Going on the Malt Whisky cruise seemed like a great idea. Friends had done it on previous years and said it was something we really should do now we had our own boat. The cruise starts in Oban so we needed to move her from Ardrossan to Kerrera in time for the start of the cruise. We set aside a week and asked 2 dear friends to join us and they agreed to help us through the Crinan canal and up to Oban. This was the first trial of our boat handling apart from marina berthing! The weather was kind and we had a great time learning together how she handled especially in the confines of the canal. On one occasion we were asked by a lockkeeper to go back as there were 2 large yachts approaching round a blind corner. Oh no! We don’t do reverse! However we did manage it and progressed to the Crinan basin. With the authentic back drop of a puffer, Ian was in his element mimicking Para Handy ably assisted by the children on the next boat who had the words of the “Crinan Canal” taped to the coachroof.
After 1 day waiting for a strong wind to pass we headed up to Oban via the Cuan sound. To paraphrase the sailing directions you head for Cleat Rock and do a handbrake right turn when you can see Kerrera. Once safely berthed at the Marina we enjoyed the sun and “nightlife” as we prepared for the rigours of the Classic Malt cruise and swapped crews as Ian and Margaret could only stay with us for a week