2025 May 15th, Day 46. To Loch Eriboll.

Still pics to be added if the computer can recover the corrupt camera disk with over 2 years worth of hi-res pics on, fortunately most to Kerkwall and from Eriboll sothbound and a few others are either OK or backed up to the lap top, and those from before this trip are separately backed up to two other locations.

I left at 04:30 to arrive at Aiker Ness, east of the Burgar Rost in the last hour of the ebb tide, earlier is definitely not recommended on a spring tide. I arrived 50 minutes before the advertised turn of the tide as there was an unplanned head tide out of Kirkwall. As it happens I could have gone through 30 - 60 minutes earlier as the tide changed early, probably due to the high pressure that has been around for days. A 34 footer, that had started closer having followed me from Sumbough but who had gone to N Orkney, was about half an hour ahead of me. I then had to motor to past Brough Head a little over 50 NM from Loch Eriboll before some wind set in.

The potentially tricky bit from Kirkwall.

Facebook post from some hours later:

I had to have the engine on for a couple of hours but back under Spinnaker again. Dead run but managing 4.5 knots in 9 knots. It’s always a bit frustrating in these winds, they are never quite right, with the wind at c 165 degrees I will usually make 4 knots in 7 -8 knots of wind over the ground, but at 9 knots it would be 4.5, at 10-11 knots > 5 knots and at 12-13 6 - 6.5 knots. So much extra speed for so little extra wind. Then at c14 knots single handed it’s normally time to take the kite down.

But I’ll take 9 - 10 knots! Naturally now the sails are blocking the sun from me and the solar panels and it’s back to winter gear in the cold wind - from shirt sleeves or less.

Making good speed under spinnaker.

The wind was a bit up and down but very up for the last couple of hours to the Loch and it was quite bumpy, and quick, under reefed fore and aft sails.

Loch Eriboll, southern Ard Neackie anchorage.

77 miles in 16 and a half hours.

Click here for rounding Cape Wrath.

2025 May 14th, Day 46. To Kirkwall for resupply.

Still pictures to be added if the computer can recover the corrupt camera disk with my hi-res pics on, fortunately most stuff to Kerkwall and from Eriboll and a few others are either OK or backed up to the lap top. Most of this was posted previously on Facebook.

It was a very busy afternoon, I left the anchorage at 12:00 for slack tide across the Stronsay Firth which has very strong currents, through “The String” as it changed favourable at the far end and alongside Kirkwall at 15:15. Since then it has been non stop.

The forecast wind tomorrow is not good, very light but improving later to the west, but Friday and Saturday are worse probably with no usable wind so it’s a fairly early start tomorrow at 04:30 or a tad later to get to the Burgar Rost during the last hour of the favourable tide, earlier than that a day after springs is a no-no even in light winds, an hour or two later and the tide will be running at up to 7 knots against.

I made two trips to Tescos and one to a garage for diesel in case I missed the short visit by the berth master (evening visit time was not advertised, it is now, and no answer on the phone), I got more diesel when he turned up so I now have up to 400 nm range at economic cruising (no reserve which is clearly not something I’d do except in a dire emergency on the boat). By the time I had a shower it was 20:00, I am knackered and my feet will be complaining in the morning.

Tomorrow will be another long day getting to Loch Eriboll, with winds with north in them there is no real alternative other than to stay in Orkney. I will probably then have a rest day before tackling Cape Wrath, likely for the last time, then probably Stornoway in two or even three easy legs and then hopefully down to Barra.

14 miles in 3 hours.

Click here for Loch Eriboll.

2025 May 13th, Day 45. To Bay of Holland, Stronsay.

Still pics to be added if the computer can recover the corrupt camera disk with my hi-res pics on, fortunately most stuff to Kerkwall and from Eriboll and a few others are either OK or backed up to the lap top.

I was awake a bit before 02:00 after an early night and did not see the point of staying in the bunk for another hour so I left early at 02:15 having prepared the boat for sea the previous evening.  The wind was NNW and very light and there was some mist but I did not see any of the fog banks in the midnight forecast.

By the time I was off the Sumbough Rost, even in benign conditions I was being careful not to get within the charted area a day before springs, the wind was NNW at 6 knots, not enough under sail to meaningfully do more than cope with the tide, so I carried on under engine.

Passing Fair Isle reaching with the 60 sq m symmetrical

spinnaker that is getting quite a lot of use this year.

By 07:00 I was off Fair Isle and, after complaining about the wind on Facebook, it perked up a bit, having given it five minutes to stabilise I opted for the cruising chute as it was now 12 knots from the north. By the time I had gotten back to the cockpit the wind had veered to NNE and dropped to 8 knots so down came the chute and up went the 60 sq m symmetrical spinnaker. Only for the wind to die an hour later and on went the engine again.

The wind stayed at F2 or lower until I was 5 miles from Stronsay when it increased gradually to 10-12 knots, it I had had that all day I would have already been at anchor and used minimal diesel. Putting the chute up might have saved me 15 minutes but I couldn’t be bothered and just unfurled the headsail, initially motor sailing with both as the wind dropped. It is probably just as well I did that as the wind then increased to 13 knots with a few gusts above and close to some dangers I motor sailed with the genoa making 6 – 6.5 knots.

I was concerned going into the bay as it is exposed to the south and there were some quite big residual waves from the SSE and it was quite lumpy entering the large bay. But I was essentially committed as the tide, helping me for the last few hours, would make going somewhere else a very iffy proposition without local knowledge. But it was OK far in, perhaps sheltered a bit by the fish farm some distance away,  I anchored in what appears to be clean sand and apart from a few lively moments in the early hours when the wind died I had a peaceful time.

A late start today (Wednesday) to cross the Stronsay Firth at slack water and hopefully to arrive at “The String” at the start of the ebb and to Kirkwall by mid-afternoon.

Ideally, I would leave at, or a bit before, 04:00 on Thursday to get through the Burgar Rost in Enyhallow Sound and further south or west but I want diesel, need to do two or more trips to Tesco and have a shower and I suspect there will not be time to do that today. So the most likely outcome is to leave for an anchorage closer to the sound on Thursday afternoon and head through on Friday with a later start. That would also give me time to change the engine oil, it is not due for another 25 engine hours but I prefer to do it in port in case I find something else that needs doing.

73.3 NM in 16 hours.

Click here for Kirkwall.

2025 May 12th, Day 44. To Grutness Voe.

Disappointing weather today, not so long ago the forecast was for sun all day but this morning it was overcast with early morning (before 09:00) mist. Before I left I was toying with the idea of anchoring for the night at Stova Voe a couple of miles north of here but as soon as I cleared the anchorage I quickly changed my mind, The Bay of Fladdabister is better protected from the SE than I thought, not big waves but not what you would want to anchor in even if you could guarantee being bows on, which would be unlikely given significant changes in wind direction forecast. And it would likely be worse with the waves going up a narrowing channel.

About 40 minutes from Grutness the wind increased from 0 - 3 knots to 5 - 7 and fog came in with visibility down to about 30 yards at times.

30 minutes out.

c 10 minutes out. The modern "broadband" doppler radars are the
bee's knees at short range and even better than this as I got further
in but by then I had things other than photos to concern me.

Fortunately as I got within the Voe the visibility improved so that I could just see both sides and the end from where I anchored, very close to where I did on the way north.

Revised Intentions:

I will be heading to Kirkwall Tuesday / Wednesday for Tescos and fuel. Like my experiance at Lerwick CO-OPs across Scotland and particularly on the islands are still badly impacted by the hacking attacks with reports on a Facebook sailing group of shortages at Tobermory, Tarbert, Stornoway, Brodick, Lochgilphead and Castle Bay Barra.

At economical speed in calm water I should have fuel to motor all of the way to Stornoway with a small reserve. I don't want to motor at all and should not have to with the forecasts showing patchy wind for some days, but I need to be prepared and have a bigger reserve. With only Kirkwall and Stromness possible fuelling stops on route it seems sensible to go where I can get fresh food from Tesco. Till then I'll be living on steak, Gammon, perhaps some spuds (they are chitting), bread (plenty of part cooked baguets on board) and tinned stuff. Life can be hard 😀.

Models for Thursday lunch time. Saturday and Sunday  may
have fresh N or NE winds but by then I should be crossing
to the western Isles.

An early start in the morning with fog patches likely 😒 but hopefully some wind, the models indicate F4, that may be on the high side but I live in hope:

Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Tuesday 13 May until 1200 UTC on Tuesday 13 May: North or northwest 3 or 4. Moderate, but slight in waters east of shetland. Fog patches in south and east at first, otherwise fair. Good, occasionally very poor in south and east at first.

14 NM in a little over 3 hours.

Click here for Stronsay.

2025 May 11th, Day 43. To The Bay of Fladdabister.

Still pics to be added if the computer can recover the corrupt camera disk with my hi-res pics on, fortunately most stuff to Kerkwall and from Eriboll are either OK or backed up to the lap top.

The wind was forecast to be a fresh southerly on Sunday which could make most of the anchorages south of here uncomfortable, so I was considering staying in Lerwick for another day but when I woke there was virtually no wind so I decided to make a quick dash for one of the best anchorages in a southerly, the Bay of Fladdabister and hopefully get there before the wind increased, alas that didn’t work and by the time I was out of the harbour I had 14 knots on the nose and a choppy sea. It was not a big problem, just a bit chilly and slower than hoped and I was at anchor by 08:30.

The anchorage is rather damned by faint praise in the pilot as “rather featureless” but it looks OK to me. There is more motion than I would like in a F4 southerly but not excessive, just not somewhere to ride out a southerly gale and exposed to the east.

Fladdabister.

Intentions.

I will position further south in lighter winds on Monday for the dash to Orkney on Tuesday, I don’t know where I will end up, the most likely possibilities are:

1. Eastern Orkney, Stronsay or a bit further SW, then through the islands and Eynehallow to Stromness on Wednesday and Thursday, Eriboll on Friday or preferably Saturday if the wind is as per the ECMWF. The (spring) tides favour this.
2. Pierowall, NW Orkney, then a couple of days moving south, then either direct to Eriboll or via Stromness. Tides are more of an issue with this option.

I’ll have to decide which of the above before I clear Sumburgh Rost as one route goes north of Fair Isle and the other south

Going direct to Eriboll is possible but a very long haul particularly if the wind is light. Pierowell direct to Eriboll is also a possibility but tides are again an issue and it is two long legs in succession.

6 NM in an hour and three-quarters.

Click here for the next days run.

2025 May 9th, Day 41 and 42. To Lerwick

Internet data was pretty dire in Lerwick during the day but was OK in the evenings, probably due to loads of tourists, so a much delayed post...

More still pics to be added if the computer can recover the corrupt camera disk with my hi-res pics on, fortunately most stuff to Kerkwall and from Eriboll southbound are either OK or backed up to the lap top.

Approaching Lerwick harbour.

There could have been an international incident as I arrived. Unknown to me (I'm surprised the Port radio people didn't tell me) celebrations for VE day and the WWII “Shetland Bus” were just ending and 4 of the old fishing boats that took part were about to leave. 

The Shetland Bus was the name given to a group of trawlers that shuttled between Shetland and Norway during the occupation with arms, agents etc. www.liberationconvoy.com (I don't know how long this link will be good for, opens in a new window).

As I turned into the harbour one was mid water just sitting there, and as I was on final approach to the pontoon another cast off and went in front of me, with the first blocking one route out I had to dodge behind the 2nd as he went astern to avoid the first. All slow motion and I was clear by one of my boat lengths but he knew what he was doing and had seen me.

Put the sound on for both these videos and in the second hear a 100+ year old diesel running, all the vessels are restored originals.

z

Also present, WWI vintage  Norwegian cargo vessel.
also a Norwegian naval patrol boat.

The locally built "Fifie" fishing boat "Swan"

The original plan was to head up to Muckle Flugga and Saxa Vold but although there was likely to be favourable winds for a day or perhaps two, after that I could easily be weatherbound in Shetland for a long time so I abandoned that idea.

Saturday was a disappointment, after a long walk (for me) I found the fresh food shelves of the large coop almost empty due to the recent hacking attack the group had suffered. They did have a huge amount of chicken pieces but all only had a day or two on the expiry dates, no better than I already had on board. I did get some steak but if I don't berth at Kirkwall or Stromness, that I don't plan to do, I will be on tinned meat before I get to Stornoway or some other place with shops.

4.2NM in 1 hour.

Click here for Fladdabister.