Day 61 Sun 15 July Portree to Kyleakin
Perhaps the last glass of malt was an error for Benj, as he woke up feeling distinctly under the weather this day, and later left even more of the work of sailing than usual to the boys. However, the first important issue of the day was to shower if possible, and Benj called the number for the Harbour Lodge B&B which allegedly offered this, but the owner, Sandra Campbell, said they stopped doing it some years ago. Nonetheless she took pity on us and came to open up her empty self-catering accomodation to let us shower, having once been a sailor herself, and would not even take payment from us. This was beyond any normal hospitality even by Highland standards, and the shower was great and very welcome. Benj got provisions at the Co-op, and we sat on the harbour wall and ate haddock and chips from the chippy next door, first leaving a card and some chocolates for Sandra. We thus set sail rather late at 1400, after filling with water on the pontoon, and sailed down the Inner Sound between Raasay and Skye in a gentle wind, finally heading for the Skye Bridge. We sailed under the bridge with great views of the bridge itself, Skye to our starboard side, and a now disused Stephenson lighthouse on the island where Gavin Maxwell ('Ring of Bright Water') lived, heading for Kyleakin (pronounced kal-ak-in, emphasis on second syllable) hoping for a pontoon berth. We found the small pontoon busy with fishing boats and a few yachts, but were hailed by the skipper of The Moonshiner to come alongside. This proved to be a real treat, as Sybren and Maaike were kindred spirits, who had done the Malts Rally the previous year and were real characters. They at once invited us aboard for a whisky, of which Sybren is a serious connoisseur. They hail from Friesland in the Netherlands, where they founded and own a Scottish restaurant which boasts 400 whiskies! Sybren is a boatbuilder who designed and built The Moonshiner, a fabulous steel boat, the interior finished throughout in beautiful mahogany. They are full-time liveaboards. and the boat has a washing machine, water maker, full size shower, and two luxurious leather armchairs, and is altogether a craft of great beauty. The whisky on offer was no less - a single cask limited edition Rosebank (now defunct) and a rare Talisker, and there was whisky stored everywhere aboard the boat! Ian (hereinafter to be referred to as McPhail, the engineer in Para Handy) inspected the engine room, spotted a problem, and offered to come back and help with servicing the next morning, which he did! We made our way in a heavy downpour to Saucy Mary's, a combination pub/restaurant/shop/backpackers hostel, where we had an excellent meal (smoked salmon, chowder, chicken, pork and venison), washed down with a complimentary whisky because they got our order wrong. (Saucy Mary by the way was a Norwegian princess who tried to extract a toll for access to the Loch by putting a chain across the mouth, but was known for lifting up her skirts to passing sailors; well I think I've got that right.) Back home, now in dry weather, but no music tonight, as we thought our Dutch neighbours were asleep.