The Cumbrae Blog

Scuttlebutt Bar

This season Cumbrae is keen to welcome all passing yachtsmen and women to its Scuttlebutt bar. The Scuttlebutt, used by the centres residential clients, can provide a welcoming overnight stop for passing sailors. Visiting yachts are welcome to lie alongside the pontoon at Cumbrae (FREE!) and sailors can make use of the centres facilities. The bar is open every Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the season. Soup and a selection of toasties are available and breakfasts can be arranged through the bar for the following morning, the centres sauna and gym facilities are also available for a small fee.

The name Scuttlebutt is derived from the nautical term for the cask used to serve water on board sailing ships. Water for immediate consumption on a sailing ships was conventionally stored in a scuttled butt: A butt (cask) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn. Since sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became Navy slang for gossip or rumours.

A gathering at Cumbraes Scuttlebutt is no different; nautical yarns, yachting gossip, tall tales of small ships and stories of voyages can grow epic, long into the night in the comfortable and friendly surroundings at the National Centre. Why not berth alongside this season to see all that your National Centre has too offer.
 

By David