Leaving Shetland

 It would have been nice to stay another day at Fair Isle, but Julian took a look at the weather and said that if we did not go today we would be here until Tuesday. It seemed sensible to take the weather window we had, so our friendly American neighbour helped us cast off, and we left at 09:10.

Julian raised the main sail as we left harbour, not waiting to go head to wind as there was so little of it. As soon as we turned to head down the east side of Fair Isle we were heading virtually into the wind, getting only a little lift from the main sail which was pulled right in.

There is a notorious rost off the south end of Fair Isle, and we did go a little too close in, so experienced the edge of the Rost of Keels. We were at neaps, with very little wind, but the seas were confused enough to be unpleasant, although never dangerous. There was no chance of George being able to cope, even after we were clear of the rost, so we were hand steering, with Julian helming 2 hours for every hour I managed.

Rather than returning via Pierwall we had decided to go to the east of Orkney, aiming for an anchorage on Sanday. This was 40nm from Fair Isle, so 5 nm closer than Pierwall. We had never been to Sanday, so it was a chance to visit a new island. We were 18 nm from our destination, and sheltered from the Atlantic swell by North Ronaldsay when we realised the sea was calm enough to put George on duty. No sooner was he set up and working than the wind shifted enough for us to sail. Julian got the jib out, and turned the engine off, and we had blessed peace for an hour before the wind faded away again.

With George back on duty I finally got round to asking about the bad weather expected tomorrow. Westerly 22-30 knots, from 7am.

Julian had planned for us to be in a sheltered anchorage, that also had a visitor mooring, but I was not sure I would be able to get into Worm with my damaged elbow if there was any sort of sea. We started to look for alternatives, and settled on Whitehall Bay, on Stronsay. This has a pier we could moor against so I could get ashore, and it was hardly any further. We called the harbour master to check we would be okay, and once he heard Robinetta's draft he was happy to accommodate us.

The wind began to get up a bit as we approach the entrance channel, and we got another 20 minutes of pure sailing before the engine went back on to get the sails down.

There were no yachts against the pier, although there are supposedly berths for 6. We were looking to be blown off in the strong winds tomorrow, so went on the east side of the pier. It took us a while to get settled on a berth by a ladder, and Robinetta's stern did get a little damage from the rough pier before we got the lines set properly.

We setted down in the cabin to relax, but suddenly there was a bump on the stern. We were against the pier again. We gave up on berthing alongside, and put the engine on to head for a visitor buoy. We will deal with how to get safely ashore tomorrow. We are better off on the buoy for the night.