Tarbert to Rhu then more bike activity

Having enjoyed Tarbert (which was very quiet for the time of year and start of the school holidays here) we decided to explore Rhu and Helensburgh a bit. Not a place we know well at all. The Island of Bute means a nice zig-zag route to get there but with the massive benefit of travelling through the iconic "Kyles  of Bute". They are a designated National Scenic Area in Scotland which kind of says it all. Here is our route:

It was lovely to have some blue sky as we left Tarbert, so much so that we wanted to prove it actually happened with a picture looking up Loch Fyne for you:

As we passed the little island of Sgat Mor the blue bit took a holiday and left us with a more normal overcast background to the compulsory lighthouse image. This little light tower needs a bit of a paint up:

Memories of past visits to Tighnabruaich  from when we lived in Edinburgh came back as we cruised past, admiring some of the more palatial houses there:

It seems that the commercial heart of the village (ie the few shops and hotel/pub) are slowly dying though. Still, the lovely scenery made up for everything and we happily headed down the East Kyle, past Rothesay the main town on Bute and then up towards Rhu. On the way, we were passed by the Waverley heading south:

She just fits so well in her home waters. A proper doon the watter trip. For those not familiar with that phrase, have a look at Scotsman newspaper link. It is always a treat to see the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world plying her home territory as she did many years ago in the heyday of "doon the watter" trips. A proper grand old lady, built in 1946.

The nice folks at Rhu Marina allocated a hammerhead berth for us so that made the arrival nice and simple. Rhu is part of the Boatfolk operation so we get 30 days free berthing here - we think that we would be a bit stir crazy before then so only planned three. After paying a huge £6 for electricity, we enjoyed coffee and cake in the cafe located inside the marina grounds. OK coffee, excellent cake and an unwanted, unsolicited but interesting full financial history of how the business survived covid lockdown times from the joint owner. We seem to have some most unexpected conversations with people at times. Maybe we are good listeners, or just have "that face".

The first full day in Rhu involved digging out the bikes and cycling into Helensburgh, then through it to Mr Morrisons supermarket. The evening was more annoying when the fridge fan that circulates air around inside started to make bad noises. We kind of knew what was wrong, the door had been reluctant to open when the compressor and fan were running and that means a blocked up drain hole at the rear of the fridge compartment. Lazily, we'd left it too long and ice had built up which the fan was hitting. So, all the contents have to come out, all the shelves and drawer, then the back panel has to be unscrewed, the ice released with a hairdryer and then the drain can be cleaned out with a pipe cleaner. Such fun.

Day 2 we went a bit wilder - following the cycle path that runs alongside the main road over to Loch Lomond and then into Balloch. Here is the route:

It looks enticingly flat but in the real world was a 170 metre climb and then a descent of nearly as much. So glad we had some battery backup with the bikes. The northern part of Helensburgh has an area of very nice housing and a newsagents with a name that might not mean much to some readers:

To help, the dictionary of local Scottish phrases defines a Nippy Sweetie as

A sharp-tasting sweet, often used in expressions referring to a bad-tempered or disapproving person

We had learned that phrase and then used it more than a few times when living up here. Having made it to Balloch by dodging overgrown brambles etc across the cycle path and dicing with death crossing the main road on the side of Loch Lomond, we visited a much sadder paddle steamer, the Maid of the Loch:

She is supposed to be in the process of restoration but seeing how little was being done whilst we were there, we reckoned that continuing corrosion meant the  restoration actually went backwards that Tuesday. Sad to see her in such a state and resorting to this visitor experience:

We were preparing to cycle back and tackle the hill in reverse when things really clouded over and got pretty dark. A check on the weather forecast showed that we were in for some rain. Not wanting to be puffing up the hill in pouring rain, we opted to take a train back to Helensburgh instead. Well, actually it is two trains, you need to head towards Glasgow, change lines and then back out west. The Brompton bike fold makes taking them onto public transport very simple - the crew just needed to stabilise hers a little:

Note how full the train was. We very nearly managed to get back before it started to rain. Only very nearly though but we did avoid the soaking we would have enjoyed cycling all the way. Somehow, we felt that we deserved a gin and tonic before dinner.

Maintenance news:

A little more coolant was added to the main engine after we arrived in Rhu. Should all be OK now, we think that most of the bubbles have burped their way out to the swirl tank. The stern gland which was nipped up a little in Tarbert, ran happily at around 23C so that was happy too. 

Neil, the N40 and panel meter man, had given us a new AC voltage meter with extra functionality to try. It was fitted and one of the new features tested - it allows you to monitor the shape of the AC voltage being delivered either from the mains of by the inverters themselves. The captain had to test it out. Here is the shorepower "sine wave":

Pretty much as expected, a slightly flattened top and bottom to the curve. Loads distort the input from the mains supply anyway.

Here is the output from our inverters at around  half load when they are producing 12 amps of AC power from the batteries:

It looks spookily like the mains power supply itself which is a very good thing! The frequency of the wave was spot on the expected 50Hz  too. Serious distortions in the voltage curve provided by the inverters can upset some on board kit like microwaves.

This will be a useful new tool to check from time to time to see if the inverters are deteriorating.