It has always seemed a good idea to catch fish from the yacht, why not… but my previous experiences have been mixed, at best. Over the years, I have spent fortunes on fishing gear but my sporadic efforts at fishing have amounted to little, not that I have actually invested much time or energy in... Continue Reading →

Having returned to Torquay by train, it was prudent to ‘sit out’ the next day while another weather front passed through. I confess to regrets at maligning Torquay in my last blog because, substantial walks contradicted my previous assessment. Initial impressions were tainted by the semi derelict Pavilion building adjacent to the marina which is... Continue Reading →

Having returned by train to Plymouth, there was only a modest target for the next 5 days, to transfer Hejira from the oversubscribed, QAB Marina in Plymouth, to the sister MDL Marina in Torquay for another period of ‘free’ berthing. It was a pleasure to welcome old friends, Peter Hoade and Jem Vercoe as crew... Continue Reading →

As one gets older, inevitably, one accrues more experience and certain niceties fall away in favour of expediencies. So it is with sailing, gone are the days when I am prepared to sail close hauled to windward for hours on end, beating into a lumpy sea, tacking back and forth, barely making any progress, getting... Continue Reading →

Firstly, I have to say that Richard’s contribution to the last blog was rather exaggerated and mostly ‘out of context’. I didn’t edit it as this would be rather akin to censorship and we are not in Putin’s Russia, so it remains as a tribute to the freedom and integrity of the blog, for what... Continue Reading →

Arriving in Stornoway after lunch on a Sunday proved to be  something of a challenge when intending to victual. It is a very pleasant place but closed on a Sunday. We did manage to establish that a basic shop, part of a petrol station on the edge of town, would be open until 4pm so... Continue Reading →

Hoy Sound lived up to its reputation and gave us a rollercoaster through the overfalls as we left Stromness bound for Cape Wrath. We made the small diversion to take a look at ‘The Old Man of Hoy’ and we were pleased we took the trouble, although the passage  along the coast was a gauntlet... Continue Reading →

Quite often, hurricanes recurve and diminish off the American Atlantic coast. Remnants can then track across the North Atlantic and eventually influence the situation in the British Isles. Sat on the train back up to Scotland, the weather ‘over the top’ has been a discussion point and uppermost in our minds. Thankfully, hurricane Beryl which... Continue Reading →

My first mistake when locking through the sea lock into the Crinan Canal at Ardrishaig, was to say "we are in no hurry". Mooring in the basin inside the lock, we waited while two yachts exited and two more locked in and promptly rafted alongside Hejira. We were then trapped and the two yachts outside... Continue Reading →

After the trials of gaining access to the Newry canal, it is ironic that the weather rendered it all a waste of time as we had to kick our heels in Dun Laoghaire for two days, waiting for a break in the persistent northerly winds. Unfortunately, the time lost meant we didn’t have the time... Continue Reading →