Leg 10, Double digits and on the way home!
Cath has been a Trustee for the Ellen MacArthur Trust since 2004, and a regular volunteer on our sailing trips each year.
Leg 10 began with typical Dreigh (drizzly) Scottish weather on Monday afternoon at Fort William, where five young people from all around the UK joined Scarlet Oyster for Leg 10 of the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain, Voyage of Discovery.
Given that Australia had just lost the second Ashes test at Lords, and I happened to be an Australian, we decided to set up our own little Ashes Series on the boat for the week. The first test was played in rainy and windy conditions, overlooking the beautiful Loch Fyne. The rules were simple, if the ball went in the water, you were out. Twice we rescued the ball, but on the third dunking, we decided it was too hard to reach so we called an end to the first test. Although England, led by Gareth was ahead on 15 runs, the Australians didn’t finish the innings, declaring poor light, which resulted in a draw.
On day two, we left the Caledonian Canal in brilliant sunshine with Ben Nevis in full view and motor sailed our way down the Loch until we reached Dunnstaffanage. It was a wonderful harbour, complete with Castle at the entrance. Cath, our skipper, declared that the showers were the best so far in the Round Britain voyage. After dinner, we went to find the pitch for the second test match, by the beach. However, as the castle proved so interesting, and the boys were having so much fun skipping stones into the water, we forgot to start play. It was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I have been to – a pink and orange sunset over sparkling blue water. It was simply amazing. However, the midges drove us away. So we tramped home back through the marches, with somewhat wet shoes. Grin,…
Day three, we set off on a voyage of discovery, past islands, dolphins and seals to a small anchorage that Karen with her local knowledge recommended. We saw the Bridge across the Atlantic and then anchored up in a little cove, surrounded by islands and wildlife – birds of all shapes and sizes. With the sun shining and the clear water below beckoning us, we decided it was time for a team swim in the Atlantic Ocean.
Oh my word, I have never been so cold. First Cath, then Gareth, then myself (the Aussie), then the girls (Karen, Rachel and Fran) and Luke all managed to complete at least one boat length in the Atlantic Ocean. What an achievement and such fun. Joe, the sensible one, stayed on board to capture it all on camera and film.
We left the anchorage with perfect blue skies overhead. However, retribution came my way soon after departing this sheltered spot in the form of a rather large saucepan of water thrown all over me. You see, I had started a water fight the day before which had resulted in Gareth and Fran getting rather wet,… they got me back though. Grin.
We made our way south to the entrance of the Crinan Canal, to be piped into the basis by a local Scottish lad. As my grandfather was Scottish, it was quite moving to hear ‘Scotland the Brave’ being played as we entered the Canal Basin. With the sun setting over the water, we were very privileged to have been so warmly welcomed by the local yacht club and waterways staff.
That night we played Irish Snap card game. Well, Cath the South African on board was surprisingly competitive at this little card game. However, our resident Irish lass, Karen proved her true heritage by winning just about every game.
Day four was all about travelling down the Crinan Canal, in one of the most beautiful spots I’ve seen in the world. The canal was just wide enough to hold Scarlet Oyster and we were surrounded by forest and water lilies. It was wonderful. We were guided through the Canal by Chris, Alistair and Peter from the local yacht club. They were terrific. We all had a go at opening and closing the locks. It was great fun holding on as the water rushed in as we were raised up the locks.
In the afternoon we were treated to a wonderful BBQ – again welcomed by the local bag piper. After dinner, we played the second Ashes cricket test, which I hate to say, was won by England. However, it was a great game and until the midges came we were doing quite well.
On day five we were well into the swing of things and very happy as a crew living on board. We were drinking copious amounts of tea and even managing to make it to everyone’s taste. The food, the company and the scenery were all excellent.
Although we had a wonderful time in the Canal, we were all keen to get back out onto the open sea and set sail again. With the 20 knots of wind behind us we set the sails and Scarlet Oyster was away.. With Luke at the helm, Scarlet Oyster was in her element, reaching up to 9 knots. It was sunny, brilliant weather and wonderful sailing.
At dusk we came into a very secluded anchorage off a beautiful island, with mountains at our side. Having pumped up the dinghy, Gareth, Tim and I rowed ashore to the island and went exploring. We climbed to the top of the island and enjoyed the view over the bay. Tim decided to take some others exploring after dinner. Well, poor Tim, he really did have trouble staying in that Dinghy and fell out shortly afterwards, much to our amusement and entertainment.
The stars came out for us that night so we had some adventurous young people decide to sleep on deck. Star gazing was enjoyed by all,… even if not much sleep was had. Grin.
We woke on day six, to a beautiful sunny day, somewhat sad to be leaving this idyllic spot. We scrubbed the bootline of Scarlet, the fenders and cleaned the inside, avoiding hazards along the way. We all wanted to make Scarlet Oyster shine for the big arrival in Largs.
On our way to lunch, we spotted seals bathing on the rocks by the shore. On the Isle of Bute we were treated to some of the best fish’n’chips I’ve had in the UK, so yummy…
We departed after lunch for a last sail before reaching Largs. It was a wonderful sail, with the full mainsail and headsail out – the boat was healed right over so the edge of the boat was in the water. We were racing along, tacking all the way into Largs. In fact we were having so much fun, we were tempted to just keeping sailing,…
However, we were also hungry and the idea of a wonderful BBQ put on by Skandia was all we needed to turn into Largs. We had a great welcoming reception with over 70 Skandia and EMT supporters on the shore. Frank and Simon from the Trust were there to take our lines as we stepped on shore for the last time on our Voyage of Discovery.
The final adventure was the touch rugby game between the young ones and the old ones. Lets just say that the young ones may have been fitter, but the old ones had more staying power. We’ll call it a draw (although this may be debated).
All in all, it was a terrific week, and the best EMT trip I have been on – with enthusiastic, fun and inspiring young people, a great skipper and mate and a very special yacht to sail on.
I remember two years ago when Gordon proposed the idea that we should sail a Round Britain with the EMT. At the time it seemed like a far away dream. After much hard work the dream has become a reality. I have been lucky enough to have experienced it first hand. I feel very privileged to have sailed with such a wonderful bunch of young people, Tim, Cath and Karen. For all of us that were on board Scarlet Oyster this past week we will look back on this week and remember the fun we had and the friends we have made. We have been part of this Voyage of Discovery Round Britain. It has made such a difference to our lives. We could have just kept sailing.
All the best,
Cath Bremner
