Wednesday 11 December 2019

The Hebrides & St Kilda on the Bessie Ellen: July 2017-2

July 13th: Skye to Loch Somewhere or other, Rùm
I got up for the loo about 0215 & as soon as I was upright I knew I had to get on deck - Quick!
I barely made it up the companionway before dinner arrived, but I managed to get the next few hueys over the side.
Once I felt all that wanted to come, had come, & gone over the gunwhale, I used the bucket on a rope we used every morning to swab the decks (too much information??)
While I was at it, Nikki came out of her forward cabin & asked what I was doing. I explained I'd been ill & was clearing it up, but she did not offer to help - & there was me a paying guest?!?
Swilling done & deck clean again, I went back to bed & did not surface again until after lunch.
The Desolation of Rùm
Meanwhile, we had sailed to what appeared to be a deserted loch on the east coast of Rùm (don't quote me!), & shortly before we anchored I felt I 
It was another glowering day
needed to move a bit & get some fresh air ~ having been in bed below all morning.

I wasn't the only one! 
It turned out that (so far) only 7 of the passengers
Wets required for those hardy souls on deck
& crew had avoided the sickness & diarrhoea, & - by the end of that week, only 2 remained well.
Not good 
:-((

Anyway :~
We were put ashore & those who still felt well enough went for a walk to a waterfall.
I attempted it, but turned back after less than 50m. I felt pretty dreadful, having lost my dinner, had no breakfast or lunch, & having stuff coming out of both ends ~ too much information?
So, I hung out for a few minutes on the jetty, & then someone took pity on me & came in the zodiac to take me back aboard.
As it happened, I didn't seem to have missed much because those who went to the falls said the path was very boggy & slippery, & that Sue had fallen in the mud.
She was sluiced down with the hosepipe once she got back, & we were still discouraged from using the shower.
I wasn't impressed, given the weather & many people's illness.
tbh, I remember little of the visit: I was still feeling decidedly iffy after the vomitous night before, but I'm sure it's much nicer than it seems on here.
As you can see, I only took few pics today, but maybe I'll revisit Rùm at some point in the future.

July 14th: Rùm to Tobermory on Mull
If you've read the last blog, you'll know my notes (AKA hieroglyphics)
disappeared.
Leaving the Loch
Taken during 1 of my brief periods on deck.
I was still feeling iffy :-(
TBH, I don't recall much about this bit of the trip, but I know we motored back or we'd've been beating all the way south to Mull & it would've taken forever.






You can see there were no sails up .  .  .
During the trip, Geoff was in his bunk, & the victims included Nikki, Beth, Sue, Karina 
.  .  . but the 'Watch' continued
Pete, Gill, June, Chas, Jane & Kirsi. Lukas was also iffy & went down
with it before dinner.
 Not sure who that is at the wheel

Possibly Eigg in the murk?




















We sailed back past Canna etc., & got to Tobermory by early/mid afternoon.




Back by the waterfall at Tobermory on our way for a shower
The colourful Tobermory promenade in the rain
Once the anchor was down, we went in shifts by zodiac to the
showers on shore & most then had a wander along the rainy prom.

I also took a pic of the river, & this is what Morna at the Visitor centre told me:
I can confirm that the photograph of a river in Tobermory is the "Eas" River 

(pronounced "Ace").  The distillery (Ledaig)  was built next to it for the purpose of washing the grain during the whisky production process.  There are many great stories of years gone which involved drunken cows staggering along the main street as the whisky mash was released into the river and the cows had obviously got a taste for it!  The meaning for the Gaelic word Eas  is cascade/waterfalls which when the river is in full flow is an apt description.  Thanks Morna :-)
The fast flowing Eas
At least 2 of the chaps went to the distillery, but I still felt too iffy to drink malt.
However, I finally went to the Tobermory distillery in May 2019 on my Flying Dutchman cruise round Mull.
I am not blogging that trip (I had no camera at the time & because I was Sooo behind with the blogs I decided not to take notes), but it was a 'Malt & Folk Music' 5-day
Interesting anchors
sail out to Crinan then round Mull.

It was a 
Mega trip & I wish I could blog it then
Taken on our way back to the BE

can share the memories & relive it again when I'm old & too decrepit to have adventures :-))
Ditto






Anyway .  .  .










Once we were all ferried back to the BE, it was time to hang out & chat before dinner
The sun sets through the ratlines

The sun finally came out, so I got a few 'evening in Tobermory' shots.

Clive having a brew in the evening sunshine
with Calve Island behind
Golden sea: Taken as seen with no fiddling
with the settings!

Not sure if the house is on Mull or Calve island.
Nice place anyway :-)
Chas hopefully fishing in Tobermory harbour, with
Calve Island in the background

We were to visit Duart Castle the next day, so I went to bed hoping for sunshine & some decent photos!

July 15th: Sailing the Sound of Mull to Kerrera

Preparing to sail the Sound of Mull, 0755, 15 7 17
This caption was the only one which worked - see below
OK, this is were it gets REALLY weird. I had originally intended to blog the trip in a oner,but it was too big, so I cut & pasted the last 2 daysinto a google doc, then back into a separate blog.After that, some of the underlines won't disappear,a massive gap appears if I press 'Enter', the text won't wrap, & the photos pasted bizarrely withsome cut off at the bottom. As many didn'tlook right like that, a shedload went in the bin, &there are no captions to tell what was happening.You'll have to use your imagination!So, all there is from now to the OAO is picswithout captions! Soz








































































































































































 July 16th: From Kerrara to Oban, & home

































The end - except for these charts I took
photos of showing where we'd been









Someone sent me this, taken in Oban on our last morning 
So, hoping the next blog doesn't cause as much pfaffing as this one ~
OAO
Update: January 2020
While having a clear out in Gmail, I found
these pics of Eishort(???):~



1st 3 on trip from BE, last after my aborted walk
(waiting for the zodiac)