To Bonnie Scotland

Yes - we left! The Kemp family cast off from Ipswich, sailed around the South Coast, touched Ireland and have now reached the Scottish west coast, though not without drama, as Amy explains...

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We're on the outskirts of Inverness. So, yes - we left! And further to last month's commentary, I'm pleased to report that Zina has both working steering and a mast. However, we also have a leaky window, a leaky toilet, no working heating in our cabin (it’s currently 4° outside; I've ordered some new long wool socks that I can't wait to collect from the harbour master in Inverness!) and a weird intermittent electrical issue.

But, this is a boat after all. Half the fun is, apparently, in keeping all the systems working.

Despite the broken heating, we're having a super time. Our last week at home was a strange experience — lots of farewells to family and friends, sandwiched between last-minute dental appointments. We also enjoyed the spectacle of the annual school play, a perfectly special way for our two eldest children to wrap up their time in school for this academic year.

The worst part of that week was saying a temporary goodbye to our much-loved sixth family member, the dog. We had always imagined that she would be with us on this trip. In the end, however, the complicated bureaucracy and expense of it all got the better of us, and so Bella has stayed with a friend. But we all miss her dreadfully - Tamara especially.