2025 29th April Day 31, To Fersness Bay, Eday.

Draft WIP

 After arriving at Gairsay I did some serious work with the pilot, the tidal atlas within it (much more detailed than the official Admiralty on) and notes from the Orkney marina's web site. The latter are very good but densely written without chart-lets, I found myself doing what I have criticised others for doing - flipping backwards and forwards on the iPad trying to orientate myself and identify places, once I realised what I was doing out came the paper chart and things became much clearer.

I had intended to leave for Shetland from the nearest sensible point, Otterswick, Sanday. I could not get there by a sensible time for an early start next day, but worked out that with the tide next morning my intended intermediate stop off at Fersness Bay, Eday would make a leg from there to an anchorage in the south of Shetland viable also that I could get to Fersness Bay at a sensible time leaving at about 16:00 to catch the first of the northerly flowing tide into the Sound of Farray, which only runs for about 4 hours.

Going another twenty odd miles direct to Lerwick would be a stretch and I would be arriving to an unfamiliar harbour at night or at dawn if I was lucky or used the engine a lot, so I discounted that option.

The latest forecasts were sort of encouraging so at 15:50 I was on my way again, into the Westray Firth for a very quick ride north.

With 4 - 5, occasionally more knots of tide, even making 5 through
 the water I was going crabwise for much of the way.

Into Westray Firth before the stronger tide and disturbed water.

A little later and to stay sailing might well have

let me be swept past my destination as the boat

was swinging wildly in the eddies and loosing power

as the sales alternately flapped in the breeze or were

were sheeted in far too tight. Fortunately there was no

swell coming down the Firth, if it had it would be

quite a long diversion or a dash to a safe haven.

Approaching the entrance to the Sound of Farry, just 

as tide turned to run into it. Fortunately close to shore

the tide was significantly less and quite calm. The

fish farming support ship following me probably 

was timing his run as I was. He passed close behind

as I turned into the bay.

The anchorage, rather nice in these conditions but 

exposed to the north.

I should have used a polarising filter on
the camera but forgot I had one with me until
later, but if you look carefully you can see
the chain out 20m or so.

The water was lovely and clear, I could see through more than 6m of water to plant the anchor between the scatted weed and see the chain on the sea bed way out, certainly 20m and with polarized glasses I am fairly sure I could see the anchor 30m away. 

I got some dinner on the go and checked the forecast. Not good:

24 hour forecast [from 19:00]: Variable, becoming south 2 to 4, increasing 5 or 6 later. Slight or moderate. Rain or drizzle with fog patches, showers later. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

I might have lived with that but the models I later downloaded had very strong winds, >30 knots, arriving Thursday mid day ish, (later gusting 40) that could catch me out on the final bit to Lerwick. 

I contemplated wating for the midnight forecast but decided not to as I would not get the detailed models until the tide had turned foul in the Sound of Farray. So I had to work out when I could leave for Kirkwall, fortunately that was easy and the best start was just before eight so I could have a lie in.

Stromness to Gairsay: 32 miles in six hours.
Gairsay to Eday: 10 miles in 2 hours.

Click here for Kirkwall.