Fairy isles

Hand caught crab patte bits

Yum yum

Loch sween

More freediving forage

Surviving

Washing up on blondi heslers place

Another beautiful anchorage

Now have three weeks of this with the family how will we cope?

Thats my boy

Paradise south west corner of mull.

First shot first fish

On top of the world. After two years of prep and dreaming the plan comes together. This little fish just fed two families, 9 of us.

Another beautiful anchorage

Now have three weeks of this with the family how will we cope?

Bliss

Hand caught crab patte bits

Yum yum

Who did i bump into!

Corpach basin amazing birth

Passage planning

Entering the sound of jura from the north and never having piloted a boat here is no easy matter. Just spent 5 hours solidly collecting data and considering our options over the next few days with all available sources for weather wind swell tides and pilot books and charts. Head is mince need food. Well worth doing well in advance and cross checking with pals who know best. One friend who knows the area has given some great places to go and another confirmed my tidal thinking, thank you to them. The confused weather system at present makes the wind unpredictable so planning on the worst out comes. This planning for it to do its worst means the planned passage does not seem very adventurous but i will plan for the worst and hope for the best and make sure we have fun.

Yum yum with a view

After lugging 40 kg of shopping home i feel hungry.

40 kg of food

It pays to have a meal plan when shopping for four on small boat to who knows where for 5 days. Just have to get aboard without breaking the eggs!

Eyeballing pilotage

Wow

Composition of elements

Splendid mooring

Peace and quite. Powerful stuff. Calm contemplation feels so rear when you have it, what value is there in that which you can not quantify or place a value on.

Surviving

I call it, post great glen storm recovery therapy.

Knot off evening

Storm bound.

Another day of harbour life. Gusts of 40 knots is preventing boats moving and we can not move because there are no moorings available in our direction. Eating well and now well watered.

Loch ness rainbow

Loch ness pilot

My local loch ness pilot does na flinch at thirty five knot gusts.

Chortles galley delights

Lental soup 10 mins in the pressure cooker, the veg remained crunchy, yum.

Cockpit cover, stake and a book

Just tried the cockpit cover that i made last week works a treat, and now for my stake and a quite night... almost forgot to take myself for a run first.

The star of the show

Inverness approaches

This is the sea

Not very often

Gastro chortle cruising

Roast chicken. Wow. This last weekend we spent a family day hanging out on board for sunday roast. Testing out the cookers potential has only just begun! Now armed with a floaty boaty cookbook and full of gastro expectations. Also bought a pressure cooker, another culinary avenue to explore.

Packing

Packing packing packing
What not
Who when what will be going on
Ohhh my brain
Empathising for all eventualities
All concerned must be catered for
Baked for
Caked for
Kept dry
Warm and watered well
And how far how long
On this endless searching journey
To the never never land
Where dreams come true
And minds unwind unfold and find peace
To come fierce fighting euphoric splendour
Rough calm seas
Wind rain
Glaring baking burning sun
Loneliness
Clostrophobicness
Damp greassy sweety screamingkidsinmyfacelyness
Cant wait
So excited
And home again
Cry but dry

Cockpit benches and table finished

Aaarrrrr. Had a very nice afternoon finishing the new bench seat slats, gas locker and table fitting. Finely enjoying a relaxing cuppa while listening to gardeners question time. Almost forgot i was sitting on a sailing boat.

Attending to the finer details

Our new burgee

Special Picnic Squad forever!

New burgee design

Our new burgee for the very exclusive club, The Special Picknick Squad, SPS, Is here! Beatrice our dog as the club mascot and burgee. Freyja amd i have spent tje weekend between other jobs designing and making this flag. Lets hope it flies nicely.