Monday 3 July
A tricky departure from Kip Marina, waiting on an incoming boat in wind and tide, but we made it out through the narrow channel unscathed and were soon reaching under just the genoa into Holy Loch for lunch. The wind settled behind us and we had a lovely afternoon with the staysail and genoa ‘wing and wing’ down Holy Loch, across the mouth of Loch Long into the majestic River Clyde, once teeming with merchant ships from all over the world. These days most vessels are ferries, cruise liners and yachts, and the dock buildings are gradually being redeveloped into attractive waterside apartments.
James Watt Dock Marina offered us a very sheltered and comfortable alongside berth on a pontoon against the central pier of the original dock, which was 
cobbled and retained the old tram lines. The facilities, still being developed, were in portacabins hidden inside the old sugar warehouses. I was in good company, as lying alongside the opposite wall of the dock was Drum, a huge 72-foot racing yacht formerly owned by Simon le Bon and Arnold Clark, now belonging to Ocean Youth Trust (OYT) Scotland. I can only imagine how much fun some deserving young people are going to have on her.