We set off late on Saturday heading ultimately for Canna, via Loch Aline and as it turned out – Eigg. The first surprise was the sight of a deer swimming across the entrance to Loch Creran first time we have seen that. Lovely weather but the usual beat to get to Lismore light so we motored for a couple of hours and then sailed from Lady Rock to Loch Aline. Still night and lots of sunshine to top up the batteries, ours and Vaila’s. Then a glorious days sailing up to Eigg round Ardnamurchan point drifting along at about 2-4 Kn in sea that was flat calm, so calm that we saw a Minkie whale in the distance north of the lighthouse and a few porpoises.

Eigg was lovely and we had a pleasant evening wandering around ashore waiting for the sun to set and taking pictures. Then it was up early to repair the toilet in the blazing sunshine before setting off for the short sail to Canna via the west side of Rhum.

We had a lovely surprise as we approached the entrance to Canna Harbour,  a pod of dolphins fishing and oving north parallel to our course. We kept going hoping for a better sight as they were travelling fast and a fair distance off. However it seemed they had disappeared and so we headed for the anchorage. Lucky us as they crossed our course again and much closer. So lucky that we had half a dozen out of the pod of 20 or so playing round Vaila for a good 5 minutes. Wonderful and uplifting to see them.

Then it was into Canna and meet up with Dad on his Hunter Sonata, Serendipity down from Plockton. We had a nice evening and a brisk and fun sail round the islands on Tuesday then met up with a friends daughter Kate who is working on Canna for a few weeks interpreting the Gaelic collection of John Lorne Campbell.

We then went our separate ways, dad back up north and we headed for Arisaig. The forecast was poor but it wasn’t such a bad day and only when we got to Arisaig did it clamp in and get really wet, otherwise just a typical west coast grey day.

The next day we headed to Loch Na Droma Bhuide round Ardnamurchan with a wind gusting up to F6 a possibility. As it turned out we had a lovely sail in sunshine most of the day and about 10-12 Knot wind, albeit beating to get to the lighthouse then a lovely reach down to Sunart. The anchorage was fairly quiet – only 1 yacht in when we got there and 6 by the time it was bedtime.

Then on back to Barcaldine by tea time on Friday ready for home on Saturday after clearing up and making the inevitable lists of things to do and get before we come back for the real voyage.