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.

Dodging the storms

05 August 2023 | Dingle

Ann and Steve Crome | Variable!!!

Well, we made it back to CG on the 26th as per our air tickets. The toilet no longer leaks and the wind generator is installed and working, albeit it took right up to the wire to sort it out. We arrived back in Kilrush on the 26th hoping to leave in the 28th but were stormbound there until the 1st. It also took until the 31st to get the last few bits of the wind generator sorted. (Actually there is one thing outstanding but that can wait until the winter.) So, huge storm up to the 31st and another coming through on the 2nd. A (very small) window of opportunity to move on the 1st - Kilrush to Fenit, 34 miles in 5 hours, a 2 h sail managed but the rest motoring into the wind. Then another storm on the 3rd, a 1 day window on the 4th and another on the 5th (today) We had hoped to do Fenit to Dingle over 2 days with a peaceful night in one of several pretty bays, But the weather gods say no way. A mad dash to Dingle, 46 miles in 7 h, all on the engine as too little wind to sail to beat a gale warning, force 8 winds coming through last night. It's really weird to be motoring in 5 kts of wind knowing there will be 50+ kts in the same place in less than 12 hours. Thank God for the weather forecasts.

Photo shows us coming out through Kilrush lock. Note the lovely sunny weather we are dressed for !

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