 |
||
Halcyon days (and nights!)By Katrina Ashford July 2010 See this article as it appears in the magazine
We'd arrived the following evening in Oban, boarding Halcyon via the marina ferry. No mean feat in itself, the ferry coming in alongside the yacht so we could jump aboard, a hand held out to catch us by one of the waiting crew. Dinner that night had been divine, Halcyon's chef having trained specially for yacht catering. How she came up with the meals that she did in that minute kitchen, I'll never know, but the food was on a par with some of the finest restaurants I've dined in. The wine selection is excellent, too. We chatted until late before retiring to our cabins. Now it was a new day. Chef Kerri had once again excelled. Along with cereals and juice, we enjoyed a cooked breakfast, toast and tea. Out on deck it was a standard Scottish summer day – a bit chilly and damp. Don't worry if you haven't got wet weather gear as there is plenty on board for guests' use. Halcyon is a 1920s 78 ton, 95ft Bermudan ketch which has been lovingly restored to its former glory by owner Andrew Armour.
Constructed of teak planks on oak frame with a Burma teak interior, even her copper bottom was painstakingly replaced. Every stanchion, cleat, block, fair lead and fitting has been repositioned to its original spec. Perfectly fitting pieces of teak have been cut and placed into the deck. Looking at the deck you can see where repairs have been made, but they are blended in perfectly. Now she combines 1920s opulence with modern day facilities such as heating, showers and toilets, fridges and freezers, as well as up-to-date navigation and entertainment equipment. Geologist Andrew has stamped his own mark on Halcyon in the shape of the most amazing piece of polished stone as a backing for the stove. Above the dining table sit the original clock and barometer; tucked in behind the seats is the wine "cellar". Sailing with a fully qualified and experienced skipper, mate and gourmet chef, you really don't have to lift a finger – unless you want to join in. It doesn't matter if you're an accomplished sailor or a complete novice, all are welcome to take part in the day's sailing activities if they so wish.
Halcyon is a head turner and, having seen service for some 30 or so years with the Merchant Navy, has lots of fans. My husband had been green with envy when he found out I was having a trip aboard her – he'd missed out when he'd been a merchant cadet, being sent to train on another craft. But others had been luckier. The captain of the tanker we passed on the Sound of Mull had trained aboard her, he told our skipper on the radio. And Andrew told us that in every port she docked, someone would come over and talk lovingly of times they'd spent aboard her. Although she looks a little different these days. We lunched on the way to Mull, Cullen skink being the dish of the day. Arriving in Tobermory we anchored in the bay before going ashore in Halcyon's RIB. A tour of the distillery was on the cards before a wander round the town and its brightly painted buildings. Back on board, the skipper suggested we sail to Loch Aline and anchor for the night.
Dinner that night included a starter of red onion tarte tatin with a pecorino cheese cream. If that had been all that was on offer, I'd have been quite happy – it was delicious. But there was much more to come, equally divine. It was another leisurely dinner with too much wine drunk before we retired to our cabins. The next day dawned and it was bright and sunny. We piled on the sun cream before setting sail for Oban. A windless day, we tacked across the Sound of Mull, but unfortunately as we needed to get back to Oban for people catching connections home, we had to resort to engine power after a while. The crew are avid nature watchers and we had bird calls identified, saw some freakish looking jellyfish, all the while looking for dolphins. We paused for lunch in a lovely bay not far from Oban. Just a light meal of sandwiches today, but even these were gourmet. I had a second – it was a long drive home and it would stop me going to the supermarket in Fort William and buying crisps or something equally awful. All to soon it was time to go bid farewell to the crew and my fellow guests. Clambering down to the RIB I gave one last wave to the skipper and Andrew as we headed round the corner into Oban bay.
They'd saved the best till last! * Halcyon is available for up to eight residential guests in four superbly appointed cabins or 11 on a day sail basis. It sails to and from various ports over the season. For more information go to www.halcyonyachtcharter.co.uk |
||
I WAS woken by the wash from the CalMac ferry rocking me out of my slumber.
Discovered by him five years ago, geologist Andrew spent "in excess of £500,000" bringing Halcyon back to her original levels of quality and luxury.
Using the traditional wooden block and tackle system, it's a fair amount of work to get all five sails raised and catching the wind, but with a bit of guidance for the inexperienced (me!) among the party, we departed for Mull.
Between Mull and Oban, on the Morvern peninsula, the entry to the loch is narrow and we approached carefully. A beautiful spot, there was a number of yachts already moored when we arrived, but there was plenty room for us.
The final treat of the trip – three dolphins following us into the harbour.
