Postscript - The Voyage Continues

SD back at Douglas Boatyard, six years to the day since we left.

 Douglas Marine at Hesketh Bank were very accommodating and found us a deep water berth on their pontoon for two weeks. We were surprised to learn from Enterprise of the 10 pounds per day fee for a second driver, but the Seat Ibiza saloon performed well and gave us no problems.

Ellie and Grandad.

Jeremy sourced a new stop switch for the engine from Kings Lock Boatyard at Middlewich. Our 1992 Vetus Mitsibushi engine is now obsolete but the very helpful staff fixed us up with an alternative that is now fitted and working.

Emily and Ellie on their new patio.

Once in Suffolk, it was wonderful to be reunited with our daughter, son in law and granddaughter. Ellie is now 14 months and very assertive as well as absolutely gorgeous. We went house hunting, viewed seven properties from bungalows to detached houses and had our offer accepted on a 3 bedroom detached house in Campsea Ashe, about 15 minutes’ drive from Emily and Ben’s house. Searches and surveys are taking place as I write.

A quiet night in Loch Craignish.

We returned to Sal Darago and sailed out of the River Douglas on the high tide on 31^st July. We had to hand steer all the way to the island of Gigha, just north of the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. Jeremy had been in touch, via the internet, with some Neco enthusiasts. They agreed that he needed to replace two transistors and gave him the reference numbers, some of which have two hundred or more alternatives. Our son, Simon, was given the job of finding compatible transistors and posting them to Jeremy’s aunt in the Isle of Mull. The transistors arrived in Mull and were soon fitted. Marvel of marvels, Neco worked! Many thanks to Daniele Fua in Italy, Derek Coventry in the UK and Simon Spencer, without whose help Neco would have been binned and a lot of money spent on a new system.

Even more still in Lochaline.

We rested for a night in Gigha and continued north the next day, dodging gales and tides, to Crinan. We anchored in sheltered Loch Craignish. Crinan Boats is very friendly and supplied us with diesel, chandlery and food. The line that pulls down our kick strut had snapped on passage and we were able to replace it. After waiting for the tide on a free mooring, we motored through the Dorus Mor and anchored in Loch Aline in the Sound of Mull. It was very peaceful and calm in the loch, so we let the strong winds pass and stayed two nights.

Jamie's family in Nixie towing Jeremy.

Our five days in Tobermory, Isle of Mull were full of action. We were reunited with Dodo, Jeremy’s aunt and besieged with questions about our world trip from great nieces and nephew, Alice, Anna and Daniel. Their parents, James and Juliette gave us lunch and Bugsy the dog greeted us too. We had a great day out at Loch na Droma Buidhe where we shared a beach BBQ and swam from SD.  Anna was not very well and two days’ later she and Jamie were taken by helicopter to a hospital in Glasgow. She is undergoing tests at present. Get well soon, Anna!

Ashore party - Hal, Daniel, Ewan, Tom Ruth and Juliette( you can't see Alice).

Another nephew and his wife and children arrived in Tobermory the day before Anna was taken to hospital. To distract the children from worrying about Anna, we took everyone out on an afternoon trip on Sal Darago. Our crew were Juliette, Alice, Daniel, Hal, Ruth, Ewan and Tom. We anchored in Bloody Bay in the Sound of Mull and the two families went ashore to scramble over the rocks. Only 3 people swam off the boat, Jeremy, Hal and Ewan. I think the others were put off by the appearance of a Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish. All returned to Tobermory safely. We were delighted to have a chat with Duncan McGilp, a long time friend of ours, who was waiting for us at Ledaig. Thank you for the lift to Dodo’s, Duncan.

Where else - Tobermory.

Today, 10^th August, we motored to Oban and had a delightful, surprise lunch with Jeremy’s brother, Ritchie and his wife, Catherine. Thank you for lunch. We are still full at 6.00pm!