Tarbert to Port Bannatyne

Today we pottered. We left Tarbert bound for Portovadie for coffee! Portovadie is just opposite Tarbert, on the other side of Loch Fyne. There was little wind and plenty of sun so we motored. Portovadie is a basin originally carved out of the land to enable a facility to be constructed where offshore platforms would be built. Alas the construction never took place and so the basin was converted to a marina. It lies well away from any town and consists of ultra modern buildings, holiday flats, café and restaurant, gymnasium and outdoor sun terrace. It was an absolutely brilliant place to call in at for coffee, and we were not charged for our stay! Furthermore, the place was all but deserted with very few other people around! We took coffee on the terrace and marvelled at the state of the art facilities. Definitely amongst the best around. After coffee we motored out of the marina and around into West Kyle of Bute, leaving the Isle of Arran to starboard. We motored up the Kyle in the sun and picked up a mooring buoy off Kames and had a picnic lunch in the cockpit. After lunch we motored further up the Kyle and turned right into the East Kyle where we sailed for a short while until the wind gave up; the engine came back on again and we motored to Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute, a small marina behind a breakwater a few miles north of Rothesay.

Joke:

Two blokes in a pub on the Isle of Bute, one says to the other “Your round”. The other says “So are you, ya wee fat bastard”.

Early morning mist in Tarbert

Portovadie