Scotch Mist – Oban to Corpach, 10 Jul 19

I wish I could say that I saw a lot of beautiful views today, but that would be lying. I actually spent virtually the whole day seeing nothing at all. Armed with the chart plotter and a fog horn, I navigated through the white landscape from Oban to Corran Narrows without mishap – unless you count the time when a French yacht overhauled me, (the shame, the shame!). However it did rain slightly less than yesterday, which is a bonus!

The vista fortunately opened out when I approached the Corran Narrows, where Loch Linnhe reduces to a gap of only 100m wide. It’s quite exciting going through – not least because the current accelerates you through and there is a ferry which goes from one side to another at a rapid rate of knots and provides a decent game of chicken!

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I arrived at Corpach Lock at 3pm which was enough time for me to prepare the boat for my big sister Penny who was arriving on the train from Glasgow. The station is literally 100m from the canal basin where I was moored and so meeting the train was no problem.

A Ben Nevis Moment

Before I left Portsmouth in May, my friends Sam and Mags gave me a bottle of bubbly with the instructions not to open it until I was in the Caledonian Canal and within sight of Ben Nevis. I fished it out of the wine cellar and cooled it in the canal ready to toast my sister on arrival. I didn’t feel that Sam and Mags required me to actually see Ben Nevis as it’s impossible to see the mountain through the mist – but I know it’s there!

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More Pipes!

Either a high point or a low point, very much dependant on the time of day is the fact that the Master of Yacht Lolita, which is two boats up from me on the wall, also owns and plays a set of bagpipes. He was playing some plaintive Scottish melodies in the afternoon drizzle which was very atmospheric, but I did mention to the Canal staff that I hoped he wasn’t an early riser (Greig); they obliged by handing me a set of ear plugs for the duration of the transit!

Cake addendum

Penny has kindly brought some parcels with her, one of which was another fruit cake from Katherine Hutchinson, the last one having run out in Crinan.

Very impressed by Cake #2 – I detected considerably more rum in this one – or maybe I’m becoming more sensitive to rum after two months at sea. Thanks Katherine and thanks DPD!