Sunday Morning, soon after setting off:
Jean Says:There are six us us all leaving at the same time. Three of them are French boats, there's Dawn Treader, us and another unidentified one. It's sunny and calm at the moment as we go up the final bit of the West coast of Scotland.
The swell is beginning to increase, but is still gentle. The wind is blowing at 9.00 knots. I would love it to stay like this all day because we've got a long day ahead of us. We won't be lulled into a false sense of security, as we know that when we finally turn that corner, we'll be fully exposed to the North East wind, and an unbroken swell from that direction as well as wind against tide. We've logged our passage with Stornoway coastguard, and will check in with Shetland coastguard when we arrive. It's so reassuring to have a coastguard at the other end of a short call on the radio. How could the government ever consider reducing the number of coastguard stations.
The good news is that Bob has already made the sandwiches. That's a weight off our minds!

Bella Rosa and Dawn Treader have made friends as they're waiting to set off this morning.




Sunday after Arriving:

We've arrived at our Northern most point, and are not only thrilled to have made it to Stromness in one piece, but are astonished that we still feel relatively sane (although this may not be apparent to other people). We had an easy day of it in the end, but this is our own version of getting to the summit of Everest, despite not having been on the cards when we initially planned the trip.
It was the thought of having to do battle with more locks in the Caledonian Canal that first put the idea of going round Cape Wrath into our heads, but we also felt that there'd be something more satisfying about not taking the short cut. If Neptune's staircase had been called Neptune's elevator instead, it might have been more enticing, but it was the eight or nine consecutive locks that made the prospect of Cape Wrath seem like a long weekend mini break in a cosy hotel. We can still do the Caledonian one day, but are unlikely to ever round the top again. (Phew).

So, going round Cape Wrath was an avoidance tactic as well as a tempting extra challenge. It was going to be quite a big deal for us, and something that we'd previously dismissed as too scary, and beyond our capabilities. This Northern coast of Scotland does have a fearsome reputation because once round, you are completely exposed to the elements and often get big unopposed seas. I'd always imagined that the top part of Scotland would be a rocky but floral paradise of tiny wildlife filled coves and attractive nooks and crannies, and that you'd want to spend days meandering between them. Not so. In reality, it is quite barren and very remote and we had no desire to linger. In addition to being limited in its attractiveness, there are very few bolt holes. The first bolt hole just ten miles East from Cape Wrath is called Loch Eribol, and its nick-name is Loch Horrible, so that just about sums it up.
Our mission based on all the above, was to leave Kinlochbervie and get to Stromness as soon as possible, so that we could both breath a sigh of relief and tick the box. Choosing the right time to go was crucial, and we held out hope that the weather on Sunday would remain acceptable. After that, the weather was going to deteriorate and we'd either have to delay or give up. It was also a matter of having the right conditions to leave The Orkneys as well, and neaps is really the only time to ever contemplate going through the Pentland Firth. Even then, we need a force 4 or less.

It all turned out very well and we never had more than 15 knots of wind and a moderate swell throughout the journey. We'd hoped to have been able to sail more than we did, but the wind was head on, and we needed to get to the Orkneys by a certain time to avoid a strong ebb at the entrance to Hoy Sound. We sailed in the company of Dawn Treader and 2 of the French boats, and it was quite comforting to have them constantly within sight. We did have our international flotilla in the end. The other boats that set off with us must have peeled off and gone elsewhere.
We'd got up before 5.00, set off at 6.00 and didn't arrive until nearly 10.00 in the evening. We'd made sure we took turns in being on duty and had lots of breaks, but were still very tired when we arrived. Some of it must have been from being quite keyed up for a few days beforehand, but it had become quite cold again, and we were both back to six layers of thermals. The cold does wear you down.
It was misty and grey when we arrived, so it was hard to get a good impression of what these islands are like. Our mission today is to go to Kirkwall and generally have a good look round. We won't be leaving The Orkneys until Wednesday at the earliest, and then we'll be heading for home. This is our pinnacle and our turning point.

Setting off into the dawn in calm seas - you can just about see two of the other boats ahead of us.





Cape Wrath looking less wrathfull than it might, although that cloud looks like it's making a rude gesture!