Mostly good
09/17/2007, Loch Sween

We spent a week in one anchorage, just reading, going for walks and doing small DIY tasks around the boat. We met a single-hander who invited us over for a drink, and saw some freinds from Ardfern, but most nights we were the only boat there. The Fairy Isles is a wonderful location, tucked away near the head of Loch Sween, it offers a sheltered anchorage from all but north-easterlies, and has a gooey, muddy seabed. We dropped our Rocna anchor there one Friday, and after having been blown almost round the compass in the course of the week, hauled it up from the same spot the next Friday morning.

That was the start of a brisk sail back home, as the wind had gone round to the north west, and we beat all the way up the Sound of Jura assisted by a strong tide, which gave us five 'free' miles on the journey. We used the engine to get into the Sound, as the swell was coming straight into the mouth of Loch Sween.

Glad we came home on Friday though, as the weather otherwise over the weekend was stormy, rainy and thoroughly dreich!

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08/23/2007, Ardfern

I forgot to record that at the end of our short cruise Clive and I hoisted our cruising chute for the first time this summer. It took us the few miles from the Dorus Mor to Ardfern marina in good style.

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08/06/2007, Lussa Bay, Jura

On 29th July Little Else sailed south from Ardfern in the evening, and anchored for the night in a favourite spot at Lussa Bay, Jura. Clive was crewing for me, and he was below after dinner when I went on deck for a breath of air, and saw the bow of a viking longship coming slowly round the point and into the bay. I slowly realised that it was being rowed by a large number of oars, and it came into the bay with navigation lights showing, and the crew responding to very sotto voce commands from the captain. As they came by I asked where they had come from, and they replied 'Denmark!'
Clive couldn't believe his eyes, and nor could I. The ship was huge - we discovered later it was 30 metres long, though very narrow in the beam. After some manoeuvring and exploration by flashlight of the shore, the ship tied up alongside the sheer rock on the north-west side of the bay, and settled down for the night.

In the morning, we looked and checked that it had not been a dream, got into the dinghy and took some photographs just as they upped anchor and left to sail on to Islay.

Clive and I sailed on slowly after them, and spent a couple of days on Gigha and in the McCormick Isles, before returning to Ardfern.

To see details about the amazing longhsip, check out www.havhingsten.dk .

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