This was the first day we have had to make a decision about our destination, as the fleet was not expected in Rum until the following day.  The main choices were Loch Moidart, Muck or Eigg, and the committee decided the Isle of Eigg sounded the most interesting.  After breakfast and our £2 showers we slipped the berth at 0900 and by 0915 we were under full sail, heading northeast up the Sound of Mull towards Ardnamurchan Point, one of the most prominent headlands in the West of Scotland, and actually the furthest west point on the mainland of the UK.  We had calculated the tidal gate to give us the northbound stream round the Point, and the wind was forecast Force 3/4 occasionally 5, from the north.  We put in some wide tacks to clear the point, mostly in 15-18 knots of wind, sometimes inexplicably falling into a 'hole' with zero wind, only to pick up again slowly. Once round Ardnamurchan (which, incidentallly, entitles us traditionally to place a sprig of heather on our bow) the wind freshened to a steady 20k, rising to 26-27.  We took one reef in the Genoa, then one in the main, which made the boat  much easier to handle, and were creaming along at up to 7k over the ground.  The scenery was magnificent, with 360degree panoramic views of mainland Scotland, Mull, Skye and the Small Isles (Canna, Muck and Rum) in pleasant bright weather.  by mid-afternoon the wind had dropped to less than 20k, and David (who spent most time on the helm) suggested taking out the reefs.  My customary practice when you think that is to have a cup of tea first to make sure the decision is not over-hasty, so that's what we did (with cherry cake and cheese) and we then took out the reefs.  Not too long after the wind freshened again, and we were somewhat over-canvassed, but we soldiered (?sailored?) on until we were in sight of the anchorage at Eigg.  This is in two parts, separated by a narrow channel leading to the ro-ro ferry pier, and one may anchor on either side of this.  We motored slowly from end to end and selected a spot to drop our hook for the first time this trip, in a nice spot between the old slipway and the ferry pier, in 3m of water, making appropriate allowance for the calculated rise and fall of tide (though this is less than 3m in these waters).  After some debate about whether or not to bother to dinghy ashore, the committee elected to go, and Ian rowed us ashore in a stiff breeze, landing on a small beach below a steep rocky sea wall inside the ferry jetty.  We walked to the 'tea room' which proved to be much more than expected: a tea room/provisioner/ island information centre and  restaurant/bar serving a more than decent menu.  Eigg is an interesting island, with less than 40 inhabitants, and no mains electricity.  It had formerly been part of the Maclean family estates, but had been bought out by the 'natives' in 2007, and on each 12th june the residents celebrate their 'liberation' with an all-night ceilidh!  It is a haven of wildlife of all kinds, and maintains an ecologically clean environnment.  We sat outside in the late afternoon sun with a stunning view,  and enjoyed a sumptious meal of mussels, smoked mackeral salad, and mixed Hebridean seafood, washed down with McEwans's 80-Shilling ale (scrumpy for David), while watching other boats entering the anchorages.  As we were finishing, Ian spotted that our dinghy, which we had left high and dry on the beach, tied to the rocks, was now afloat in the risen tide, and he manfully strode back and retrieved it to a better position.  We all walked back and this time David rowed us back to Vega: both he and Ian are experienced oarsmen as well as sailors, and are good at manoeuvering a rubber dinghy laden with 2.5 large bodies (David being rather petite in comparison with the figures of Benj and Ian), which is fortunate as Benj is a very unskilled rower!  There was the prospect of live music at the 'tearoom' and David and Benj had seriously considered returning with their instruments, but thought better of it, faced with the prospect of a late-night row back against the wind, so we went to bed instead.  A great day of sailing, and an enjoyable visit to a unique island.