Port Ellen, Islay

Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Thu 18 Jun 2015 11:05
55:37.653N 06:11.277W
At 0400 on Monday morning we dropped the mooring in a very cold Oban and motored south towards where the butter melts—well not quite but maybe it will become softer even though it is not in the fridge.
The early departure was necessitated by the strong tides and as we entered the Sound of Luing the tide turned in our favour. We passed the infamous Corryvreckan passage, where one can be sucked into a race, at over 13 knots speed over ground (SOG). We actually recorded 13.8 knots SOG on the GPS! We arrived in the pretty harbour of Port Ellen soon after midday and went onto the pontoon/marina which is run by a local charity.
The sun has disappeared after our week ashore!
The following morning we caught the local bus to Bowmore passing the distiller's peat grounds. There are 7 distilleries on the island and they have recently surveyed the peat and calculate they have enough peat for the next 2,000 years
Bowmore had a pretty main street and a few shops including the Co-op 
.
and, of course, a distillery
We returned to Port Ellen and In the afternoon we walked up the coast passing the distilleries of Laphroiag, Lagavulin and Ardbeg.
 We called into Ardbeg, which is celebrating it’s bi-centenary, and had a wee dram.

A tour of the Lagavulin distillery was booked for the following day.
Many of the distilleries are owned by Diageo but Ardbeg is owned by Henessey. 
Having done the tour (no interior photographs allowed), we had a tasting and bought the necessary bottle——double matured 16 year old. An arm and a leg but it did slip down well. 
There were two mooring buoys just by the distillery for settled conditions——the entry between the rocks looked tortuous but it would have been fun if the weather had been better.  

We have now had three days of strong west/north west winds that come howling across from the top of Ireland. If we can get 18 miles south and into the lee of Ireland it all becomes relatively benign. A boat that arrived yesterday from Jura had gusts of 35 knots.
The locals are still complaining about the lack of summer and sun and consoling themselves in the bars drinking whisky——not much else to do!