Thursday 11th June 2026 – Balvicar to Corpach 43nm
We spent the night on board in Balvicar in preparation for an early start through Cuan Sound on the first of the tide. The mooring was dropped at 07.00, and by 08.00 we were through a very benign Cuan Sound and on our way North. The wind was from the SE and very variable between 6 and 20 knots, and as we needed to carry a fair tide through Corran Narrows we motorsailed with the genoa deployed in order to keep the speed up. When we got to the Narrows the wind dropped completely and we motored the rest of the way, tying up alongside the waiting wharf at Corpach Sea Loch to wait for a couple of boats coming down. Once inside we berthed in the basin and did a little shopping at the Co-Op and had the first beer of the holiday, a pint of the curiously named Disco Forklift Truck mango pale ale! Weather wet and uninspiring.
Friday 12th June – Corpach to Banavie 2nm
An easy day as we were meeting up with my son Jeff at Banavie at the top of Neptune’s Staircase. We met him and had a meal in Neptune’s Restaurant at the Moorings Hotel.
Saturday 13th June 2006 – Banavie to Fort Augustus 25nm
We had a date in Fort Augustus to watch Scotland’s first World Cup match against Haiti, so we pressed on to the top of the locks at Fort Augustus. We sailed Loch Lochy in shocking conditions, driving rain and 20 knots of wind dead aft, with me barricaded in the cockpit with the washboards in while Catherine and Jeff stayed dry down below. It was a good sail, but horribly wet. Going up Laggan Locks the weather impproved, and we had a very pretty run along Laggan Reach and through Loch Oich. Catherine bought a very pretty new Scotland t-shirt to wear to watch the match, while I settled for my 2010 Scotland rugby shirt – right country, wrong sport, but heyho.
Sunday 14th June 2026 – Fort Augustus
The match started at 2pm Sunday morning, and we watched it in the appropriately named Lock Inn in good company with good beer. We won, 1-nil, though it was a struggle and we should have done better. Got up around midday, saw Jeff off on the bus back to Edinburgh, lugged 40 litres of fuel up the hill from the garage on the main road, had a shower.
Monday 15th June 2006 – Fort Augustus to Dochgarroch 23nm
An unpleasant incident the next morning with a stroppy member of the canal staff. We were first boat in the bottom loch. They started to open the gates, the cridge began to swing and they threw our lines down. We motored slowly towards the opening bridge when it suddenly became a closing bridge. No warning. I engaged reverse and somehow managed to back Fairwinds back inside the lock, during which process an operator appeared shouting Stop! Stop! (We were already in reverse and making sternway at this point). Once back inside the lock this lunatic appeared reluctant to take our lines, instead shouting ‘I told you to stop’. Eventually I got him to shut up and take our lines and we were safely reattached. It turned out a blue light ambulance had appeared as the bridge was opening. We had the hand held VHF in the cockpit on CH74, but apparently no-one saw fit to inform us on that. I opined that perhaps lines should not be chucked down until bridges were fully open – this was not the first occasion I had seen this issue arise. I got a mouthful of abuse, repeatedly asked if I wanted the person in the ambulance to die, all shouted at a volume none of the usual canal spectators could miss.
(I put in a formal complaint to the canal later and got a very nice reply. I hope that lunatic was read the riot act)
Once out on Loch Ness the wind had disappointedly but predictably gone round onto the nose, and we motored to Lochgarroch and tied up below the bottom lock.
Tuesday 16th June 2006 – Dochgarroch to Seaforth Marina 5nm
A pleasant and stress-free run down to Seaport Marina. I took the opportunity to go to Gael Force Marine and get a new Jabsco toilet pump, which I then fitted.
Wednesday 17th June 2006 – Seaforth Marina to Lossiemouth 40nm
We were in the Works Lock at Clachnaharry at 10.45 to make the first sea locking (tide dependent) and t 11.30 had salt water back under the keel. It was springs, there was a ferocious tide running, and it took auss an hour to get from the sea lock to the bridge, with our speed over the ground down to less than one knot at times. Once under the bridge the wind got up and we deployed the genoa. By 12.45 it was gusting 25 knots and we were romping along, but an hjour lagter it had dropped to below 10 knots and the engine went on, motorsailing with the genoa. The tide was still against us as we rounded Chanonry Point at 14.00, and at 14.30 we raised the main – only to drop it an hourn later when the wind went back up to over 20 knots. Made good progress under full genoa for anotehr hour, then at five o’clock it was back to motor sailing.
At 20.40 we dropped anchor off the beach at the E. end of Lossiemouth – it was low water with insufficient depth to enter the marina. There is a huge sandy area of suitable depth to anchor in; we had 3m under the keel when we dropped, and could have gone a bit further in. We had a very comfortable night, just a slight swell to rock us to sleep.
Thursday 18th June 2006 – Lossiemouth to Whitehills 35nm
Based on the forecast, I put the main up with one reef in and put the navik paddle down. We got the anchor at 10.15 and set off towards Whitehills with the navik steering well in 6-8kts SSW wind.
By 11.00 the wind had died, now 3kts NE. Genoa away, engine on, half an hour later I stopped to lift the Navik paddle, as there was a lot of vibration and I worry about the delicate rod linkages. At one o’clock we settled down to lunch in the cockpit and it started to rain. After seeing nothing all morning 5 boats appeared and several course alterations were called for. A somewhat disturbed lunch!
We motorsailed until 14.15, then the wind went SSE, the engine went off, genoa out and we sailed happily on a close reach with 5kts SOG. Approaching Whitehills, we dropped the main at 15.45 and were alongside by quarter past four. We were now at our jumping off point for Norway after only eight days from Balvicar.
Friday 19th June 2006 – Whitehills
It was looking like there was a weather window for Norway for tomorrow, so Adam ( youngest son), Sarah and grandson Jack drove up from Aberdeen to visit us, and we had lunch in the Seafield Arms. It only rained a little as we ate it in the beer garden!
That evening after Adam, Sarah and Jack had returned to Aberdeen, we repaired again to the Seafield Arms to watch Scotland lose one-nil to Morocco. A disappointing match, but the complimentary pie and chips was good.
