China Girl, UK Circumnavigation - Year 6

Vessel Name: China Girl
Vessel Make/Model: Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 41DS
Hailing Port: Ipswich
Crew: Ann and Steve Crome
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05 September 2024
05 September 2024
05 September 2024
05 September 2024 | Castle of May
26 August 2024 | Wick Marina
26 August 2024 | Wick Marina
26 August 2024 | Wick Marina
17 August 2024 | Wyre Sound between Rousay and Wyre
02 August 2024 | Pierowall Marina, Westray, Orkneys.
25 July 2024 | St Margaret's Hope Bay
21 July 2024 | Stromness marina
21 July 2024 | Stromness
28 June 2024 | Stornoway inner marina
18 June 2024 | S Harris Marina, Tarbert, Harris, Outer Hebrides
12 June 2024 | Loch Dunvegan near the castle
02 June 2024 | Arinogour on Coll
02 June 2024 | Arinogour on Coll
30 May 2024 | Kerrera Marina, Oban Bay
26 September 2023 | Troon Yacht Haven
26 September 2023
Recent Blog Posts
05 September 2024

Inverness and home

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

Off to Cromarty

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.

Bye Bye Orkney

26 August 2024 | Wick Marina
Ann and Steve Crome
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 on Stronsay it's about 65 miles which is a long way so we need to find a stopover. But all the decent windows in the howling winds are only a day long. So we took a window of winds under 20 kt to get to Deer Sound, knocking about 20 miles off the distance, but knowing that we would we hiding in there for 2 days while winds up to 40 kts came through.

We found some shelter and anchored but still noted winds up to 34 kts (Force 7). We had all 50 m of chain plus about 20 m of rope out to fix us to the seabed in about 5 m depth. A very bumpy 2 nights and we daren't get off the boat, but the anchor held. So within a week we've experienced the largest waves we ever sailed in and the strongest winds we've ever anchored in.

Having survived, we took the weather window for the 44 mile trip to Wick. Eight hours, about half and half sailing and motoring. Full sails, reefed, sails away to motor, quite a busy trip but easily accomplished. So here we are in Wick until Thursday 29th for a good look around. Tomorrow we hire a car for 2 days for a trundle north to John O'Groats and Castle May and south to Dunrobin Castle.

Photo shows the view across Wick Harbour from the hill above the town.
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China Girl's Photos - Main
Seen on 1st trip from Penzance to Scillies
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Created 11 July 2019
A few photos of the collection of ships made out of matchsticks
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Created 2 June 2019
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Created 28 May 2019
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Created 27 April 2019

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