24th to 27th June
Taransay-St Kilda-Eriskay
Route and pics
From a peaceful night off a fine white sandy beach on Taransay, I had a leisurely start and, as it was a beautiful day with easterly wind, sailed comfortably under cruising chute over to St Kilda.
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| Gentle sailing out to St Kilda |
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| ...passing Boreray, St Kilda, 1,200ft straight out of the Atlantic! |
St Kilda, as you probably know –but I didn’t- is a group of islands (tips of an ancient volcano), the largest of which is Hirta, and which has the only one reasonable landing place and relatively safe anchorage– in Village Bay. St Kilda is about 40 miles west of the Hebrides and is spectacular, and has masses of accolades, being unique in so many ways. But, it’s so famous that although no-one lives there permanently, there are fast tripper boats (about 50 people a day I guess). And National Trust of Scotland has cheerful and good-natured work parties most of the summer, and I met a researcher studyimg the resident Soay sheep. So, whilst appreciating the wonders of such a place, I feel real magic arises with lesser known gems. (The treasures of Paris, to draw a rough analogy, are in the backstreets, rather than under the Eiffel Tower). Nonetheless, go there if you have a chance.The most amazing thing to me is appreciating that people lived there, largely isolated from the world and at peace, for thousands of years until the 1930s
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| A walk in the rain on Hirta, St Kilda |
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| Landing craft bringing supplies to St Kilda |
Hirta now has staff from Qinetiq looking after MoD early warning equipment (we don’t trust anyone!). The manager kindly let me use a phone to ‘phone a friend’ to say where I was. The island was pretty empty when I visited as being anchored on a lee shore was very rolly (discouraging casual visitors), and led to three seriously sleepless nights! I left at 5am yesterday and had a long beat, well reefed in choppy seas, over 60 miles to Eriskay…and slept very well as soon as I put my head down!
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Playful dolphins as I sail through Sound of Barra
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