. Reminder to myself, do not use cheap sponge rollers in the future. buy bristle rollers! Sponge rollers are a real pain in the arse! they fall apart to quickly and leave smears. New AIS fitted and sealed in a plastic bag. will make a proper sealed box when I get home. last AIS unit stopped working at end of last season due to water ingress.

28th May 2013

Arrived Creran Marine at approximately 3:00pm today in order to collect 'Morgen' for the final part of the circumnavigation.
Boat looks good. Although I am feeling tired after a very long coach journey. left home at 10:00pm last night - got coach from Milton Keynes to Glasgow and then another coach from Glasgow to Oban. Finally a bus from Oban to the entrance of Creran Marine.