It was all hands on deck yesterday as we started moving our boats from their winter moorings on the Canal back down to our operating pontoons on Loch Lochy.

It was a good day to move them through, better than doing it doing it today as it is blowing a hoolie!

A couple of fishing trawlers came through yesterday while the locks were open.

The Canal is open at the moment by arrangement, the spring hours start on Monday 24th March – they will be open from 8.30am to 5.30pm.

So far today we have seen a private yacht called Endeavour, (the crew were heading for Gibraltar where they are meeting up with some other crew members, the journey is to commemorate the 2nd world war and has been organised by ex Marines) and there have also been a couple of large Trawlers from Scandanavia.

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Capri and Cygnet now reduced in price for the high season

We have reduced the high season  prices of our Cygnet and Capri cruisers for this year, meaning you pay the same low price for any  week from the end of June right through to the end of August.

Cygnet is a small but very well appointed cruiser  ideal for couples or smaller families. She sleeps up to four in 2 singles & 1 double and has a separate saloon & galley with dinette With patio doors to the large rear deck and warm air heating she is ready to enjoy whatever the weather. The price from June 26th through to Augist 30th 2013 is just £819

Capri is a chic compact cruiser, ideal for a couple or three people. Thre is a spacious  forward cabin with a large double bed, while the saloon has a  dining table which is convertible into a comfy single.

Capri is ready for those long Summer days with a raised exterior steering position with opening roof and a large rear deck with seating. You can rent Capri right through July and August for just £799 per week.

Click here for more details on Cygnet and Capri

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Our sailing  yacht charter  is, we believe,  unique in Scotland – the only opportunity for complete novices to try their hand at sailing with no need to go on courses first or acquire any ‘tickets’.  With no tides and simple navigation sailing novices can charter our yachts and enjoy a carefree boating holiday among some of the finest scenery in Scotland. As much sailing tuition as is required by the novice sailor is provided before you set off.

All our cruising yachts have reliable engines, so how much or how little you actually sail during your boating holiday is entirely up to you. Even if you don’t get the sails up you will still enjoy a holiday you will never forget as skipper of your own boat on the beautiful Caledonian Canal, the UK’s most spectacular inland waterway.

Because of our situation  near the middle of the canal, at the Eastern end of Loch Lochy, there are no deadlines or timetables. When you go aboard  you can choose to spend your first night on our pontoon or cruise off  Westwards down Loch Lochy with no need to worry about locking times.  If you choose to go East  from our base at Laggan Locks your route will take you through gentle Loch Oich with its tree covered shores and on to Fort Augustus, from where you can sail for over twenty miles on Loch Ness, the most famous of Scotland’s lochs.

If you have always wanted to try sailing a modern yacht but thought it was too expensive or would take too long to learn, why not take a look at our dedicated sailing mini-site and check out our amazing prices.

You could  be skippering your own yacht under sail  through Scotland’s finest scenery this year.

 Check out our dedicated sailing site here

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The loch is still with barely a ripple. The rest of the boats will soon be taken through the canal back to the loch.

The post Spring is here appeared first on West Highland Sailing.

It was a long hard misty day to get all of the boats into the water again, but it was worth the effort as they now look ready for hire.

The post Craning In appeared first on West Highland Sailing.

Winter is a very busy time for our staff, servicing, refurbishing and improving the fleet ready for the beginning of the new season in April.

Working on the boats outside is pretty much out of the question in the middle of a Great Glen winter, so we have built a floating covered dock with a big roaring heater in it above the locks at Laggan.  This structure will easily take our biggest cruisers, so staff can work on the boats whatever the weather outside.

The main Winter jobs are servicing  the engines, heaters and similar ancilliary equipment, servicing the safety gear, cleaning the upholstery and generally making sure the boats are in tip-top condition for the first charterers of the new season.

The post Our Winter workshop appeared first on West Highland Sailing.

A modern boat, with a light and airy interior, ample headroom and features normally associated with larger boats.

The 2 en-suite cabins are located towards the front of the boat, leaving the rear of the boat open for relaxing! The glass sliding doors in the sitting area lead out onto the aft deck of the boat, and steps up to the fly-bridge (open upper deck) and the secondary steering position.

This boat is great for friends or families who are looking for a thoroughly modern cruiser.

The post New Boats For 2013 appeared first on West Highland Sailing.

The Countess is also making her first appearance at West Highland Sailing for the 2013 season.  This boat has one double  cabin at the rear with en-suite shower and toilet. A cabin forward has two single beds with adjacent shower and toilet, while the roomy central salon provides a convertile settee bed, making the  Countess suitable for a maximum of six people and superemely comfortable for four.

There are two steering positions, one inside and one outside on the rear sundeck. There is a full width bathing platform at the rear of the boat.

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