Elsa Galbraith joined the Lady of Avenel in May as Bursary sponsored participant on the Firth of Clyde voyage.
Here's a blog entry from Elsa!
The Day I Floated Across the Atlantic
It was the penultimate day of my week aboard the Lady of Avenal as part of my Session and Sail trip. I had mastered the awkward backwards facing manoeuvre to get downstairs below deck and was getting used to the easy rhythm of the days blurring into one another like an old film reel. The plot of the film was something along the lines of play music, swim, eat, watch the view, repeat - with the odd clamber up the mast thrown in for good measure! Not bad!
Today’s plan was similar. Departing from our anchor near the Crinan canal, our skipper Barry motored the ship north and through the currents of the Corryvreckan whirlpool, passing the rocky islands of Scarba and Lunga. Our destination of Clachan was reached by late afternoon, meaning there was time for a trip on land and a swim before dinner. Little did I know that where we had anchored up for the night was a mere paradise.
Once ashore, we wandered up a steep rocky path and ahead of us the land opened out in small alpine like pastures. Late spring trees dripped in honey sunshine and hushed as we walked. We were making our way to Clachan’s most famous attraction: the Bridge over the Atlantic, a beautiful old stone bridge laden with purple flowers, straddling the Clachan Sound. The peaty river below was our swimming spot.
As we sang the melodies of the day, five of us galloped down to the river to change. I could see from here that it was moving at a fair speed, the spume spiralling in eddies and fading into the distance. I was cautious, but the others ensure me they had done it before. Encouraged by the their enthusiasm, I proceed in my bikini across the bridge and slipped into the water.
Without time think, the river is carrying my weight downstream. I pause, glance back towards the bank and can see the land is moving past me. For a split second I succumb to the flow. Then I start swimming. If I swim horizontally to the current I move in a diagonal line from one bank to the other; I’m a fairly strong swimmer but even I feel I’m pushing hard against the stream. Blood gushes through my body; it really is exhilarating swimming across the Atlantic! Just ahead of me the others chant and and laugh and when the five of us make it over, we cross back and go again!
This experience really was one of my favourite on the Session and Sail trip and for me it really sums up the positive energy that exudes from the entire Session and Sail crew. They all have this kind of get up and go attitude which makes the trip exciting and unique. They listen to ideas and suggestions and they make them happen. If you want to try a new instrument, you can; if you want to mashups of rap lyrics with fiddle tunes, you can; if you want to climb the mast of the ship to chill out at the top then that’s cool too. If you are wanting something from the trip, or if you aren’t sure what to expect at all (as I was), don’t worry. Like swimming across the river - you just got to jump in and go for it!
