An early start this day because the tidal gate for passage south through Kyle Rhea is critical, since the flow can reach 6 knots on Springs.  Our window would be between 0800 and 1130, and I was keen to fit in a wee diversion to have a view of Eilann Donan Castle, at the head of Loch Alsh.  We left at 0645, and there was just enough wind to sail under the Skye Bridge for the third time, with David a happy boy on the helm! (The trip has been regularly punctuated by differences of opinion between David, ever keen to sail, and Ian, happiest when playing with motors or using his iPad!  I was somewhere in the middle.) We sailed up Loch Alsh and had great views of the castle, including a viewing by David through his binoculars (he swears) of a Princess on the battlements.  We thought he might have had too much Talisker last night, but he has photographic evidence - see below!  Motoring back towards Kylerhea there were seals swimming around us.  We entered the narrows in good time at 1000, and the tide progressively pushed us onwards, reaching 9.4k at the fastest part. The sea was very disturbed past the Kyle, with swirling mini-whirlpools all around us. We continued at a good rate, reaching Loch Nevis by midday, and entered Inverie Bay, where we easily picked up a good mooring by 1315.  Inverie is a tiny community, consisting essentially of one street with a shop/post office and one Inn - the s Old Forge.  This is the most remote pub on tge UK mainland, and is accessible only by boat, as we did, or by a 16 mile walk across hill tracks.  The Knoydart peninsula in which it sits is regarded as one of the last great wildernesses in the UK, and is beloved of walkers and climbers as well as sailors. The area has no less than 6 Munros (for anyone who doesn't know, a Munro is a Scottish peak of over 3000metres, and Munro-bagging is a popular sport amongst hill walkers and climbers). Knoydart has an interesting history, celebrated in a plaque in thr village.  The land was owned by a rather unpleasant  English landowner, Lord Brockett, and in 1948 a group of returning war veterans - the Seven Men of Knoydart - staked claims on the land, under an old Act of Parliament.  They lost their case in the High Court, but in the end a community buy-out secured the crofters' right to the land in 1998. The events are celbrated in a song, which in fact Benj used to sing in his itinerant folk singing days with David and John Clough! (You can find the song here http://www.dickgaughan.co.uk/songs/texts/knoydart.html and listen to it here     http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DiXW_hSjxTo0&v=iXW_hSjxTo0&gl=GB ) To this day the whole peninsula supports only around 70 people. We motored ashore and 'staked our claim' to a pint or two of the local ale in the Old Forge , and had a shower (£4!).  Knowing the popularity of the place, we had taken the precaution of booking a table for dinner by phone that morning, and we later returned for that at 2000. However, another treat awaited us first.  Jeremy, one of the World Cruising Club organisers, invited us over for whisky nosing and tasting aboard Spray of Wight, including a good look around the boat, inside and out.  (6I may have mentioned before that she is a replica of the Spray which Joshua Slocum sailed solo round the world in 1898, and a beautiful traditional yawl she is, with all wood and brass and natural rope fittings and rigging). We were joined aboard Spray by a couple from Nicole, a Jeannau 40 based in Glasgow, and two men from Taurus, an Irish boat.  Jeremy guided us expertly through the subtleties of malt whisky tasting,  sampling Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, and Bushmills (strictly of course whiskey rather than whisky).  Returning to the Old  Forge later we had a great meal, including fresh mackerel which we had earlier seen carried into the pub in a bucket, by the fisherman! The other thing for which the OF is noted is frequent spontaneous outbreaks of traditional music, helped by various instruments hanging from the walls.  David and I actually took our own across in the dinghy, having in the interim even learned a local reel written in honour of the Robertsons, the owners, from a photographed copy of the sheet music on the wall! The ceilidh began after our meal, the two of us joined by another group, on borrowed bhodhran, guitar and tenor penny whistles, with some hearty vocals. The music went on until we were the last to leave at 0100, all sporting our new Old Forge T-shirts, bought for us by David. The dinghy ride back was, to say the least, interesting, partly because the boat was found left high and dry on the slip in the falling tide, and partly because we had not left a light on Vega, requiring some blind (?double-blind?) navigation.  We made it safely of course!