Goodbye to the Caledonian Canal, hello new gearbox solenoid

Monday 27/5/19

I got to Caley Marina at 0830 to pick up the new gearbox solenoids. Shock horror - they had different electrical connectors to the ones on Destiny. We were keen to leave by 1000 to catch the tide so I decided we could find a fix and rushed back to the boat with the 2 new solenoids. Caley Marine staff has been ultra proactive in helping to analyse the gearbox issue we had experienced in Stornaway and sourced the solenoids in quick order. I can highly recommend them.

Rear view of the gearbox with the original solenoid on the left and the new one fitted on the right (blue  lead)

The new solenoid

The new solenoid uses a different system to connect it to the wiring loom. This had to be removed and the exposed wires crimped into the loom. A couple of crimps later and a quick functionality test and we were on our way. A more permanent fixture would have to wait until we returned to our home marina. Having negotiated the last 2 locks we departed the Caledonian Canal at 1000 en-route back to Whitehills. 

The sea loch at Clachnaharry

Saying goodbye to the Caledonian Canal

The Sea Lock Office at Clachnaharry

As we ventured towards the North Sea we were at last greeted by blue skies and light wind; however, there was a pesky swell from the NE that rolled us around a bit.  That aside, I was pleased to be heading home again with the sun shining.

We arrived at Whitehills at 1750. Bruce rushed off to the supermarket before it closed in order to stock up for our trip south.  I prepped the boat and had a shower prior to visiting the pub for a beer and a meal. This was a holiday weekend but the principle had not yet caught on in this part of Scotland and all other restaurants were shut.

Whitehills does a good trade in towing boats whose engines have stopped working into the marina. On our way north, Bertie (the harbourmaster) had ventured out to tow back a sailboat whose engine had quit. This time he did the same for another boat that had fuel problems. The same engineer was called on both occasions and remedied the problems.  I’m sure this small village is thankful for the extra business and cash brought in by the boating fraternity.

Above is the old Whitehills lifeboat station that has been converted to a home. A true seafront property.