Tuesday 20 June
Keen to be away North, Skipper made a temporary repair to the ‘Up’ button on the windlass, seemingly involving copious quantities of most unflattering black gaffer tape all over my lovely white bow deck. The crew observed the gradual change in the cliff faces from granite to sandstone, and Point of Ayr lighthouse was soon off our port beam. The contrary wind meant a fair time motorsailing to help me punch through the line of breaking waves and keep as close to our preferred course as possible.
In the end we made good time to arrive in Portpatrick on the Southern tip of Western Scotland, to be welcomed by Robert, ex-lifeboat coxswain and friendly volunteer harbourmaster. Space was limited along the harbour wall, so he helped us raft to a lovely old wooden ex-lifeboat, but my crew still had to negotiate a tricky scramble up the ladder to the quayside. When we were able to take a space alongside the wall later, it was in the rather too close company of nesting pigeons and starlings, to which my decks only too soon testified.