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.

Harum Scarum

26 August 2024 | Wick Marina

Ann and Steve Crome | Cloudy but dry

From Wyre Sound on Rousay, our plan took us to Calf Sound on the northern tip of Eday, a nice little 16 mile downwind trip. Get the tides right and no problemo. Hhmmm. We're doing nicely heading up Westray Firth between Egilsay and Eday in about 25 kts of wind, behind us with just the jib up doing about 7 kts in < 1 m waves. From nowhere, all of a sudden we're doing 11.5 kts in waves that I was having to look up to see the top of! Must have been about 3-4 m waves. This went on for only < 5 mins but was it scary! We were actually sailing up one side and down the other of the waves. There is nothing on the chart or in the pilot book to say this effect is there. Our best guess is that the waves were building from the SW with the wind but the swell was coming in from the North and where the two met....

Anyway we survived to make it to a visitors buoy in Calf Sound for a couple of slightly bouncy nights and a walk around the fields of Eday in the heather.

Photo shows the view across Calf Sound from the hillside on Eday with the island Calf of Eday just visible on the left.

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