Florence Agnes decked out in her splendid Volspec decor is seen moored in Clacnaharry sea lock ready to make her way to Loch Ness and the Great Glen.

The Caledonian canal is a real feat of engineering and as one commentator said - Thomas Telford didn't even have a hard hat!!

The new crew members soon settled in and the boats motored through swing bridges and up two locks before stopping for the night at the Eastern end of Loch Ness.

The sail after entering Loch Ness was exhilarating as the vessels sailed close to the wind  on their way to Fort Augustus and the next flight of Locks.

Galliver seen here on Loch Ness - showing off the sponsors logos . And below the opportunity wasn't missed to collect for Macmillan as the vessels transit the Fort Augustus flight of locks.

The facilities on the canal are, in many cases, not really up to modern standards and appear to be stuck in the 1970's but improvements are slowly being made. The cost of a two week licence at over £420 per boat seems a lot when you often can't connect to electricity at night.

The scenery is absolutely stunning and with very little rain the journey was idyllic. There were some spectacular castles and manor houses to admire on the way and sailing past Ben Nevis is a bonus... even if the summit is shrouded in cloud! After traversing Loch Locky and Loch Oich we arrived at Neptunes Staircase, the flight of nine locks that take us almost back down to sea level.

Then, after what seemed just a couple of days rather than a week, we were approaching Oban.

There was an opportunity to do 52 tacks on the way - not a mean feat!

Last year the crew tacked 38 times to transit Loch Ness and this years crew felt they had to better that, although not on Loch Ness. We think the picture to the right was staged!! No one would look that fresh after 52 tacks!!  The boats, complete with new crew members, are now exploring the Scottish west coast on their way to Rhu Marina where the Boatfolk staff are looking forward to welcoming them.

If you would like to donate to Macmillan the do follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/premier-sailing23

Premier Sailing would also like to thank all of our sponsors and crews for this year’s endeavours. Their generous donations are all going straight to Macmillan, so they can help those who need it most.

Volspec Ltd, Marinestore, MOB Lifesavers, Tiptree, http://www.whitehillsmarina.co.uk/,, clarkeandcarter.co.uk/,