Lossiemouth to Inverness

We left Lossiemouth in the damp morning at 0845. The tide was falling and it seemed that the depth in the harbour was not as much as would be comfortable at low water. The sea still hadn’t settled completely from yesterday and the boat wallowed, rolling and pitching when we tried to sail at an angle to the easterly wind to fill the genoa. We didn’t get much speed either and soon gave up, put on the engine and aligned the boat so that the waves came directly from behind which gave a more comfortable motion. Slowly we worked our way to Inverness Firth. We passed a military firing range at Fort George with red flags flying, indicating that the range was in use – fortunately they were not firing in our direction. Later we passed a group of dolphin watchers on the beach. In the final run-in to Inverness marina we passed under the road bridge – it seemed there was not much clearance, but there was ample.

We said good-bye to crew Richard and Robert, and it was sad to see them leave the boat. New crew Bob and David arrived, and we look forward to welcoming Rowena too tomorrow as we start our second passage through the Caledonian canal.

Joke:
Q. How does a dolphin make a decision?
A. Flipper coin.

With wind and waves approaching from behind it was a more comfortable motion

The crowds gather to watch the dolphins jumping from the water nearby

The bridge - will she fit?