Summer is finally here, with temperatures soaring to 28 degrees - hotter than Madrid, Nairobi and Rio de Janiero! So it was on with the shorts and t shirts to lap up some of the gorgeous sunshine we were enjoying.
The somewhat cooler water temperature did not deter our friend Richard, who had joined us aboard Moonshadow for the week, from continuing his swim training schedule. Richard likes a challenge and the latest adventure he is about to embark on is to travel from Edinburgh to Inverary, by kayaking, cycling, running over land, and swimming across both Loch Lomond and Loch Fyne.
Our first overnight anchorage on this trip was Lunga (one of the Slate Islands which lie south of Oban) and Richard had already planned the route for his morning swim. With a helping hand from the skipper to zip up his wetsuit he was off into the sparkling waters of Camas a Mhor-Fhir (Bay of the Giant) with the lure of a hot shower on the stern when he returned.
The EU funded Sail West Initiative is the result of a collaboration of over 20 partners from the West of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Its aim is to encourage the development of marine and cultural tourism across the entire region. As part of an extensive marketing campaign to promote the north coast of Ireland and the west coast of Scotland as important sailing destinations, Visit Scotland, with the assistance of Sail Scotland, organised a Scottish sailing weekend for a group of European travel writers.
Following their arrival in Oban on the Friday afternoon, the journalists enjoyed what was the start of an action packed weekend with a tour of the distillery and a meal at the Waypoint Grill on Kerrera, before settling down in their bunks for the night. Saturday morning saw us heading up the Sound of Mull to Lochaline and the new pontoons. A delightful lunch was provided at the Whitehouse Restaurant, then it was on to Tobermory for a seafood dinner at Cafe Fish. The evening continued with visits to the Mishnish and McGeochans, where we were all welcomed to a 21st birthday party which was already in full swing! After a hearty breakfast on Sunday morning, it was back down to Oban with lunch for the 15 party members on board Moonshadow before the afternoon train to Glasgow departed.
For reviews of the weekend see the following articles in the Guardian and on Green Traveller:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/sep/09/sailing-holiday-scotland-oban
http://www.greentraveller.co.uk/blog/sailing-scotlands-west-coast
This summer, the 3 Men - Griff Rhys-Jones, Rory McGrath and Dara O'Briain, headed to the Hebrides for another adventure afloat. On this voyage, they used the 16th century travels of dictionary writer Dr Johnson and his biographer James Boswell as their inspiration.
Having taken part in West Highland Week, racing from Crinan to Oban onboard "Truant", the 3 Men headed north.
We captured part of their exploits on film while they were aboard the 1904 Bristol Pilot Cutter, Mascotte, having entangled themselves in a lobster pot as they were leaving Tobermory harbour.
