SV Ostinato: June 2013

June 23 Fort William on the Caledonian Canal

I'm sitting here as King and grandchildren, Julia and George, are making me a birthday cake....pineapple upside-down cake, my favourite. Today is the last day of their time with us. What a wonderful visit we have had. I will miss them terribly......but I get ahead of myself. I had decided to skip the gory details concerning the lost prop and simply say I would of had more fun in an alligator swamp in Florida during August....but King has insisted that I at least hit the high points or should I say low points.

June 7

Thank goodness for the Sea Scouts

After the Sea Scouts pulled us to the quay, King began his research on what prop to purchase. Let me just say that he had at least 5 suppliers in 3 countries vying to remove obscene amounts of money from us to supply our shinny new prop. This will be no surprise to those of you that know him and his talent for finding "the deal". In the meantime he conjold the Lock Master into searching the bottom of the lock with their underwater camera. The camera was of questionable ability so expectations were low and no one was terribly disappointed when they came up empty handed. As a result of the effort, they also called off a planned review of all the locks using same camera.

June 8-14

George gets into the act

Julia and George with a new friend

King finally settled upon Bronson props instead of the original Gori. Yes, I said "props" plural. We have never been happy with the Gori's performance or its expensive and hard to attach zincs. They are double the cost of the Bronson so we went for a matching pair. While awaiting their arrival we picked up our 2 beautiful grandchildren at the Edinburgh Airport and spent a few days investigating multipe castles, standing stones, and Bonnie Prince Charlie's last battle ground.

The props arrived Thursday morning right on scheduled. By then, along with half the population of Inverness, we had made and discarded multiple plans for how we would get the prop on once it actually arrived. Diving is prohibited in the canal plus the water is freezing so that eliminates that option, As of Thursday the plan was to move to a marina outside of the canal where we would squeeze the back end of Ostinato into a lift that is too small for us. Basically they would pick up only our back decks just enough to raise the sail drives out of the water so King could slap the prop on. I didn't say it was a good plan. These were desperate times and any half backed idea was worthy of discussion. Tony, a local sailor, was recruited to give us an extra hand through the locks and at the marina. To get us there, King strapped the outboard dinghy engine to the sugar scoop, made our grandson, George, the rear helmsman and we made for the first lock. Winds were gusting to plus 20 so let me just say it was not pretty. The lock keepers do not care for spring lines so without both engines we bounced around both locks like a pinball machine. Now, in addition to our prop, chunks of our bow and stern were added to the bounty at the bottom of the lock.

Bright and early the next morning Ostinato's crew, along with that of two other boats in the marina, used ropes to pull her across to the docks on the opposite side where she would be hauled up...but despite all efforts she just wouldnt fit, so we pulled her back across. King spent the rest of the morning repairing the damaged gel coat fom the previous day, kicking himself for even trying this and working on schemes ...the alternatives were getting mighty thin. Drying out somewhere seemed to be all that was left. Options were doing it in the mud, an abandoned concrete ferry dock or a fuzzy possibility of a sandy beach 30 miles away. Without Peter and the Orwell Yacht Club close by, I was definetly not up for the mud again and 30 miles without more specifics seemed a bit too iffy so it looked like the concrete across the river was the winner. And the wind continued to blow. Neither of us were thrilled about bouncing the keel up and down on concrete so we waited another day.

June 15

Walking the beach at Dornoch

Our neighbours, Lloyd and his friend Mike on SY Westernman, came to the rescue. These guys not only drove us over to find the sandy beach in Dornoch but also entertained us with stories about Scotand throughout the trip. We found the perfect drying out beach, arrived just in time to hear the bag pipes play for a bride and groom as they left the church, and stopped along side the rode to converse with some long hair cows. We ended the day back on Ostinato with Llyod, Mike and our Dannish neighbors including their 4 cute kids. George and Julia learned a few Dannish words and the little ones jumped on Ostinato's trampolines. It was a lovely day, the beach was perfect and we both slept better that night.

Off to Dornoch by boat bright and early the next day. The blue plastic barrell Mike had dug out of the sand and place on a tree stump for a marker for us was brilliant. As planned, it guided us in to a perfect landing. We settled back a bit as the tide went out. This didnt thrill the kids much and both decided to head for bed early. Low tide wasnt till 11:00, just about sunset. King was over the side as soon as the water retreated. He tried the first prop and climbed back on the boat to inform me it didn't fit! Oh good grief! He then tried the 2nd prop. It didn't fit either. Double damn. Had we ordered the wrong size? We counted splines on the prop and the sail drive. They matched so back over the side to give it another go. This time, Success! We always seem to need a bit of drama. King made quick work of attaching it and at 5 a.m. (sunrise was around 3:30) we backed off the beach, waved goodbye to the seals and headed back for the canal. It was like a homecoming. Even the dolphins seemed glad to see us. The Canal and Marina staff all welcomed us back and because of our problems they added 5 additional days to our canal license. After a last trip to the grocery and quick showers, we were off through the 2nd set of locks that same afternoon. Yea!

George and Julia were naturals tending the lines

George and Julia quickly caught on to how to handle the lines and wmade it through the locks like pros. Off to Loch Ness. George took over helmsman duties to King's delight allowing him to search for a suitable anchorage for the night. It has been a long time since we put a hook down and we were looking forward to it. The following days we would look for Nessie, visit castles, ride the steam engine Jacobite train (aka Harry Potter train), climb Ben Nevis, play multiple rounds of Dominos and UNO and eat. Wow, can teenagers eat! Which brings us back to my birthday. The cake was perfect....we ate the whole thing at one sitting!

Hiking on Ben Nevis was spectacular

June 24

We drove back to Edinburgh today to deliver Julia and George back to the airport today. It was a great visit and we miss them already. The drive through the Highlands was breathtaking....and not just because I was driving.

June 25

It's finally time to leave the canal and begin some exploration of the west coast. We untied the lines at 8:00 a.m. and began our slow transit along with four other boats down Neptune's Staircase, a series of 11 Locks to reach the sea. Where were Julia and George when we needed them? 3 1/2 hours after we began, we were finally cruising down Loch Linnhe toward the Isle of Mull ready to begin our next west coast sailing adventure.

A nightly game of dominos or UNO

Drying out on the beach at Dornoch

When did I become the short one?

The Jacobite Steam Train aka Harry Potter Train

Hairy cows!!

Monday May 27- Departed Lowestoft about 10:30 a.m., as the tide was still running S. Still getting gusts in the 20s so King left the reef in that we had neglected to take out from our run up from Ipswich. Within an hour, we were flying north up the coast at 10 to 11 K. Unfortunately, the seas were a bit lumpy from the change in wind direction so sea sickness sent me horizontal fairly quickly. We decided to start our watch hours immediately so we could get as much rest as possible since we were doing an overnight run. That helped but 2:00 a.m. is still a rude time to be dragged out of bed. The wind only lasted till dusk, which is about 9:30 p.m. these days. We motored the rest of the way. No major obstacles but it was a little exciting when I came on duty in the wee hours of the morning and found us surrounded by lights and a gazillion ships indicated on the chart plotter; all apparently at anchor. King sez "Nothing to worry about. Just thread your way between those two ships." I whined till he agreed to at least stay till I was semi awake and truly convinced that all those ships were sitting still. It was sooooo cold.

Whitby Abby, aka Dracula's Castle

We passed by Whitby around 1:00 p.m. the following day. The Whitby Abby, also known as Dracula's Castle makes Whitby easy to recognize from the water. The ruins stand high on the cliffs overlooking the sea and the town. Even from a distance it looks a bit spooky. The winds were beginning to swing around but we decided we had time to make the additional 30 miles to Hartlepool.

Tuedsay May 28- We are safely tucked into Hartlepool Marina. The lock entrance was a bit narrow and gave us only a meter to spare. We entered with one of the power cats that service the wind generators. Its back wash made us have visions of bouncing off the walls like a pin ball machine. With audience, of course. The wind has decided to rage again so after laundry and a little work on a pesky problem with the starboard engine cutting out, we decided a road trip was in the cards. I know, I know. Blessed be the unsuspecting British driver. Enterprise picks you up so they were the winner of our hard earned retirement funds. The plan was to drive to York where we would spend the day. We would then return home and head out the following day to visit with friends, Gus and Helen on Wings in Whitby and look around for Count Dracula while we were in the neighbourhood. All good thoughts but a small weather window appeared to be opening on Friday so our road trip was reduced to one day. As is our typical fashion, we decided to cram the 2 day itinerary into one. The drive to York was uneventful. I only screamed in terror once. King does not always wait his turn to enter the roundabouts....but enough said about that. The medieval stained glass in the York Minster was breath taking and well worth the trip.

Even the ceilings in the York Minster had stained glass

We also visited the Clifford's Tower, a fortress mound originally built by William the Conqueror and added on to by one of the Henrys. The top of the tower provides a good view of York. After a quick ice cream cone we were off to Whitby. I was hoping to arrive in time for a quick glance at Dracula's haunt but it was not to be. First there was the fog. At one point, King remarked that he bet the countryside was extremely beautiful if you could see it. I was disappointed at missing Dracula's haunt but just as well in the fog......Who knows! Had a good time catching up with the crew of Wings and King got to eat Fish and Chips in the city known for its offering of the delicacy. Sorry Whitby, Baltimore Ireland remains his favourite. I'm thinking it may have to do with being stuck at sea for 12 days prior to the tasting event.....not sure what that says for my cooking. The fog continued all the way home and to add to the excitement, the GPS decided to become extremely annoying by repeating directions over and over and then after 4 or 5 repeats it changed its mind and gave out different directions. We circled a number of the roundabouts 3 times till it finally threw us out on the correct highway. At one point it decided there was a bridge that didn't exist and just plain refused to head toward Hartlepool.

Royal Northumberland Yacht Club

Friday May 31 - Blythe - little wind, so another day of motor cruising. All of the cruising books say Blythe is not much of a town but you need to stop for the yacht club. As we came around the harbour you could see folks beginning to gather at the hammerhead. We had 6 people waiting to take our lines and welcome us to the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club. We were informed the club was sponsoring a 36 hour race starting tonight so a special dinner was being served in the yacht club and we were invited to join in. Which of course we did. Very cool. The yacht club is in an old ship tied to the docks. Showers are located on the top deck and the bar (in the bow) and a separate dining room (in the stern) is below decks.

Saturday June 1 - another day of motor sailing, destination Eyemouth, our first Scottish landing. I was excited because we would be passing the Farne Islands which is a large bird sanctuary and home of over 30,000 Puffins on last count!
They were everywhere, just floating in the water as we sailed past. In spite of rushing from one side of the boat to the other in hopes of catching a few good pics, the little things appear to be quite camera shy and the zoom on my camera a bit wimpy. You will just have to take my word for it.

Preparing to come aboard

Once past the Farne Island we settled in for a quiet cruise up the coast but that was not to be. The Royal Air Force was practicing helicopter maneuvers and apparently the deck of Ostinato looked like the perfect spot to practice putting a man aboard. They flew up and motioned for us to talk on the radio. Mr. Excitement, King, chatted with the pilot and invited them to "come on down". The helicopter hovered off the port side, matching our speed, for what seemed an eternity...probably 15 minutes... as we continued to motor sail up the coast. Two guys, all suited up, sat on the side with legs dangling over the edge. We waited. Finally, they began their decent and swooped in closer. Just as they got directly over us, cushions began to fly about, my hat was ripped off my head and one of the side curtains began to flap furiously about. The noise was deafening. Goodness knows what the commotion looked like from above cause after only a few seconds of the chaos, they rapidly pulled back. The pilot radioed to tell us they were concerned their down draft might cause damage so they had decided to abort. Before signing off, they assured us they could land someone on our decks should there ever be the need. Everyone waved goodbye and off they flew. Could that of been Prince William piloting that helicopter? I like to think so.

The line on the left is our man overboard pole...not a line

Eyemouth Harbour entrance "the canyon"

The entrance to Eyemouth is a small hole in the wall the locals call the canyon. The Harbour Master met us standing on the cliffs to advise that our tie up was no longer available.
King thinks he took one look at us and decided the wide girl would block the channel. Not to worry, he would put us on the Quay. The tide was out so that meant climbing up a 15 foot metal ladder to tie up. Another fun first. We were not finished with the tie up when a man stopped by and advised that we were flying the wrong courtesy flag....."You best be getting that down and the Scottish flag up." New acquaintances on Blue Moon confirmed that although we were indeed in the UK, the Scots still took their flag very seriously. They were also kind enough to give us theirs since they were moving south to England in the morning. I quickly removed the offending Union Jack and replaced it with our new Scottish flag.

Sunday, June 2- Sleep! Good grief, who decided to get up at 4:00 a.m.? It is now starting to be light at 3:30 so I guess it could of been worse.....It can always be worse. From Eyemouth we sailed across the Firth of Fourth, and then up the coast from Fife Ness to Peterhead. The jump is about 99 miles so we anticipated a very long day. The hope was to get in before dusk, around 9:30ish. A bit of wind during the morning from the SW so we had a nice morning sail for about 2 hours until the dinghy attempted another great escape. Same problem we had off Gosport but it was the forward set of wire connections that failed this time. Don't even go there. King played gymnast and attempted to repair while we were still moving. That wasn't pretty so we finally hove too and he was able to climb in to replace the broken lifting wires that attach the dinghy to Ostinato. The excitement for the day. When over, the toll was two lost dinghy paddles and the new dinghy engine battery is toast. King is still trying to resuscitate it. Sorry to say their are no photos of the incident.

A tight squeeze in Peterhead docks

Even with the dingy theatrics and the port engine deciding it was its turn for some attention, we arrived in Peterhead at 8:00 p.m. All of the hammerhead spaces had been taken so we squeezed into one of the finger piers. You could barely get fenders on both sides of the poor girl. The next morning the Harbour Master was quite amazed King had been able to fit her in.

Monday, June 3 - The winds continue to be light and favourable out of the west. Not enough to sail properly but on the positive side, not enough to stop you from going. High tide was at 9:30 so we got to sleep in a bit.

Ostinato was untied and at the fuel dock by 9:00, then quickly on our way. The barometer is at 1027, the highest I have seen it for forever. Seas are smooth and the engine is purring away thanks to a quick fuel filter change King completed yesterday on the port engine. We turned the corner at Kinnaird Head into the Moray of Firth and headed toward our next destination, Lossiemouth. The wind, what there was of it, moved to our nose. The water, smooth as glass. In the distance you can already begin to see the change from a flat coastal landscape to rocky cliffs with luscious green fields on top. The water is crystal clear. Quite a change from the muddy waters in the south. Still seeing an occasional Puffin as we float by. What I wouldn't give for a telephoto lens. The big news today...I am not wearing a coat. Long johns, however, continue to be part of the wardrobe. Beautiful day to be on the water.

Tuesday, June 4 - We have about 40 miles to go today to reach Inverness, our last jump before we enter the Canal. A gang of white mouthed dolphins escorted us out the channel. No wind again today so while the main is up, the engines are growling along. The high pressure system continues to sit over the UK bringing warmer weather (60s). I don't want to get my hopes up but we might actually have a summer this year.

Arrived at 4:00. Dolphins led us into the first lock. We had decided to go directly to the marina located in the canal instead of Inverness. All went beautifully. I had to throw the line up 30 feet to the Harbour Master and he was able to catch it on the first throw. Good show! He lowered the stern line to me and we were set. I could here the champagne popping.....all good till King put it in gear to move out to the next lock .....nothing happened. Holy Cow. After a dive in frigid water, King confirmed that somewhere today we lost the starboard prop. We tugged Ostinato to a small dock half way between the two locks where we are now spending the night. The champagne celebration will have to wait. Seems more like a vodka night. To be continued.........