Getting further than planned.

We have been settled down in Vidlin sitting out the strong winds. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were horrible, with force 5-7 winds every day and heavy rain. We hired a car and explored Shetland by road. The car also made it easier to go to a couple of traditional music evenings, and to get to the hospital for my stitches to be taken out. Thursday was calmer, as predicted. We returned the car on Thursday afternoon and got the last bus back to Vidlin.

Lots of boats have been sheltering in Lerwick, including Fleur de Lampoul, a lovely gaff ketch. We saw her raising sail from the bus.

Friday was due to be calm again!

We are booked into the traditional sail festival at Portsoy on the Moray Firth coast for the last weekend in June, and given my broken elbow we wanted to head south in easy stages, so we decided to start south now. We wanted the tide with us as we passed inside Whalsay, and when Julian checked the times they were favourable between 4 a.m and 10 a.m. I did not want to miss this favourable window, so we set the alarm for 4 a.m, and were away from Vidlin by 04:50.

We raised sail as we headed out of Vidlin Voe, but there was no wind, and very little swell. We stayed close inshore, and passed Whalsay through Lunning Sound. We were through it before 6, with minimal overfalls at the south end between Bruse Hold and Hunder Holm. George went on duty while Julian cooked breakfast and we headed for Noss Head. This route was only 1 nm longer than going through Bressay Sound, and avoided all the ferry, fishing, and leisure boats coming out of Lerwick. It also had the advantage of letting us admire the sea bird filled cliffs of Noss Head.

We were intending to anchor at Grutness Voe, and Julian had put in a course to there, but we were making an easy 5 knots under engine with some sail assist, and keeping up with the tide, making it favourable all the way to Sumburgh Head. We would be at Grutness by lunch time, and with George on the helm neither of us was having to work hard. We were making such good progress that we decided to go all the way to Fairisle.

Once we were past Sumburgh Head, giving it an offing of about 4 nm, the swell got up and George had to be replaced by a human. Then the tide assist became a cross tide and we slowed down. The 20 miles between Sumburgh and Fair Isle were much slower and harder work, but we were moored up in the harbour by 19:20. The harbour already had 3 yachts in it, and we were aiming for the boat with no one outside it, but people appeared on the 2 rafted together, ready to take our lines so we took up their offer.