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.

Back to Scotland

01 August 2022 | Kyleakin

Ann and Steve Crome

It's July 28th, we are in Ballycastle, NI and we have arranged to meet Steve for his re-arranged, covid ruined trip out with us, in Kyle of Lochalsh, Skye, on 3 August. This is about 160 miles so we need to get our skates on compared to the trundling along that we have been doing. 28th, Ballycastle to the marina at Port Ellen on Islay, 27 miles, 5.25h, great sail in a beam on wind to start with then motoring when the wind died. P Ellen is a pretty little place, rarely somewhere we have been before; last year on the way back from Mull to Troon. 29th, P Ellen to a visotors buoy in L Staoenaig on Colonsay, 36 miles 7.5 h including a sleigh ride up the Sound of Islay at speeds up to 10.2 kts (4 kts of boat speed, 6 kts of tide); sailed almost all the way in great weather. Brilliant day. 30th, Colonsay to anchor off Coll, 40 miles, 8 h. Another brilliant sail but a lot of drizzle in the morning and showers in the afternoon. 31st Coll to anchor in Armadale Bay on Skye. 36 miles, 7 h about 50/50 sail/motor but great weather again. Today, Armadale to Kyleakin on Skye which is the opposite side of the channel crossed by the Skye bridge to Kyle of Lochalsh.

In the Sound of Islay we had a close encounter with the Islay Lifeboat, a Severn going full speed to a pan pan for a fishing boat broken down about 3 miles away from us. Had the lifeboat not been there we may have had to respond to another boat in trouble.

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