China Girl, UK Circumnavigation - Year 6

From Cromarty to Inverness, CG's winter home was only 17 miles, the wind was very light, we got 10 minutes of sailing in our last trip of the season but essentially it was a motoring day.

05 September 2024

Cromarthy firth

This is the view from CG looking the other way in Cromarty Firth. No so good.

05 September 2024

Wick to Cromarty in our passage plan was 55 miles, mostly on a heading of about 220 (SSW). The wind had been south-westerly for days and we didn't fancy a 55 mile beat so we delayed and watched the weather like hawks. Eventually a day of Westerlies, not too strong was forecast so we went for it. We [...]

05 September 2024 | Castle of May

Castle of May

Dunrobin Castle and Castle May are both well worth the visit if you are ever up that way. The latter has been kept just as HM The Queen Mother left it the last time she visited in 2001. The lady that introduced us to the castle had been working there since she was a child, she was probably in her 70s. [...]

26 August 2024 | Wick Marina

Bye Bye Orkney

It's time to leave Orkney and head south back to mainland Scotland on our way to our winter base in Inverness. Landfall on the mainland will be Wick. Much thought and head scratching has gone in to this trip: timing, distance, tides and mostly the sodding weather. Perm all these. From where we are [...]

26 August 2024 | Wick Marina

Washing the outboard

From Calf sound a 2 hour trip on the motor to Whitehall in Papa Sound on the northern end of Stronsay. It was mostly upwind and we couldn't be bothered to tack all the way. Two nights on a visitors buoy and a look around the village.

Swallows and fog

23 August 2021 | Loche Spelve

Ann and Steve Crome | Foggy!!

We had a great couple of days in Taynavallich which is really pretty (with a great pub!), well worth a visit by land if you are in the area. Thursday 19th we motored the short distance to Loch na Cille for an overnight on the anchor. No wind at all, but only 2 1/4 h on the motor. So quiet there, all we could here was sheep and birds. Friday we moved to Craobh (pronounced Creuve) Yacht Haven for fuel and water. Interesting trip, started on the motor in no wind, then we had both sails out in around15 kts on a fine reach, by the end of the 4h trip we had reefs in both sails and were luffing up in the gusts. Craobh has nothing to recommend it apart from the facilities, so one night there and off to....well. It was chucking it down, first serious rain we have had. So we changed our destination from Loch Spelve (4-5 h) to Kimelford (1 1/4 h) which also had the advantage of a shop to top up fresh food. We walked to the shop, about 30 mins in pouring rain, got talking to couple in the cafe over the shop, found they were yotties from the marina and had a car so got a lift back. Yachting community is wonderful.

So, in between Kimelford and Loch Spelve is Cuan Sound. Must be tackled with the tide behind you and preferably not when it is at full strength (one report we read said he was doing 14 kts along what is a narrow winding channel with lots of semi-submerged rocks. Much conflicting information on when is the best time (relative to high tide) to go. Finally, we got chatting to a chap in Kimelford who was an ex RN navigator and local. If he doesn't know who does, so we went with his recommendation and got through with no trouble, only peaking at 6.9 kts OTG.

That brings us to Loch Spelve where we had a visit last evening from a whole flock of swallows, up to 10 at one time sitting on the guard rail, others flying THROUGH the cockpit (see photo, the wire is our guardrail). Woke up this morning to dense fog, so we are sitting here waiting for the visibility to improve. currently it's up to about 1/2 mile from 50 yards.

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