Home ... Sweet Home ...

[The Gurnard]

I don’t know about you folks but I had a whale of a summer running round the Inner Hebrides in my 4.2m Quicksilver Alu hull inflatable.

Im now home with no more plans for long multi day adventures for this year. Today I got the 2.75m F Rib out and went up Loch Etive . .which is just outside my home .. and although it was a very overcast day .. I still thought to myself that although the Small Isles, Mull, Jura etc are nice to see and I enjoy the challenge of getting to them. IMO they are not as scenic as my home loch. Today I kept things simple and only took a compact camera as I have weeks of videos to sort through from my island travels.

These are a few of the photos from today.













I hope you all had a great summer too. Im now looking forward to watching winter arrive and the mountain tops turning white with snow. You can be sure I will still be admiring them from my wee boat ..and perhaps doing a spot of fishing when no one else is there ..roll on the lovely cold clear days of winter :-D

[TmMorris]

Had a great season. Not managed to get out a huge number of times but having been off the water since my 20s and now having two young girls old enough to enjoy the experiences I had as a child, it's been a lovely post lockdown escape. The boat is still on the trailer just in case weather, tides and a weekend happen to coincide.

I've thoroughly enjoyed your posts through the season. Have stayed on Mull and lived on Skye for a short while in my youth it's been very enjoyable reading your exploits. I still remember spending three months on Skye, geologically mapping the hills and looking at the sea wanting to be on a boat if only to escape the bloody midges. Many fond memories of the pubs and being left in the bar to sleep by the landlords as they'd been far too efficient at fleecing a Londoner.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Just torture Donny for me, great pics mate.

[Brinormeg]

Looks great regardless of the weather, and like the others we have enjoyed watching your adventures for a while now.

All our original plans went totally to pot this year so far (including our boating trips and getting over your way to see family at some point as well) with covid, injury, health and works issues, but the years not ended yet for us either hopefully.

[Steve509926]

Great pictures Donny. Why does the water always look so mirror like in Scotland, it never seems to happen the same elsewhere?
Had a great summer season so far, but for me it isn't quite over. I'm off to West Wales in the morning for 10 days, hope to get at least 4 or 5 days out on the water.
I've also decided that autumn and winter shouldn't stop me from venturing out in Redneck. Ullswater, Coniston and Widermere are all within 1.5 hours drive, so when the weather permits I'll be out on the water.
Looking forward to watching your newly edited videos in the coming weeks and months.

[Maximus]

Lovely pics as always Mate
"The promised Land"indeed.
Man in harmony with his surroundings....what it is ALL about!

[The Gurnard]

Many thanks for the kind words Jeff, TmMorris,Brinormeg,Steve509926 and Maximus.

Its not always flat calm Steve but apart from a couple of weeks at the start of August ..it has been an unbelievable calm sea for weeks on end. I have also enjoyed swimming far more that most years as its been so warm. To give the Island of Canna its due.. the snorkelling was 100% more scenic than the bottom of loch Etive .. as you will see when I get to making that video.

It is the beauty of boating on the west coast ..as every island has a sheltered side ..no matter how hard the wind blows. The sea lochs have their own climate to and it constantly varies. Example

When I left my house I started to head east into the remote part of Loch Etive ..which is approx 20 miles long. A nasty north wind was whistling down between the hills bringing heavy rain so I decided to about turn and head west



I was half in the mood for a bit of fishing and had to deploy the home made drogue to slow the drift from the wind. Its a meter square of an abandoned tent with eight lengths of cord sewn onto it to for a parachute shape. It works extremely well and cost nothing.



As the rain approached ..it was time to head further down the loch towards the sea.



Its not as barren or remote at this end of the loch ..



I sat in the sun happily scoffing my packed lunch while noting the autumn colour are starting..the berrys are red..the bracken turning brown ..and a tinge of colour is now edging the leaves on the trees.



My mood can vary like the weather so got fed up fishing for nothing and headed back towards the remote end of the loch again.. over the glassy smooth sea surface.



Once past my house again..there was still a bit of chop on the water but it soon died and the clouds cleared from the hills to reveal the photos in my first post.



It was lovely in the deep remote part ..no other boats..no noise of cars ..or man. I heard the eerie rut of a randy stag echoing off the hills..the first I have heard this year ..so summer is definitely over..but my boating days are not . Some of the best days are spent in scenic areas breaking ice with inflatable boats

Thanks again for the kind words and hopefully soon I will start catching up on the videos.

[Fenlander]

Glad to hear it's been a good year for you Donny, the location move really adding to your adventures no doubt when the adventures can start five minutes from home on a glorious loch. Each and every image/video has been enjoyed here down south in Cambridgeshire.

For my part I've only managed to get the SIB to sea once this year plus multiple somewhat lesser river outings.

However after years of pondering now have a brilliant Day Van/SIB transport wagon... found my holy grail outboard... proved my current SIB was the right choice 5yrs ago... lightened my kit... but most of all kept my enthusiasm for salt water smallcraft boating.

Long... well as long as I've got... that may continue.

[The Gurnard]

Yup..we are lifers Fenlander ..the salt is saturated in our blood and will never go.

The following is a personal comment ..but it perhaps tells the way I am.
My father was a mad keen golfer as well as boater, and once he retired was on the golf course every day of the week that it was possible. He even had orange balls so he could play in the snow. He often joked with the family and said he wanted to die on a golf course. At the age of 84 .. he could no longer play golf so he passed away on the golf course of his choice.

In the same way ... I tell my daughters.. if you ever hear that I go to sea and don’t come back .. don’t feel sorry for me .. only feel sorry for me if I end up in hospital for months on end until the end.

I love being at sea and I dont care if its by kayak, inflatable or sail.. its all enjoyable to me.

I hope I get into my 80s boating in some form too.... its what I live for