Talora Chasing Tides

I can't believe the last time I updated the blog was the 27th June! Thanks to all those who have texted Ray to check we are OK. In our/my defence we have been busy enjoying the socialising and scenery, have been effected by the poor signal and weather and helped out by only small amounts of wine and whiskey.
The scenery on the Cally is amazing ..... when you can see it! After stocking up on provisions and getting on top of our washing on Thursday 29th June we spent the night at Caley Marina having the engine checked due to a minor fault. All sorted, we entered Loch Ness in the mist and rain. The visibility was so poor we stuck the navi lights on and could only just make out the land on both sides of us. Because there was absolutely no wind, the rain was slow to clear but when it did, we were treated to stunning views of mountains all around and water like glass. The maximum depth gauge reading we registered was 179 metres! At times the meter reading would suddenly go from 179 metres to 9 metres but we don't know why that was!!
At Fort Augustas, at the end of Loch Ness, we met some people from Wisbech, Trevor and Joan, in an amazing converted fishing trawler, Challenge. We shared these locks with 4 other boats, at very close quarters, scary. Having to walk your boat through the lock was also scary, particularly for me as I don't do heights and those lock walls are extremely tall.
For the next four days it rained constantly and the winds were strong across the lochs. At the top of Laggan Loch, we went down the lock only to come back up again when the wind on the Loch was so strong we would have made little progress against the wind and waves, yes I said waves!!
The facilities along the canal are basic to say the least with limited access to showers and toilets and often not enough space on the pontoons to find space or electric to hook up too, making it difficult to dry out wet clothes, After a couple of days everything just smells damp.
At the top of the final set of eight locks called Neptunes Staircase, we met up with Trevor and Joan again and after having a tour around their boat, spent the next two evenings together. The first evening was very civilised and started off in front of their wood burner followed by a meal in the local restaurant. The second night was less civilised and a bit messy, as a result of Ray and Trevor drinking a whole bottle of Talisker whiskey on our boat. Needless to say Ray disgraced himself, but the drink certainly helped to mask the midge attacks. Photo is Talora at the top of Neptunes Staircase on the only sunny day, with Ben Nevis in the background.