Fyne Cruises - Highlands & Islands

Let's go outside...
The passenger cabins will look great when they are finished. The furniture is installed in the passenger cabins on deck 1 and the walls are being painted. Beginning of April deck 2 will be done and the carpet will be fitted. This week we will start giving the outside of the ship her first coat of final paint. Fyne Spirit is changing every day and getting closer to completion.

Last week it was snowing in Glasgow and everything was covered under a big carpet of snow. It was a beautiful sight, but hopefully the weather will get better, so we can start painting the outside and finish the ship.

With beginning of human history sea trade started and pirates were there to prey on sea traders. During classical Greek and Roman era it came to warlike clashes between states and pirates. Caesar cleared the Mediterranean of pirates and Rome pursued undisturbed state piracy. It was called peace.
In the end its easy booty which leads to piracy. Off course there are different motives: The freedom fighter of one country is called pirate by some other countries.

Around 1500 the Pope of Rome let only Spain and Portugal trade and conquer the world oceans. The beginning sea powers like England, France, and the Netherlands had no other choice than to start worldwide sea trade as pirates in 16th Century.

Before the Anglo-Saxons settled in England in 5th Century AD, the Saxons were notorious pirates in North Sea and Baltic Sea. In 8th Century the Vikings terrorized north Europe. They settled, colonized and conquered. The trade of the Hanseatic League was at disrupted by Baltic Sea pirates. Klaus Stoertebecker is hero of many pirate stories.

The islands of the Caribbean changed periodically hands: Spane, France, England, the Netherlands. Yes, Sweden and Denmark took part as well. There was always declared or undeclared war between those countries. Quite often plantation owners in the West Indies would hire pirates to protect them from other countries.

Worthwile prey, no problem with crewing, and safe area to operate in, was offered in the Caribbean. The American war of independence caused piracy. Fighting for independence here was piracy there. Admiral Nelson fought piracy from Antigua, not being popular with the English plantation owners because he spoiled the smuggling with the becoming USA.

Like the Mediterranean was free of pirates during Roman era, the world oceans were safe of pirates when England ruled the waves. And it did trade and peace a lot of good!

The West of Scotland was notorious for piracy well into 18th Century. Follow on board M/V FYNE SPIRIT the courses of those Clan pirates, it pays! The sea, islands, whales, sea-birds, sun and clouds, it makes you so much reacher!

Clyde & Bute Classics : Inveraray – Campbeltown – Portpatrick – Isle of Arran – Great Cumbrae – Isle of Bute – Arrochar – Tighnabruaich – Inveraray

In our Clyde & Bute itinerary, from the Isle of Bute, Fyne Spirit will take our guests to Dunoon and Tighnabruaich, two typical Scottish villages, before heading back to Inveraray.

Dunoon used to be a very popular holiday destination for the Glaswegians and also had a US nuclear submarine base on nearby Loch Long, which is closed now. Dunoon still attracts visitors, although in smaller numbers.

The southwest of Cowal is one of the most beautiful parts of Argyll. Tighnabruaich is popular in the summer with visitors who come here to enjoy the sailing on the west coast.

Dunoon has an 18-hole golf course and Tighnabruaich has a 9-hole golf course, for those whishing to pay a few rounds before disembarking.

This ends our Clyde & Bute itinerary. In the next newsletter there will be more information about the golf courses we plan to visit during our golf itineraries.

to be continued... !