Sky(e) is the limit!

This week we sailed around and explored the island of Skye and what an adventure it was!

On Saturday, 4th of August, the weather was dry for a change and we managed to do some half wind sailing until we reached the south of Island Skye, at Loch Harport. Carbost is the town next to the lake and is evolved around the Talisker whiskey distillery.

As many tourists book the distillery tour, do did we and we are happy we did! The tour was very interesting, with some educational aspects of the brewing process, but of course the highlight of the tour was the tasting itself!

Talisker has a strong, sea-salty and smoky taste and since we enjoyed so much, we bought our selves a bottle, which turned out a salvation, as the days became rainy again and we enjoyed the comfort of our boat with a glass of local “water of life” and a good book.

Except the delicious whiskey, Carbost did not have more to offer, so on Monday, 6th August we set sail towards Dunvegan. The weather was once again dry, and with current with us, we achieved a nice sailing day, although the wind was against us.

Dunvegan is known for its castle and gardens, which we visited with discount of course (student card still holds!). Apart from the castle though, Dunvegan holds the oldest bakery in the island of Skye, which was definitely worth the visit, as we had probably one of the tastiest breads ever and some delicious, homemade Scottish pies.

Going to Portree required a lot of careful planning in terms of currents and wind direction, thus on Wednesday, 8th August we woke up at 03:00, yes you read correctly, 3 am! Despite the hardship of waking up in the middle of the night, we quickly left our mooring at Dunvegan and sailed towards the North. There was not a lot of wind, so we had a smooth sailing, albeit long day. We reached the northest point of our trip (Same latitude as Alaska!) and so far, we witnessed the most breathtaking views.

The fact that it was sunny and dry helped a lot with our mood, but the northeast part of Skye, to our opinion, is the most impressive one! We had some great companions and live show too, as we saw dolphins jumping around us, seals lazily swimming and even a whale! We also enjoyed super fresh makreel, caught by the fisherman on board, captain Jelle!

We finally arrived at our destination, at Camas Ban, a bay next to the port of Portree at 12:30am, when we almost immediately fell asleep! After a well-needed rest, we put our dinghy in the water and set out to explore the city of Portree.

Portree is considered to be the capital of Skye and is a rather old, bright-coloured town. We strolled around the hilly and narrow roads and we visited the Aros community center, where we watched a Highland music show, comprising of kids and adult alike, playing all kinds of instruments, including piano, bagpipes, violin, and accordion! We were really impressed with the talents of everyone, especially with an 8-year old music genius who played amazing piano and violin tunes!

The next day we finally stretched our legs and arms, as we went swimming to the local swimming pool. This was great idea, as the pool not only was almost empty, but it was also equipped with sauna! The rest of the day was relaxed and rather touristic, as we tried traditional Scottish dishes; fish and chips and haggis and local beers.

Leaving from Portree on Saturday afternoon we headed towards Kyle of Lochash. The trip was not long, around 5 hours and quite relaxing. However, closing the Skye bridge we saw the most amazing dolphin show! 20 or something dolphins, jumping high in the air and swimming towards Libra!

We decided to stay at the port of Kyle of Lochash as we had to do some laundry and groceries. The next day, we visited the Eilan Donnan castle, the most awe-inspiring ccastle as it has its own island and only connects to the shore with a stone bridge. It was also featured in James Bond film, so I guess the world is not enough..