We had a rollicking good sail from Puilladobhrain heading south. We timed the tides and currents perfectly and between a very stiff breeze and the currents pulling us along we were doing a little over 10 knots at one point. We sailed past the Gulf of Corryvreckan known for serious tidal currents that move in between the islands of Scarba and Jura. There were visible swirling whirlpools and I had to hand steer through them in order to compensate for the wild currents and eddies roiling the water. The autopilot whom we affectionately refer to as our third crew mate “Auto” simply could not deal with the unpredictable currents, but I could see and compensate for them at the wheel. We started out under full sail but as the wind increased to 20 to 25 knots, we reduced sail or “reefed” in order to have better control and not be so overpowered.
We revisited Loch Sween and this time the anchorage known as the Fairy Isles was vacant. We pulled in, dropped the hook and prepared to stay for a couple of days as rain was predicted and wind was not. We put up the cockpit enclosure or the “dog house” to give us a dry, outside space to hang out and were snug and dry.
With rain all day and no wind, we decided to spend a second night in the Fairy Isles. I can always find something to amuse myself and decided to embark on pita bread from scratch. It turned out really well for my first time and I’m planning to repeat the recipe later this week. When the rain let up, I decided to head out in the dinghy and see if I could find the local seal population. I didn’t find the seals, but I did find a gentleman who was gathering wild mussels not far from where we were anchored. After a quick tutorial, I gathered just enough for a meal for Roman and me. I hung them in a mesh lingerie bag off the stern of the boat overnight so that they could get rid of some grit. My mentor advised me that they would be perfect for “tea” (aka supper) the following night.
The next day, we headed south from the Fairy Isles to Port Ellen on the south coast of Islay. We arrived in time to do a couple of loads of laundry at the tiny marina office (one washer and one dryer) and run to the grocery store for a bottle of wine and a baguette. I cooked the mussels in olive oil, onion, garlic and white wine, and they were delicious! The baguette was perfect for sopping up the delicious broth.
The weather report for the next day called for sun and warmer temperatures, so we decided to rent a couple of e-bikes from Islay E Wheels and do some exploring. We took the old, single-lane road to Bowmore which had turnouts to allow vehicles going in opposite directions to pass. It was amazing how respectful motor vehicles were of us on our e-bikes. Whoever was closer to one of the turnouts would stop and allow the other to pass. In our travels, we have determined that pedestrians have no rights with regard to motor vehicles. You had better keep out of the way or get run over.
We parked our e-bikes on the village square an struck up a conversation with and older woman sitting on a bench. She recommended a delightful little quirky coffee shop named Lynn Labels of Islay and we stopped in for a tea, a coffee and some baked goods.
my favorite sign on the wall
On our way back to Port Ellen we took the newer, two lane road which was closer to the coast. By the time that we got back to Port Ellen, we still had 2 hours left on our bike rental and plenty of charge in our batteries so we decided to ride the distillery trail that we rode on conventional bikes on our trip north. We whizzed the 6 miles – 3 out and 3 back – and made another pit stop at The Cake Shed for a slice to satisfy Roman’s sweet tooth. It was another fun day!
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