Kirkwall

A cold day on the helm

 

 We thought about leaving yesterday afternoon but it was still a bit blowy. So we sat down and did a good old-fashioned passage plan for today, focussing on the changes in the tidal streams, using both the atlas and the point data on the plotter.

We decided we would get a favourable tide into Eday sound from around 9:45 and then carry the tide down Stronsay Sound most of the way, and get slack water south of Scalpay and then a favourable tide into Kirkwall.

So we left at 9 am and were in Kirkwall at 2 pm. We got a little less tide and a little less wind than we hoped for, and had to use the engine a bit to keep to time. We still aren't reading the atlas perfectly, we probably should be treating each page as what will be happening 30 minutes either side of the nominal time. But we did get pretty much what we expected.

The tide pushed us a bit further east a couple of times than would have been perfect. But we got to turn the engine off here and there and have a fine sail.

Alison's arm is still fragile, so it's only safe for her to helm when motoring, or on starboard tack. But we had some of both.

There is one other visiting wooden yacht here in Kirkwall. The owner is from Broughty Ferry.