We booked a berth at the James Watt Dock Marina in Greenock near Glasgow way back in February while we were still in Daytona, Florida. Five months and 4,500 miles later, we’re actually here. En route, we met up with the only US-flagged vessel we’ve seen since leaving Newport, RI. Nordhavn 55 Odyssey arrived into Cork, Ireland from the US a few weeks after we landed at Kinsale and cruised up the east coast of Ireland while we were along the west (Odyssey’s Journal). We’d been in touch with owners Don and Nancy Payzant, but weren’t expecting to meet up since they were continuing north through Scotland to Norway while we were stopping in Glasgow for a few weeks. But somehow our paths crossed in Lamlash and we finally met in person.

Trip highlights from July 13th through 16th,2017 follow. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at http://mvdirona.com/maps

7/13/2017

Mull of Kintyre Position: -5 44.15, 55 16.84 We’ve just rounded the Mull of Kintyre and entered Scotland. Paul McCartney’s song, “Mull of Kintyre”, was a tribute to this area where he lived and owns a farm. The song became the UK’s all-time best-selling single, besting the Beatles “She Loves You”.

Dunaverty Point Position: -5 39.15, 55 16.99 RVs parked at Dunaverty Point with a great view to sea.

Seatours Position: -5 34.31, 55 17.92 We weren’t the typical quarry for this Mull of Kintyre Seatours eco-tourism boat out of nearby Campbeltown, but we certainly caught their attention.

Sanda Island Position: -5 7.03, 55 24.68 The lighthouse on Sanda Island was built in 1850. The island is privately owned and has had a number of different owners over the years, including Jack Bruce who was a member of the rock group Cream with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker.

Holy Island Lighthouse Position: -5 4.35, 55 30.48 The lighthouse at the south end of Holy Island was built in 1877 and automated one hundred years later in 1977.

Holy Island Position: -5 7.30, 55 31.86 Looking southeast to Holy Island from the anchorage at Lamlash. After an intensive fund-raising effort, Tibetan Buddhist monk Lama Yeshe Losa bought the island and built the Center for World Peace and Study.

7/14/2017

Odyssey Position: -5 7.32, 55 31.91 Nordhavn 55 Odyssey arrived into Cork, Ireland from the US a few weeks after we landed at Kinsale and cruised up the east coast while we were along the west (Odyssey’s Journal). We’d been in touch with owners Don and Nancy Payzant, but weren’t expecting to meet up since they were continuing north through Scotland to Norway while we were stopping in Glasgow for a few weeks. But somehow our paths crossed in Lamlash and we finally met in person. Odyssey is the only US-flagged vessel we’ve seen since arriving in Europe.

Tenders Position: -5 7.42, 55 32.08 Don putting out a stern anchor with the Odyssey and Dirona tenders rafted together to keep them afloat off the pier. The pier dries at low tide, and we should have plenty of water before we return, but we decided to not take any chances.

Glenisle Bistro Position: -5 7.67, 55 32.03 We had an excellent meal and a wonderful evening with Nordhavn 55 Odyssey owners Don and Nancy Payzant at the Glenisle Bistro.

7/15/2017

Bute Position: -4 54.94, 55 52.31 En route to Greenock, we passed the ferry Bute moored at Wemyss Bay after crossing from Rothesay.

MT Stuart Position: -4 54.55, 55 53.13 The pilot boat MT Stuart guides boats along the River Clyde to the ports of Greenock and Glasgow.

Cloch Lighthouse Position: -4 53.10, 55 56.30 The Cloch lighthouse was completed in 1797 with an oil lantern. In 1829 an Armand lamp (a brighter form of oil lamp) was installed, and around 1900 it was lit by acetylene. The light is fully automated now and lit with a lamp on a pole outside the lantern room.

Ferries Position: -4 53.05, 55 56.42 Ferries crossing, likely on the run between Hunter’s Quay, Dunoon and McInroy’s Point, Gourock.

Amazon Position: -4 52.40, 55 56.96 Amazon fulfillment center in Gourock.

Disney Magic Position: -4 45.29, 55 57.19 The cruise ship Disney Magic at the Greenock docks is one of thirty-seven cruise ships scheduled to visit this year.

James Watt Dock Position: -4 43.46, 55 56.56 It seems an awfully long time ago that we booked a berth at the James Watt Dock Marina while we were in Florida in February. It’s hard to believe that we’re actually here now. The marina is about six years old, and built in the old commercial docks used for offloading sugar. Sugar refining started in Greenock in 1765 and by the end of the 1800s about 400 ships a year were transporting sugar from the Caribbean to be refined at one of Greenock’s 14 sugar refineries. The last refinery closed in 1997. The building along the dock is known as “The Sugar Warehouse”.

Greenock Position: -4 45.27, 55 56.81 A walking tour of Greenock on a soggy afternoon. No matter, we’re happy to be here.

O2 Position: -4 45.59, 55 56.94 We stopped in the local mall to pickup a UK SIM card from O2. Our Vodafone SIM from Ireland generally will work fine throughout the EU, but we wanted to get a local SIM and phone number.

Wedding Position: -4 45.34, 55 56.86 A hand-built Beauford convertible and matching an Asquith Mascot bus of Ashton Wedding Cars at a wedding in Greenock.

7/16/2017

Odyssey Position: -4 43.49, 55 56.52 Don and Nancy Payzant on Odyssey decided to stop off in Greenock for a few days to visit Glasgow, so we got a chance to spend a little more time with them. The boats look great moored bow-to-stern.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at http://mvdirona.com/maps.