It's been an emotional couple of days for me. Getting the new alternator, finding out it didn't work with Pixie's wiring. Fixing the wiring only to find out the alternator belt was too long. Replacing the old pulley, then finding out the spare we carry was shorter. Seeing my Mum and dad, and then having to say goodbye again. Thinking everything was alright, then breaking a tooth. It really has been an emotional roller coaster.
Sailing, and boat ownership can be heaven and hell. On a sunny sail with the breeze on the beam there is nothing better. A force 7 on the nose in heavy rain, and even the office starts to look appealing.
One man that knows how frustrating boat can be was our neighbour in Kyle of Lochalsh, Alf. We first met the stocky Scot when he took our lines, and suggested we turn around so we could get out at low tide if we needed to, a nicer chap one could not hope for as a neighbour. However retired Alf didn't want to be in Lochalsh, not that there is any thing wrong with this town. It fact it's worth visiting it to have a look around the public toilet. When I first entered I thought I'd walked into the tourist information, until I saw the urinal. There are even poems about this public privy on its walls, not written on the walls, but typed, and printed out. Obviously when pepole were waiting 5 hours to get the ferry, before the Skye bridge was built, this place had many visitors.
No Alf had problems with his engine, serious problems. His exhaust manifold had snapped, leaving a short stump coming out of his engine. He had two options get it rewelded, or replace it. He'd phoned around on Saturday after it happened and on Sunday he was working out just how to get to Mallaig. To drive would be a 120 mile trip, the easiest way would be two buses across Skye and a ferry to Mallaig. Unless he could bag a lift with a fishing boat heading that way. Sadly he couldn't.
So he set off early on Monday to see if he could get it fixed. While he was gone my mum and dad turned up. They are on holiday in Scotland at the moment, and knew we might be in Kyle of Lochalsh on Monday. With the work on the alternator the previous day dragging on we'd decided to stay another night. Our plan for Monday was to refuel and water and then go up to Loch Duich to Eilean Donan, the Scottish castle that has appeared in films like Highlander, Entrapment and The World is Not Enough. But the wind blew up from the south so we decided to stay where we were.
With the help of their car getting 30 litres of diesel back to the boat was easy. They left in the afternoon and Kirsty and I went to the Co op to buy some lunch. We came back with some crusty sour dough bread to go with the gooey cheese we had on board. Biting into the last piece on the plate, I felt a crack in my mouth. A tooth that I had had root canal work on had cracked. I couldn't believe our luck, just when everything had been fixed and it looked like our problems were over, I now had a cracked tooth. Luckily we had mobile reception, so I googled "kyle of lochalsh dentist" and to my surprise there was one 200 yards from where Pixie was moored. I gave them a call and got an appointment to see the dentist at 16:20 that day.
While I was waiting to go up to the dentist, a very much happier Alf returned, with a bin grin across his face. Not only had his exhaust manifold been repaired, it had also been strengthend to stop the same thing happening again. The next time I saw Alf, his engine was puttering away and he invited Kirsty and I over for a beer to celebrate. I still had to visit the dentist, so we rearranged for the evening.
I wish the dentist in Kyle of Lochalsh was my dentist back in London, instead of gloss white and slightly tatty. Jan Overmeer's practice is a colourful cheery place with large Quentin Blake style cartoons everywhere. As I lay in the chair a large blue cartoon parrot with big eyes looked down on me with a smile. After a local anesthetic injection, the cracked half of the tooth was removed and filled with some fast setting cement which could be put to great effect filling the chips and gouges in Pixie's topsides. It was all sorted quickly, but it should last until I can get to my dentist in London.
That evening we took Alf on his kind offer of a beer. Conversation and beer flowed before we had to return to Pixie to cook dinner. With the fajitas finished, I popped back to see if Alf would like to join us for a whisky "never touch the stuff" he replied. Some what surprised I replied "We have rum", "I'll be right over" he smiled. We had a good night talking to Alf as the level of rum dropped, luckily Alf bought a bottle of OVD with him.
Wow, that really is an amazing public toilet!
ReplyDeleteYou really haven't had luck on your side, what with all of that and then your tooth, but I'm glad it's all sorted now. All you have to do is wait for the weather - less frustrating in the sense that there is nothing you can do about it, but then again, that could make it more frustrating...