Hello again
 
I've been back on dry land for over a week now, taking pleasure in sleeping in a bed rather than an eighteen inch wide PVC cushion.
Stuart Hamilton joined Ian and me at Plockton and the three of us set off through the Kyle of lochalsh and Kyle Rhea to Mallaig. Wind was 4 to 5 westerly which forced us into that tacking thing that sailing fanatics do, however as they both seemed happy to steer I was happy to make the tea and avoid the spray.
(Mallaig was a welcome harbour but the worst value in Britain with no toilets or showers and £3.60 per day for shore power)
Ian got the train home from Mallaig and Stuart and I had a great sail next day gybing at seven knots from Ardnamurchan to Tobermory until a loud "ping" informed us that the boom had parted company from the gooseneck. We sailed in under jib and with the generous help of the mechanic at Mackays garage in Tobermory who lent us a rivet gun and rivets we had it fixed within the hour, and if not as good as new, at least as good as it was!
Next was Craobh and Crinan via the Cuan sound (missing all the rocks in the sound______which just goes to prove you CAN teach old dogs new tricks!)
Ian and Rob Buchanan and John Hagan joined us for the canal which made it really easy and then, in a fit of what mountain climbers call "summit fever", Stu, Rob and I set out on the last leg from Ardrishaig to Largs in a forecast 7 to gale 8.
We were doing 8 knots with a small headsail and 4 knots with no sails at all. That kept the adrenalin up right to the moment we docked at Lags Marina !
 
And that's it.
 
Scariest moment of the whole trip was in the middle of the Bristol Channel around 3.30 am when I had just "invited" my daughter, Sarah, to stop being seasick and take the helm, so I could get some sleep. I had just pleasantly nodded off, dreaming of dry, plastic boats, when there was this almighty scream. I rushed to the cockpit to find?____ she had seen a pod of dolphins.
Sure, they were pirouetting and sashaying about in in their inimitable style, but was it worth a blood curling scream?.
I think not.
 
Again, warmest thanks to all who have contributed to the charity effort. The total sum over the two charities is around £4000 and for that I am deeply grateful. If anyone still wishes to contribute the sites arewww.justgiving.com/kumalie1 for Multiple Sclerosis and www.justgiving.com/kumalie2 for brain cancer research
 
Also thanks to all who have helped in so many ways to make this trip work. From the boatbuilders at Fairlie, Niall with the invaluable mechanical help and advice, John Connelly with the charts, Joanne, who didn't leave home when I cut 2 feet off our overlarge mainsail and brought it into the living room saying, " can you hem this?" and all the others right through to the various crew members who travelled sometimes the length of Britain just to help.
 
All the best to you all
 
And kind regards
Campbell