Friday 21 July
An 0600 alarm call ensured my reluctant crew were ready for a passage West for Islay and Jura, but they’d been unable to find a weather forecast and set off ‘blind’. Running under staysail alone we were most of the way back down the loch when they picked up “gale warning, Malin” from the radio, and even in this sheltered water the wind was already feeling unpleasant, so we turned around sharply, furled the sail, messily as it was flapping wildly, and slogged back through heavy rain to where we started.
To the relief of both, the anchor set first time, wet foul weather gear was soon stripped off and coffee and toast was served below. The wind soon dropped away, but it rained steadily all day.