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

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 sails 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. She 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 waiting 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.

More pics in a slide show on the next post.

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

Click here for Kirkwall.

2025 29th April Day 31, heading north.

I had intended to stay at Stromness for 2 nights to get laundry done, resupply etc. but I was tired after the last few days, particularly the lost nights sleep in Loch a'Chadh-fi on Thursday, and with the necessity of an 03:30 alarm call to make the tide on Sunday morning for an outside chance of a weather window for Shetland opening on Monday I decided to stay another night and thought it would then be a leisurely few days around the northern Islands mainly sheltering from some serious wind on its way.

However the model downloads at 20:00 on Monday night looked encouraging for Wednesday but could I get to a sensible starting point in time? My previous research only covered options staring from Kirkwall with a couple of stops before heading out, so I had a busy hour or so checking things out. It is quite complicated (I may do a post later on some of the issues) and if I were to move I needed to get to bed for an early alarm call, I did however determine that going to Pierowall in the NW, an obvious candidate and one others have used, was probably just out of reach. If I had pushed the boat hard under engine I would probably reach Papa Sound just as the tide turned foul and with a particulalry high spring tide I might well not make it through in time and be stuck at sea.

I therefore decided to head towards Kirkwall but to stop short and check further options that might open up as the tide turned north westwards later in the day, providing I did not procrastinate I would still have time to take the last of the flood south to Kirkwall.

I slipped at 05:15 in dull overcast, chilly weather.

Entering Hoy Sound about 3 minutes late - 27 mins
of west going tide remaining, after the Roost will
have subsided.

Leaving Hoy Mouth.

The hour from Hoy Mouth was seriously uncomfortable with a nasty sea on the beam making the boat roll and sailing not practical - I was making 2 knots in 12 knots of wind as the rolling took the power out of the sail and the boat used all its energy going up and down. So on went the engine. The second hour was somewhat better but no wind 😣 I started to sail off Brough Head in a decent sailing breeze, albeit gusty, that was likely to get worse as I went up Eynhallow Sound and the wind was dropping again. Sailing through the overfalls, where on a west going tide the infamous Burgar Roost forms, did not seem like a good idea, so back motoring again.

Eynhallow Sound just SE of Eynhallow Island. 

Videos best played at half speed when expanded.

The anchorage, Millburn Bay, Gairsay.

Slide show with more pictures on the Kirkwall post.

Stromness to Millburn Bay, Eday.
32 miles in 6 hours.

Click here for on to Fersness Bay, Eday..

2025 26th April, Day 28 Stromness, rather to my surprise,

The plan was to go to Loch Eriboll and if necessary ride out upcoming bad weather there before moving on to Stromness with tides then favourable for a good start eastward to arrive as the tide turned favourable through Hoy Mouth.

A long distance phone pic of me going
inside Am Balg, 6 miles from Cape
Wrath. Pic by Katrina from SV
Windsong.

With the tide setting north in the early morning I left at 04:45 which would give me fair tide until close to Loch Eriboll or all the way under engine.

At 06:30 I was 9 miles south of Cape Wrath under main and chute making 4 - 5.5 knots and being overtaken by an 11 yacht under engine and I was all set for a lunch time arrival. The inshore waters forecast was making Stromness the next day very doubtful and I managed to get the UKMO model downloaded ahead of schedule but not the others. Sunday looks bad for some distance east of Cape Wrath whilst Monday now looked to be very light winds rather than v strong, and Tuesday also light.

If I was going to have to motor to Stromness I decided I would rather do that immediately rather than in 2 or 3 days time after what could be another uncomfortable night at anchor. Some quick calculations (on the computer) showed that, even with the tide turning foul not that long after rounding the cape, under engine I could easily make the tide through Hoy Mouth / Sound and if the wind kept as it was or set in from the south / south east as forecast I should be able to sail a reasonable proportion of the way. Decision made and I headed for Orkney and a long day at sea.

Approaching Am Balg making about 5 knots.

Heading for Cape Wrath at 07:40 with the wind changing, unusually
sailing goose winged with the cruising chute as I was now on a dead
run (again). 

A couple of miles short of the Cape the wind died and started to veer so I snuffed the chute and carried on under engine.

My fifth rounding of Cape Wrath at 08:09

A few miles east of the cape some wind returned and things then were quite busy for a while and I probably overdid it a bit and was rather achy that night. The cruising chute was still hoisted but snuffed so first I set that. But I really needed more sail and the wind was veering which would need the chute to be flown from the pole so I hoisted the spinnaker.

But the wind kept veering and I needed to gybe back onto the correct course but decided on a rest first (there are times when you wish for a foredeck hand who you can tell to get on with it) but it kept veering and I would be crossing the bows of an approaching ship. So a gybe it was.

After gybing and back on course but the wind was dying.

I persisted for about an hour during which the good ship Windsong extended her lead to over 6 miles but the wind had all but disappeared so on went the engine again. And it was to stay on for the rest of the trip although I did motor sail for a while approaching Hoy when the wind which had set in from the NE - on the nose again and chilly, finally went round the the SE.

The Old Man of Hoy, not a brilliant photo but the best I have
managed in the five times I have past, perhaps on the way back
I will see it in sun shine.

Approaching Hoy Mouth, just over an hour to go.

As I went through Hoy Sound at about 10 knots over the ground there was an unwanted AIS alert, the ferry from Scabster was steaming up behind me at 17 knots over the ground before entering the fast tide. All was set for her to catch up as I turned into the entrance channel to Stromness and being constrained by her draft, arguably in a narrow channel depending on when she caught up and certainly with a lot of tide to allow for, she needed to be treated as the stand on vessel, even though she was the overtaking boat. 

Avoiding the ferry.

As it was just about high water I thought to hide on the western side of the channel to wait for her to pass but then I saw pot buoys so made a dash east to clear the channel, it was a close pass but they didn't have to take any action to avoid me.

I was alongside, very tired, by half eight.

;

80 miles in 16 hours.

Click here for the first push north.

2025 25th April, Day 27. A very close shave in Loch a'Chadh-fi

The afternoon at anchor was quite peaceful although the boat was a little lively from the wind which was swirling down off the hills, it was not helped by the shallow water, whilst a scope of about 7:1 gives a good angle on the anchor it allows the boat to swing more. I had considered backing the anchor up which would reduce this but decided that it the wind changed more to the south (as it did) if there was a problem I would not have time to get the anchor up before hitting the shallow water or rocks 150 – 200 yards away.

The scene of the crime: Left initial attempt at anchoring in a
recommended location. Right - where I was for c 12 hours.
Centre when I ended up.
Note the channel into the head of the loch is =< 100 yards wide.

Where is happened, off John Ridgeways adventure training
centre. Note the anchored rib, another is off frame right.

I was tired so was in my bunk by 21:30 to be rudely awakened at about midnight by the boat cavorting all over the place and healing significantly.

After a quick look outside I got dressed, including waterproofs although it was not raining and at the time quite warm, and only for the second time in over 300 nights at anchor sat anchor watch.

The sky was clear but with no moon and I could see nothing except the loom of the mountains and the intruder alarm lights on the adventure training school that would later be helpful in getting orientated. I turned on the chart plotter and got an iPad on deck with the Antares chart active so I could see where I was and were I was going if things went pear shaped.

The problem was the wind, rather than the predicted 20 knot winds as the instruments came on line there was a gust of 39 knots, probably somewhat less than it had been when I was woken up. After that the wind was going from 12 knots to over 30 pushing the boat about with the bows swinging through about 70 degrees. There was not a lot I could do but hope, trying to change anchorage in those conditions, in the dark and in a relatively small anchorage was not to be contemplated and where to go? I ran the engine for a while to warm it up and ensure an instant start if needed and I set an anchor alarm on a second iPad as a backup and kept the plotter and instruments on. Then waited.

By about 01:30 things were calming down so I went to my bunk, fully dressed and with the wash boards out so I could get on deck quickly.

20 minutes later an alarm went off and I was slowly moving back and missing the 100 yard wide passage to the wider and deeper anchorage that had been down wind. The wind was back up to near gale force after a lull. I guess a sudden increase after a calm caused the anchor to fail.

I tried resetting the anchor and it gripped once for a while but then let go. There was nothing for it but to get the anchor up (in case it was choked with weed or something else; it was clean) and try again. Not easy under pressure, in the dark and with the engine controls at one end of the boat and the anchor at the other where I needed to be raising the anchor, and although I can lower it from the cockpit you do need to be forward to see what is happening before setting the anchor.

The first problem was the snubber which somehow had got a loop of chain round the chain hook so I had to haul the chain in far enough to get the fouled section over the bow roller and past the chain stopper but before it got to the windlass. With chain stopper engaged and the pressure off it came undone easily and I got the anchor just clear of the water before dashing back to the cockpit to get into deeper water, I now had to decide where to go, I could not see the two large ribs moored a hundred yards away from my original position and it was dead low water with only just over a metre under the keel at times. The best move was to try and get sea room by moving west which I managed by GPS and with difficulty in the strong  swirling wind.

Big splodge: at anchor, top left struggling, bottom the escape.

I had considered a shallower area in the large section of the loch coming in, but the wind was as gusty there as at my original spot behind Eilen d’Chadh-fi that I had moved out of when I started to drag there on arrival. But it had to be the best option and with the slight change in the wind it was no worse than any other place.

I tried three times to anchor there, the problem being the speed the boat was making downwind when the anchor hit bottom causing it to “skate”, the first held for about 10 minutes and would not reset when it dragged so up it came, the final attempt worked after I lowered the anchor from the cockpit for 25 seconds, about 12m of chain in 7 metres of water, whilst motoring slowly ahead then dashing to the foredeck to see what was happening and to let the rest of the chain out. Trying to rig the snubber in those conditions would have been asking for a crushed finger or worse so I suffered noisy chain movements and some snubbing until daylight.

Three attempts to anchor, the big splodge where I ended up.
Squiggles bottom centre, the first attempt. Just left of the final
position the 2nd attempt, trying to reset. Incomplete as I
turned the alarm off when manoeuvring.

That has held till the time of writing this in draft on Friday morning. At daylight the wind was relatively stable and appeared consistent throughout the loch at 18-20 knots gusting to 25 and by late morning it was down to 10 - 15 knots with the odd gust.

06:00 as the gale abates

I’m now short of sleep and cold from trying to sleep with the wash boards out, even fully dressed in the sleeping bag.

Click here for my unplanned trip direct to Stromness.

2025 24th April, Days 26 Loch a'Chadh-fi, Loch Laxford

I did not get round to updating this post and, perhaps after all the problems explained in the next post, I can't remember much about this leg - a good reason for keeping the blog in a timely manner! It was certainly blowing quite hard when I went up Loch Laxford and I could not get the anchor to hold at my first anchorage choice. The afternoon and night are in the next post.

The Old Man of Stoer

Approaching Loch Laxford under reefed headsail only.

Turning into Loch a'Chadh-fi

From my first attempt at anchoring.

25 miles in six and a quarter hours.

For more pics of the entrance and Loch see the next post: Click here for a big problem (solved) that night.

2025 22nd April, Days 24 & 25 To Loch Roe.

An excellent sail, a quick reach down the loch then a slightly uncomfortable but quite quick run north. I could have been in Loch Ewe for lunch but the weather was too good to spend half of it at anchor so I headed for Loch Roe, listed as one of gems of the north. The risk was the wind dying before I got there and potentially several hours motoring. It did drop but only about 90 minutes too soon so it was a short motor on to the Loch.

Rubha Reidh, I hoped this would be the end of dead running.

But 10 or 15 minutes after posting on Facebook to

say I had finished running and was heading for

Loch Roe I was running again, initially under the 

boomed out headsail.

The wind continued to veer and dropped so I was

soon flying the chute.

The comment on the Antares chart says "access to the

inner areas is about as challenging as it gets on the

west cost but is well worth it". I went in at high tide

so could take some liberties taking photos etc. (see

the slide show) but in truth it is not that difficult

if you have their chart and is a doddle compared with

some anchorages in the western isles.

However, care is needed, this seal is sitting on
a rock in the middle of the visible channel exposed by
1.8m at LAT and waiting to get you closer to HW.

About to make the first turn.

Some precision anchoring to my planned spot 😀

I counted over 30 seals, mainly Gray at one time
and I'm sure there were many more.

Many more pics and videos in the slide show hosted on Flikr.

39 miles in 9 hours.

Scratch made Chicken Curry tonight, could have done with being a bit hotter.

Update Wednesday 23rd.

There is no wind and when it comes it will be on the nose so I am staying put, tomorrow should have a good sailing breeze from the SE to move north and there is a reasonable chance of getting round Cape wrath on Friday or Saturday, 

Sunday has strong southerlies close to the west but on the Met Office video they said what would happen to the depression causing it was uncertain, if is doesn't extend further east than this mornings models I might be able to get to Orkney on Sunday,  the tides should be OK  are good for the Hoy Mouth but I need to get the computer to do some number crunching. turning east around 17:00, so a reasonable sensible start time and arrival in daylight at 4 knots.

Click here for the trip to Loch a'Cadh-fi