Navigating around Orkney requires careful attention to weather forecasts and then taking advantage of short windows of opportunity.  We must calculate favourable times to enter the tidal races occurring off headlands and in narrow sounds and also avoid adverse tidal streams around the coast as the flows are pretty strong.  Added to this, we are warned to avoid wind over tide as this steepens the waves in the already confused seas of the races.  Strong winds make everything worse of course..  Quite a lot to allow for! So on Tuesday 25 June, we saw such an opportunity and motored in light headwinds over the 10 miles from Kirkwall Marina to pick up one of the free visitor's buoys off the southern coast of Rousay, in preparation for an early start the following day to sail through Eynhallow Sound and out to sea round the west coast of Mainland to Stromness. Moored in Wyre Sound off Rousay We woke at 5am to a sunny day and a SSW F3 wind and set sail towards Eynhallow Soun...

When I say "One Summer's Day", I mean that is what we had, and it was yesterday.  Today has also been rain free but the wind has swung back to North and carries a renewed nip,  I've put my shorts away again.  But I get ahead of myself. A short run with a fair breeze and flat water took us from Longhope, through Switha Sound, to Burray.  Here the only visitors mooring was available, so we picked it up for the night and rowed ashore to experience the village, which was pleasant but unexciting.  The highlight here was a chat with the boatyard owner.  The local hotel restaurant looked promising but we already had our fish supper in the cooler. Burray Seafront, with one of the two tourists that day Next morning we set off on a voyage around South Ronaldsay to Deerness Sound, steering in a circle, West, SW, SSE, East, NE, NW and then SW.  After about 35 miles of sailing we arrived 5 miles from where we started but on the other side of Mainland.  The win...

After a good night's rest, we awoke to a beautiful, sunny Orkney day with clouds scudding by over the gracious rolling hills of Hoy and beyond.  [You may have guessed that I have a certain fondness for Orkney.] Our free Longhope mooring We rowed ashore and were met by Colin, the Hon. Sec. of Longhope Lifeboat Station, who ushered us in to use the lifeboat crew's shower during our stay here - very welcome. Then we set off for a walk to re-acclimatise ourselves with the Longhope countryside. Quiet roads past farmland with long views As we walked along, we were scolded by groups of birds nesting in the fields who had taken off to shoo us away, including Curlews, Oyster Catchers, Black Headed Gulls and Lapwings :) Longhope buttercups Next day, we decided to take the community bus to Lyness to visit the Scapa Flow Museum, except that we had mis-read the timetable and were 5 mins late!  So we set off walking and decided to try hitch-hiking the 8 miles distance instead.  Very so...

The Pentland Firth has a fearsome reputation with ferocious tides creating wild, dangerous races ("roosts") which must be avoided, especially in wind over tide conditions. There was only one small problem with staying for the Wick RNLI party and that was a difficult wind and tide conundrum.  Having ignored the fair winds on offer (which would have made our Wick visit rather brief) we then had a forecast for NE (a beat but able to lay the NE corner of Scotland, Duncansby Head) backing N then NW (bang on the nose).  Meanwhile the tide across the Pentland Firth needed full respect and careful timing, even at neaps, so we couldn't leave when we needed to for the best wind! At 16:00 hours, we motored out of Wick into a sloppy sea with the wind already heading us and slowly dying.  The tide was also against us, necessary to arrive in the Firth at the right time.  This meant a motor-sail all the way, which I find very annoying.  I'm sure that, in the good old days, we ...

It was time to return to sea after a happy few days in the beautiful and relaxing Canal!  So on Wednesday 12th June, we exited the Clachnaharry sea lock and headed into Beauly Firth and on into Moray Firth. Ready to leave the last lock It was already 16:00 as we motor-sailed under the Kessock Bridge and we wanted to gain as many miles as possible northwards before nightfall to assist our progress the next day. As so often on this trip, we had a small weather window and were expecting strong winds to arrive later tomorrow, so needed to press on while we could. We decided to head for Cromarty for the night and picked our way inshore of the main ship channel, hugging the southern shore to keep out of the strong ebbing tide. We dropped anchor off the old town in the shadow of several active and de-commissioned oil rigs, with their ghostly shapes stretching towards the horizon. Cromarty anchorage Sun setting over the rigs at Cromarty We set off at 06:00 next morning to catch the north-g...

There are so many patches of water in Scotland, that they have run out of names for them all.  So it was that, after a peaceful night, we motored out into Loch Lochy. Loch Lochy Lagan has a double lock but only one chamber was used to lift us up to the canal leading to beautiful Loch Oich.  Here we met several boats coming the other way, which was a change from further back, where we had met little traffic.  Most yachts seemed to be French and Norwegian. Moody Loch Oich From thence through another swing bridge to Fort Augustus for the night. Top Lock, Fort Augustus Having escaped the wild headwinds of the Western Isles, we now enjoyed a change of climate, from unseasonably freezing (snow on Ben Nevis) to only cold.  In fact, when the sun came out, we sometimes could manage without full oilskins.  Of course, many of the locals sported t-shirts or shorts (not both) to celebrate the arrival of the Scottish summer. We motored the 20 miles up Loch Ness, wind dead ahe...

We spent our 2 days in Dunstaffnage, cleaning the boat, restocking our food and visiting the local castle. Built on a large lump of rock! Inside the Castle walls Then, on Sunday 9th June, we set our alarm for 04:00 and set sail past the north end of Lismore Island and into Loch Linnhe that would take us to the entrance of the Caledonian Canal. Sun rising as we leave Dunstaffnage We headed for the Corran Narrows, closely followed by a smallish cruise ship named "Hanseatic Nature".  This really is a narrow passage of water with strong tides swirling through.  We were not too keen to be sharing it with a large ship!  But luckily they hung back to let us pass through first. Approaching the Corran Narrows We motor-sailed much of the time in light WNW winds, needing to maintain progress to achieve our allotted entry time into the Canal. Just Through the Narrows with our Large Buddy When the Hanseatic Nature drew closer, we saw that they advertised themselves as Expedition Cruis...