055:40.442 N
005:43.838 W

Ardminish Bay

Bit of a bumpy night at anchor but no dragging and lovely to wake up in Scotland having been dreaming about this moment for many months.

Relaxed morning surrounded by books and gizmos planning our next few days; Bol’s discovery of “Antares Charts” which are very large scale ‘unofficial’ electronic charts aimed to supplement current systems, are an invaluable resource for details on anchorages. As official surveying and charting authorities have not resurveyed many of these channels since the advent of GPS, these will be very helpful over the coming months.

The sun came out after lunch and we had a beautiful walk ashore. Achamore Gardens which was created by Colonel Sir James Horlick (as in Horlicks the drink) in 1944, is home to an unbelievable number of Rhododendrons and other tropical plants. Gigha has a warm microclimate due to the Gulf Stream so we could wander the paths of this 54-acre estate that was bursting with plants and birdsong.  Climbing the western hill give a view over to the islands of Islay and Jura, although sadly today in mist.

Stunning evening sunshine meant one thing, the dirty waterline was visible. So before a gorgeous evening row in very little wind, we scrubbed the offending growth and she is now sparkling in the evening light.

The busy Caledonian MacBrayne RORO ferry plied back and forth all day carrying people and cars to and from the mainland. The Kintyre Peninsular is a fabulous backdrop to this anchorage and it was pleasing to identify lens-shaped lenticular clouds hovering above the mountains and hilly terrain around us.

A calmer night tonight in the anchorage and moving on tomorrow.