It is so good to have water under the keel again and feel the boat come
alive – so different from the unnatural, static stance on the hard over
the winter. We left Dumbarton just before HW on the first day of our
2009 cruise. With some east in the breeze we were able to motorsail
downriver to Toward Point, then run goosewinged across Rothesay Bay and
down the East Kyle to the Burnt Isles. There we turned in to a
stiffening wind and motorsailed down the West Kyle and across to
Lochranza on Arran. We were none too early as a team was still at work
setting up the visitors’ moorings for the season. Reminding us of our
early season start, it was latterly cold and raw out on the water, so
the first hot Whisky Macs of the trip went down well on arrival. Trying
to send this blog entry later on our newly installed state-of-the-art
communications setup (thank you, Finlay) , we discovered that a vital
piece of kit had been left behind, so are having to go back to Largs for
a trip home to collect it. As ‘senior moments’ seem to inexorably
multiply, we hope they don’t escalate into a ‘senior season’!