Looking back as I left Ballachulish the clouds were brooding over the mountains and the clouds seemed even darker in contrast with the sun. Out to the north the sun was on the hills. It promised to be a good day.
Loch leven lies just below the point where Loch Linnhe narrows at Corran Point. There is another lovely little light house to mark it.These things really enhance the landscape don;t they? There is also a really well positioned if pretty crammed caravan park.These don't enhance the landscape, but this little touring site is better than the rows of cabins that despoil our coast line all year round
Beyond the narrows the loch has more of the feel of an inland lake than something which is connected to the sea. However, between the narrows and Fort Willam I saw a seal and two porpoises
The entrance to the Californian Canal is just outside Fort William. I had timed it to arrive at high tide and I was lucky that the bottom lock had just been opened to let 3 yachts out.The canal is 60 miles (50nm) long of which 22 miles is man made. The remainder is made up of 3 inland lochs, the longest being Loch Ness.It costs £17 per metre (of boat not distance). For which you get free access to the showers which are en route mostly at the ends of the locks.
I soon found its tricky to do the locks single handed, even when there are British Waterways staff to take your lines. I ended up rafting alongside a Dufour 34 and helped them with their lines. It was called Hard Tack, which the staff kept miss hearing as Heart Attack. Its bad luck to change a boat's name but I think there is an instance where it might be justified.
This is quite a long name for a boat. Try getting the Coast guard to repeat this one!
After a little warm up of 2 locks there is then a flight of 8 called Neptune's Staircase. the view south to Ben Nevis and the Glencoe range was stunning. On the peaks there were still patches of snow.
The Canal meanders around the contours of the hills then emerges into the first of the Lochs - Loch Lochy at Gairlochy. I think they must have been a bit short on imagination when it came to naming that one. Apart from the big Swedish yacht the other three of us raised our sails for the run to the head at Laggan. The two larger yachts only used their jibs, so i was able to leave them both behind on a long broad reach. Now that I have started being in waters where there is no tide I think I'm going to have to revise my thoughts about the accuracy of my log. It does seem to overead and so exaggerates the speed through the water. I will do accurate measurements of both instruments at different speeds for a proper comparison.I do not have the same concerns about the accuracy of the chart plotter. It amazes me when it shows me to be exactly where i am-in a lock.
On the pontoon at laggan I am next to a chap who is also doing the Round Britain thing. We seem to be 2 a penny up here. he is in a 17ft pirate, which seems so tiny and he has no auto helm. I would take my hat off to him if I wore one.He started from poole so has gone a bit further round than me but he's been out for quite a while longer.
Laggan is also the base for a company that hires out motor cruisers. they seem to have been built by a French company "Le Boat". They lack a little of the usual Gallic flair!
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