We were very excited about the prospect of making our merry way through the Caledonian Canal and all was going well as we neatly made our way into the first lock that would raise us upwards and onwards through this beautiful waterway of Scotland. However it was not to be, as suddenly we lost all power to our motor. We feared the loss of our propellor and had to be towed back to Caley Marins and Rose-Marie taken out of the water for inspection. Our worst fears were unfounded however when we found out that our propellor was intact and the previous repair was rock solid. The issue belonged to 4 bolts which had been incorrectly fitted by a previous owner and had managed to shake loose, disengaging our prop shaft from our engine. A simple repair… however the part was unavailable locally. This meant a few days longer spent in Inverness than expected. We took in the sights, sounds and beers making the most of our unintentional stopover and made a few new friends and picked up an additional crew member to replace Sverre who had to escape back to Norway and the monotony of ænormalæ life… He will be missed. Finally our part arrived and we were on our way again… But not for long! High winds on the Canal and Loch Ness halted our progress yet again… But that’s sailing for you. Were bunkered down and will be on our way through the canal as soon as the high winds pass.
