Day 34 Mallaig
We woke up bright and early - well one of us did …and fortunately that someone (Paul) let me have a bit of a lie in whilst he got the boat ready for an early departure. The anchorage was quite calm as we left but within minutes the wind had whipped up and the sea state became quite choppy.
Mallaig wasn't far away and before we knew if we were tucked up safely in the harbour. We made sure that the boat was secure with extra lines and fenders, we put the cockpit tent up to give us a bit more space and as the wind and rain started to lash the marina we were snug and cosy inside. We spent the day doing a bit of passage planning. Paul took advantage of the good signal to get a bit of work done and when there was a break in the weather later in the afternoon, we had a stroll around the town.
Thursday dawned bright and sunny and we decided to take the train into Fort William, just to see what it had to offer. The train trip was very interesting as we were able to see many of the places we had sailed to or anchored in and saw the "lie of the land" from a different perspective. The train went over the Glenfinnan Viaduct made instantly recognisable by the Harry Potter films and we got a clear view of the viaduct on both the outbound and return journey.
When in Fort William we went to the West Highland Museum which was fascinating and gave a comprehensive account of the history of the West Highlands from before the Battle of Culloden right up to just after the second world war.
Friday was spent working and then we went for a brisk walk and an early dinner in the West Highland Hotel. We had a 5:30pm booking as they were fully booked…we ate our dinner in a virtually empty restaurant!
After dinner we got back to the boat and relaxed a little - or tried to as the worst of the storm was passing through. The wind was still from the west with some south in it and we kept our fingers crossed that it wouldn't swing to the North during the night as the marina had told us that when there are very strong winds from the North, they ask everyone to clear out of the marina. Fortunately our worst fears weren't realised and Saturday morning dawned calm and clear!
Mallaig wasn't far away and before we knew if we were tucked up safely in the harbour. We made sure that the boat was secure with extra lines and fenders, we put the cockpit tent up to give us a bit more space and as the wind and rain started to lash the marina we were snug and cosy inside. We spent the day doing a bit of passage planning. Paul took advantage of the good signal to get a bit of work done and when there was a break in the weather later in the afternoon, we had a stroll around the town.
Thursday dawned bright and sunny and we decided to take the train into Fort William, just to see what it had to offer. The train trip was very interesting as we were able to see many of the places we had sailed to or anchored in and saw the "lie of the land" from a different perspective. The train went over the Glenfinnan Viaduct made instantly recognisable by the Harry Potter films and we got a clear view of the viaduct on both the outbound and return journey.
When in Fort William we went to the West Highland Museum which was fascinating and gave a comprehensive account of the history of the West Highlands from before the Battle of Culloden right up to just after the second world war.
Friday was spent working and then we went for a brisk walk and an early dinner in the West Highland Hotel. We had a 5:30pm booking as they were fully booked…we ate our dinner in a virtually empty restaurant!
After dinner we got back to the boat and relaxed a little - or tried to as the worst of the storm was passing through. The wind was still from the west with some south in it and we kept our fingers crossed that it wouldn't swing to the North during the night as the marina had told us that when there are very strong winds from the North, they ask everyone to clear out of the marina. Fortunately our worst fears weren't realised and Saturday morning dawned calm and clear!
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Sea Crusader berthed in Mallaig Harbour -
View from the train window on the Mallaig-Fort William line -
Fort William high street -
Town centre green with memorials and statues