Gairloch days

With a strong wind warning in force for Sunday we decided to stay in Gairloch. We walked round the bay and had a nose around in the Farm Shop before heading for the Mountain Coffee Shop in the “centre” of Gairloch. This is attached to an excellent bookshop and after our coffees we went in there and bought four books to while away the time in port. On the way back we bought food, then had lunch at the Gale Centre, a community enterprise cafe and shop. Both of us have EE phones, and there is no reception at the harbour, so I made a few phone calls while Julian did some language practice on Duolingo as we walked back. Julian had not quite finished his practice so I headed back to Robinetta.

There is a sign on the Harbour Master’s office, saying he was on holiday until the 1^st August, which was a slight problem as I really wanted to get some diesel into our spare cans. However I overheard a couple of harbour users helping out a tourist wanting to know about going whale watching, so thought I should ask if they knew how I could get fuel. It turned out I was talking to exactly the right people; they had the authority to use the pump and sell fuel. We now have 15 litres in our cans. It will probably go straight into the tanks as soon as I get a moment.

It turned out that I never got to open my new book, as the skipper of Suzelle came to have a chat and we ended up spending most of the afternoon and evening with him and his partner. Julian helped him when a modern 34’ boat called Happy Daze came in and rafted up on him. We were just finishing up some cheese and biscuits with them on board Robinetta when Happy Daze’s skipper knocked on the cabin side. Another boat had come in and wanted to berth.

As we got the cockpit cover off to allow rafting we realised that we would have to come off the berth and let them inside. This was not a regular boat, but a sister ship to Suhaili, a wooden ketch with a non retractable bowsprit. Her young female skipper and crew were bringing her south from Ullapool where she had just had a new deck. We got her in to Robinetta’s berth, then Julian brought Robinetta back and rafted on the outside.

By 09:15 next morning they were gone. Not for them the worries about the force 5-7 North wind in the Minch that will keep us in port for another day!

Our second day passed much as the first, but it felt very cold in the north wind, with many showers and only a little sunshine.