Day 23 Tobermory - Loch Aline
On Saturday morning we had a brief walk in town to stock up on a few essential items as we planned to be at anchor for a few days.
We cast off the mooring buoy and followed Sea Rose out of the harbour and as there was a nice breeze, Paul was feeling optimistic about being able to fly the spinnaker. Although we tried to hoist the spinnaker there was barely enough wind to fill it no matter what direction we were sailing in and after a while not only did we have to abandon the idea of using the spinnaker (and with it, all hope that Sea Rose may be able to capture a photo of us flying it), we had to put the engine on.
When we arrived in Loch Aline (pronounced Loch Alan) we anchored in a quiet spot which was very sheltered and had a great view of Ardtornish House and the Pink Tower. After our arduous sail, we sat in the cockpit and enjoyed the sunshine for a while before Nigel and Sally came over for afternoon tea, pre dinner drinks and dinner. We had both been fancying roast lamb for some time so that was on the menu. A great night was had by all, with good food and even better company!
On Sunday, we decided to go for a walk around the Ardtornish gardens. We took the dinghy ashore, collecting Nigel and Sally along the way. We stopped at the estate office to pick up a map and got some local information from the lady in the shop. We were told that the house had been sympathetically modernised and split into holiday flats so the fabric of the building has been preserved. We were able to walk around the gardens which were lovely - very natural with a wide variety of plants, all in an informal setting. We were surprised to learn that the estate was comprised of 47,500 acres and they had built an amazing archimedes screw to provide water for the estate. This was an engineering feat in itself.
Once we had walked around the gardens, Nigel and Sally decided to walk to the end of the point to see a waterfall whilst Paul and I decided to go back to the boat as Paul needed to repair a problem with our generator. When we went ashore we had left the boat in pieces with the steps removed and tools everywhere! Luckily Paul was able to change the impeller and fix the problem easily. However as we whizzed back to the boat, our outboard motor lost drive so that's a problem to rectify on another day!
On Sunday night we were invited aboard Sea Rose for dinner - initially it was planned to be a vegan, kosher risotto however it transpired to be a bacon and cheese risotto so after a few drinks it was christened as a gender neutral meal to satisfy any woke brigade reading this blog… by any name the dinner was delicious!
On Monday, after nursing a thick head (we'd been "Nigel'd and Sally'd" with stiff gins and Pimms last night) we decided to have a lay day and catch up on a few bits and pieces. Nigel and Sally came across for coffee and cake before they headed off to Oban. After lunch Paul did a bit of work (into every life a little rain must fall) whilst I cleaned the boat and caught up with a bit of laundry. The sun was still shining when our work was done so we treated ourselves by stretching out on the cockpit cushions, reading our books - sheer bliss!
We cast off the mooring buoy and followed Sea Rose out of the harbour and as there was a nice breeze, Paul was feeling optimistic about being able to fly the spinnaker. Although we tried to hoist the spinnaker there was barely enough wind to fill it no matter what direction we were sailing in and after a while not only did we have to abandon the idea of using the spinnaker (and with it, all hope that Sea Rose may be able to capture a photo of us flying it), we had to put the engine on.
When we arrived in Loch Aline (pronounced Loch Alan) we anchored in a quiet spot which was very sheltered and had a great view of Ardtornish House and the Pink Tower. After our arduous sail, we sat in the cockpit and enjoyed the sunshine for a while before Nigel and Sally came over for afternoon tea, pre dinner drinks and dinner. We had both been fancying roast lamb for some time so that was on the menu. A great night was had by all, with good food and even better company!
On Sunday, we decided to go for a walk around the Ardtornish gardens. We took the dinghy ashore, collecting Nigel and Sally along the way. We stopped at the estate office to pick up a map and got some local information from the lady in the shop. We were told that the house had been sympathetically modernised and split into holiday flats so the fabric of the building has been preserved. We were able to walk around the gardens which were lovely - very natural with a wide variety of plants, all in an informal setting. We were surprised to learn that the estate was comprised of 47,500 acres and they had built an amazing archimedes screw to provide water for the estate. This was an engineering feat in itself.
Once we had walked around the gardens, Nigel and Sally decided to walk to the end of the point to see a waterfall whilst Paul and I decided to go back to the boat as Paul needed to repair a problem with our generator. When we went ashore we had left the boat in pieces with the steps removed and tools everywhere! Luckily Paul was able to change the impeller and fix the problem easily. However as we whizzed back to the boat, our outboard motor lost drive so that's a problem to rectify on another day!
On Sunday night we were invited aboard Sea Rose for dinner - initially it was planned to be a vegan, kosher risotto however it transpired to be a bacon and cheese risotto so after a few drinks it was christened as a gender neutral meal to satisfy any woke brigade reading this blog… by any name the dinner was delicious!
On Monday, after nursing a thick head (we'd been "Nigel'd and Sally'd" with stiff gins and Pimms last night) we decided to have a lay day and catch up on a few bits and pieces. Nigel and Sally came across for coffee and cake before they headed off to Oban. After lunch Paul did a bit of work (into every life a little rain must fall) whilst I cleaned the boat and caught up with a bit of laundry. The sun was still shining when our work was done so we treated ourselves by stretching out on the cockpit cushions, reading our books - sheer bliss!
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The Pink Tower -
A peaceful anchorage in Loch Aline -
A wider view of the anchorage -
The anchorage is getting busier -
Sea Rose -
Artornish House -
The start of a great evening -
Quality controlling Linda's cakes.