Taryn takes the helm, keen to experience Flat Sea Sailing - no seasickness here!
Mike has a power nap.
We decided to sail up to the top of Loch Long, then we planned to sail back down the loch and overnight in Holy Loch Marina. Mike now well rested and ready to helm.
A large shed on the waterline caught our attention, obviously important as the land behind it was secured with a double row of barbed wire fence. We were sailing along, admiring the scenery, when the police launch arrived and requested we leave the area with immediate effect. It then escorted us out of the loch. Was it that obvious it was a nuclear submarine base?
1 - The shed
2 - The boys look busy, Taryn Hides, Steph takes photos
3 - Mike phones a friend
We were escorted out of the loch, then our escort left us and went back to look for more villains.
The old pontoons did look past their best, but luckily there were some nice new ones as well.
Holy Loch Marina
The next day - yet more sunshine - we decided to sail the long way back to Ardrossan (we knew there was a good restaurant there) and try to show our visitors the seals basking on the Cumbrae Islands. The plan worked well, the seals were there and in light winds we motored up close for a good look at them.
Arran Island
Cumbrae Island
A Basking Shark
Havind done the wildlife bit - lots of porpoises also seen - it was time to try to sail in the light winds: We tried the windsurfing approach, but eventually gave it up as a lost cause.
Power naps all round
With the crew rested and revived, we sailed on to Portavadie, Loch Fyne up near the Crinan Canal. Portavadie harbour had been literally blasted from the rock about 5 years ago - the plan had been to make a sufficiently deep harbour to manufacture oil rigs. No orders had been received, so Plan B was put into effect and a state of the art Marina has bee built, with super-modern holiday homes, restaurant, hotel etc.
The facilities were amazing - we have now visited 11 of the possible 13 Marinas in the Clyde, and this is the only one to offer a drying room, baths as well as showers and hair straighteners!
Dinner was really good as well.
A lie in had been suggested for the next morning, but Zilla had other ideas - Taryn had been working hard at un-training her, so it was time for Zilla to have a go at training Taryn: An early morning walk was required.
Zilla tries to teach Taryn to retrieve a stick
Portavadie dinghy - early morning walk along the shore.
The plan for the day was to go to sail round the top of Bute, where we had previously encountered the Waverley Paddle Steamer and head for Rothsay Harbour on Bute. The wind was fickle, but it was good porpoise viewing conditions. True to form, the wind picked up as we got to Rothsay - it was a tiny harbour, a huge contrast from Portavadie - and all seemed chaotic. There was a lifting bridge into the inner harbour, it was a falling spring tide and we had 0.1 metres of water under the keel - we took the only option and sailed on to Largs.
The good weather had run out by our visitor's last day - wet, wild and windy just about covered it. We tested the coffee in the Largs Yacht Club and eventually decided that it was not the day for dropping Mike and Taryn off on Arran. Plan B was put into effect and it was back to Ardrossan for them to catch a Caledonian MacBrayne to Arran where they were spending a few days.
Scotland - as we expect to find it!
Mike and Taryn caught their ferry, we spend the night in Ardrossan and have now finally left the Clyde for pastures new. Ireland calls.
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