The Boys are Back in Troon! Rhu to Troon 14 June 2024

 

There’s been a change of crew to bring Lazaway back to Bangor after its wee holiday in Rhu.

We travelled up together yesterday - car to Europa bus centre in Belfast, bus to Stena, Stena to Cairnryan, bus to Glasgow, train to Helensburgh, then a walk in the rain to Rhu. Got to Lazaway just after 18.00, sorted out accommodation arrangements, and then to The Ardencaple Hotel bar for Balmoral Chicken for dinner. Not fancy, but quite tasty.

After paying for our electric at the marina we set off at about 09.00 this morning  - in fairly calm weather, though grey and murky. 

As we left Helensburgh behind we spotted the wreck of the Clyde “Sugar Boat” looking like a beached whale or a surfacing submarine.

The MV Captayannis was carrying a full load of raw African sugar for the Tate & Lyle refinery in Greenock, when a storm hit on 27 January 1974.  The Greek registered vessel dragged its anchor. It drifted onto the anchor chains of a BP tanker and was holed below the water line.  It was then beached on a sandbar and the next day it keeled over, and has remained there ever since.  Everyone on board was saved. It have become something of a visitor attraction!

Our journey south was plagued by having to avoid other boats - most of them much bigger than us, and most of them Cal-Mac ferries.

A Gourock to Dunoon ferry. There are several of these constantly operating - if one doesn’t get you, another will try.

The Skelmorlie to Rothesay ferry - it saw us coming and so immediately set off to try to get us.
A little later the Ardrossan to Brodick ferry was coming in rather determinedly, but missed us because we did a strategic swerve.

These two, the Largs to Cumbrae service, tried to catch us in a pincer movement, but Gordon dodged them.  We live to cruise another day.

At one point this Pilot boat was heading straight for us, but then passed very close by.
It was a busy trip.

Along the way today we passed so many familiar names - it felt like a roll call from my old geography class: Helensburgh, Greenock, Dunoon, Inverkip, Largs, Great Cumbrae (with Millport), Little Cumbrae, Hunterston (power station), Ardrossan, and then Troon. It felt quite homely.

Arrived in Troon marina (having waited for yet another ferry to leave the port) at about 13.00 and immediately refuelled - we didn’t really have to, but thought we may as well before heading to Bangor tomorrow (where the fuel is much more expensive).

Now that we are here the sun has come out, and it’s a lovely day.  Perfect.

During our walk around Troon we found our home from home.

Dinner in Scott’s Restaurant located at the marina.  Excellent food at reasonable prices - sorry, but no pictures of our really good scallops, Iberian ham, pork of some sort, sea bass, prawn fajitas. Just lovely.

The boat bird list was very small today - at just 21 species.

Our route:










































































































































































































































































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