Following the fjords to Telford's Caledonian Canal

Tide tables and gps waypoints: we're out in the salty Scottish fjords again. A sunny day on flat waters. Pulling us along in their tidal flows. Look, "Babette"'s doing 8 knots! We plow into great flocks of terns and guillemots feasting mid-fjord. To port we have Jura Island, to starboard, Kerrera in the Firth of Lorn. Then, up the Lynn of Lorn, inside the Isle of Lismore. And into Loch Linnhe. Reading the charts is like reading poetry.
The blue hills in the distance grow into steep mountains. The fjord narrows. And becomes Corran Narrows rolling under us at a great rate. Now we're against the tide, but manage a couple knots in the right direction: forward. Watch out for the ferry! It's ping-ponging back and forth across the Narrows.

And here we are, 6pm now, at Fort Williams and the sea lock. Which has closed down for the evening. The rickety pontoon looks more or less like a Huckleberry Finn raft. But no fear, we're invited to tie up along side a sturdy Norwegian (Florø) sailboat, "Adventura II". With five year old, Alice, big sister, Tine (16), and her girlfriend onboard it's a lively boat. And friendly. We wish them fair winds, and hope to hear from them next year when they sail south on their big adventure.