(In which we meet Sandra Millar, use and puncture our bike(s) and greet Alek John Moroz into the world by WiFi)
Benj started by rising early and doing our first laundry for a while: there are 3 washers and 2 driers here, but you've got to be quick to get in there!  Before leaving we refuelled, and then did slow circles round Oban Bay, re-aligning Otto, who worked much better thereafter.  The plan for the day was Loch Aline, on the east side of the Sound of Mull. (We have learned this is pronounced al-INN, not al-INE. Locals get quite het-up about that!)  On our last trip to these parts (2007) we made contact with Sandra Millar, an old friend of a friend of Cate's brother Hugh, and waved to each other as we sailed past her home high above the loch.  The local authorities have since placed pontoons on the loch side, and we planned this time to make a proper visit.  The day was dull but dry, and with wind on the nose (of course) we motored out of Oban Bay, past Maiden Island which sits in the middle of the north-eastern entrance of the Sound of Kerrera, and headed for the Sound of Mull.  The course took us past Lismore Island with its fine lighthouse, and the useful book Scottish Highlands and Islands suggests that the island has enough interest to be worth a future visit, probably by ferry from Oban with our bikes, to visit some ancient sites.  We also passed the splendid Duart Castle, standing high on a rocky outcrop on the tip of Mull, possibly also worth a later visit - if only we had more time here!  Onward to Loch Aline, where we found the brand new pontoons on the north bank, beyond the tiny village and ro-ro ferry pier and the jetty of the sand-works.  This was built to service mines which produce some of the world's finest volcanic sand, valued for its properties for glass-making, but had fallen into disuse, making the establishment of the pontoons a valuable project for the economy of the area.  However, the mines are now re-opened, and the noise of the workings rather detract from the idyllic nature of this beautiful secluded loch: such is progress!  Sandra and her neighbour Neil came down to the pontoons to meet us, and we arranged to visit her later in the day.  After a pleasant (apart from the noise of the neighbouring mining works) lunch aboard, we decided to erect our bikes for the first time and take the rough and muddy track to the head of the loch, and visit the gardens of Ardtornish House. Once found, we paid our £6 admission and spent an hour or so exploring the garden, which was  laid out very much as a family home, a mixture of formal lawns and beds and quirky hidden corners and dense copses with rhododendrons and azaleas (just past their best). As we were making our way back to our bikes we were startled by a loud crashing from a dense wooded area just behind us, and a deer careered through the undergrowth and disappeared from Cate's brief view.  We made use of the facilities and noted that there was game from the estate available from the freezers, and selected  a pack of venison pieces for a casserole.  The bike ride back seemed quicker than coming, though interrupted by Cate having a few goes on a rope swing along the track!  Back at the boat we were greeted by the rather garrulous Pontoon Pete, who turned out to be a neighbour of Sandra's, and he extracted £19 for the night's stay, and we headed for the Dive Centre, which promised WiFi, as by now Cate was getting anxious for news of her daughter Noelle in Calgary, who was due to have her first baby (by Caesarian section) at about this time.  After a welcome cup of tea at the Dive Centre - a very friendly casual facility for the diving community - we learned from Sandra that she has WiFi at home, and were invited to go there to await the news from Canada. It was then that I discovered my punctured back tyre, and with more than our rightful due of Highland hospitality, Sandra summoned Neil to come along to her cotttage with his puncture repair kit, and we set to work in her kitchen (as it turned out with only temporary success!). In the meantime we both enjoyed Sandra's kind hospitality, Cate with tea and Benj with Chardonnay, and in due course the news came of the arrival of Alek John Moroz, Noelle and Jeff's first baby and Cate's first 'real' grandchild!  Clearly an excuse for more wine for Benj, Neil and Sandra, and more tea and biscuits for Cate!  By the time we left I was on strict warning on my bike, having by Cate's calculation consumed two bottles of white wine (though I did feebly dispute the count), and we made it back to the boat safely and at least one of us slept soundly.