Crinan, Argyll, West Coast of Scotland

This morning at 8:15, we dropped the mooring ball that we picked up last night not at Sanna but at Tobermory, where the stars and the Milky Way made a canopy above us.  We departed in the rain with 14 knots of wind blowing from exactly the direction we were going, so we were motoring. The rain lasted for a couple hours, and then the weather changed to gloomy, gray and cold. Since we really weren't sailing, there was not much to do up on deck but watch out for lobster or crab pot buoys (not as plentiful as in the Chesapeake or Maine), maneuver around islands, and avoid rocks and shallows. We did pass the one large pile of stones, Duart Castle, above Loch Linnhe. And, despite the weather, Peter had a good time.

Gray skies and gray water

Duart Castle

Peter at the wheel

At 4:30 p.m., earlier than we expected, we reached the Crinan Sea Lock, the first of 15 locks on the Crinan Canal, a 14 km (9 mile) passage through Argyll and Bute. The canal was built to provide a shortcut for commercial sailing and fishing vessels and later Clyde puffers to travel between the industrialized region around Glasgow to the West Highland villages and islands. Finished in 1801, it is now crossed by 7 bridges. For marine traffic, it eliminates about 100 miles of travel and avoids the perilous journey around the Mull of Kintyre, which is often beset by stormy weather. 

Large house blending into its natural surroundings

Approaching the first lock with Crinan Hotel on the right

In the lock with a fishing boat

The lock opening

We are now tied up to the wall inside the first lock, where it is calm and quiet. Nearby is the Crinan Hotel, basically the only public building in the village. With under 80 inhabitants, and the hotel, over 200 years old, is the heart of the place. We had dinner there in the cozy, pub-like Crinan Seafood Bar. During our meal, Enis and I had an intense discussion about meat-based vs. vegetarian diets, ending with neither of us changing our opinions. 

Mantra tied up in the first basis

Sherri, Peter and Enis at the Seafood Bar