Ah, the final leg! Tobermory to the beautiful Isle of Kerrera. The sun was absolutely beaming, the kind of sunshine that makes you want to spontaneously burst into a sea shanty (which, thankfully, we resisted). The sea was flat, glorious, and shimmering, a perfect mirror reflecting the impossibly blue sky. It felt a million miles away from the wild, choppy waters we'd encountered further north in the Atlantic. And just to top it all off, more dolphin sightings! Those playful, finned acrobats seemed determined to give us a proper send-off.
The vibes were immaculate. Pimm's was flowing on deck – because what's a leisurely sail without a quintessential British summer drink? We were all basking in that blissful, end-of-trip glow, reminiscing about our adventures, and generally feeling rather pleased with ourselves.
Of course, this idyllic scene led to a slightly... relaxed departure from Tobermory. Who needs punctuality when you have dolphins and Pimm's, right? This, naturally, meant a rather late arrival on Kerrera.
Now, we had a dinner reservation. A proper, sit-down, linen-napkin-type dinner reservation. And we were, shall we say, not quite in our "dinner best." The scramble began! We practically hurdled across the deck to get to the showers, envisioning ourselves emerging refreshed, revitalized, and ready to impress.
Oh, the irony! The day was so scorching hot, and our dash to the showers so frantic, that by the time we’d toweled off, we were just as hot and sweaty as we were before. It was like a comical, self-defeating cycle of perspiration. We looked at each other, a motley crew of slightly damp, slightly red-faced sailors, and burst out laughing. So much for pristine.
Despite our slightly dishevelled appearance, we had an absolutely fabulous meal on Kerrera. The food was divine, and the company even better. We sat there, all of us, reliving every hilarious mishap, every breath taking vista, and every unforgettable moment of our journey. From the wild dash to the Tobermory pub (and our subsequent failure), to the three-hour fuel stop that turned into a puffin shopping spree, to our final, sweaty arrival on Kerrera, it had been an adventure for the books.
And as we raised a glass, I couldn't help but think: sometimes, the most memorable moments aren't about perfectly executed plans, but about embracing the unexpected, laughing at your own expense, and sharing it all with a fantastic crew.
Have you ever had a travel moment where everything went wrong, but it still ended up being perfect?