Update from bonny Scotland

Top sea chef Andy Gallaher serves up midday mushroom soup

Since leaving the Isle of Mann we have been in a blog blackout, mainly due to my inability to source enough bandwidth to download photos. We had a lovely cruise up the North Channel using the tidal conveyor belt to arrive in the Scottish port of Portpatrick at low water where the harbourmaster guided us to the deep water by hand signals from the end of the pier. After a curry on board we took a stroll in lovely evening sunshine to a ruin of an old Macdonald castle, and a pint in town where we met a couple of Irishmen who had blown in because the price of land is three times cheaper in Scotland than over the water.

A 47 mile sail took us to Troon Harbour in the Cyde where we looked up old friends Eileen and Gwyn Williams who have retired from Medecine in North Wales to Eileen's original stamping ground. It's amazing how their lives are at the centre of the community . On Friday morning we arrived in Largs with a sailing emergency. The outlet valve in the holding tank was failing to function and the fore cabin was beginning to smell due to pressure in the tank.We arrived in Largs and managed to pump it out but there was still a dirty job awaiting us taking off the pump and seeing what was wrong. Andy and Pete wished us luck and wisely jumped on a train at the end of their week to take them back to Glasgow. Josh Cook and I then spent a character building 3 hours in Kikas smallest room pulling off pipes immersed in faecal matter and swearing! We eventually repaired the pump and the sanitary system is now working properly. It's the bit off sailing no one talks about!

We have now been joined by Ewan Byers and his twin brother and arrived in Rothesay where the Victorian toilets are a major tourist attraction.

The sun sets over the North channel at Portpatrick

An early morning departure from the Isle of Mann .Pete Barrar at the helm

New crew the Byers twins with Josh Cook in the middle

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