An eventful day at Kyle of Lochalsh

The main preoccupation this morning was ……….. toilets! And showers! The marina at Mallaig has brilliant ones, BUT, the facility is closed between 5.00pm and 9.00am! So, as long as you don’t need a pee, or something else, outside those hours you are fine! We managed with a pub and the on-board heads. Oh well! The good thing about Mallaig was that the marina manager was very supportive of our cause and only charged us for the electricity we used (£3.60) which was great! Thank you Mr Marina Manager! Today we sailed to Kyle of Lochalsh. There is a pontoon here with an honesty box! Public facilities open 8.00am to 8.00pm. There is also a hotel right next to the pontoon – presumably with facilities! It was a lovely journey to get here, part under sail part motoring in brilliant sunshine with wonderful scenery!

Joke:

I bet you thought there would be another joke here didn’t you? Ah-ha! Well I gave you one this morning and I don’t have another right now so you’ll just have to check tomorrow’s blog! J

P.S.

We got to talk to the skipper of the boat (Blue Migrant) behind us who offered to loan us some jerry cans in which to transport diesel from the garage to fill up the boat tomorrow (you see, as we are getting further north ALL facilities are becoming a bit more ‘difficult’). Hughie was so kind and helpful that we invited him aboard Blue Star to help us to eat the Thai green curry that Kim had prepared. Hughie used to be a helicopter pilot working in Antarctica for Greenpeace but now runs his own business ‘Seadogs’ (www.seadogs.scot) in which he takes clients out in his boat to wreck sites where they can ‘drive’ a remote operated under-water vehicle (ROV) with a camera and take their own video of the wreck! Hughie lives on his boat with his dog Wolfie.

We also went to visit The Lochalsh Hotel and spoke to two beautiful, kind and helpful young ladies on reception (Ella Meekham and Caitlin Cummings) about the possibility of using a room just for its shower and toilet! Having had our cause explained to them they put in a good word with the manager, Murdo Macrae, who agreed we should have the use of a room for free! Thank you ever so much Ella, Caitlin and Mr Macrae! To celebrate we ordered five coffees and five puddings! Yum yum yum!

Entering the Kyle (the narrow section of water)

Approaching Lochalsh with the Sky bridge also in the background

Hughie tastes Kims' curry

Hughie's boat, MV Blue Migrant

Wolfie on board Blue Migrant

The Lochalsh Hotel next to our pontoon mooring where we met Ella and Caitlin

Blue Star and Blue Migrant on the far side of the pontoon, as seen from the hotel

Pudding at The Lochalsh Hotel (Yum yum!!!)