Owning Braveheart

Prologue

I think it was in 1974 as a school boy I read Ken Duxbury's trilogy of books which I had borrowed from the local library. The books documented his travels in his Drascombe Lugger "Lugworm". 

Two of the books record a two year passage during which he and his wife sailed from Volos in Greece home to Cornwall via Italy the Mediterranean and the inland waterways of France before crossing the English Channel.  

Ever since reading those books (read again a number of times over the years) I had coveted a desire to own such a boat and perhaps in time carry out a similar voyage myself, but marriage, family and lack of time meant that owning a Drascombe was well down the list of priorities, at least that is until the kids had left home.

Ownership of a Lugger eventually came to reality when in 2009 I purchased a “project boat” from an outward bound school in the Lake District via EBay. 

Having surprised Kathleen my long suffering wife with a romantic weekend in the Lake District she was even more surprised when I came to pick her up with a trailer behind the car. Later that night with the help of 12 men recruited from a local pub my newly purchased Lugger (Braveheart) was on the trailer and my project could begin.

Having lain derelict in a field for more years than the previous owner could remember Braveheart came minus all spars, sails, running and standing rigging, outboard, rudder, trailer and any woodwork at all. She was in effect a bare hull with two large holes in her bottom. The holes that were large enough to put your head through and although I joked that one was to let the water in and the other to let the water out, they were a sad reflection on the unloved state that Braveheart was in.

Once I had Braveheart home and off her trailer she was initially placed upside down on two trestles that I made and set up beside my garage / workshop. While she was on these trestles, I repaired the holes, stripped her of all her old paint, replaced the wooden keel timber and rubbing strakes, repaired numerous gouges in the hull gel coat and finally painted the hull with Osmosis treatment (belt and braces), primer undercoat and top coat - all International Paint.

Once the bottom of the hull was completed I rigged a block and tackle system and with the additional aid of a chain lift I turned her over to be the right way up.

Before starting on the topsides and cockpit the approaching winter necessitated building some sort of covered shelter to work under. So in parallel with working on the underside of the hull I drew up plans for a large car porch (boat porch), which I submitted to our local town council for planning permission and a building warrant. With approval given for the car porch in October 2009 I started construction just after I turned Braveheart over.

The car port which had brick piers and a tiled roof with two "hip ends" was completed by early December giving me a sheltered place to work on Braveheart's topsides.

Sourcing Teak from a variety of places - I bought the old bunk beds from a police station in Yorkshire via Ebay and 3 large teak beams from a work colleague, I soon had enough to replace the gunwales, transom, floor boards, centre board cap, main and mizzen mast supports and the thwarts. 

All the teak was ripped to size on my table saw and then dressed using a planer / thicknesser before finally being cut to the exact size by hand.

The transom which is curved was made by laminating thin layers of teak together with each layer being bent to the correct curve before being glued and clamped.

An order of Sitka Spruce from Robins Timber in Bristol gave me the material to make both masts, the gaff and mizzen boom.

New standing rigging was obtained from Honnor Marine in Rochdale while the running rigging and deck fittings were sourced mainly from local Chandlers or via the Internet.

The missing rudder was made from the original metal tube which was the main sheet "horse"as i had replaced it with a new stainless steel "horse". The Lugger would have originally had a fixed rudder, but I decided to fabricate a new "kick up" rudder which would prevent damage if it touched the bottom.

In need of a trailer I again managed to source one via EBay. Having considered a few I decided to bid on a large ex army (unused reserve stock) which had originally been intended for a Rigid Raider assault craft and which was massively over engineered to meet the army's requirements for strength and reliability. My bid was the winning bid and I was the proud owner of a break back trailer that I could modify to suit Braveheart. The modifications included shortening it by 2 feet and moving the rollers.

The final large purchase was a new set of "battened roach" sails from R&J sails

While I could write pages of detail about the renovation of Braveheart the blog is really about our voyages and with her, so suffice to say by the spring of 2010 we had a completely renovated Drascombe Lugger and we were ready to sail her!

Loch Fyne / Clyde June 2011

Clyde Cruise Friday 13^th of July to Sunday 15^th July 2011

Setting sail on Friday the 13^th???

With good weather forecast and two night’s accommodation booked ashore at the Portavadie Marina, the forthcoming Clyde Rally looked as though it would be a good weekend.

The rally was planned to cater for those wanting to sail for a weekend and those who were going on to sail for a full week, taking in more of the Clyde Coast and the Kintyre Peninsular. Due to work commitments we could only make the weekend, much as we would have liked to go for the full week. Setting out on a Friday did suit us as Kathleen does not work on Fridays (she does make up for it by working extended hours during the week).

I am happy honestly!

Friday 13^th of July

Arriving at Large Marina we made use of their wide and shallow slipway to launch Braveheart before parking the car and trailer in their very big yard / hard standing area. The car and trailer would stay there for the weekend. This was part of the twenty pound launch and recover fee.

With the other boats already rigged we set off at 9.00am to catch the tide that would assist us all the way through the Kyles of Bute (incoming)– our arrival at Colintraive and the Burnt Islands should coincide with slack water allowing time to stop for lunch before heading south towards the Sound of Bute assisted by the outgoing tide.

Entering the Kyles

Setting off under a fickle south / south westerly wind we made slow progress across the Clyde past Cumbrae and on towards Bute. With progress slow a number of boats chose to start their engines and progress under motor, however as we were in no great rush we chose to wait and see if the wind picked up. We were rewarded by the stirrings of a wind which allowed us to sail to within a mile or so of our planned lunch stop before it died altogether and we had to start our own engine. 

Bemused crew - why is the jib on the deck?

For lunch we rafted up with the other boats in a small by just to the east of the Burnt Islands – a pair of islands which lie in the middle of the Kyles and which split them into the east and west Kyles. The east Kyle (An Caol an Ear) runs from Rothesay Bay north west up to the Burnt Islands and the island of Eilean Dubh. The west kyle (An Caol an Iar/An Caol Ceathrach) runs from here south west, past the village of Tignabruaich out to the Sound of Bute. 

After lunch we motored on as the little wind that there was against us and we wanted to pass the Burnt Islands and turn southwards to catch the tide and hopefully a better wind.

Approaching Tignabruaich the wind began to pick up and soon we were skelping along under full sail beating towards the end of The Kyles and the entrance to Loch Fyne. By now a number of boats had again decided to motor as it was getting late in the afternoon and we still had a good few miles to go, however we kept going under sail power, eventually arriving at Portavadie long after everyone else and in the gathering darkness.

Portavadie Marina

While I secured Braveheart for the night, Kathleen went to find our accommodation which was an almost new luxury studio apartment in the marina complex (There is a plus side to not having a cabin at times!)

Miles sailed  - 37

Saturday 14^th of July

After a long day on Friday Stuart the rally organiser suggested that we day sail locally with the option of sailing over to Tarbert a small fishing town on the other side of Loch Fyne. As we have many memories of Tarbert and have been there countless times but always by road, we decided that Tarbert was the destination for us. An added incentive was the annual town fair which was being held and which we would see if we were there in the afternoon.

On Loch Fyne

After sailing around on Loch Fyne for a couple of hours we headed into Tarbert for lunch, tying up at the towns new marina which had been developed to combat the decline in fishing and ship building / repairs.

Entering West Loch Tarbert

Tarbert was alive with both locals and tourists and no sooner had we walked out of the marina than we met a good friend who we had not seen for a couple of years. After exchanging pleasantries we arranged to meet him for a drink that evening at his holiday house which turned out to only a few hundred yards from the marina at Portavadie.

After lunch and a walk around Tarbert we set off back across to Portavadie where we would be staying again that evening. With Braveheart again moored alongside a pontoon we enjoyed a pre dinner drink with our friends, before joining the crews on the Rally for a magnificent dinner in the Marina’s restaurant.

 Miles sailed - 15

Portavadie looking out to Loch Fyne

Sunday 15^th of July

With work the next day we left the marina early after saying our goodbyes. Of all the boats taking part we were the only boat heading home today, Another two would head back on the Monday with the rest cruising for the duration of the next week (lucky them!).

Making the most of the strong westerly wind we fairly flew back down Loch Fyne with the wind behind us before we turned northwards into the Kyles of Bute. Once in the Kyles we kept the wind on our quarter until it finally dropped as we approached the Burnt Islands again. After a short motor we again caught the wind which stayed behind us all the way back to the Marina at Largs.

Miles sailed 33.5

Total Miles sailed 85.5

Loch Lomond 2010

Loch Lomond -  September 2010

We decided that it may be worth going along to a Drascombe Association Rally to see what it was all about. The attraction of the Association was the pretty full and varied events calendar that they ran annually which would potentially allow / encourage us to sail in new waters. From my brief contact with Niall Wardrop (the Association’s Scottish Representative) when I was looking for information on Luggers during the period of Bravehearts’s rebuild a favourable impression of the Association had been made. So we thought let’s give it a go and see what it is all about.

The Loch Lomond Rally which was the last rally on the 2010 calendar, was being held during the second weekend in September. As Loch Lomond is fairly local for us we arranged to go along on the Sunday and sail with the rally for a day.

Arriving at Millarochy Bay on the east side of Loch Lomond early we pulled on to the beach to start rigging. A couple of other boats were already there. Shortly after our own arrival, other boats were arriving by water having spent the previous night at anchor amongst the nearby islands.

We were soon talking to the other crews who were interested not only in who we were but where we got our trailer – Braveheart travels on an ex MOD “Rigid Raider”, which is well engineered (over?) has a break back facility and complete with Landrover wheels was bigger than any of the other trailers there.

The sail planned for the day was to Luss for lunch / ice creams. Luss is on the west side of the loch and is visible from Millarochy Bay about three miles away between the islands of Inchlonaig and Inchconnachan.

With the wind generally blowing from the east we would be able to run to Luss but our return would involve beating up wind.

Once launched we set sail and quickly found ourselves at the head of the group. Not wanting to arrive first we headed to the right of Inchlonaig and continued north to pass behind Pilot Rock one of the Ross Islands which lie just south of Ross Point, before turning back towards Luss. A number of other boats had followed a similar course but turned back for Luss before reaching Pilot Rock. With our Batten Roach Main and mizzen sails, it appears that Braveheart has a pretty good turn of speed for a Drascombe! Our non direct rout gave us a 5 mile sail to get to Luss and we arrived about the same time as the boats which had taken the more direct route.

Lunch was a pleasant hour or so spent on the beach eating our sandwiches after which we had a quick walk around Luss. Everyone on the Rally was friendly and obviously shared a common interest in Drascombe boats. It was amazing to see the interest that other visitors to Luss took in the boats as the wooden masts and tan sails attracted a lot of attention.

After lunch we headed back to Millarochy Bay taking a more direct route this time. Loch Lomond is famed for its ever-changing winds that are affected by the mountains around it and the islands on it. When sailing towards Inchlonaig we were tacking in a gentle breeze, however when passing between  Inchlonaig and Inchconnachan we were battling white horses and a wind that was gusting probably a force 5.

Back at Millarochy we thanked the organiser for having  us and said our farewells. No doubt we would be attending some more rallies in the future

Rosneath to Port Bannatyne 2011

Rosneath to Port Bannatyne - September 2011

With the cancellation of the 2011 Loch Lomond Rally, we were invited to join two other Drascombes for a weekend’s sail from Rosneath down the Clyde to Port Bannatyne on the island of Bute. We would be sailing “Doon the Water”!

Friday 9^th September

Leaving Lenzie after work we trailed Braveheart our Drascombe Lugger down to Rosneath Castle Caravan Park via Kilgreggan where we briefly stopped to check into a local hotel where we stay that night. After checking in we took Braveheart along to the Rosneath Castle Caravan Park where Nigel Wardrop a fellow Drascombe sailor managed the sites slipway and boat park. We would be launching from here in the morning so we had arranged to rig Braveheart and leave her there on her trailer for the night. 

With Braveheart rigged we joined Niall and Nigel Wardrop and Bob and Margret Heasman with whom we would be sailing, for dinner at the campsite. After dinner we walked back to our hotel as Braveheart had no tent to sleep under.

Saturday 10^th September

Rising early we walked back to the campsite to load and launched Braveheart. Setting off pretty sharply (by Drascombe time) we headed out of the mouth of the Gareloch and into the Clyde. With force 2 / force south / south westerly winds forecast we should be able to sail most of the way to Port Bannatyne if the wind held.

Sailing down the lower section of the Clyde is something I have always wanted to do as Kathleen and I had previously paddled in Kayaks from Glasgow Green to Renfrew passing many famous industrial landmarks on the way. We had also paddled sections of the lower Clyde particularly its seas lochs but we had not as yet seen the stretch from Port Glasgow down from the water.

The lower Clyde gave us a fascinating sail as we passed first Greenock then Gourock, Dunoon, Inverkip, Wemyss Bay ……. All names steeped in the history of Glasgow and the Clyde.  The river had plenty of traffic as well which made it a very interesting sail.

The wind stayed with us until we reached Innellan which is a small village south of Dunoon on the west shore. With no wind we motored the last couple of miles to the marina at Port Bannatyne on the island of Bute.

Port Bannatyne started in 1801 with the building of a small harbour on Kames Bay. Lord Bannatyne of Kames Castle, at the head of the bay, planned the village in an attempt to rival Rothesay. Initially known as Kamesburgh, by the mid-19th century, steamers were calling there regularly In 1860 the Marques of Bute purchased this part of the island and renamed the village Port Bannatyne in honour of the long historical association of the Bannatyne family with the area. Boat building became an important local industry.

In 1879 a narrow gauge horse drawn tram linked Port Bannatyne with Rothesay. This was electrified and extended across the island to Ettrick Bay in 1902.

Port Bannatyne developed into the 20th century as a quieter alternative to Rothesay. In the Second World War midget submarines exercised in the bay and nearby Loch Striven.

Leaving Braveheart to fend for herself tied up alongside a marina pontoon, Kathleen and I went off in search of somewhere to stay for the night. Our previous uncertainty of destination had meant that we had been unable to book accommodation in advance.

We managed to get a room at the Port Royal Hotel. Although basic it was fine and we later met the others in the bar downstairs for dinner.

Miles sailed – 23.9 miles

Sunday 11^th September

Arriving at the pontoon on the Sunday morning after breakfast at the hotel we found Bob and Niall bailing out Braveheart. Bob had noticed that she had filled with water overnight and had filled to just below the top of the center board casing. Had she taken a few more inches of water the centre board slot would have been submerged which would have made emptying her more of a task.

Once the water level dropped we found the leak. A screw sized hole had appeared in the side of the centre board casing. We presume that the hole had gone un noticed when I replaced the keep strip and that it had been sealed with paint when the hull was re coated. The paint had obviously given way leaving a round hole some 8mm in diameter. This had been enough to fill the boat overnight.

Luckily Bob who must be one of the most prepared men to set sail on the Scottish Coast had some instant epoxy in one of his many boxed and this was successfully used to temporarily plug the hole.  I now carry instant epoxy as well just in case we need it or others need it again!

By mid morning were ready to set off back up the Clyde. With no wind we motored out of port Bannatyne, however a force 2 / 3 southerly wind soon filled our sails as we ran to the Cloch Lighthouse before we turned onto a reach that would take us all the way to Rosneath Point just short of our starting point the day before. As we entered the Gareloch we ran into a wind shadow created by the Rosneath Peninsular and so we started our outboard for the last few hundred yards back to the caravan park slipway.

We had an excellent weekends sail. The scenery was fantastic with the peaks of a number of mountains as a backdrop and with the industrial heritage of the Clyde in the foreground. Plenty of other vessels of all types had passed us going upstream, downstream and crossing back and forward between the east and west sides of the Clyde.

Miles sailed – 20.2 miles

Total Miles sailed – 44.1 miles

Loch Lomond 2012

Loch Lomond September 2012

This year we had taken on the roll of Rally Organisers. Having just started working overseas again I was fortunate enough to be able to arrange some leave to coincide with the Rally, however most of the organization was delegated to Kathleen.

Saturday

The planned meeting place was Millarochy Bay on the Saturday morning. With 5 boats confirming their attendance this would be a small rally but that suited us fine as new organisers. We had tried to arrange a group meal for the Saturday night, but a lack of uptake meant that we had to cancel this. Perhaps next year!

Setting sail for Luss

Setting off from Millarochy Bay in damp conditions, we headed to the right of Inchlonaig and continued north towards Ross Point, before turning back towards Luss, arriving just in time for the sun to come out.

Lunch was a taken on the beach talking to other crews. After lunch we had a very quick walk around Luss. As per the previous rally we had attended on Loch Lomond, it was amazing to see the interest that other visitors to Luss took in the boats as the wooden masts and tan sails attracted a lot of attention.

After lunch we headed east towards the island of Inchconnachan where we would temporarily leave the Rally as they were going to moor overnight in a sheltered bay while we were going to go home as I wanted to catch up on family whom I had not seen since earlier in the summer due to me having been abroad.

Sunday

Launching again on the Sunday morning we chose Balloch as our starting point as it would allow us to sail back with the boast which had launched there on the Friday evening. We planned to meet the rally boats as they crossed from Inchconnachan to Inchmurrin. As we passed the south tip of Inchmurrin we could see the other four Drascombes heading towards us. As we closed we all swung east towards the eastern end of Inchmurrin where we stopped in a bay for lunch.

Sunday Lunch

After lunch we headed back towards Balloch engaging in an unofficial race – well we were trying to sail better than other boats and I am sure they were doing the same.

More Sunday Lunch

This was our first Rally as organisers. It had been complicated by me as organiser being overseas but the effect of that had been negated by Kathleen doing what needed to be done. Numbers were lower than hoped but that may have been due to a) the weather and b) the cancellation of the previous year’s rally. Hopefully next year would bring more boats and we would get a group meal arranged for the Saturday night.

Loch Tay May 2011

Loch Tay 7^th / 8^th May 2011

Having never sailed on Loch Tay we thought this would be somewhere different to sail for a weekend with the added benefit of being only an hour and a half from home. Loch Tay was promoted on the DAN website as being “with quite deep water, islands, a river complex, good eating places, easy(ish) launch, accommodation and safe harbour- just add good company and some pretty boats with red sails.”

All this sounded good, so we cleared two nights from our diaries – not that we had anything else planned – and decided to go up on the Friday afternoon to make the most of the weekend

As the rally was to be based at Loch Tay Highland Lodges, I booked our accommodation for the weekend - “cosy octagonal woodland cabins with commanding views of the Ben Lawers mountain range and Loch Tay”.

Friday 6^th May

Leaving early from work we set off in good time, planning to stop off for a coffee and a walk in Callander before arriving at Loch Tay in the early evening. After a good walk along the side of the River Leny in Callander and an otherwise uneventful drive up, we arrived at the Highland Lodges site early in the evening as planned. After reporting to the site reception and collecting our cabin keys and decided to take Braveheart down to the beach / boat parking area, before doing anything else.

The Highland Lodges site is well laid out on a steep hillside. Our cabin was fairly high up on the hill giving us a good view over the loch. The boat park being at the water’s edge was a fair distance below us and accessed by a fairly narrow site road which was easy enough to trail the boat down.

The lodge itself was great and lived up to the sites advertisement.

After dumping our stuff in the lodge we walked back down to the boat parking area to step Braveheart's masts and to see who else was around.

Saturday 7^th May

Up early and after breakfast we drove back down to the water’s edge rather than walk, as Braveheart’s sails, rudder etc were still in the boot and we needed the car to launch her. While the other boats mainly launched from the beach relying on someone with a 4x4 to move their trailers, I decided that we would use a very steep looking slipway on the other side of the site’s restaurant area. This would allow me to launch Braveheart using our car. The slipway while very confined and very steep was manageable, but the interesting bit was the fact that the concrete stopped at the water s edge and the slipway continued using steel sheet piles laid flat making the alignment of the trailer wheels critical in order to avoid them falling off!

The morning briefing was attended by the crews of all 14 boats. The plan for the day was to set off up the loch (eastwards) past Gull island to a picnic spot on a secluded beach with a waterfall behind it.

Light winds were blowing during the morning but we made good progress towards our destination. Normally when we sail I try and match performance / speed against other boats as I enjoy seeing if we can beat the larger Drascombes (little do they know that they are racing). This is a constant source of amusement / annoyance to Kathleen as she simply just wants to sail and enjoy the day out. I imagine that a number of other helms must have the same idea and also must also annoy their crews by constantly trying to go faster.

The downside of trying to be first is that I eventually realised that I did not know where we were going or to which end of what beach the organiser had in mind. There was no sympathy from the crew offered, as had we just sailed with everyone else we would know where we were going !!!!! This necessitated a run back down the loch to mingle back in with the other boats, a number of which had dropped well back and were progressing under motor.

The beach when we arrived was all that it was said to be and while it was not sunny it was a pleasant afternoon to sit on the gravel and have our lunch before going to look at the waterfall.

After lunch, the wind picked up and we all enjoyed a good run back to down the loch and into the small and sheltered harbour which belonging to the Highland Lodges site, had been given over for our exclusive use for the weekend.

A group dinner had been arranged for the Saturday evening and despite sharing the venue with a wedding party we all enjoyed a great meal with some of our more sociable members even joining in with the disco.

Total Distance 10 miles (all under sail)

Sunday 8^th May

Sunday morning brought heavy rain and very little wind, however the afternoon’s forecast promised some better weather.

As we had sailed eastwards on the Saturday it was decided that we would sail westwards on the Sunday with the aim of reaching the village of Killin via the River Dochart which flows into the west end of Loch Tay.

In pouring rain we headed west under sail, but as we entered the river and our rudder and centerboard started to hit the bottom we decided that motoring the final ½ mile was a better option. A couple of boats did actually manage to sail all the way up to the old railway bridge just below Killin and I would take my hat off to them for that achievement.

Once at the railway bridge we were prevented from going any further due to the height of our masts so tying Braveheart to a handy tree, Kathleen and I walked into Killin to find morning coffee.

Running back down the river we were helped by what current there was. With the light wind swinging around during the late morning were able to sail back to the lodges easily if not quickly, but as the sun came out at least we were not sitting in the rain anymore.

Pulling Braveheart up the slipway certainly put a strain on the car’s clutch as our BMW is geared for top end performance and not torque at low speeds. We headed off home late on the Sunday afternoon after an enjoyable if wet weekend.

Total Distance 8 miles (6 under sail)

Total Distance for the weekend 18 miles under sail 1 mile under power

Forth and Clyde Canal September 2011

Forth and Clyde Canal  10^th Anniversary 24^th September 2011

With the 10^th Anniversary of the reopening of the Forth and Clyde Canal coming up, Kathleen was keen that we become part of the celebrations by joining in with the 80 plus boats which planned to sail from Speirs Warf in Glasgow through to the Falkirk Wheel over the course of two days. While this is not really my idea of Drascombe sailing, it would potentially be an interesting way to spend a Saturday and so plans were made for Braveheart to joining the flotilla for one day only. This would involve sailing (motoring!) from Speirs wharf to the Marina at Auchinstarry where the flotilla would stop overnight and where we would pull out and head home.

As most of the boats taking part were already in the canal, where to launch and where to recover were our first considerations. Luckily Kathleen through her work contacts with British Waterways was able to arrange for us to use the slipway at the Firhill Road Basin to launch and the slipway at Auchinstarry to recover. The seldom used access at Firhill slipway (behind the Partick Thistle football stadium) was dependant on an official from British Waterways meeting us at a given time and opening the barrier for 15 minutes to allow us to launch Braveheart. – you can see the potential for this to go wrong.

On the 24^th of September, having  already driven out to Auchinstarry to drop off Kathleen’s car we were  ready to go and we were sitting parked up at the slipway waiting for the British Waterways official at 6.50am. Having looked at the slipway I was having some doubts about whether the car could cope with the change in gradient (BW’s idea of a slipway is simply a very steep concrete slab running into the water). No consideration appeared to have been given to its use by anyone not driving a large tractor or military assault vehicle. Presumably this had been “designed” by one of the many “experts” employed by British Waterways on the Millennium Link Project 10 years ago when the canal was being re opened!

Much to my surprise, but I have to say not Kathleen’s, the official from British Waterways appeared exactly on time (7.15am) and with little bother he opened the barrier for us. My concerns regarding the car were borne out as we could not get onto the slipway due to the extreme change of grade at the top of it. Reverting to “Plan B” we let the trailer down the slipway using a length of rope taken twice around the swan neck under the tow ball. This provided an adequate friction brake to control the speed of the trailer.

Once afloat we tied Braveheart up to an adjacent pontoon. As one of many installed during the Millennium Project, it would be interesting to know how often – if at all – this one has been used?

With the boat in the water I set off back to Auchinstarry with the trailer which I would leave with the car there before driving back to Speirs Warf with Kathleen’s car. I would then walk / run back along the canal back to Firhill.

An hour or so later we set off from Firhill to motor the mile and a half back to Speirs Warf.

Speirs Warf was a hive of activity when we got there with boats of all shapes and sizes – but generally of the canal type- decked out in bunting, balloons and streamers. By comparison we probably looked very under dressed as we had not even taken our masts with us!

At 10am while various bands played on the banks, the 80 strong flotilla set off, slowly towards the east. Given our size and not wishing to be the filling in a boat to boat or boat to bank sandwich we felt it would be prudent to join in towards the back of the flotilla. During the course of the day and having witnessed in- numerable  boat to boat and boat to bank collisions we were happy to have made this strategic decision.

The trip along the canal in beautiful sunshine was slow and smelly. The normal still and placid canal waters had been agitated by probably 60 propellers by the time we came along, releasing all sorts of unpleasant smells  and garbage from the bottom. On a number of occasions we passed boats which were alongside the banks trying to untangle assorted rubbish from their propellers.

The canal took us through parts of Glasgow which we were perhaps not too familiar with – and which to be honest we probably do not want to be any more familiar with. In places local worthies added canal side colour by trying to teach the visitors from the east to speak “Weegie” while slugging down their cans of Special Brew.

With all the boats passing, it was a bad day for fishermen. Despite this there were a good number sitting along the banks giving weight to my theory that the fishing is secondary to getting out of the house and into the country for a day. As not many if any fishermen appear to take their wives with them, perhaps there is are other reasons to go and sit on your own in the country and enjoy the peace and quiet of a canal bank?

Once we reached the outskirts of Possil we were leaving the city behind us and moving more into open countryside. By the time we reached Bishopbriggs spectators were in greater evidence having come especially to watch the boats go by. This created a carnival atmosphere as spectators and boat crews cheered and waved as we passed under bridges or past groups of well-wishers.

By 13.00hrs we had reached Kirkintilloch where the planned lunch stop was. Being one of the smaller boats we were allowed to enter the marina and tie up alongside a pontoon. With an hour for lunch we set off at Kathleen’s suggestion to buy bacon rolls from Ghilonis café in Townhead. This I must admit was one of her better suggestions.

After lunch we rejoined the flotilla heading east towards their planned overnight stop and our final destination at Auchinstarry. When we set off again after lunch, we appeared (not deliberately) to have been inserted in within the first 30 or so boats. This proved to be beneficial in that they were more spread out and that we would arrive at Auchinstarry before the basin there became too busy.

The afternoon’s cruise was definitely along the better section of the canal as we were now out into open countryside with pretty decent views of the Campsie Fells on our left for a good part of the remaining journey.

Arriving at Auchinstarry we made straight for the slipway and had Braveheart out of the water and onto her trailer before most of the remaining boats had arrived. Strapping her down outside the “Boathouse” which is the marina’s pub / restaurant we decided that it was just too busy to go for what we felt was a well earned drink and so at 16.00hrs we set off back to collect Kathleen’s car and go home.

The canal journey was an “experience”. It was a great day out and took us to a bit of water that we would not otherwise have sailed (motored) along. So saying that while it was interesting to do it once I have no real desire to do it again, nor can I understand why anyone would want to go on a canal holiday and stay overnight on the canal within the boundaries of Glasgow City.

With all the amazing bits of water which are easily accessible within Scotland and while not belittling the efforts of the many enthusiastic and motivated British Waterway’s employees, volunteers and interest groups, I can only compare the Forth and Clyde Canal to a dirty ditch!

Mileage

  Firfill to Speirs Warf                     1     mile

Speirs Warf to Kirkintiloch          8.1 miles

Kirkintilloch to Auchinstarry       5.4 miles

Total       14.5 miles