A waiting game (or stranded in Gairlochy)

So here is the update on the engine. Bukh did not have the part in stock and it would have taken a week to arrive. Not really a great solution given we have to be home in two weeks. But once again our friends in Gairloch have come to our rescue. Last night Graham had emailed Jackson (the Gairloch harbourmaster) to let him know what had happenned and to get a contact number for Ric in the hope that he may be able to help us source the spare part. By 9.30am Jackson had already spoken to Ric and left a voicemail for Graham. Ric will put the part in the post tomorrow (we had already missed the Gairloch collection time of 9am). If we are lucky it will arrive on Saturday, if not then we'll have to wait until Monday. In the meantime Charlie Menzies, a shipwright who lives on his junk on the next pontoon along, had a look at the engine. He felt that there was nothing more sinister wrong. That was a relief.

The lock master here has also been very helpful, but there is not much he can really do. Our plan is to head down the canal tomorrow to Banavie which is a bit closer to civilisation and to the sea lock where the part is being sent. Some more helpful people on a Southerly yacht have agreed to tow us down the 6 mile stretch of canal.

In order to try to take our minds off the whole situation we took ourselves on a walk to Spean Bridge. The walk was lovely. The destination was not. More tourist tat and over-priced, poor quality food. Even Graham rejected the cake on offer in the woollen mill/whisky shop/tea room. I know you get places like that in every tourist trap in Europe but it really is a shame when this country has so much more to offer. The Scottish government should shut them down and give local communities the chance to profit from the opprtunities on their doorstep. You only have to look at Gairloch as a shining example of what can be achieved - great food, lots of choice and at fair prices. And not a furry haggis or faux cashmere tartan rug in sight!


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