ABC 1 - Sailing to St Kilda

The first of what may be an occasional series for "ABC" the Magazine of the  parishes of Chesterton, Little Chesterton, Middleton Stoney and Wendlebury, October 2023 edition with larger and additional pictures.

Although few get there, many cruising types have St Kilda on their “Bucket List”, partly the attraction is the landscape and the wildlife including unique species, one of the world’s largest Gannet colonies and the largest colonies of Fulmars and Puffins in Great Britain, all sadly now depleted by Bird Flu.

But mainly it is the challenge of getting there. First, it is a long way, especially for those of us sailing small boats solo from the south coast; then there is the weather and the rough seas.

The Sounds of Barra and Harris are the only way through the islands. Both are torturous with strong unpredictable tides and get dangerous in stronger winds that are frequent in the area, and in such conditions the ways round to the north or south don’t bare thinking about so, with few places of shelter on the west coast, a rare period of settled weather is needed to get to St Kilda. 

The NW part of the Stanton Channel through the Sound of Harris

The route from my anchorage to the Stanton 
Channel, the route from the south east is not
as complicated.

Then there is the island itself, 40 miles further out in the Atlantic at 57 Degrees 50 minutes North, it is subject to swell that can come from the Arctic or Canada or both at the same time. This can quickly make Village Bay, the only serious anchorage, untenable as can any easterly wind. To get there you therefore need an extended period of good weather over a wide area as did the original inhabitants of St Kilda who were frequently cut off for many months at a time.

In 2021 I hoped to include St Kilda in my second solo circumnavigation of GB but reaching Stornoway under time pressure to get to a sailing event in Wales, I skipped St Kilda and still missed the event. In 2022 I made a more determined effort, it took 39 days, to reach South Uist but weather systems developing in the Atlantic could have trapped me there for weeks, so I went to Plockton on the mainland (where the TV series Hamish Macbeth was filmed) and after 3 weeks, with no prospect of improvement I gave up and got home after 89 days.

In 2023 I set off again and made better time getting to Tobermory on Mull in 32 days. Prospects looked good so on the 19th May I crossed the Sea of the Hebrides to Vatersay at the southern end of the Western Isles.

Scottish waters are always good for seeing marine mammals, but this leg was exceptional; in 58 nautical miles I had 3 sightings of Minke Whales, more than in the previous 5 years together, there were Dolphins most of the way over and at least 200 in one super pod northwest of Coll, a pod of Killer Whales [fortunately, unlike their Iberian cousins, without a taste for boat rudders], a Basking Shark and Seals as I arrived in Vatersay Bay. 

A Minke Whale, this one in the Firth of Lorn on my return, it
was a good year for seeing whales, there were also many in the
sound of Harris (pics on the blog, link below)

With a weather window possibly opening the next week I headed north to The Sound of Harris via Barra, South and North Uist. Then I was off to St Kilda.

Arriving at the Village Bay anchorage, Hirta (St Kilda).

Hirta (aka St Kilda) is the largest of four islands and several stacks in the dual World Heritage Site and the only one to be inhabited. It is around 1,300 acres, about 78% of the total area of the archipelago. Initially inhabited at least 4,000 years ago, at the peak there were up to 180 people there, by 1851 it was down to 112 and the last 36 left in 1930 largely because of repeated illnesses brought on by increased external contact. Ironically, they were resettled to work with the Scottish Forestry Commission when some would never have seen a tree.  

One of the more accessible cleitean.

Life was extremely hard, fishing was limited by the lack of a harbour, rough seas and deep water locally also farming could produce little, so the main foods were sea birds and their eggs gathered swinging from ropes on sheer sea cliffs up to 1,400ft, the highest in UK. 

Food was stored in over a 1,300 “cleitean” unique small stone storage structures that litter the steep hill sides.

Some not so accessible Cleitean . Part of the ruined village and
accommodation for the contractors manning the tracking
station for the nearby missile firing range.

The trip took 76 days and covered 1,885 nautical miles (2,173 statute) and although it was generally cold until day 58, I only lost 11 days to the weather.

Slide show of pictures arriving and at St Kilda.

Click here for the day by day description of the whole trip.

Click here for the trip starting from the Sound of Harris.

2023 May 30th, Day 47. To Village Bay, St Kilda

Facebook post:

[in response to the question as I was on the way back: How was it?]: Cool (most of the time), disappointing motor sail out, spectacular scenery, quite night, left next day due to likely strong winds and host of tourists coming Wednesday, excellent reach back in F4/5, and once though the Sound of Harris little wind and sun!!! Even hot 😀😀😀. quick sailing now down the W of Skye broad reaching in F3-5 now with sun although still a cold wind.

Taransay to St Kilda

Leaving Taransay at 04:10 I had the anchor down in the Village Bay anchorage at 13:50 after motor sailing much of the way due to winds of between 5 and 7 knots which was not a lot of use with a sloppy sea and all of the crud on the bottom of the boat due to the depletion of the anti-fouling (more of that later), but I had made it on my third attempt taking 47 days to cover 933 nautical miles over the ground.

Naturally I had come prepared:

The question was which to open? The Champaign, not my favourite growers tipple which is not available in half bottles (a full bottle would not fit in the electrical cool box) but is still pretty good at the price or a particularly fine Sancerre. 

That was easy; the Champaign with a slightly late lunch and the Sancerre with dinner 😀. 

Approaching the Village Bay anchorage, St Kilda

The weather was dull for much of the day but it brightened and warmed up long enough mid afternoon for a much needed all over wash in the cockpit.

From the anchorage, the modern buildings are used by staff who
monitor the weapons testing range.

The abandoned village with a few restored.

Food would have been stored in over a 1,000 “cleitean” a small
unique stone storage structure that litter the hill sides, even
on some of the steepest parts as seen here.

51 miles in  twelve and three-quarter hours. 

A short piece on St Kilda can be found here (opens in a new window)

Click here for the return.