tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12643132917039324902011-07-07T21:12:33.018+01:00Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comBlogger191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-87506059594306556672010-05-06T15:58:00.001+01:002010-05-06T16:02:56.394+01:00

THURSDAY 6 MAY 2010 Jane very kindly drove us over to Kyle and we climbed into our dry suits and cast off at 0930. The forecast wasn't brilliant - NE 4 to 5 occasionally 6 but the wind was light from the SE and we hoisted the full main. Once we passed under the Skye bridge there was a horrible tidal lop that saw waves breaking aboard from every angle but we put a tack in and sailed into clear

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-10222642041003740752010-05-06T00:22:00.002+01:002010-05-06T16:24:12.837+01:00

WEDNESDAY 5 MAY 2010 After a poor nights sleep between checking that the Nancy was ok at low tide at 3am and getting the shiping forecast at 0520 we set off at 0730. The wind was light from the North west but petered out after 1/4 a mile. Malcolm resorted to rowing and after a mile a wee breeze filled in from the SE f3. This was surprising as the forecast wind was NW 3/4 occasionally 5. After

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-8436529382133431922010-05-06T00:04:00.000+01:002010-05-06T00:04:02.059+01:00

tuesday 4 may 2010 Malcolm and I caught the first ferry to Craignure and arrived in Tobermory at 0900 to find the Nancy dismasted! At first we thought she had capsized but the harbour master confirmed that the mast had fallen down on the monday of its own accord! A bottle screw had unscrewed itself apparently with th motion of the boat against the pontoon! Anyway = we rerigged her and set sail

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-77077091020601518782010-05-03T16:01:00.000+01:002010-05-03T16:01:45.300+01:00

MONDAY 3 MAY 2010 I am preparing for an early morning start (0500) from Bowling to get to Oban in time to catch the 0750 ferry to Craignure. Crew for this leg is a Plockton man, Malcolm Mackenzie, who is well qualified for this rather dodgy leg around Ardnamurchan. We dont have a great forecast - Tuesday W3 or 4 and Wednesday N 3 or 4 but it looks even worse later in the week with persistant and

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-71679803677537665852010-04-29T18:06:00.000+01:002010-04-29T18:06:32.305+01:00

WEDNESDAY 28 APRIL 2010 Angus recalled that a friend of the family Anne lived in Tobermory and while we were still warming up in the bar Anne and her neighbour Pat arrived. We were most fortunate as Pat ran a b&b and with the incessant rain we were looking for an alternative to camping. We had a great sleep in really comfortable surroundings and fantastic breakfast. If you are ever in Tobermory

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-75183904064377637182010-04-27T20:50:00.002+01:002010-04-28T20:49:36.084+01:00

TUESDAY 27 APRIL 2010 We caught the 0800 ferry to Oban as we discovered the skipper had brought a gas stove but no gas cartridges! Doh! After a quick breakfast we bought the cartridges and some chandlery to fix the the missing gudgeon and returned to Kerrera on the 0910 ferry. We packed our gear aboard, extruded ourselves into our dry suits and set off at 1000 in light rain. The Inshore forecast

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-60504066541888105502010-04-27T20:33:00.001+01:002010-04-29T18:09:06.091+01:00

MONDAY 26 APRIL 2010 Thanks to Henry and Maggie Crow we had free run of their house last night and a good nights sleep. We arranged for a taxi to take us from Ardrisaig to Crinan as the buses only seem to run on tuesdays, thursdays and at weekends. By 10.00 we were out the sealock and picked up a mooring to allow us to hoist the main and were soon underway heading for the Dorus Mor. The light

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-55013177616179960082010-04-25T12:54:00.000+01:002010-04-25T12:54:17.297+01:00

SUNDAY 25 APRIL 2010 We were glad that we made good time through the canal yesterday as it is raining quite heavily this morning. Considering that the canal is 9miles long and we passed through it in 5 hours and taking into account the time spent in the locks it suggests that Gordon manage to row the Nancy at about 3.5/4knots - quite amazing! We certainly overtook most walkers. This morning we

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-19672537555006125712010-04-24T21:04:00.003+01:002010-04-25T13:10:23.732+01:00

SATURDAY 24 APRIL "Ardrishaig tae Crinan's the best trip I've been in, Its the Crinan canal for me!"  So the song goes! Well we made great progress today thanks to Gordon's prowess with the oars and help from Henry with the locks! We left Ardrishaig at 1030 and arrived Crinan at 1600 with a 30 min stop at Cairnbaan for lunch. Weather was great with a light wind from astern but there was a lot of

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-3542409448398053602010-04-21T11:10:00.001+01:002010-04-25T13:09:40.116+01:00

WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL 2010 Starting to get organised for the next leg through the Crinan canal. We expect to start moving her through the canal on Saturday morning around 10am so if anyone wants to help with the locks just turn up at Ardrishaig. The plan is to get to Cairnbaan for the night and then make the final push on the Sunday. Crew for this leg will be my son Gordon with assistance from Henry

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-41554428295081203062010-04-16T22:05:00.004+01:002010-04-25T13:07:34.152+01:00

BERTHED IN ARDRISHAIG - THE CRINAN CANALFRIDAY 16 April. We had an early breakfast and Mike and Nan very kindly drove us back over to Portavadie at 0715. It was  another great day but very cold with frost on the pontoons! The air temperature was only 2 degrees C! We quickly did a temporary repair to the damaged knee, clambered into our dry suits and hoisted sail! Alas there was no wind so we

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-41059118854554845922010-04-16T21:52:00.000+01:002010-04-16T21:52:17.160+01:00

THURSDAY 15 April We had a quick breakfast and after paying our berthing fees of £12 (extortionate for a 4.5m dinghy!) and rowed out the harbour at 1030. It was another stunning day but alas there was no wind so we persevered with the rowing until we got to Ardmaleish buoy and a light Easterly filled. We ran up the East Kyle but by the time we got to the Burnt Isles the wind had disappeared

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-26291929672839186242010-04-16T21:22:00.000+01:002010-04-16T21:22:15.635+01:00

WEDNESDAY 14 APRIL We were launched at 1330 and set off down river with a fair wind behind us (Easterly F3) and made excellent progress down river. We were off Langbank by 1430 and of the Cloch lighthouse by 1700 having been becalmed for a time and had to resort to rowing. However the fair wind left us by the time we reached Kip and the new wind filled in from the South about a F4 so we started

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-83222451737942911622010-04-13T19:01:00.001+01:002010-04-15T08:39:25.616+01:00

TUESDAY 13 APRILPretty excited tonight as the Nancy gets launched tomorrow and Neil and I set off around noon from Rothesay dock. Decided not to leave from Bowling as they would charge me for having the boat in the canal. The weather for the next few days is pretty benign - Force 2 to 3 from the East and North East. Next week however is horrific  with strengthening wind throughout the week and

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-36104802577088952472010-04-10T10:50:00.003+01:002010-04-15T08:42:47.795+01:00

For several years I have been attracted by the idea of sailing the Nancy back to Plockton from the Clyde. I know that this is not a task to be taken lightly as it involves sailing some of the wildest and most exposed waters in Europe, through the Dorus Mor with its swirling tides, past the awesome Corriebhreachan with its standing waves and whirlpool, and the rounding of the most westerly

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-1152803572523553362010-04-10T10:49:00.003+01:002010-04-25T13:08:16.358+01:00

The Nancy is a Plockton boat built in 1934 by John McKenzie and Son, boat builders in Portree, Skye. She cost £1/foot to build (£3/m) and is built of larch with oak frames. It was Angus Gillies (Buckie) who ordered the boat for racing. Buckie lived at Harbour Street Plockton adjoining the Hotel and to this day the pier outside his house is still referred to as Buckie’s pier. It’s believed that

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-80115011972947479972010-04-10T10:44:00.002+01:002010-04-15T08:44:01.447+01:00

Click here to see larger map     THE FIRST LEG Starting from Rothesay Dock in Clydebank where some of the greatest ships in the world were built -The Queens and the QE2 - we head West down the River Clyde towards the Erskine Bridge. Here the River starts to open out to a wide estuary and soon we pass Dumbarton, the Ancient capital of Scotland. The buoyed and dredged part of the river is behind

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-73063172943195579272010-04-10T10:43:00.001+01:002010-04-15T08:43:45.956+01:00

The ‘Local Boats’ and Their Rigs The first meetings of the club stipulated that the boats should be open clinker built boats of 15’ water length with a 6” keel and this rule is still in place today. For many decades a substantial number of the boats were ‘McKenzie’ boats built by ‘John MacKenzie and Son, Boat builders, Portree’.  These boats were the mainstay of the club for many years and even

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264313291703932490.post-30556247547386262372010-04-10T10:42:00.001+01:002010-04-15T08:44:16.146+01:00

A Falkirk Bairn, I started sailing at the age of ten on a converted lifeboat called the Calypso owned by a friend of my father. As a boy I would help her make her annual passage through the Forth and Clyde canal from Grangemouth to the Clyde before the canal closed in the 1960’s. I was in my mid twenties before I could afford a boat and managed to acquire a 26’ Robert Tucker designed Ayriel and

Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04704704936365807563noreply@blogger.com