5 July: The Friendly Canal
The quiet and calm Caledonian Canal was exactly what we needed after all the excitement that had preceded our Scottish landfall. There was no stress, no big deal to check detailed weather windows, no tides, no anchorages to find; just to follow the main stream and one or two locks now and then. One or two locks every hour or so, one could add, since locks, there were plenty of, sometimes 8 steps in a row like the famous Neptun Stair Case at the western end of the Caledonian Canal near Corpach/Ft William.

Scotland is famous for its friendly people, but the Canal must be the most friendly part of Scotland. Or is it just because this was the only part of Scotland we have experienced so far? Every person we have met has been helpful to an extent that surprises each time and seemed to surpass the previous helping hand. The bus-driver could go out of his bus to point to a direction we should go to, the local post office lady could call several telephone calls to find out where the place was the person in line was looking for. And nobody seemed to mind that the queue was being held up, since everyone was equally engaged to help the poor guest to find the place he was looking for.

These friendly Scottish people welcomed us to their beautiful country, which commenced with our landfall at MacDuff after a fast crossing of the North Sea that took just 43 hours. Gray houses along the coastline could be identified in the first hours of light on the 25 June when we navigated into the old fishing harbour of MacDuff. Tired and very happy we turned in at 06.00 in the morning for a wonderful sleep, this time Karolina and me both at the same time without a rocking boat underneath us, and tied up with shore-lines.
MacDuff welcoming us after a wonderful peaceful sleep after having crossed the North Sea
When we woke up 6 hours later, all gray houses had gone. Instead, we were looking into a wet quay wall. As with the tidal water, also our exhaustion had left from our bodies and soul leaving us with a feeling of freshness, pride and happiness.
Was it really true? Had we actually made it? Was this really the island in the west the Vikings used to sail to? Cars were clearly driving on the “wrong” side of the road, people were standing in line in front of small stands selling fish&chips and pubs were place along the road. These were proofs enough for us: We had crossed the North Sea in fair weather and good winds.

Time to explore MacDuff! Looking around, we could identify other yachts, who were clever enough to have moored next to a ladder. We were more lucky than clever in that respect, since we had moored adjacent to another yacht, so we could climb up into the light and to the sleepy village of MacDuff via our neighbor and its ladder.
From the sleepy MacDuff we sailed directly towards the entrance of the Calidonian Canal, which eventually should take us all the way from the east to the west side of Scotland through a romantic and yet interesting, as well as beautiful, Scottish landscape.
While approaching Inverness we suddenly heard the VHF announcing “Swedish Yacht Regina, this is Wild Eve – OVER”. What could that mean other than a typical Scottish helping hand? Wild Eve was asking if we planed to enter the Canal that day and, if so, they would wait for us in the Sea Lock and ask the lock keeper to keep the doors open until we arrived. Another proof of Scottish friendliness.
Regina and Wild Eve in the Sea Lock taking us into the Caledonian Canal
Having entered the first lock of the Canal with some excitement, we soon felt that this would not become any major problem. The lock keepers were always clearly visible being the only ones wearing life jackets in the canal, which is another of the many decrees by a powerful institution called Scottish “Health and Safety”, we learnt. One lock keeper complained she was not even longer allowed to change a light bulb, as she always had done in the past, since now “Health and Safety” made it necessary to call an electrician each time. And before we were allowed to plug in our electrical shore connection in port, we had to read a fully written A4 page, which more or less explained that electricity can be hazardous. The friendly harbour master excused himself for this procedure, then followed us to the boat, took our electrical cord and plugged it into the socket ashore using a key, since only he was allowed to do this, having talken lessons first. “Health and Safety” this all is all called, which I hope also has other, more meaningful laws to increase safety and health for its citizens.
Nevertheless, the lock keepers always gave a helping hand and treated us as if we were their main customers that day. The locks and the surrounding facilities were all in a splendid shape and finding a berth along one of the many pontoons was never a problem, maybe thanks to the fact that the Scottish school holidays had not yet commenced .
A typical berth in the Canal, mooring alongside a pontoon. In the foreground one of the tourist boats taking visitors to Urquart Castle.
We got good practice to maneuver our boat alongside both pontoons and the walls in the locks. The propeller effect could be used efficiently to move sideways, especially with the bow-thruster working simultaneously. Like dressage in the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, we could move our Regina sideways by using the bow-thruster in co-junction with the rudder or the propeller effect. If, for instance, the propeller or rudder was turning the boat so that the stern moved to one direction, I could use the bow-thruster to contra-act, resulting in a movement sideways, instead. Great way to move away from the lock-walls!
The famous Neptun Staircase close to Ft William as seen on a post-card.
The beautiful flowery landscape with spectacular weather along the way
The following days were as if we started to breath slower. The pace of life had at last winded down after the hectic weeks before departure and the exciting crossings over first Kattegatt, then from Denmark to Norway and finally the major step over the North Sea. Like a balloon loosing its air, we just sat there in the cockpit doing nothing but enjoying life. No worries, no sail handling, no time tables, not even tide tables, - just driving along the Canal by engine.
The Caledonian Canal is, like the equally aged Göta Kanal in Sweden, a connection of several deep and impressive lakes, of which Loch Ness possibly is the most famous and definitely the biggest and deepest one. We were keeping a sharp look-out to find Nessie and we were sure she must have been under us once, since the sounder suddenly showed “LAST 11 M”, indicating that something must have been passing by under us lately at 11 m. (The 300 m deep Loch Ness could not be measured by our instrument having some 200 m as a maximum range.)

I took the chance to rinse off all North Sea salt from our deck with the sweet water taken from the lake via our deck wash pump, which turned out to be totally unnecessarily, since it rained like cats and dogs the following night. At least I scored some points from the family for the actual idea using Loch Ness water, in addition to some laughter.
The British, Scottish and Swedish flag along the canal. How did they know we were coming? Or had it possibly something to do with their sister canal Göta Kanal through Sweden, built by the same engineer?
Around half way through Loch Ness lies the impressive Urquhart Castle, which I recalled more than well from the novel “The Celtic Ring” by Björn Larsson – a thrilling book I really recommend

Just next to the castle, there is a private jetty, where tourist boats let out their herds of eager visitors. There was a sign, which we did not quite understand, telling when and when not it was allowed to use this jetty. We moored there anyway, let out our own herd consisting of Jessica, Jonathan and Karolina, while I was staying onboard with a good book and a most beautiful view on the Urquhart Castle.
The old ruins of the Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness as we approached this exiting place
Suddenly it just came: the tourist vessel! I tried to explain my little knowledge about local mooring etiquette by pointing at my Swedish ensign, all while the friendly captain said he’d used the opposite side of the jetty, ensuring that there was no risk that I was in the way and I could stay as long as I made room for a second tourist boat coming in about 2 hours. At the same time, he encouraged me to go and see the castle instead of worrying about using this private jetty. Again: Typically Scottish!
With a slight risk that the keepers of the Urquhart Castle read this, I must confess our sins that we by using this private jetty suddenly had entered through the back door into the castle area and were already “inside”, so to speak. When Karolina asked a Scottish person where the entrance was to buy a visitor's ticket, he just responded: “You are already inside, so why bother?!”.
Jessica looking down from the Urquhart Castle. The careful observer might catch a glimpse of Regina in the background, mored at the tourist vessel jetty.
After a quick look-around at this thrilling old castle with its impressive size and location, we continued towards the end of Loch Ness at Ft Augustus, without having seen Nessie other than on countless postcards and as souvenirs in one of the many souvenir shops in Ft Augustus.

We avoided these shops as well as possible, but in a local garage, I could not resist in buying a jar of Scottish Marmalade made by oranges (obviously) and 10 year old Macallan Single Malt Whisky (in particular). Possibly it is only imagination, I don’t know, but this Macallan Malt Whisky marmalade was the best one I have ever tasted, especially together with freshly baked scones that we did onboard.

It is also fantastic in the morning, ensuring a good start of the day!
Freshly baked Scones onboard with Macallan Single Malt Wiskey marmelade, the best I have ever tasted!
Via short passages of man-made canals, we passed Loch Oich, being the smallest of the lakes and finally Loch Lochy, being the last Loch, before approaching the Neptun Stair Case at the end of the canal.

We left Regina for 3 days at the Staircase to fly to Germany celebrating my grandmother’s 100th birthday, before leaving the sheltered Canal for the thrilling and breathtaking exciting west coast of Scotland, embracing us with tidal calculations, currents, beautiful anchorages, adventures and yet more friendly Scottish people.

But this is another story to be continued….