This is Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull. Yesterday we came out of the canal, through Loch Linnhe and into a 30 knot wind up the Sound of Mull. We'd been rather spoilt with the calmness of the canal! The weather has turned against us a bit, so we will be here at least one more day.

We're at Neptune's Staircase, Banavie, and will go through the locks and out to sea tomorrow. We've had some great times in Loch Oich and Loch Lochy. Apart from one day of rain the weather has been fantastic. Hardly any wifi so no photos I'm afraid. Windy weather on the way so may have to hole up somewhere like Tobermory before trying for Skye later in the week.

We're in Fort Augustus,  a lovely little place. Arrived last night after a rather unexpected force 5, only two knots short of a 6, blew us down the length of Loch Ness. Spent the day here through a combination of lock timings and our own generally relaxed state.  Came through the locks late this afternoon and are spending the night at the top of the flight.  Still light after 10 and Janet is catching up on her art. Tomorrow we will go to Loch Oich and then Loch Lochy. If there is wifi I will update this blog but it has taken me all day to get this rather poor connection so don't bank on it.  

We got to Inverness last night and came through the sea lock into the Caledonian Canal this morning. We went all of a couple of miles before stopping at Seaport Marina so we can explore Inverness, then tomorrow we will go into Loch Ness and search for Nessie.

On our way in to the Inverness Firth we saw a family of dolphins playing in the water but they were too busy putting on a show for the people on the beach to bother coming out to us. Never mind, they were still lovely to watch, even at a distance.

In Lossiemouth until tomorrow. Janet arrived this afternoon after a 24 hour trip from Teignmouth, and brought the sun with her.

Off to Inverness tomorrow assuming the weather stays fine. Meanhwile, how about this? Surely deserving of a place in Ripley's Believe It Or Not ....

A tropical paradise?

 No, believe it or not this is Lossiemouth. It has been a very hot and windy day, at least that part of the day that I have seen. I slept most of the morning away. This afternoon I had a very nice Scottish breakfast sitting outside looking at the boats, and when the waitress asked if I fancied a blonde I could not believe my luck. And a very nice blonde too, made in the local micro brewery. I suppose blonde beer sounds better for marketing than pale ale.

Lossiemouth is an odd mix; areas where shops and pubs have closed, and others where new ones have opened up. Expensive trinkets and a gelato bar (ice cream to the rest of us) just a few hundred feet from Ladbrokes (why do they allow it?) and a secondhand furniture shop. It benefits from having an RAF base right on the edge of the town which must boost the economy.

Like Eyemouth, Lossiemouth has its own fishing tragedy. On Christmas Day 1806 the fleet (actually only three boats, but 21 men on board) set sail in fine weather and a sudden storm sprang up, with winds from the south west blowing them away from the shore. Neither the men nor their boats were ever seen again, and no trace was ever found......

And did you know that the first Labour prime minister, Ramsay MacDonald, was born here, and one of his cousins set off for the USA with a bizarre idea to sell animal byproducts in a tasteless and nutrition-free white bun?

I have reached Lossiemouth, getting in at about 0545 this morning. All the visitors' berths were full so I had to find a space in the very narrow "locals only" end of the harbour. I may never be able to get out .....

A good trip last night, left Peterhead with no regrets at 1930,so just over 10 hours to do the 61 miles here. Nice sunset - first pic just after 10 pm - and now of course it's sunny again - second pic at half six this morning. In fact it's not just sunny, it's positively hot. I shall have to sit out in it for a bit.

Hoping to stay here over the weekend as Janet will arrive Sunday and we can then do the last bit of the Firth to Inverness together. There are supposed to be 60 to 80 dolphins making their home in that stretch of water. Best get the camera batteries charged up.

The town of Elgin is just up the road. You may recall that Lord Elgin was the chap who "liberated" the famous marble carvings from the Greeks, who in his opinion (subsequently corroborated by Parliament and later by the British Museum) weren't up to snuff when it came to looking after history. Those were the days. No wonder we built an empire. I am seeing a common theme in all the places I visit on this trip - Victorian (particularly, but earlier as well) success and optimism, manifested in grand statues, parks, public buildings, etc., and then the decline in the post-war years and perhaps even more from the seventies onwards. There is a very grand building in Grimsby - the port authority building - and a plaque with Prince Albert's words from his inaugural speech, in which he foresaw that for centuries to come the port would bring trade, wealth and prosperity to the town. 150 years on and where are we? If you saw my pictures of the derelict fish dock against which I was berthed, that says it all really. Most of the places I've been to have been like that - has-been places, once thriving with trade or fishing, now trying to diversify into the leisure market. Some with less success than others.

I am now in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. Approx 57.4968431,-1.7901286 on Google maps

I arrived at 0330 after a most interesting night passage during which I had my work cut out to avoid the shipping, particularly the oil/gas rig support vessels. They are so lit up with searchlights that I can't believe they have any night vision left. Certainly the one that reversed towards me at speed couldn't see me, nor did he respond to my radio call. All you can do is take avoiding action, and then go to the loo.

This was the sunrise in Petehrhead. Quite spectacular, and it was so nice that I had to sit out in the cockpit eating Arbroath smokie pate and sipping a G and T, then a bit of wine, even though it was only 4.30 in the morning. The red sky did of course bode ill for the day, which has been rather windy and damp.

Peterhead is the only harbour of refuge on this bit of coast, which means you can get in any any weather and at any time. That makes it  attractive. It also has a beach, where people keep their caravans. Very nice.

The views of the sea from your pitch are not entirely uninterrupted, but if you like ships that is OK. You can just see Jojac to the right of the caravans.

Peterhead boasts a lively social scene but the draw of karaoke uniqueness was sadly not enough for this establishment:

But never mind, there is always retail therapy. The local department store has a clothing emporium (building on the right) and a furniture experience (on the left). The architecture will appeal to those familiar with Dartmoor, particularly the higher security bits in the Princetown area.

Some shops here still have early closing (on Wednesdays, which of course is when I'm here. A bit like most of the museums I've tried to go to.) Those that stay open clearly feel guilty and turn down the lights so you can't actually tell if they're open or not. Even opening the door is no real guarantee; they might just have forgotten to lock up.

I'm sure one could spend a happy few days here exploring Argos, M & Co, Ladbrokes and all the other quality retailers that make the high street special, but I'm going to make a break for it and head into the Moray Firth tomorrow afternoon. There is a weather window that will carry me through to Inverness, possibly via a place called Whitehills. According to the harbour blurb, Whitehills has no fewer than four fish restaurants and, according to reviews from visitors, also has excellent beer. You have to bear in mind that the reviews were written by sailors from Norway for whom any beer is excellent if it is less than £8 per pint.

The forecast was poor for this afternoon; force 6 and rain. I am not in rush (yet) so I have stayed in Arbroath for another night. It looks like tomorrow late afternoon might bring a bit of a window for my passage to Peterhead, but the timings of the tides mean it will have to be an overnight trip. All depends on the weather!

Here's a shot of the harbour this evening.

Well, here we are in Arbroath after a very smooth trip. Got up at 0330 and it was still dark - lots of cloud cover - so I waited until 0445 to set off as there were lobster pot mines across the fairway under the rail bridge. Made very good progress and got here at 1300. There was no wind so it was another engine day. Oh, and I broke through the 1,000 mile barrier just before 7 this morning.

Once out of the Firth of Forth the sea was flat calm. This pic was taken off Dundee and the Tay estuary, and you can see how flat it was. If you look really hard you can just see the Tay road bridge about 1/3 of the way across from left of frame. I can see it on the original, you may need a microscope. I was 12 miles off at this point.

Arbroath is famous for its smokies, as seen advertised here. Some of you will recognise the surname.There is of course a strong whiff of fish to the whole plaice. Incidentally, the people named in this business are clearly a partnership but I saw one of their vans - it only mentioned one M Spink, so I presume he has become a sole trader. Perhaps he just haddock nuff of his partner - the whiting was on the wall. I expect eel be ok on his own.

And finally, on a stroll through the metropolis this afternoon I came across possibly the most bizarre dental advert I have ever seen:

You have to remember this is a fishing town; when a dentist sees a tooth he will naturally want to fillet.

My next move will be to Peterhead, just 60 miles north. I can't leave here until tomorrow afternoon as the basin is locked until 3 hours before high water, so it may be a trip in the dark. The forecast is unimpressive and I may end up staying an extra day here. After that I'll have to get my skates on.

Customer: How much for the octopus?

Fisherman: A tenner.

Customer: It doesn't look very healthy.

Fisherman: OK, sick squid then.

I have been struggling to find reliable wifi and my own Vodafone mobile broadband doesn't appear to recognise Scotland. And that's before the vote. Anyway, that's why I haven't updated for a while. I am now in Queensferry, having come up the Firth of Forth yesterday. The marina is in an old naval harbour called Port Edgar. The buildings have not changed, as you can see in the photo above.

On the way up the Firth I went close in to Bass Rock,  which is about three hundred feet high and completely covered with gannets. 

I came under the Forth bridges about 10 last night - still light. Here are a couple of shots of the bridges and also one of the rocky islands in the Firth. This one looks like a Scottish Alcatraz.

I will head off again when it gets light in the morning, any time from about 3.30. I'm heading towards Arbroath, home of the famous smokie. The trouble with Arbroath is that it is tidal  AND the staff only work in the day. Hence my having to leave here at silly o'clock. The alternative is to keep going to the next port, Peterhead,  but that is a 20 hour trip which I'm not keen on. Besides,  I rather fancy the smokie. But will there be wifi?

Finally, this pic is from Edinburgh Castle. The Firth of Forth looks lovely as a background.

I arrived in Scotland last night after a visit to the Farne Islands, and Lindisfarne in particular, on the way. I got in here at about 2145 and it was still light until much later, as in the photo below of Jojac alongside about 2200.

In the other pictures are a cute little puffin, and the same one then trying to take off. They seem quite badly adapted to flight with tiny stubby little wings on rather chubby bodies. They really struggle to get off the water,  and take tens of metres to get lift off. Even then they only seem able to get a couple of feet high. 

The final one is a new friend who popped up in the harbour this morning just yards from the boat. Lovely. Weather not good for the next couple of days so I will stay put and take the bus somewhere. 

I took this one of a ship leaving the harbour at 0330 this morning. It was almost light, certainly light enough to see by. The glare from the ship's lights masks the natural light a bit.

This evening I arrived in Blyth, Northumberland. I passed the entrances to the Tees (very industrial) and Tyne (surprisingly pretty), and covered the 50 miles from Whitby in a comfortable day. It started off very, very wet - it rained for a good three or four hours, and not light rain either. I thought I would see nothing of the coast at all, but it cleared up as I got the Tees abeam. The forecast wind did not materialise so I motored all the way on a fairly flat sea. The photo shows Blyth this evening, no rain in sight.

Tomorrow the wind is forecast to be even lighter, only F 2 - 3, so I will head off to Lindisfarne as the anchorage there is best in the absence of wind. PS - it is now raining. My fault. Shouldn't have said anything.

I am weather-bound in Whitby until Sunday, by the looks of things. The weather will improve tomorrow afternoon but the tides here mean I couldn't leave until dark, and I'm not prepared to run the risk of the lobster pot minefields at night.

Today I took the bus to Robin Hood's Bay, which was a spectacular little village. Quite like Portmeirion in the different levels, interconnecting lanes, etc. although architecturally quite different. Also Robin Hood's Bay is as it is because it grew like that, not because someone built it to a plan. It is now mostly second homes or rentals, with life-sized gnomes.

 The door knocker below is interesting, if you're into knockers. We saw many of these in the hill villages of Mallorca; the hand holds an orange.

Down on the beach, in the shelter of the cliffs, the sea looked positively inviting. It was rather different up on the headlands - which, by extension, is what it would be like out at sea. Happy I stayed put, but am beginning to go stir crazy.

Tomorrow I shall go to the Captain Cook museum. Janet and I saw the other end of the story, i.e. his demise, in a museum in Hawaii, so it will be interesting to see things through the eyes of the town from which he sailed.

I sat late this afternoon on the very bench occupied by Mina Murray (later Harker) when she saw, with horror, her friend Lucy Westenra being "converted" by Dracula in the moonlight at the top of the Abbey steps. I then went down the lane to the beach on which Dracula and his evil cargo were shipwrecked. And the moon is rising ......

P.S. thanks to Janet for pointing out the timing of these posts; I have hopefully managed to change it to reflect UK time, rather than Transylvanian.

I got to Whitby last night after a much more pleasant trip; the south west wind (much lighter than forecast) had calmed the swell so the sea was pretty benign, only a little bit rough round headlands. Nothing at all like the last few days of northerly winds and swells.

I've been up to the Abbey, made famous in Bram Stoker's Dracula, and explored the town in wonderful heat. Quite windy though, which was forecast.

Before I left Scarborough I went to the castle - the photo below is of Scarborough's south bay - and the weather was magnificent. This is a much nicer piece of coast than the Kent to Lincs flatnesses. There is at last something to look at on passage. I did spend a little longer in Scarborough than planned - the harbour depth was a bit less than advertised!

Well, 66 miles today so now only 384 to go....

I arrived in Scarborough at 1930 this evening after a ten and a half hour passage from Grimsby. It was a windless day but the swell has been building due to the never ending northerly winds and was mostly 1.5 to 2 metres. For those not accustomed to such things, imagine a flat-roofed garage or garden shed. Now imagine that every hundred feet the ground moves up and down that much, while you are trying to make a cup of tea or type some notes. Then imagine that you not only move up and down sideways but also front to back, and the you spin round a bit too. Oh, and in between waves someone has planted little mines that are out to get you - I came through a patch of over a hundred crab pots, any one of which had the potential to wreck the engine. Such fun. In fact I have met a chap this evening to whom that very thing  happened; pulled the engine off three of its four mountings and bent the prop shaft.

Scarborough is still a fishing port but also very bucket and spade, yet just a few yards from the sea front there are lovely little lines and cottages. Cottaging is quite popular, I hear.

I passed hundreds (no exaggeration) of offshore wind turbines today,  and had to change my course for a farm that had just started construction and was only vaguely dotted on the chart. And for what? I leave you to decide.

Meanwhile, here's a rather nice photo of Scarborough in the evening light: