Update Saturday:
Looking at the various forecasts, short and medium term, and given all the time I have already lost on this cruise, 23 days weather bound plus the false start due to the failed windlass, I am giving up on Shetland as to go on would mean getting back so late in the year I would not be able to go out again.
Also I have just finished a second CampingGaz cylinder and only have one left having been unable to get a replacement as any of my recent stops; they are no longer available here (they were on previous visits) or, according to the UK distributers web site, in Shetland, it should last a month but I don’t want to be eating cold food!
So I am going to stay at Stromness or a local anchorage, until the weather lets me head south - that could be a while, all forecasts say windy for a week after that who knows? The BBC and the GFS then say SE winds for at least a week 🤬🤬🤬 thereafter which is very bad news for getting back to the Solent down the east coast with head winds and most of the anchorages likely to be untenable - I had that T shirt in 2020 and in 2021. Hopefully the other forecasts are nearer the mark but none are that good, there is even a chance I’ll have to come back down the west coast.
I might be able to move to a sheltered anchorage on Thursday when the current forecast shows gust reducing from Gale force to less than 30 knots and steady winds at F4-5 but we shall see. I may be able to leave Orkney next weekend but with Spring tides that will require favourable winds and definitely not easterlies unless I opt to go home west about.
Now off to get some diesel for the heater, it is rather chilly.
Update Tuesday: despite what the uk distributors web site said, extensive Googling tracked down 3 potential suppliers in Kirkwall via a camping website, the first was out of date but the second had 2 cylinders available so I hopped onto a bus and got one of them; one less thing to worry about but the weather looks to be bad through the weekend but hopefully not too bad to find somewhere to anchor later in the week and perhaps to get back to the mainland early next week.
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