Orkney to Stornoway

23rd to 29th July
Stromness-Loch Eriboll-Handa Is.-L. Nedd-L. Glencoul-Lochinver-Stornoway
Route

From the Orkney Islands, Devon seems quite a long way south. Summer sailing joy can’t go on forever, and now it’s time to head for home.

Out of Stromness past Old Man of Hoy...

...and heading south west for home...

Photos out from Stromness don’t indicate the fog banks that blanketed the sea over half the top of Scotland. Fog troubles me so it was a tiring day and I was pleased to reach a tranquil anchorage in Loch Eriboll.

Tranquility in Loch Eriboll

On next morning round Cape Wrath, the north-west corner of Scotland. A minke whale was on a parallel course it seemed!

It was a wonderful calm and hot day and I stopped at the bird sanctuary of Handa Island – a narrow rock-bound anchorage that’s lively with the high-pitched song of energetic terns. (Among other wonders here: it’s the breeding site of most of Britain’s guillemots)

This whale cruised along to Cape Wrath

Handsome fog horn at C. Wrath

Anchored at Handa Island

Camera-shy guillemots

When it’s so hot at the top of Scotland I lose any desire for the Mediterranean! But it’s not always so and I visited fine tree-lined Loch Nedd next day, partly because Libby Purves and her family sheltered here during stormy summer weather some years ago when they sailed round Britain (“north-easterly gale…roared in bringing dirty weather and drenching rain…”). Today it was about 25 degrees and unsheared sheep were dopey in unaccustomed heat.

Hot day in Loch Nedd

...and walk to Drumbeg..

I walked up to Drumbeg before sailing on under Kylesku Bridge to the end of Loch Glencoul, a mini loch called Beag. As it says in Sailing Directions”…very wild and remote scenery…severe downdrafts in windy weather…” Even in calm weather the wind blew all over the place, but it was so beautiful you wanted to breath in deep breaths of magnificent pure mountain air.

...under Kylesku Bridge..

...near fine waterfalls..

..to wild remote spot, Loch Beag

Then, in need of diesel, I sailed to Lochinver (no fuel Saturday pm or Sunday), and I’d already been told there was none at Kylesku! So, next day, a slow sail over to Hebrides and the busy port of Stornoway. Now Stornoway is wonderful in many ways - not least because the people, and especially Port Authority staff, are disarmingly helpful and welcoming. In no time I was refuelled (a Sunday too!)

Now a strong wind whistles through the rigging and I’m stuck for a day or two. Stornoway is a good place to be stuck!

..approaching Stornoway.

New port hand post being installed near the new pontoons 

Peaceful shelter at Stornoway's new pontoons

Wick to Orkney

17th to 22nd July
Wick-St Margaret’s Hope-Bay of Quoys-Stromness
Route and pics

Now in the charming, pretty and interesting little town of Stromness, I’m hoping fog will clear soon as it’s time to head south. (Sailing in fog is too stressful and tiring for singlehanded sailing)
In fact, I’ve not sailed far in ‘Misty’ in the past week, just long walks and tourist sights on the South Orkney islands of South Ronaldsay, Lamb Holm, Hoy and Mainland. After the Pentland Firth it’s been relaxing to feel secure in Scapa Flow. Crossing Pentland Firth was fine (beating north on a warm windy sunny day) but it’s strange to travel sideways at twice the speed you travel forwards!
Famous places in Orkney: Skara Brae (4,000 year old settlement), Ring of Brodgar, Old Man of Hoy, Italian Chapel etc. It really is a fascinating and delightful cluster of islands, plus it’s mainly been hot and sunny.

Enough…here are some pictures:

Wick Harbour

Sailing north past Duncansby Head

Hoxa Head, gateway into Scapa Flow

St Margaret's Hope - pretty at dusk

Ring of Brodgar

Italian Chapel built by Italian PoWs and popular for local weddings

Need to be skilled and brave to climb the Old Man of Hoy

Three hours up and down the stack, I'm told (137mj). Tricky bit is getting down before you start!

They sailed from Norway in a little boat. They climb too. (A Weshman, a Norwegian and a Finn)

A favourite spot of mine, Bay of Quoys off Hoy

Caledonian Canal to Wick

10th to 16th July
Caledonian Canal-Inverness-Shandwick-Wick
Route and Pics

Warm evening above locks at Fort Augustus

It was unbelievably soothing and gentle to potter slowly through the Caledonian Canal. There were excitements and lots of interest too: a huge replica Viking long boat came through the canal (they’d been dismasted on their sail from Norway and were heading for Liverpool to get a replacement – 30 crew seemed unflappable!); we enjoyed arduous forest walks on hot sunny days; and had a memorable fast sail 20 miles up Loch Ness (but damaged spinnaker pole).

Vikings come to the Caledonian Canal

Running up Loch Ness

 Local Economy built on a Monster!

Then, at Caley Marina, the brilliant  young men used crane to fix radio with new VHF cable throughout and new windvane and new masthead LED lights; so Misty is now fully shipshape again. It’s a relief to have radio working properly after a month without.

Crane helps work at masthead

 Finally, after a thoroughly restful week in the amazing canal system, I’m back on the open sea. On leaving Inverness the wind was mainly southerly, so I sail north. Also I looked at a map of Britain and can plainly see that the west of the country has the finest sailing. I know that there are bits of the East Coast that have gems, and I’ll be especially sorry to miss the Farne Islands and Suffolk, for example. But overall, stay west! I’ll not go round Britain after all.

Anchored off Shandwick (nr.Cromarty) with fine sunset

Sailing north and approaching Wick yesterday, vessels and helicopter were searching for a car that was driven off Duncansby Head with someone inside. Today the lifeboat and police are here, and I'm told, they've stopped searching. Sad and sobering reality.....
Now, I await tide and less wind before crossing the Pentland Firth to Orkney Islands. Wick Harbour Master is brilliant and gives an alternative plan to the Almanac and Cruising Directions for this rather scary patch of sea.

Harbour at Wick where wind turbines await installation at sea

Kyleakin to Caledonian Canal

4th July to 9th July
Kyleakin-Totaig-Eigg-Rum-L.Drumbuie-L.Alin-Corran-Caledonian Canal
Route

View from Totaig anchorage at dusk

Mountain walk on Rum (i.e. island called Rum)

Anna sailing up Loch Linhe

From a wet gale in Loch Alsh the weather quickly mellowed to hot hot Scottish sunshine. Anna and I have turned pink. We’ve walked to near the top of the island of Rum and many miles through the hills bordering the Caledonian Canal. (There’s still snow on the flanks of Ben Nevis and Glencoe, though it was too far for us!)

After a rigorous beat south round Ardnamurchan Point, we’ve been blessed with reaches and runs down the Sound of Mull and up Loch Linhe to the Caledonian Canal. I’ll perhaps write more another time but the Caledonian Canal has been a gentle treat with comfortable places to moor, showers and peace: a proper holiday within a more demanding holiday!

A lock on Caledonian Canal

Steam train passed as we went up Neptune's Steps!

Eriskay to Kyleakin

29th June to 1st  July
Eriskay-Loch Hourn-Totaig-Kyleakin
Route

Perfect day sailing south of Skye

After a gentle day on the Hebrides island of Eriskay (though, even there, TV in Am Politician – the pub – was tense with the drama of the Brazil-Chile penalty shoot-out!), we enjoyed one of the finest days of the year and sailed over the Minch towards Rum. Wind died and I was heading in to anchor, when.…it picked up and sun shone…so sailed more…past the bottom tip of Skye…soon reefed and double reefed…and on into Loch Hourn for a calm night beneath the magnificent mountains there. (Said to be like a Norwegian Fiord, but I’ve not been to Norway so don’t know). 60 miles of sailing heaven with fine distant views of mountains of Hebrides, Skye and mainland, slowly evolving.

I was back where we’d been a month ago! And sailed north again for a couple of short days’ sailing up the east coast of Skye via Totaig (a quiet protected anchorage), and Kyle of Lochalsh. I was moved on and over to the more sheltered pontoon at Kyleakin. A gale is forecast and shelter is a good idea. Loyal long-suffering crew, Anna, is arriving this evening on the bus from Inverness.

Kyleakin from Skye Bridge

Taransay to Eriskay

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.

Gentle sailing out to St Kilda

...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

A walk in the rain on Hirta, St Kilda

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!

Playful dolphins as I sail through Sound of Barra

Stornoway to Taransay

18th to 23rd June
Stornoway-Shiant Is.-Stornoway-L.Marieveg-L.Claidh-Taransay
Route and pics
As soon as my sons had caught the morning ferry, I left Stornoway too. And sailed down the barren and starkly beautiful Lewis coast to the amazing Shiant Islands. From a mile away you start to notice the increasing numbers of seabirds, and by the time I’d dropped anchor, I was spellbound. Puffins, shags, razorbills, guillemots in their thousands were everywhere. Puffin poo, small neat white blobs, started to appear on deck.

World's best fish and chips, Stornoway

Masthead bereft.....(just a cable end)

Seals at leisure

Empty beach, Taransay

Alas! By morning, radio antenna and wind vane had disappeared, dive-bombed off the top of the mast. I later learn that skuas chasing can drive their intended prey or they themselves into masts. Uncomfortable to be sailing with limited range radio, I turned back to Stornoway for repairs….next day, new bits located in Inverness, I did return trip to Inverness (that’s ferry and buses and takes all day, but travel is good and cost less than £40)…next morning, helped by delightful strong willing and competent fellow sailors, I was up the mast and new wind vane fitted, though radio still not very good  (NB. If you’re a sailor with a ‘Topclimber’, the demo video stars some sort of marine tarzan and makes it look easy; it’s tougher and slower for an ordinary bloke with a bus pass!)

By  early evening I was on my way again, sailing south, and via a couple of overnight anchorages, reached the Sound of Harris, went through to the Atlantic on the west side of the Hebrides, and anchored off Taransay. It’s claim to fame stems from the BBC’s Castaway series, and it’s very pretty, with the noisiest oyster catchers you’ve ever heard!