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.

Hard on the Wallet

18 June 2024 | S Harris Marina, Tarbert, Harris, Outer Hebrides

Ann and Steve Crome | Still bloody cold!

Well, interesting times in Dunvegan on Skye. We dinghied into Dunvegan Castle pontoon to go and se the castle and gardens. The castle is interesting, a lot of history of the MacLeod clan; the oldest continuously occupied castle in Scotland. The gardens are brilliant, more different species of plant and tree per square meter than I've seen anywhere I think. Because we used the pontoon, we were charged £26 each for the entry fee; had we come in a car it would have been £13.50. This we felt was a rip off and complained, but they're not interested. Dinner that night in the Dunvegan restaurant. Fabulous. Done like a Michelin restaurant (which it's not), with a fixed menu and superlative service it was a real experience. You pay for what you get though. My credit card is wilting a bit.

Our two nights in Dunvegan turned into three when we bottled out of what looked like a very windy crossing back to the Outer Hebrides at Lochmaddy on N Uist. Next day was not that windy but we were hard on the wind so it was a lumpy crossing and quite hard work. Just an overnight in Lochmaddy in a remote spot away from the village, didn't go ashore. Next day (Sun 16th) a short hop of 14 miles straight line distance to Loch Finsbay on South Harris. It was a dead beat and we had to tack so did 19 miles into winds up to the mid-20s, a hard work sail but only for 4 1/4 hours. Again overnight in a quiet spot, then Monday off to Tarbert on the isthmus between N and S Harris (funnily enough Tarbert means isthmus in Gaelic). we expected to beat again but the wind came around just enough and dropped to high teens letting us fine reach all the way, 14 miles in 3 1/4 hours.

We're here now till Thursday (20th), in S Harris marina on a pontoon. Been cycling today; washing and shopping tomorrow.

Photo shows the view down L Tarbert from the bike-pushingly steep hill overlooking the marina. CG on the finger pontoons.

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