Hello everyone! Our Scottish summer has come to an end, both in terms of the weather and our own itinerary. The day Beth's parents left, the unusual summer weather disappeared as well, and we've had rain for at least part of each day since, breaking the worst drought in twenty years on some of the Hebridean isles. We're experiencing some of the first westerly winds of the entire summer season as the normal pattern of lows and fronts re-establishes itself over Scotland, moving back north from a prolonged visit to England where it created one of the wettest summers on record. As the weather changed, we changed direction, and we're now moving south towards Ireland and our winter quarters. Beth flies out from Cork on 13th September for the Newport and Annapolis boat shows, but we hope to do some cruising on the south and west coasts of Ireland before then, weather permitting.

We plan to winter in Kinsale, near Cork, on the south coast of Ireland. From there, we should be able to do some winter sailing in between boat projects (for Evans) and writing projects (for Beth). We will each spend some time back in the States over the winter, and also plan to do some land cruising in the UK and Europe. Next summer, we'll head north as soon as the weather breaks, to cruise the parts of Ireland and Scotland we missed this summer. Then we intend to visit the Orkneys, Faroes and Iceland. After Iceland? Patagonia, though exactly how we'll get from one to the other remains to be seen.

Scotland has been a delight. The Inner and Outer Hebrides form a compact cruising ground of surprisingly protected waters which can be traversed in two days but contains so many anchorages that people who have cruised here for twenty years discover new ones each season. As in Newfoundland, for every anchorage where we dropped our hook, there were another dozen we might have visited but didn't. The islands combine natural beauty with abundant wildlife and visible history. In a day's sail, we would see a castle or two (some derelict and others still inhabited), the remains of crofters cottages or a Celtic cross, seals and dolphins along with the occasional whale, puffins and guillemots and a dozen other types of birds. At night, which still doesn't come until after 9:00 PM, we might be anchored up a seven-mile long loch under low, rolling hills with sheep grazing on them or off a brightly painted town of two-storey buildings or under the mighty cliffs of a black mountain range. We were rarely alone in an anchorage, but we were rarely with more than three or four other boats. Most nights we were invited aboard a Scottish boat and sampled a wee dram of yet another single malt while discussing local history and politics. Those with a passion for pubs or woolens or whisky or ancient civilizations or early Christianity (or sheep) will find much to occupy them while cruising here. Unlike in Newfoundland, there's a wide array of chartering options...

We have been very fortunate with the weather, and we would probably feel differently if we'd had to deal with rain and fog every day. But as in Newfoundland, the hard dodger and proper clothing make most weather bearable. While May and early June were chilly, we've not used the diesel heater since the last week of June (though we've used our down comforter all summer long, unlike in Newfoundland). Daytime temperatures have averaged in the mid-sixties on the water for most of the summer - though it's often considerably warmer ashore. The tides and currents probably constitute the biggest challenge to sailing up here, but there's plenty of information on both and with time to spare we've been able to use them to our advantage. We're both sorry to be leaving Scottish waters, and we'll enjoy passing through again next season, not least because of the many friends we've made.

We hope you've all had as wonderful a summer sailing season as we have had! Beth and Evans s/v Hawk