Three Men (Stuck) in a Boat

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. 

London International Boat Show 2011

Visit us between 7th and 11th January 2011 at the London International Boat Show at Excel London.

We'll be on the Sail Scotland stand ready to answer all your questions and to have a wee blether about sailing  on the West Coast of Scotland.

Winter 2010 in Banavie

A still November day on the Caledonian Canal

Icy decks

First snowfall on Ben Nevis

Banavie pontoon berth

....and then it got really cold.........

Winter Wonderland 23 December 2010

One man and his boat

A quiet day on the Caley Canal

Corran Ferry

Caley Canal here we come

As the 2010 season closed Moonshadow enjoyed her final sail as she headed up Loch Linnhe in glorious sunshine to her winter berth at Banavie in the Caledonian Canal.  


The delivery crew enjoyed some superb sailing before the weather finally broke to give us some typical Highland weather for the climb up Neptune's Staircase.


 










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Skye, Raasay and the Small Isles

Following a lively sail round Ardnamurchan, we took the tide through the narrows at Kylerhea, then stopped off at Kyle of Lochalsh, before continuing north.     

      

We have just enough clearance to make it underneath the Skye Bridge safely!

Arriving at Raasay, we anchored off the island's south east coast for a visit to Hallaig - where the deserted ruins of this Highland Clearance site are still visible. The township was made famous in Sorley Maclean's poem "Hallaig" , which evokes the heartbreak and desolation of the Clearances.                                                                                                                                                                       

A cairn memorial to Sorley Maclean,  inscribed with a copy of the poem, in both Gaelic and English stands on the hillside below Hallaig. A submarine plying its way down the Inner Sound is just visible above the monument.    

                                         

More submarine activity in the Inner Sound

The island of Soay lies off the south west coast of Skye.  In 1946, the  author Gavin Maxwell bought the island and established a factory to process shark oil from basking sharks. The old buildings and machinery are still standing. The enterprise was unsuccessful and lasted just three years. Maxwell's book Harpoon at a Venture tells the story.

Soay - Gavin Maxwell's shark station

Shark station machinery, Soay

An overnight stop in Canna gave us the chance to explore ashore. Canna was left to the National Trust for Scotland by its previous owner the Gaelic scholar and folklorist John Lorne Campbell and is now run as a farm and conservation area. The island is a haven for birdlife, with golden eagles, sea eagles and puffins often seen.

On Rum, Moonshadow's guests enjoyed a tour of Kinloch Castle on Rum.  The castle was built as a private residence for Sir George Bullough a textile tycoon from Lancashire whose father bought the isle as his summer residence. Construction began in 1897, and was finished in 1900. The highlight of the tour was the under stairs Orchestrion, a mechanical music system which still functions today and amazed us with its melodic sounds!

 

Over the Sea to Scavaig

Moonshadow’s bow dipped and rose through a sun spangled sea as we crossed the Sound of Sleat under full sail.  We were heading for Loch Scavaig on the Isle of Skye and relishing a warm southerly breeze.

The night before had been spent in Inverie, Loch Nevis, where we met up with old friends and made some new as the crew was treated to the usual hospitality and musical entertainment at Britain’s remotest mainland pub the Old Forge Inn.

Sunshine on Loch Nevis

Pleasant memories of the previous evening lingered as the sea spray licked our skin making it salty to the taste. As we rounded the Point of Sleat, we eased our sheets and bore away. Over our shoulders the high hills of Rum and the sugar loaf Sgurr of Eigg shimmered in the distance.

The Black Cuillin

Approaching Scavaig, the dramatic horseshoe arc of the Cuillin skyline rose up to meet us and as we slipped past the resident seal colony we were close enough to hear their snorts and gaze into their mournful brown eyes.  

  

We were coming into the inner anchorage at the bottom of the tide, feeling our way round the bay. The water was crystal clear – and with only a few inches under the keel it looked too close for comfort – but the skipper had calculated correctly and the echo sounder soon inched its way upwards.

Hidden within this rugged landscape, and completely invisible to the outside world, is Loch Coruisk.   With dinner preparations underway, guests were ferried ashore to enjoy the short walk to this hidden jewel and rewarded with stunning views of the impressive rock strewn amphitheatre and a magical sense of peace and tranquility.  That night, under a star studded sky, a bright moon flooded the anchorage with light, casting eerie shadows over Moonshadow’s solitary mast.  

The following morning dawned bright and clear and following breakfast on deck in the warm sunshine, we weighed anchor, already anticipating the pleasures which lay ahead.

  

A Traditional Scottish Welcome

On a calm summer evening in July,  Moonshadow's guests had a real treat, when our friend Kyle delighted us with a few traditional tunes on his pipes. 

The hairs on the back of our necks rose as the strains of the Dark Isle echoed round the bay,  the historic Dunstaffnage Castle making the perfect backdrop for this haunting lilt.  

 
Toes started tapping as a selection of lively jigs and reels followed and sets of eight were formed for an impromptu Strip the Willow on the pontoons. 



 

This musical extravaganza drew rapturous applause and cries of "Encore" from Moonshadow's crew and other appreciative boatowners in the marina and we knew then that we were in for a long night!

Somebody fetch that piper a well-earned dram!