Saturday 8 July
A day of reducing cloud and increasing sunshine, clear skies and good views all day. The crew spotted a buzzard (known locally as a tourist eagle) near Carrick Castle, and were distracted from worrying about clearing the power lines, a little higher than my 21 metres’ air draft, by a delicious waft of pine as sunlight warmed the resin of conifers on the nearby shore.
They put me on a borrowed mooring just South of Finart Bay, off Blairmore, for a lunch stop. There was a bit of swell and I wasn’t keen on the spot, so while they were distracted by food and telephone calls, I let my warp drift off the ring and started floating gently away. This encouraged them to hoist my main and 
staysail, and soon adjust the main to a more manageable first reef for a series of tacks down to the entrance of Loch Long. We rounded Toward Point to a new view of the Eastern Kyle of Bute, playing tag with ferries and commercial vessels. Three harbour porpoise and a large seal were spotted.
It was deemed too fiddly to attempt to enter Rothesay Harbour, later confirmed as a g
ood decision, as the large Calmac ferries berth just outside the entrance, and inside is a bit tight for a yacht of my size. Instead, Skipper dropped my anchor among a line of yachts in Rothesay Bay, under a pastel lemon and lavender sky.