Day13 - Stromness

Tuesday 5^th July 2016 – Wick to Stromness – Day 13

This is a very important day, the crossing of the Pentland Firth, a notorious stretch of water between the north east tip of Scotland and the Orkney Islands, known for its fast flowing currents, whirlpools and eddies.  If you read all of the sailing directions and pilot books on this part of the world, it frightens the life out of you.

The Wick Harbour Master, Malcolm had given us very important information, the time to cross at slack water, his advice, “if you arrive too early, wait – if you arrive late, you are too late”.

We left Wick at 08.30, once into the bay the initial tests were carried out on the new auto-helm which proved satisfactory.  The distance to the crossing point is 15 miles from Wick and once we had passed Noss Head Lighthouse, we headed further inshore to pick up the counter current running north (Malcolm’s info.).

Duncansby Head

   

Lighthouse

We had to slow the engine as we were too early, while another yacht ‘Theodora’ which left before us also began hanging around waiting for the time of one o clock.

At 12.50 we were underneath Duncansby Head lighthouse, the most northerly point of Scotland, just over the headland lies the famous village of John O’ Groats.  We could see walkers on the top of the cliff aiming for the farthest north they dare.

Let's go

We were on our way heading out across the Firth; amazingly it could not have been easier, next to no wind and a flat sea.  Half way across to the east lies the Pentland Skerries a small  island boasting two lighthouses.

Nearly across with 'Theodora'

After an hour, ourselves and ‘Theodora’ were across the Pentland Firth and picking up an eight knot current, as we approached between the islands of Swona and South Ronaldsway.  This very favourable tide shot us up into the Scapa Flow.  Time to relax now as the oven was flashed up and we enjoyed a very tasty pasta bake brought up from home.

Scapa Flow is a very large expanse of water, as we headed for the north west corner, passing the island of Flotta with its oil refinery and its two single point mooring buoys lying offshore.

Shortly after passing these we came to a vessel manoeuvring strangely, I could work out what it was doing until it hoisted a flag which informed they were divers in the water.  Scapa Flow has an awful lot of wrecks on the bottom, so I headed off in the other direction, the dive boats name ‘Huskyan’ will have to be remembered.  A little further on and you pass the delightfully named very small island of ‘Barrel of Butter.

Approaching Stromness

At 17.00, we were making our approach to Stromness and on the marina pontoon half an hour later.  The agent came along an hour later; an introduction to Bobby is a delight, a very happy chappee, whose local dialect has a soft Irish lilt to it.  His jokes were even funnier with his accent.

Ashore into the nearby ‘Ferry Inn’ at 19.15 with excellent beer Scapa IPA, before dining on haddock and chips, I thought my own fish and chips shop at home, done the best haddock but no, this one exceeded it.

Along to ‘Flattie’s Bar’ where with the barmaid and a dive boat skipper, who gave us lots of information about the locality, and the Scapa whiskey was also a joy.

Back on board and time to reflect, a day in which we had crossed the Pentland and Scapa Flow and arrived on the mainland of the Orkney Islands, a truly amazing day.