Framedlight

 After breakfast we set out for our last voyage in Zuza, from Lochaline to Oban. We had only been ten days on board but we had a wonderful trip with good company and it was a very sad parting. We left Lochaline and motored past the Eileen Musdile lighthouse and Duart Castle. All too soon we saw the houses of Oban stretching up the hill behind the town. The weather had taken a small turn for the worse and the sky was overcast. We all stood on board as Neil brought Zuza in to berth at one of the jetties. And then there was time for a team photograph before the all set out for our different destinations. From the lefthandside starting at the back and going anticlockwise Alan, Sue, Jen, Grosia the chef, Laura, Erin the first mate, Neil the Captain, Coll, Caroline, Richard and Giles Thanks must go to Neil, Erin and Grosia for making this such a delightful trip.

  We have never booked a holiday a year in advance before so the anticipation leading up to our sea trip on yacht Zuza was immense. We had arrived in Oban the night before and at the appointed hour (2.00pm) we wheeled all our luggage, far too much with cameras, a laptop, walking boots and Alan's, new to him, yachting trousers and jacket recently purchased from eBay, down the jetty and onto the boat. The good ship Zuza is a Bermudan cutter rig ship built in 1998 as an expedition boat for the Royal Geographical Society. She is 22m long and weighs a  goodly 42 tonnes. When we were on her there were 3 crew and 8 guests who occupied two twin bunk cabins and two double en suite ones. I was too late to get a double cabin so we were in a twin. With a saloon and a covered wheel house she was perfect to take us all the way to St Kilda and then around some of the Hebrides. Bear with me while I introduce everyone. Neil was the Captain, Erin the First Mate, and Grosia the chef. Neil was ve...

We eventually got to Oban just in time for the 2.00pm sailing across to Craignure on Mull. We had not booked and wondered if we would get on the boat, but they squeezed us in and we were off. It was still cloudy but I got some shots of Oban as we were leaving and of the coast as we were coming in to Mull. We drove round to the campsite at Craignure and got a pitch right by the water. A lady immediately rushed up to to warn us about the midges, showing her pockmarked arms as proof. We promised to use repellant, but realised that as she was a smoker her problem might have been going outside her caravan in the evening for a quick puff. The wind had died down and I had a walk along the shore where a heron was fishing. The water had become like glass. There was a pub within spitting distance so we went for a drink. Unfortunately they had run out of proper beer and only had cold fizzy stuff, but it was the first bar we had been to on the holiday and so a bit of...