Saturday 14 July (Oban) We all had haggis, neeps and tatties for lunch - even David, a haggis 'virgin' - and then Nick and I went to the over-long skippers' briefing at the distillery. The marina had laid on extra ferries and were running an almost continuous shuttle to and from Oban for the opening party of the Malts. I donned my kilt for the event and we were there for the start at 1930, greeted with a dram at the gates of the distillery. The evening was fine ...

Thursday 12 - Friday 13 July (Oban) A slow sail in very light airs down the Sound, and back to our 'home' on Kerrera. Friday was registration day in Oban for the Classic Malts Cruise, and we collected our smart caps and fleeces.We dressed Vega overall, along with many boats in the marina, making a very festive sight. Some old hands had several Malts pennants, one boat flying one for each year from 2003 to 2007.

Wednesday 11 July (Salen, Loch Sunart) Acting on the advice of some motor-boaters we had met in Oban, we headed for Loch Sunart, a long sea loch off the NE corner of the Sound of Mull. We had fine weather and pleasant light sailing wind, and wound our way though the narrow channels of the loch mostly goose-winged, often only a couple of metres from the steep rocks, though still in more than 20 metres of water. The scenery here is really spectacular, and there ar...

Tuesday 10 July (Oban to Tobermory) Sailing at last thank goodness! We set off early and were soon under full sail across the Firth of Lorn in a NW F4. The wind soon got up to 22-25k, so we took in a reef in main and Genoa, and still made 6k tacking up the Sound of Mull. Most unusually, Nick felt under the weather this day, and spent much of the trip resting down below, and David and Ian did all the sailing. By late afternoon the drizzle had set in hard and visi...

Monday 9 July (Oban) The rest of our team arrived by car, all the way from Peterborough - David Noble and Ian Sheldon. We took them over on the ferry and ate (again!) at the Waypoint. David and Ian have done a lot of sailing together, including rowing/sailing a Drascombe Lugger the length of the Caledonian Canal, so we had plenty stories to share over Evening Prayers, the quantity of which came as a bit of a shock to them, even though David had been getting int...