Norway at Last!!

Tues 15th and Wed 16th June 2010

Lerwick was going to be getting very busy in the next couple of days so we thought it was time to head towards Norway.  The Round Britain and Ireland Race boats were due to start arriving late Wed / early Thurs and there was also the Bergen to Shetland Race due in towards the end of the week, over 100 boats expected so it would have been chaos in the harbour as well as a marquee and parties on the dockside – time to be somewhere else!!!  This was all in addition to any cruise ships due into Lerwick to make even more madness.

We headed off on Tuesday to the Out Skerries, a small group of islands about 20 miles NE of Lerwick with a tricky little entrance.  About 80 people live there and the few we met were typically friendly and interesting.  It was an early night ready for an early start to Bergen.

Up at 0330 and leave the Out Skerries at 0400 with 170 miles to cover to get to Norway.  Forecast was for about 15knts SW or W winds that would have been ideal to push us across the North Sea – surprisingly the forecast was not quite right, the wind direction was OK but we had less than 10knts for most of the crossing only occasionally did it get anywhere near 15knts.  So we motored or motor sailed all the way across on near calm seas, a long 27 hrs later we dropped the anchor in a little cove just through the offshore Islands about 10miles North of Bergen.  A quick shower and crawl into bed for some much needed sleep, so we didn’t see much of Thursday!!!

The Entrance to the Out Skerries	A Delightful Norwegian Anchorage

Friday 18th and Saturday 19th June 2010

Friday we awoke to a choppy anchorage with 20knts plus from the NW and rising, up with the anchor and headed for an almost land locked bay marked as an anchorage on the chart.  It was only an hour away and when we got there it seemed ideal after the wind had picked up to over 30knts by the time we got there.  It was well sheltered and almost completely enclosed with only a couple of weekend chalets in sight, the only downside was the depth meant we needed all our anchor chain out to get the anchor set.  After a recce ashore we decided to use some shore lines and our stern anchor to get us nice and securely tucked in with the best shelter from the wind.  Once we had got everything properly set up it was ideal – a good job because the wind didn’t let up for 2 days with the Coastguard giving Gale Warnings of F8 and F9 for our area.  If anyone wants to have a look on Google Earth the position is 060Deg 29.40min N, 005Deg 03.9min E.

Sunday 20th and Monday 21st June 2010

The wind had finally started to ease off a bit so we thought we should head to Hjellstad were we are due to meet Sue’s sister Caroline and hubby Rich on Tuesday.  Our little anchorage was very deceptive because the wind was still in the high 20’s once we got out into more exposed waters – good job it was behind us!!  At least we managed to sail all the way to our destination, the wind meant we only needed the jib to keep us moving at 6knts.  The wind did drop off a bit as we headed South and it was a nice sail down the Fjordd close to Bergen, lots of very nice houses overlooking the water and lots of traffic to keep us on our toes as well.  All tied up nice and safe in Hjellstad Marina after a four hour trip.

Monday was like being back at work with so many jobs to be done to make sure everything is shipshape ready for visitors tomorrow.  Sue’s turn to let you know what’s been happening now!!

Hi everyone

After cutting Chris’s hair I decided to have another go at touching my roots up, so I bought some bleach mix from boots and toothbrush at the ready got going. Looks easy at the hairdressers but believe me it’s not!! I am now definitely blonde but it’s ok as I fit in quite well in Norway!!

It was our longest journey yet to Norway and we managed ok but very tiring. It made the journey though when we saw approx eight Orca Whales going past the boat.

We had a nice couple of days chilling in a little bay and are now in Hjellstad Marina. Very busy day baking, cleaning and general sort out, I haven’t worked so hard in a long time!! My one bah humbug is the marina is full of small power boats and jet skis which all seem to have to get as close to your boat as possible whilst at great speed!! There must be a reason for this but I haven’t decided what it is yet.

Chris caught some mackerel and a crab which he insisted we had for tea so I turned them into fishcakes which turned out to be very nice. It’s amazing what a bit of chilli sauce and mustard can do!!

Really looking  forward to tomorrow, Tuesday, as Caroline and Rich are due to arrive for a weeks holiday. I’m sure there will be much drinking and of course sightseeing done.

60 Degrees North, Lerwick

Thursday 10th June

An early start today as we leave Kinlochbervie and set off towards the Orkneys, a distance of just over 90 miles.  Up at 0600 and on our way just after 0700, unfortunately there was hardly any wind so it was the usual chug, chug of the engine as we headed North to Cape Wrath, the most North westerly point of mainland Scotland.

Cape Wrath – Nice and Calm!!	Piereowall Harbour, Westray, Orkneys

The sea was a bit bumpy today even though there was not enough wind for sailing, it must have been the leftovers from the stronger winds of yesterday.  At times it seemed like it was calming down and then it would get bouncy again!!  Fortunately we did see a small group of dolphins a couple of hours after passing Cape Wrath so that brightened things up a lot. Anyway after nearly 14 hours at sea we pulled into Pierowall Harbour on Westray in the Orkneys, quite a few boats already there so we had to raft alongside the Inter-Island Ferry.  No time for sightseeing because the forecast was for SW or W winds tomorrow, ideal for heading to the Shetlands.

Friday 11th June

Another 0600 alarm call to depart at 0645 so we spent just over 9 hours in the Orkneys – mostly asleep!!!  Only 80 miles to cover today to take us to Lerwick so just under 12 hours at sea – easy peasy.  The forecast was wrong again – the wind was SW but there was hardly any of it so we had to motor all the way again with a couple of hours motor sailing.  the most wind we had was about 12 knts but it was mostly 6-8knts all day and that was just not enough when you have 80 miles to cover.

We got to Lerwick about 1800 to find a lot of boats already rafted together on the visitors pontoon in the Victoria Dock, we had some very worried looking faces watching us as we turned into the dock with everybody hoping we didn’t want to raft alongside their boat. We got ready to raft up third boat out alongside a German boat and were just about to tie onto them when the Harbourmaster called on the radio to say there was room for us alongside the quay in the Albert Dock next door, we think the Germans were just coming down the ramp onto the pontoon looking very unhappy at that point!!!  We went next door and I think everyone must have breathed a sigh of relief, especially the Germans, as we pulled out of the Victoria Dock.

As the title says we are now at Latitude 60 degrees North which is only just over 420 miles from the Arctic Circle, it is also quite a bit further North of the equator than Cape Horn is South of the Equator (56 degrees South).  It means that we currently get over 20hrs of daylight with the other 4hrs being more twilight than dark so it should make our crossing to Norway a bit easier.

MSC Poesnia anchored outside the Harbour	Arctic Tern Shouting to us in Lerwick

Hi all Sue here

We left Kinlochbervie on Thursday and I would just like to say thank you to everyone there for making us welcome. Perhaps if we visit again they will have trained the sheepdog in the pub to chase sheep instead of darts!! Before we left Chris insisted I cut his hair with an electric trimmer he had bought last year. He set it all up and I started trimming very slowly as I hadn’t used one before. After a few minutes he told me to stop messing around and just get on with it, so I did. All I can say is he won’t need another cut for quite some time!! That hat he bought will come in very useful!! I will just walk a few steps behind him until it grows back!!

I think I can say I’ve been to the Orkneys but as we arrived late, went straight to bed and left the next morning, I didn’t actually get to go ashore. I’m sure they are very nice from what I’ve seen.

We are now in Lerwick which is a very busy place to be. Three cruise ships have visited since we arrived and two thousand people got of the one, they were like ants arriving, of different nationalities.

At least we have completed our supply shopping which was quite entertaining on our bikes!! I had a basket on the front and a bag on both handle bars, not very stable at all!! Chris somehow managed a more sedate appearance with just a tray attached to the back of his bike!! I have also had access to the yacht clubs laundry room, bliss!!

We aim to head to the Outer Skerries tomorrow (Tuesday) then onto Norway Wednesday but all dependent on the weather as usual.

Onwards and Upwards

Thursday 3rd June

Finished topping up our supplies in Oban yesterday, an early start today to catch the tide up the Sound of Mull to Tobermory, up at 0600 to leave at 0700 – Sue most impressed with that!!!  Nice gentle conditions and the usual fickle winds but we did manage a pleasant sail most of the way up The Sound with a following wind.  Turned into Tobermory Bay in lovely sunshine to be greeted by the postcard image that most of you have probably seen – it really is very pretty.

Wing and Wing up the Sound of Mull	First Sight of Tobermory

We had a stroll round the village, it is very quaint with not too much there, mainly the usual touristy type shops but we did manage a stop at the pub for some refreshments.  The sun was shining and we were able to have dinner in the cockpit for the first time this trip, temperature up to 24 deg C so a few more drinkies were sampled to celebrate.

Friday 4h June

On our way to Skye today and that means rounding Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly part of mainland Scotland, with a reputation for boisterous seas and nasty conditions – it did it’s best to uphold the tradition!!!  Heading towards the point we had a nice pleasant 15knts of wind from behind, as we rounded the point and headed NE towards the Sound of Sleat the wind picked up to over 30knts and we were doing over 10knts in short order.  Some rapid sail reefing soon had things under control and we were still doing nearly 9knts but in a lot more comfort.  Then after about an hour the wind started to fall off and we soon needed all the sails up to make reasonable progress, but it soon fell off further meaning more motor-sailing.  We stopped for a few hours in Isleornsay to wait for the tide to turn the right way through Kyle Rhea, a narrow passage between Skye and the mainland where the tide can be up to 8knts.  A couple of hours of motoring and we picked up a mooring just a hundred yards from the Skye Bridge – very impressive sight, particularly watching the sunset over the bridge.

Sunset Over the Skye Bridge	The Crowlin Islands on a Misty Morning

Saturday 5th June

Making more ground to the North while the weather holds, hardly any wind today so we are motoring towards The Summer Isles, just off the mainland peninsula north of Ullapool.  Flat seas, light wind, mainly sunny with some sea mist patches just for a bit of variety.  A couple of seals and one porpoise is all the sea life to be seen which is a bit surprising for this area, perhaps they will all come out to play soon.

Arrived in the Summer Isles and anchored in Badentarbat Bay about 1600, almost deserted, the only other boats in sight were working the fish farms.  A few people camping on shore and a few houses scattered about, typical Scottish Highlands scenery and the sun is shining as well – gorgeous!!!!

Sunday 6th June

Another flat calm day as we head off to Kinlochbervie, the wind increased a bit but was the wrong direction for sailing until we got about half way and rounded Stoer Head, we then managed to sail the rest of the way to Kinlochbervie and tied up on the visitors pontoon about 1430.  The pontoon was installed last year at the south end of the harbour because the original pontoon in the NE corner was too small.  Much more room now with electric and water on the pontoons and we were charged only £20.00 for 2 nights incl electric.  Not too much in the village – a Spar shop and hotel for the essentials – but everyone we have met so far has been very friendly and very helpful.

Monday & Tuesday 7th & 8th June

Well the forecast has been predicting NE winds F4-5 occ F6 for our next leg to the Orkneys so we have decided to stay put since this is right on the nose so a 70+ mile slog across the top of Scotland is not very appealing.  Kinlochbervie is only about 12 miles from Cape Wrath, the very NW tip of mainland Scotland, with very few places to shelter between there and the Orkneys so we would like some nice weather for a 12 + hour passage!!!

Well surprisingly the weather forecast has not been as accurate as it might, Mon & Tues we have had very little wind and a couple of boats coming in have said that the weather has been near flat calm off the North Coast so we could have made it to the Orkneys.  The low pressure system has not moved as quickly as first predicted, but the forecasts all now say NE F5-6 for Wed so we will be sitting here a bit longer yet.  It should ease off from Thurs onwards so we hope to head off later in the week.

New Visitors Pontoon, Kinlochbervie	Another Nimrod!!

We have also seen another boat called Nimrod here in Kinlochbervie, she is a 51 year old wooden fishing boat still with her original Gardner engine.  She is being used as a sightseeing / angling charter boat and is owned by Jimmy McDonald who used to be the Harbourmaster here.  She is in really good condition and Jimmy must spend an awful lot of time and money keeping her just so.

Kinlochbervie used to be a major fishing port but this has declined drastically in recent years, there is one trawler landing it’s catch today (tues) and another two due tomorrow and that is it since we arrived.  The locals tell us that a few years ago the harbour would have been full of trawlers almost every day.

Hi all Sue’s version now

We have been sailing round Scotland that quick I can’t remember where we have been on what day so good job Chris keeps blog up to date on regular basis.

Tobermory has got to be my favourite place so far, we even managed some retail therapy there. Chris bought two hats, in one he looks like Laurence of Arabia and the other Scott of the Antarctic!! I just had a nice sensible purple cap. I will try to get pictures for the blog.

We are now sitting it out in Kinlochbervie where everyone is really friendly so it’s not too bad but just want to keep going now. We went out fishing in the dinghy today (Tuesday) but didn’t catch anything, good job there’s local boats willing to sell you a lobster. We visited the local Chandlery yesterday and bought some walking shoes for me and trainers for Chris. We also bought some Avon Skin So Soft which they stock as it is meant to be a great mozzy repellent, I have six bites at present and all on my toes!! That will teach me to where flip flops all the time.

Hopefully our next blog update will have us in the Shetlands awaiting passage to Norway.

Heading North at Last

Friday 28th May

Finally left Ramsey under sunny skies but definitely not very warm – lots of layers needed for our crossing to Portpatrick to combat the chilly Westerly wind.  Headed towards Point of Ayre, the North Eastern end of the Isle of Man and set the sails, not quite enough wind to sail comfortably so one engine helped us on our way.  After a couple of hours the wind had freshened enough and we could sail on a nice beam reach at 9.5knts towards the Mull of Galloway, a bit lumpy round here because of the tide races and overfalls but not as bad as Carmel Head and The Stacks off Anglesey.  The wind dropped off and it went cloudy and chilly – engine back on to keep us moving at a decent pace, Sue decided it was too cold to take 3hrs to do the last 10 miles to Portpatrick under sail alone!!!

Got into Portpatrick at 1600 – an interesting entrance with a strong tide and wind across the entrance making it a bit of  a challenge to stay on the transit line guiding us in, but we got in safely.  The Harbourmaster descended on us before we had even finished tying up, but he only wanted a pretty reasonable £18 harbour fees so not too bad.  Very quiet with only one other visiting boat when we got there, then a 45ft Outremmer Catamaran came in and decided to raft alongside despite having half the harbour to choose from!!!  Fortunately they decided to just unload crew and kit before tying to a mooring in the middle of the harbour.

Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th May

Away from Portpatrick at 1100 heading for Rathlin Island off the NE corner of Ireland, grey skies but flat seas and 14knots of wind from behind us.  Put out both headsails, one each side, called running wing on wing for the non-sailors reading.  Nice easy sailing at 7knts, not in too much of a rush because there is a nasty tide race off Rathlin that we wanted to get there after it had finished.  In the end the wind dropped off to less than 6knts so we had to resort to engine power again.  All tied up in Rathlin Harbour at 1730.

We thought we should try the local hostelries seeing as it was Saturday Night – an interesting experience – the locals we met all seemed to have had a long day in the bar and we were barely able to understand them.  We settled on the Manor House for a meal and it was really nice and a good price too – well recommended for anyone stopping off at Rathlin.

Sunday was a day off because the wind was in the wrong direction.  Had a walk round some of the Island and found a large group of seals sunning themselves on the rocks just 5 mins from the harbour.  A very remote place with lots of wildlife and a huge bird sanctuary at the Western End.

Seals Enjoying the Sunshine	Rathlin Harbour

Sunday afternoon had us watching the RAF helicopter landing to airlift somebody off to hospital – obviously the only way to get casualties off the Island in a hurry!!!

RAF Rescue Landing at Rathlin	Thallassa Under Full Sail Off Islay

Monday 31st May

Away from Rathlin at 0900 towards Carsaig Bay towards the North End of the Sound of Jura.  Seas were a bit bouncy between Rathlin and Islay but soon flattened out.  We started off sailing nicely under sunny skies with 15-20knts of SE wind and we passed the Tall Ship Thallassa off the coast of Islay, a very impressive sight.  As usual the wind started dropping off and it was motor sailing time and then engine only time but the sun was shining with temps up to 21 deg!!  Got to Carsaig Bay at 1700 and anchored but the tide and wind combined meant that the boat would not sit properly to the anchor so we decided to move on to Loch Craignish just past Crinnan.  Anchored behind Goat Island for the night.

Tuesday 1st June

A miserable, grey and wet start to the day – Scotland can be like that!!  The tides meant we didn’t have to leave our anchorage until 1300 and it had started to brighten up a bit by then.  A short trip to Oban Marina today and the wind played it’s usual tricks as we changed between sailing, motor sailing and motoring about as many times as a woman changes her mind when deciding what to wear!!!  At least the sea was pretty calm for the whole trip.  Having a day off tomorrow to do the shopping etc in Oban since this is the last place with large supermarkets before we cross to Norway, should be fun because the Marina is on Kerera Island in Oban Bay and we need to get on the marina ferry to get to Oban itself – I think Sue can tell you about that.

Weather forecast seems to be forecasting fairly settled conditions with mainly Southerly winds for the next few days so we are planning on getting as far North as we can while the weather holds.

Hi all Sue here

As you can see we are finally on our way again. Weather is pretty mixed, one minute I’m dressed for the winter and the next I’m stripped of and sunbathing!! As we are in Scotland now we have a bit of drizzle today but anyone who has been to Scotland will know this is quite normal.

Rathlin Island was very pretty and a very popular place with loads of visitors coming across on the ferries. We went on a beach where seals were sunning themselves but didn’t get too close as I think they can move pretty fast when they want to. We also saw an RAF Rescue taking place which was very impressive to watch, don’t know what had happened to the person but hope they were ok.

We are now in Oban and the joys of supply shopping has come around again. We have to catch a ferry to the main land which leaves every hour. After a brisk walk from ferry Lidl was our first stop and nearly our last as we came to blows over how long onions keep!! Men are very impatient shoppers and you can’t rush supply shopping. Then brisk march back to ferry unloaded shopping on boat and back on next ferry, this we did three times but at least it’s done now ready for our trip to Norway. My best purchase was a pair of tinted reading glasses from the pound shop, what a bargain, it’s getting quite worrying how easily pleased I am these days!!

Leaving for Tobermory tomorrow, Thursday 3rd June, which I am looking forward to as it’s meant to be a very pretty and quaint place. Then on to Skye on Friday weather permitting. Doesn’t seem to be much time for drinking wine but I’m sure I will make up for it in Norway when my sister Caroline and her husband Richard visit us.