Oban and Kerrera

On Monday Sunday we sailed down Loch Linnhe through the narrows at Corren Point and into the lovely quiet  Ardmuchnish Bay.

A village on route. 

We needed to locate a sail maker to put a few stitches in our jib. The directions that they gave us were a little vague, something about walking through a caravan site and turning right. There were two caravan sites.

Eventually we decided which one was the one we wanted and anchored off till morning.
Next day , in the pouring rain, we put the tender in the water. The weight of both of us (very wet) and the enormous sail was very nearly too much for it but off we went, and ten minutes later we were hauling it up the beach.
We got a few funny looks as we struggled through the caravan site soaking wet, in full oilies and carrying a suspicious looking package between us. We decided to tell anyone who asked that it was indeed a dead crew member we were bringing ashore, but no one asked.

The sail safely delivered we returned to the boat and set off for Oban.

The marina is actually on the small Island of Kerrera in Oban Bay. Kerrera has a population of 34. A ferry goes hourly to Oban, a trip of only about ten minutes. There are no shops on Kerrera, the last school closed fifteen years ago and the only licensed premises is the bar on the Marina. Its a lovely little place with fantastic views and walks. There's a castle at the otherend of the island and a teashop but we didn't make it that far because of the rain. Perhaps we'll take a picture of it from the water instead. 

Looking across to Oban.

We went over to Oban to buy charts and food and spoke to a school boy on the way back. He wasone of the politest teenagers I have never met.
 He said that he and his three sisters were the only school age children on the island but there were two toddlers in one of the houses.
Life is very different here to Brighton. A farmhouse that sells eggs works on a help yourself and leave the money in the tin basis. When there were too many people waiting for the ferry which is only licensed for twelve, instead of  declaring that they were there first and refusing to make eye contact people were falling over themselves to let someone else on and be the ones to wait!
Our sail was delivered to an unlocked box at the top of the jetty, where it was waiting for us tonight. Everything is done on trust. Most refreshing.

Oban is a good size town built round the harbour wall. There is a seaplane from Glascow to Oban, it has to give way to all boats until landed, (thank goodness because we hardly ever look up for potential hazards) then it obeys the rules of a normal motorboat.
Moving on tomorrow, we don't know where to yet, probably south.