Maintenance on magical Kerrera island; Puilladobhrain and the Bridge over the Atlantic

It turns out that leaving Hazel unattended on Kerrera, an idyllic little island off Oban, was something of an error. In a somewhat determined tone, reminiscent of the time she, slightly surprisingly, declared she had found our next boat (Contour - we know how that turned out!), it was made clear that Kerrera Marina is likely to be our base for sailing for some time (years) to come.  While Marcus had been travelling to Bristol with Hektor, Hazel had been catching up on some work whilst also popping out for 'little runs' (in this case circumnavigating Kerrera). She had also been left with about a cubic yard of laundry and Contour in a bit of a pickle after two weeks with visitors (and small people). Once the chores were complete and with a few days of dry, mild, and windless days forecast, we decided to tackle a bit of work on Contour that we had not been able to complete before we left - basically an excuse to stay in Kerrera a bit longer! 

The maintenance issue we set ourselves to resolve was the tendency for the large skylight in the main saloon to leak. It is one of the great features of Contour; a 1.5m long skylight which allows light to flood into the cabin (and incidentally also enables easy removal of the engine). Like everything onboard, the (removable) frame is beautifully constructed with a curved Acrylic (Perspex) window. We had known for some time that the seal between the teak and the Acrylic had failed, and as time has gone on it started to leak more and more. It's not something we could leave for to long, not just because it's inconvenient to get water dumped on your head when the boat heels over, but because the fresh water could do serious damage to the deck head structure over time. The long train/plane journeys gave Marcus ample time to research adhesive sealant options and pick up supplies during a brief transit stop in Glasgow.

The starting point - in a slightly sorry state as varnishing delayed due to need to fix the leak

With some trepidation, Hazel had set about removing the 35 screws holding the acrylic down and drilling out the wooden plugs to get at the screen holding the wooden supports down. Getting it apart was problematic - of course; whilst not bonded well enough to seal, the bedding material was sticking well enough to make it extremely difficult to detach the perspex from the frame! Having spent a number of hours with a Stanley knife attacking the sealant and after a stream of rapid fire (slightly panicked) texts highlighting the fact that taking a screwdriver to the one free corner and attempting to lever up the perspex was a very, very bad idea, progress was delayed until Marcus returned from Glasgow.  If the perspex cracked it was agreed that it would be better if it occurred while both of us were present.....

Having noticed Hazel battling with the frame on the pontoon, Tim Vollum, the extremely helpful marina boss at Kerrera marina, took pity on us and offered space in their workshop to continue the task. Moving the frame onto a proper table in a well equipped workshop made all the difference. This was of course hugely kind of Tim as the workshop is used by staff at the marina for all their other maintenance tasks and we were well aware that not many places would let the crew of a visiting yacht anywhere near their facilities for a DIY project (another reason to stay!!). A few hours of hard and careful work with a box-cutter and we had the perspex separated from the frame and still intact - major progress. 

 The frame post preparation ready for re-assembly. 

Glue! (OB1)

The next step was to repair the frame, and clean it back to bare wood ready for re-fitting. At this point, we benefited again from the lovely people at Kerrera; it is the sort of place where an expert joiner happens to be kicking around. After a chat with the extremely helpful Gary, we adjusted our plan for the repair - most significantly in having the confidence to NOT use the 35 screws to re-attach the acrylic, as the modern adhesive we had identified to bed the window is very strong and flexible, and screws would risk damage to the frame from differential thermal expansion (probably the root of the original problem). 

We were also dissuaded from our planned epoxy-and-varnish coating plan, with great advice on a more durable and suitable alternative. (Gary has a future in diplomacy - he stopped for a chat in the workshop, listened patiently to our ideas and then completely changed our plan (very much for the better), all whilst making us think we were still doing a good job......!) So after three days, the skylight was stripped with a repaired frame, and ready to re-fit, looking superb (if we say so ourselves!).

Whilst this process had involved several hours in the workshop, it was not all work - we had time to extensively explore the island (it is about a 15KM walk to circumnavigate) and confirm the veracity of the many glowing reviews of the restaurant. After a day spent scraping, masking, and glueing, a large rump steak and a beer is much needed!

 

Alongside the repair to the skylight, you may recall a somewhat emotional episode in the Crinan Canal when Hazel discovered that the engine control level did not, as intended, control the engine. Marcus had been able to effect a temporary repair, however the control mechanism was clearly very worn and a repeat performance was likely. A replacement mechanism had arrived in Kererra, and so a few hours was required to strip, check, and then fit the new engine control lever which gives us both more confidence; Contour weighs a little over 20 tonnes and losing the ability to go 'full astern' when occasionally needed is sub-optimal.

After this frenzy of activity we were ready for a rest; we flushed and filled our water tanks, topped up on fuel, and then set off on a glorious sunny day to explore Puilladobhrain, a sheltered anchorage tucked into the rocks off the island of Seil, South South West of Oban.

Happy to be out on our travels again, we set off ashore for a run, with the aim of making the ferry across to Easdale, one of the 'Slate Islands' - a chain of islands which were extensively quarried for Slate from the 1700s until the 1950s. The countryside of Seil is gently undulating, and the five miles to the ferry at Ellenabeich rolled away. Stepping off the ferry at Easdale is something of a step back in time. The rows of immaculate workers cottages are now picturesque homes and holiday cottages, rather than accommodation for the intrepid quarrymen who dug hundreds of feet below sea level to extract the high quality slate - for use all over the cities of the UK and Commonwealth. Quarrying began to decline when (perhaps unsurprisingly) storms overcame the sea-walls and many of the quarries flooded. We explored the extraordinary quarry sites – which as well as providing a very deep open-air swimming pool, host the annual 'stone - skimming' world championship. Following our impromptu trials, we can confirm that we will not be competing next time around! We ran back, taking time to look at the very picturesque 'Bridge over the Atlantic' - a spectacular arched bridge that joins Seil to the mainland over Clachan Sound. We got back to Contour in time to bake a loaf to replenish our supplies and enjoy a glass of wine with the sunset.

 

The following day we took the tender to the mainland to climb Beinn Mhor, a ~200m hill which gave spectacular views over Mull, Kerrera, and the Firth of Lorn. Marvelling as always over the brilliant Ordnance Survey mapping, we explored some of the off-lying islands around Puilladobheain then accidentally stumbled into a good pub before returning to the boat, reality biting a bit as we both had a pile of work & admin to get through.

The Bridge over the Atlantic

 

Mull from Beihn Mor

Puilladobhrain from Beihn Mor

Kerrera Sound from Beihn Mor

With a few weeks before our next fixed diary mark, the plan from here is to head North up the Sound of Mull and explore Loch Sunart.... the plan from there is to have no plan, and see where we end up! It probably involves going around Ardnamurchan, and towards the Small Isles. 

You can follow our progress on our boat page at noforeignland.com