Over The Top

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 has caused so much devastation in the Caribbean islands, appears to be tracking further west and is unlikely to have any bearing on our weather but it doesn’t stop our prudent concerns.

The ten-day punctuation at home, enabled the sourcing of some important spares and we were  laden with a very heavy, (thankfully wheely) bag containing the new windlass among other things on the train back to Inverness.

We therefore had lots of jobs to do before casting off once more.

Jobs completed, the timing of our exit from the Clachnaharry sea lock into the Moray Firth was dictated by tidal height constraints and office hours.

Exiting the canal late morning, we just popped around the corner to Inverness Marina but it was in persistent rain and  we hunkered down for the rest of the day with the dehumidifier working overtime to dry our gear.

An early 04.00 start the next morning, caught the favourable tide and we initially enjoyed a spirited close reach until the wind increased from the forecast 15 knots to 27 knots  and veered to head us. The remainder of the 70 mile passage was a slog in building seas and we were relieved to berth in Wick marina, exhausted after a long, cold and arduous day.

The necessity to carry a favourable tide through the Pentland Firth into Scapa Flow in Orkney is paramount with 8 knots of tidal streams in some places. So, it was another early start on what was to be our best sailing since Loch Ness. The wind started to head us just as the cross tide kicked in and we could then bear away to bring the wind back so we could continue to sail as we steered at over 45 degrees off the direct heading to make our course to and into the Scapa Flow.

This area is legendary in a naval context with 74 German ships interned at the end of WW1, 22 were beached and 52 scuttled, the greatest loss of shipping in a single day in history after the German Commander had not been informed that the armistice had been belatedly agreed. In WW2, HMS Ark Royal was also sunk by a German U Boat. Ironically, and tragically, the day before our arrival, 77 pilot whales perished on an Orkney beach.

On a cheerier note, Stromness is a bit of a pearl, the town being pretty and charismatic. We moored up late morning and used the time to visit the interesting museum, the highlights of which, for us, was a furball from a cow’s stomach, the eardrum from a whale and a necklace made of human teeth – you really need the backstory for context…

The taxi to Skara Brae proved to be a challenge as we had no entry booking and the site was closed to casual visitors. Having been briefed by the taxi driver, who we barely understood, we insisted that we had walked the 7 miles from Stromness, and we were then allowed to enter. The settlement dates back to beyond 5000BC (or whatever it is called now) and we were pleased not to have missed this unique experience.

We are now at the most northerly point of our adventure because one of our crew needs to return for understandably compelling reasons. We would all have liked to dwell in what is clearly an inspiring cruising area but, given the persistent rain, freezing  temperatures, leaden skies and poor visibility, we are happy to have south in our bearings from now on.

Richard writes-

The most satisfying part of an adventure like this is the people you meet along the way. Obviously, if they meet Nick first, they tend to avoid us but if John or I get in first, an interesting and fruitful meeting of minds, ideas and stories can often develop. On the first part of this trip, meeting Mary, Paul, Simone and Steve led to so much fun and laughter. This time, a brief interval in a local pub chatting to Mark, the skipper of the sailing school boat moored next to us, and one of his crew, Alesandro, turned into a very amusing interlude. Gerald (from Clarkson’s Farm) has a Scottish cousin who drives a taxi in Stromness. Our trip out to Skara Brae was very amusing but none of us understood a word. As always, it’s all about interacting with people.

John writes-

Yesterday, I was sick.