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.

Further and further north

02 August 2024 | Pierowall Marina, Westray, Orkneys.

Ann and Steve Crome | threatening rain soon

Still in Scapa Flow, we had a few short day trips, mostly on the engine in very little wind arriving in Lyness to go to the Scapa Flow exhibition, one of the main reasons for coming here. A brilliant few hours on the history of Scapa Flow as a naval base in both world wars: the scuttling of the German fleet in 1919, the sinking of the Royal Oak in 1939. Two interesting facts, the first German aircraft to be shot down by anti-aircraft fire in WW2 was in Orkney and the first civilian killed by a German bomb was also here.

Back to Stromness for a victualling stop then we headed north, out from the protection of the islands back into the Atlantic to go west around the end of Mainland and in amonst the northern islands of Orkney to an anchorage SE of Rousay. We passed 59 degrees north, we've been at 58 degrees for so long it was odd to write something different in the log book. We won't make to to 60 degrees, furthest we'll get, if we go, is Fair Isle at 59d 32m. Get the tides right - 10 kts over the ground through Eynhallow Sound 4-5kts of which was the tide. Going the other way we would have been stood still.

A quick overnighter off Rousay and round to Pierowall, the main village on Westray, in the marina now. Mostly motoring in little wind, then it's blowing a hoolie today, back to little wind tomorrow. A walk through lovely countryside this morning, taking in the ruins of Noltland Castle. Built by Gilbert Balfour who was a bit of a bad boy. The whole castle is studded gun holes so he could shoot at anyone who came after him from any direction. Nobody did but they chased him out of Scotland anyway and he died abroad.

Leaving here tomorrow for a night in a bay off Shapinsay, then in to Kirkwall Marina to leave CG while we get the ferry to Shetland.

Photo shows a rather blustery Grobust Beach on the NW corner of Westray, part of our walk this morning.

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