Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsey & the Hebridean Princ

Sounds like a fairy story, doesn't it? Tonight after an hour and a half of lifeboat training doing man overboard drills and boat handling, we went to meet the cruise ship, the 'Hebridean Princess' which is a frequent visitors to these waters. She was once a CalMac ferry but now refurbished, she was even used by the Queen on a private charter a couple of years ago. Tonight we met her south of Calve Island for some pacing, where we matched her speed to come close to her stern. We hope to do a longer exercise with this old lady in the next few weeks. I think the crew and passengers enjoyed the brief exercise almost as much as we did. Locally the Hebridean Princess is known as the 'rain boat' as precipitation often coincides with her presence in Tobermory Bay. But tonight our manoeuvres were carried out in beautiful conditions. On the downside, I think I missed a great sunset at the lighthouse.