We'd left Mallaig at about 11 am, to catch the tide south. The wind was a stiff breeze from the NW and the seas were slight. Vagabond romped along. There was some turbulence as a current from the West of Skye joined the one that we were in sliding down the Sound Of Sleat. That calmed down as we passed down tide of Eigg and then we had more turbulence as the passed Eigg and the tidal flow from the small isles joined us. It was here that I formed my M25 traffic flow / tidal stream analogy, thinking of how the M25 slows to a bumpy snails pace when other major roads join it (M40 / M25 junction is my speciality). Is this the stuff for a thesis - although I fear it has already been done.
We rounded Ardnamurchan point to find the wind exactly behind us and the sea ahead "smooth". 
With the main boom out to port and the jib out to starboard, we goosewinged down to the entrance to Tobermoray, to find a new, bigger, pontoon and the Mishnish* (the yachties favourite pub) shut for renovation. So I had to watch the England - Uruguay match in a different pub.
Tobermory
* The grand reopening is Friday night - I was assured** it would be the lead article in next weeks "Oban Times"
** by the gentleman in the yacht parked alongside us (who, of course, had known the Viking!)
You are now entitled to display a sprig of heather on your bow.
ReplyDeleteHi Norma - I think you are referring to the tradation that boats returning from north of Ardnamurchan would attach said sprig to their forestay. I rather thought that this "tradition" had fallen out of fashion, bearing in mind the number of boats going that far north and the decreasing supply of heather in the highlands, Perhaps I'll find some artificial stuff and sport it at next years Sail Caledonia!
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