2005 Summer Cruise

“Summer suns were glowing
Over land and sea
From Largs to Lochranza
Bountiful and free
Everyone rejoicéd
At the glorious sights
Eagles, drams and dolphins
Thrilled us with delight!”

With apologies to William How for altering the words of his wonderful hymn, but it seemed appropriate for the choir to sing as our introit on the Sunday following our fantastic cruise in August 2005.

140 people filled the mv ‘Cruiser’ and left Largs sailing into a gentle breeze with the sun shining brightly. Arriving at Lochranza, the village looked so pretty basking in the sunshine. A few folk made it along to the Distillery, where, just before leaving, a Golden Eagle was spotted by the group of visiting birdwatchers, also on a cruise to the village. The castle was open to view and the Hotel provided some bar meals for those that wished to sample the local cuisine. Sailing again at 2.30pm we headed for the Kyles of Bute, where we just missed seeing the Waverley at Tighnabruaich, but the glorious scenery, and colourful yachts in the Kyles made for a most enjoyable time.

On our approach to Largs, a large party of around 10 bottle nosed dolphins were seen playing around a yacht just north of the Big Cumbrae - a lovely end to a beautiful day. The skipper also gave interesting commentaries throughout the day and kept passengers entertained with some music.

A very big thank you is extended to everyone who supported the event - the week before looked as if the cruise may have run at a loss, so to raise over £500 on the day was a fantastic effort.