Home is where the heart is

We enjoyed our brief stay on Rathlin Island. The harbourmaster was working on her gorgeous old live-aboard herring boat, which was the bright red star attraction of the pretty little harbour, and told us of her plans to replace the missing foremast and sail. Apparently, the boat was deliberately designed to rock in the swell. They used a ring net and would draw it in to concentrate the thousands of herring next to the boat. The fishermen would wait for the roll and then as the side of the boat literally dipped into the water were able to drag the net and fish on board. The harbourmaster is hoping that a sail might reduce the roll, good luck with that one but it would be nice to see it restored. It is 17th June 2021.

We walked over the north side of the island to get a view of the Mull of Kintyre and of Islay. Our destination of Gigha was too small and distant to see. We enjoyed a few pints on the pub terrace in the sunshine, including a perfect pint of Guiness with which we toasted the friendly welcoming people of Northern Ireland.

At 4am we slipped the mooring and used the motor to quickly get the first two miles round Rue Point before the end of the flood tide flow. The idea is to get through the McDonnell overfalls before the ebb tide kicks in a creates strong currents and rough water. We put up the sails and pushed into a north westerly on a single bearing at 4 or 5 knots for 23 miles to reach the south end of Gigha. We had a bonus of enjoying two sunrises in one morning. The sun first appeared as a glowing red ball on the horizon but as it rose it became hidden by a bank of cloud. Sometime later it began to shine out from behind the cloud and then rose again and burst into a very welcome warmth to take the edge of the chill north-westerly breeze.

 

 

We crossed the shipping lanes but saw no traffic, which was a surprise because we had expected with no border down the Irish Sea that trade would be flourishing. How do we understand a politician’s false promise? I guess if they really believed it was true when they said it then they are an idiot. If they did not believe it then they are a liar and possibly an idiot as well? OK, that’s enough critical analysis for the Guardian readers, lets get back to real life – sailing across azure blue seas to reach idyllic beaches and eat in fancy fish restaurants.

I wonder if you have any idea whereabouts we are? You might be surprised to see how close Northern Ireland is to Scotland, we were and were grateful for the fact. The blue dot is Gigha, we came across from the island of Rathlin on the north east corner of Northern Island, about 35 miles.

A bit of beach art, the digital version of this creation is available for only 10 thousand bitcoins, just let us know if you are interested.

 

Some people come to Gigha by more conventional means. of course they are tourists whereas we are extreme sport athletes.

There are a number of low-lying rocks and reefs around Gigha and so we put away the autopilot and introduced a considerably higher level of human error into steering the boat. We picked up a visitor mooring in the delightful Ardminish Bay, pumped up the dinghy and set about booking a table at a fancy fish restaurant. We really need to start booking a day or two ahead, however the most fancy place looked overpriced and we got a table booked for this evening at the pub, much more our scene and half the price for half a lobster. Now are our dreadful marches turned to delightful measures, we will relax, read our books, lie in the sun until it is too hot to bear any longer, drink beer at lunchtime leading to the inevitable siesta, and eat fancy fish dishes in the evening perhaps with a chilled bottle of Pinot. This early retirement thing is certainly to be recommended.

Our glorious summer is slightly dented by getting a phone signal and discovering that our mum has been admitted to hospital and having an emergency operation. But luckily the rest of our rather large family rally round. Anyway, by lunchtime mum has had a pacemaker fitted and is chatting happily and hoping to be sent home this evening, because the ward is rather noisy at night. Of course, being loving and kind sons, our thoughts are with mum and a worried dad rather than any concern about our planned schedule for sailing round the UK before it disintegrates. Seriously though mum, we love you so much so get well soon and remember to follow doctor’s orders and take it easy. Do your best to well for the Mark and Steph’s wedding as there will be compulsory dancing. Be assured, we are on our way to see you, but at about 5 knots and we will just nip round via Cape Wrath, so it might take a while yet. Big shout for mum: 'We love you mum!'

Mum could persuade dad to walk round the Lowther estate gardens on a hot day, even before she became a bionic woman. Who knows what she will be able to do now?

Tomorrow we might potter to the end of the island to an isolated anchorage with no fancy fish restaurants and just enjoy a bit of solitude and a full-on rest day before we set sail hopefully for Colonsay. We have sailed to Colonsay together previously, but that was a more adventurous trip in Mark’s 16 foot Wayfarer dinghy. You might notice that it is Mark who buys, maintains and repairs the boats, Pete just turns up and sails in them. It will be fun to arrive in a bigger boat and not have to pitch a tent. Perhaps I should book the hotel restaurant now?