Dunstaffnaging (is there such a word?)

We had a few very happy days in Dunstaffnage. Not because the marina is the best organised place on the planet but because the scenery is great, the weather was even better and John, Irene and Archie were excellent company.

They kindly took us into Oban by car for a couple of big shopping trips - the last chance to hit big supermarkets for a while we fear. Bulk stuff like cartons of milk are so much easier to get that way as we continue to resist having a trolley shopper.

A walk into Oban thought the parkland and Ganavan Bay was great. The part down to the beach is through some lovely countryside but took us a little longer than shown below as the captain was not paying attention and we took a wrong turn:

He is still being reminded about that. Archie,  the Lakeland terrier, enjoyed the beach a lot:

Of course, he still watched carefully in case treats were being offered. Afterwards, he went on strike a few times on the path to Oban and so John had to carry him a little. Perhaps he should be a French not Lakeland terrier with all that striking? The crew was jealous about the being carried bit of course.

We also did a little browsing and chart purchasing at the Alba Sailing chandlery. The owners are just so helpful and friendly - the chandlery is very well stocked too. Seems that they have the biggest yacht charter fleet in Scotland too - have a look at Alba Sailing website. We think that they deserve to continue to do well.

A walk around the bay to Dunstaffnage castle ruins was lovely in the sun. The castle dates back to the 13th century and the grounds were lovely. We were too mean and a little too late to go inside though. Sorry Historic Scotland. As payback, we will give you a plug - so look at their website.

We fed the Hamsterley Mill mob one evening and Archie enjoyed some of the leftovers. The only problem was that there was some paprika in it:

His little beard has a new temporary colour. We think that we are in trouble. He had the remains of some mixed berries on board with us last year and got a purple chin. Perhaps we should set ourselves up as dog colourists.

Maintenance news:

Well, some polishing was completed and the lucky captain went around the waterline in the RIB to scrub the accumulated grassy stuff off. Nice sunny weather and clear waters are bad news for the underwater areas. The captain also cleaned up the fuel cooler block on the Yamaha outboard where some aluminium corrosion around a seal could be seen. Not big but satisfying to take the thing to pieces, figure out how it works, drop a little nut, swear a bit, find a spare and then get happy again when it all works.

The main engine was treated to about three quarters of a litre of engine oil. It has run about 160 hours since the last oil change and although it wasn't down to the fill mark, it deserved a little treat. The next oil change will be due at the start of July (6 months).

The fun stuff? Well, the Hamsterley Mill mob took us for a sail on their Catalina 320 yacht, "Esprit". John looked very much the salty seadog preparing Esprit for departure:

Whereas Irene went for the Victoria Beckham over the shoulder pout instead:

Only in a much more elegant way of course..... Of the crew, Archie was the least happy. He does not like wearing his lifejacket one little bit:

The wind was on the nose (as always) so we motored down to Oban and then through Kererra sound. Coming back up the other side of Kererra, we did get a little sail with the genoa out and pulling well. Lovely. Heading back into Dunstaffnage with the sun behind us was quite special:

Archie was less impressed, sticking his tongue out at it:

It was great to be out on a yacht again for a little sailing trip with the Hamsterley Mill mob.