Last weekend my fiancee treated me and a few others to a weekend of sailing (considering that I’m just a little bit afraid of the sea). It didn’t turn out quite as it was supposed to, we were meant to leave from Maryport on a rather large boat and experience the joy of the wind in the sails, the listing of the boat as we tacked across the seas etc.

Unfortunately the sea doors at Maryport had been sticking and this was the weekend that they decided that they needed to work on them so we couldn’t get the boat out. So they came up with a quick solution and we went up to Ardrossan and got on an even bigger boat.

She was called Lady Q and at 43.7 feet long she was a very big boat to be learning on. With three double beds on board one which had en-suite!!

We all booted and suited up in our sailing shoes, waterproofs and life jackets and set off through the harbour walls, neatly avoiding the the local ferry. The forecast for the weekend was extremely sunny with light winds, very light winds. so when we had motored out of the harbour and tried to put up the sails pretty much nothing happened, so we kept the motor running and took turns at steering.

I was pretty nervous at first when it came to my turn, but eventually it came to be one of the most pleasurable tasks on the boat.

We sailed for a good few hours enjoying the sunshine, eating lunch...

...and learning a few of the knots

we set our course and headed straight for the Isle of Arran

we looped a buoy and set up the dingy to take us into shore. The boys initially decided that the best way to get to shore was to use the oars on the dingy but half way across the skipper told us that he’d never rowed before and would someone else mind taking over so with a bit of jiggling about Thomas too the main seat and rowed us there and then the rest of the way back, and decided to switch to the motor on the boat.

Still it is kinda nice to watch

and it is rather a long way to row...

When all of us were ashore we found the nearest (and only bar/restaurant in town) thanks to a few tipsy walkers who were headed on to the next town and had spent some time at the Lochranza Hotel. We topped up on food and bit of drink, and then Shilagh and I went around the local castle and admired the sunset and the rather tame deer that surrounded the castle.

quite a cool and famous landmark on the island.

then we all piled back into the dingy and headed back out to the boat, to get rocked to sleep.

 The next day we woke to another calm beautiful morning, and started to practice weaving in and out of the buoys, then lassoing the buoys. then it was time to enjoy the still waters once again and head home to dry land.

looking over the bow of the ship moving through the still water.

So here is my last look over Arran and if you ever see a weather forecast for the weekend that looks as good as this then head for the nearest boat and find Arran.