In the two weeks since we last posted a report we have had a lovely time wandering down the coast from Bergen to the southern tip of Norway and are now anchored in a pool amongst the islands at the southern entrance to Korshavn, an old fishing village in a narrow cut between two islands. We had thought to tie to the village visitor's dock, but one look said that the cut was just too narrow. Far safer to anchor outside and go in by dinghy. It was like driving down the main street of a little town except that the street was a water-way with brightly painted houses, docks and boathouse on either side and at the head, the post office, mini-super market, gas dock and bank. The old fishermen have long gone and their neat wooden houses have been renovated up for summer visitors, mostly it seemed from Germany, who come here for sports fishing. At the head of the "street" is a little marina with twenty-odd identical outboard driven boats for rent. On the dock are stainless-steel benches and trays for cleaning the daily catch.
Coming south from Bergen we had a choice of numerous possible routes amongst the myriad of islands and skerries. It would be easy to get lost without a computer mapping program linked to the GPS. Each night we found a perfect anchorage usually in a pool created by a group of islands. Several were in public parks that included tie off points on the rocks, or docks, along with park benches and hiking trails. Norwegian's don't seem to like anchoring. They prefer to drop a stern anchor, run the a line ashore and haul the bow to the rocks and jump ashore. It is a learned art and not for Taonui with her high bow and 'senior' crew! In one anchorage we watched a total of 12 men spend almost an hour trying to secure two power boats in this manner. There were already six other boats tied to the shore so there was plenty of advice given as anchors were dropped and retrieved, boats bounced on rocks, and then repositioned by inflatable's acting as pushing tug boats. Anchors were reset but too far from shore or mis-aligned with the on-shore tie points. There was much not-so-quiet Norwegian shouting. Finally the bigger of the two boats was sort of in place but his buddy could only get his bow against his friends stern. He had run out of anchor chain! He raised his hands above his head and signaled to his wife, now on shore in the dinghy, that he had given up. This was as good as it was going to get.
At the end of all these waterways is Stavanger after which all south-bound traffic must go offshore to reach the southern tip of Norway. This stretch of the coast can be treacherous and has a reputation for strong winds and currents. But there are several places where a yacht can run in and shelter behind islands. Korshavn is one such shelter. The entrance from the south or west, as we came, is a twisting and turning channel amongst smooth weather-beaten islands and underwater rocks marked by stakes with top markers of arrows pointing to the right side on which to pass.
Stavanger is the third largest city in Norway. It was once a major fishing port and Hanseatic trading centre with strong links to the Shetland's and Orkney's which were once part of Norway. Today Stavanger is the service centre for Norway's offshore oil and gas extraction industry. The coastline leading into Stavanger is lined with warehouses and factories fabricating strange looking steel shapes for the drilling rigs and huge docks for the fleet of 250 foot long strange looking service vessels that shuttle parts and equipment to the rigs and act as safety patrol around the rigs. It was these vessels that "escorted" us through the rigs as we crossed the Norwegian Sea. This is BIG business. Norway has only .6% of the world's known oil reserves and 1.6% of the world's gas reserves. But for tiny Norway (4.8 million people) this is an enormous asset. Norway is the world's fifth largest exporter of oil. The industry employs 200,000 people, accounts for 50% of Norway's exports, 36% of the Government's income and 25% of GDP. Oil was discovered in 1969 and production started in 1971. The Norwegian's have been smart. They know it will not last forever. In 1972 the Government decreed that the industry had to be managed to serve the long term interests of all Norwegian's. Oil and gas earnings beyond current needs are set aside in a transparent Government fund that now stands at around 350 billion dollars. By law, only the income of this fund can be spent each year. To date most income is re-invested. This "sovereign" fund owns around 1% of the value of the world's stock markets. Norway is cognizant of the moral conflict between it's oil based wealth and threat posed by carbon emissions. Norway is the world's largest contributor to campaigns to prompt re-afforestation throughout the world.
Stavanger is also a great tourist attraction, especially for cruise ships. On each of the three days that we were there were two HUGE 2,500 - 3,000 passenger monsters on the docks at each side of the narrow harbour. They only stay one night, but each day around five thousand tourists hit the town to wonder through the narrow winding hilly streets where the old wooden buildings have been converted to swanky shops and eateries. The Cathedral is well worth visiting. The old part of the Cathedral is similar in style to the one in Lerwick, Shetland with massive stone Gothic columns. It sits on a hill looking over a wide public square that runs down into the harbour. For us the best part of the square was the fish market and each night we went back to the boat with lovely fresh shrimp, salmon or cod. As an aside note the cod fishery in the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway is recording record catches. Seems that the warming of the oceans is having some beneficial effects somewhere.
Friday, 20 July 2012
Monday, 16 July 2012
Bergen, Norway
Our last report was from Burra Voe at the south end of the island of Yell in the Shetlands. It was a tough slog north from there to Baltasound at the north end of Unst, the northernmost of the Shetland Islands. We miss-timed the tide and left too early in the morning so the first 5 hours were a bash against the tide making only 3 knots over the ground into steep short seas. Once around the eastern corner of Yell we could lay off, the tide turned, the seas smoothed out and we had a fast sail the last 15 miles to Baltasound. In the late 1800's the summer population of Balta would increase by 8,000 people who came to catch and process herring. There is still a thriving farming community and until 2006 a large number of personnel employed at the RAF station at nearby Haroldswick guarding the Northern Approaches to the U.K.
A change of weather and E - SE winds brought thick fog and we looked liked being stuck in Baltasound for a week or more. From here we were heading due east to Norway. The early July 5 forecast called for very light east winds, backing NE, then north. Too good to pass up, so we left in thick fog which stayed with us for 80 miles while we motored across smooth seas. Early that night, around 11 PM, we passed through a part of the UK's offshore oil and gas field. Eight huge, brightly lit, multi storied platforms. Some belching flame and smoke, and in the water off each was a 200ft. patrol, safety ship that pointedly came up to our course and, without a word, firmly indicated that we were not to get any closer to their platform. Early morning brought the promised NE wind and we had a great beautiful beam reach for the last fifty miles to Holmengraa Light marking an easy entry through the outer islands. It took a bit of hunting to find an anchorage with enough swinging room and a reasonable depth. Finally, at 6 Pm we dropped anchor in 80 feet in what felt like good mud and after a good G&T and a quick supper, fell into our bunks.
The next day brought warm sun and a light following NE wind to give a lovely easy sail twenty miles down to Bergen where we are rafted three out in the inner harbour right in the middle of beautiful Bergen. On the road opposite us is a row of three storey brightly painted wooden houses built in the 1700's. Tourists are thick on the ground. When we arrived there were four cruise ships in the outer harbour.
The main street is about 50 yards wide, no cars allowed, musicians and art displays encouraged. Lots of fancy shops to look at, but no expectation of buying. Norway is expensive, even for Europeans. A beer and a glass of cider costs $20 CDN. At the head of the harbour is the local market selling fruit, vegetables and souvenirs as well as a huge variety of fish and shellfish. Yes, we bought a generous piece of gravlaks (at huge expense) for our first night's supper, along with reindeer salami and fresh local strawberries....that blew our weekly food budget but what a treat.
A change of weather and E - SE winds brought thick fog and we looked liked being stuck in Baltasound for a week or more. From here we were heading due east to Norway. The early July 5 forecast called for very light east winds, backing NE, then north. Too good to pass up, so we left in thick fog which stayed with us for 80 miles while we motored across smooth seas. Early that night, around 11 PM, we passed through a part of the UK's offshore oil and gas field. Eight huge, brightly lit, multi storied platforms. Some belching flame and smoke, and in the water off each was a 200ft. patrol, safety ship that pointedly came up to our course and, without a word, firmly indicated that we were not to get any closer to their platform. Early morning brought the promised NE wind and we had a great beautiful beam reach for the last fifty miles to Holmengraa Light marking an easy entry through the outer islands. It took a bit of hunting to find an anchorage with enough swinging room and a reasonable depth. Finally, at 6 Pm we dropped anchor in 80 feet in what felt like good mud and after a good G&T and a quick supper, fell into our bunks.
The next day brought warm sun and a light following NE wind to give a lovely easy sail twenty miles down to Bergen where we are rafted three out in the inner harbour right in the middle of beautiful Bergen. On the road opposite us is a row of three storey brightly painted wooden houses built in the 1700's. Tourists are thick on the ground. When we arrived there were four cruise ships in the outer harbour.
The main street is about 50 yards wide, no cars allowed, musicians and art displays encouraged. Lots of fancy shops to look at, but no expectation of buying. Norway is expensive, even for Europeans. A beer and a glass of cider costs $20 CDN. At the head of the harbour is the local market selling fruit, vegetables and souvenirs as well as a huge variety of fish and shellfish. Yes, we bought a generous piece of gravlaks (at huge expense) for our first night's supper, along with reindeer salami and fresh local strawberries....that blew our weekly food budget but what a treat.
Monday, 9 July 2012
Bergen, Norway
Our last report was from Burra Voe at the south end of the island of Yell in the Shetlands. It was a tough slog north from there to Baltasound at the north end of Unst, the northernmost of the Shetland Islands. We miss-timed the tide and left too early in the morning so the first 5 hours were a bash against the tide making only 3 knots over the ground into steep short seas. Once around the eastern corner of Yell we could lay off, the tide turned, the seas smoothed out and we had a fast sail the last 15 miles to Baltasound. In the late 1800's the summer population of Balta would increase by 8,000 people who came to catch and process herring. There is still a thriving farming community and until 2006 a large number of personnel employed at the RAF station at nearby Haroldswick guarding the Northern Approaches to the U.K.
A change of weather and E - SE winds brought thick fog and we looked liked being stuck in Baltasound for a week or more. From here we were heading due east to Norway. The early July 5 forecast called for very light east winds, backing NE, then north. Too good to pass up, so we left in thick fog which stayed with us for 80 miles while we motored across smooth seas. Early that night, around 11 PM, we passed through a part of the UK's offshore oil and gas field. Eight huge, brightly lit, multi storied platforms. Some belching flame and smoke, and in the water off each was a 200ft. patrol, safety ship that pointedly came up to our course and, without a word, firmly indicated that we were not to get any closer to their platform. Early morning brought the promised NE wind and we had a great beautiful beam reach for the last fifty miles to Holmengraa Light marking an easy entry through the outer islands. It took a bit of hunting to find an anchorage with enough swinging room and a reasonable depth. Finally, at 6 Pm we dropped anchor in 80 feet in what felt like good mud and after a good G&T and a quick supper, fell into our bunks.
The next day brought warm sun and a light following NE wind to give a lovely easy sail twenty miles down to Bergen where we are rafted three out in the inner harbour right in the middle of beautiful Bergen. On the road opposite us is a row of three storey brightly painted wooden houses built in the 1700's. Tourists are thick on the ground. When we arrived there were four cruise ships in the outer harbour.
The main street is about 50 yards wide, no cars allowed, musicians and art displays encouraged. Lots of fancy shops to look at, but no expectation of buying. Norway is expensive, even for Europeans. A beer and a glass of cider costs $20 CDN. At the head of the harbour is the local market selling fruit, vegetables and souvenirs as well as a huge variety of fish and shellfish. Yes, we bought a generous piece of gravlaks (at huge expense) for our first night's supper, along with reindeer salami and fresh local strawberries....that blew our weekly food budget but what a treat.
Monday, 2 July 2012
Burra Voe, South end of Yell
Last Thursday we had to get out of Scalloway to find shelter from a forecast gale from the east. We shot over to Skeld, only 5 miles away, and rode it out. Ashore we found the UK's northernmost cheese factory a one man operation processing local cow and goat milk. Very tasty too. On Saturday we sailed north and west to the remote Island of Papa Stour (Island of the Priests). Viking history recounts that there were Celtic monks there in the 6th Century. If so, they must have been a hardy lot. Even the sheep had to lean sideways to stay upright in the wind on the western side. The next day we sailed around the wild western side of the island where the constant pounding of the North Atlantic waves on the 200ft+ high cliffs has created an amazing display of arches, caves and stacks. The wind was 15 knots from the NW and the swells had been building for several days, so the whole scene was one of unrelenting force - crashing waves, white spray against black cliffs, deeply troubled waters, and above wheeling birds, pure whites and blacks against the blue sky. The flood tide was against us, but soon it changed and we carried the ebb up the coast and around the north end of Mainland Shetland Island. Great sailing. Close reach, small genoa, and two reefs, but it was a long tiring, though memorable, day and a relief to get onto the leeside of the Island and into a quiet anchorage.
Today were took advantage of the morning flood tide to run down the Sound of Yell where the tide can run up to 7 knots between the scattering of islands and reefs. Around the Shetlands you have to go with the tide. Sometimes it can run at 7 knots at "springs" and the overfalls at headlands etc. can be awful. The Sound is well marked and charted as it is the route for tanker traffic taking oil out of Sullom Voe Oil Terminal which is the landing point of a pipeline from the North Sea Piper Oil field. At times we were making over 10 knots over the ground even though all we had up was the small genoa with the wind behind us.
From here we plan to sail north up to the north end of the Island of Unst where we have heard there are some interesting museums displaying the boats and times of the booming herring fishery in the late 1800's. At the north end of Unst is Muckle Flugga, the northernmost point of the UK.
Today were took advantage of the morning flood tide to run down the Sound of Yell where the tide can run up to 7 knots between the scattering of islands and reefs. Around the Shetlands you have to go with the tide. Sometimes it can run at 7 knots at "springs" and the overfalls at headlands etc. can be awful. The Sound is well marked and charted as it is the route for tanker traffic taking oil out of Sullom Voe Oil Terminal which is the landing point of a pipeline from the North Sea Piper Oil field. At times we were making over 10 knots over the ground even though all we had up was the small genoa with the wind behind us.
From here we plan to sail north up to the north end of the Island of Unst where we have heard there are some interesting museums displaying the boats and times of the booming herring fishery in the late 1800's. At the north end of Unst is Muckle Flugga, the northernmost point of the UK.
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Scalloway, Shetland Islands
Two days ago we made the 65 mile passage from Sanday in the northern Orkney's to St. Ninians Bay on the southwestern end of the Sumburgh Peninsular. A cold and rough trip, hard on the wind the whole way, in a Force 4 - 5 northerly wind. But what a spectacular place to anchor. A mile wide bay, steep cliffs dotted with nesting birds, grass covered slopes to the east and west and a bright yellow scimitar sand beach at the head. Yesterday we motor sailed against the north wind 15 miles up the Peninsular to the old town of Scalloway set at the end of a winding passage between islands. Scalloway was once the capital of the Shetlands as evidenced by the massive fortified 16 century castle at the head of the harbour.
Our last report was from Shapinsay where we spent three days before moving north to Sanday one of the richest agricultural islands in the Orkney's. It is also the richest in terms of archaeology with many sites from 6000 years ago through to Viking times. One that we visited was the burial site of a Viking longship discovered in 1991 complete with three skeletons and a trove of jewelry and an iron sword.
We had to make a carefully timed passage north through the 3/4 mile wide Sound between Sanday and Eday and on to Pierowall Harbour on Westray. The tide races through the Orkney's and although we thought that we would be in the narrows at relative slack water we ended up shooting through at 10 knots. An energy company is in the process of testing various sites around the Orkney's for the installation of tide driven power generation. Several years ago we saw such an installation by the same company in the Strangford Loch in Northern Ireland. Very impressive. Wind farms are a common site around the Orkney's and no wonder.... rolling hills to create uplift and it's always windy. They are more common in the Shetlands where there is even more wind and steeper hills.
Westray is probably the most dynamic of the Orkney Islands. Population about six hundred. Productive cattle and sheep farms, an offshore crab fishing fleet with a processing factory at Pierowall, several excellent craft shops selling their fine wool/silk/cotton clothing over the internet, a major salmon farming operation based in Pierowall that provides well paying work for young men, an offshore trawler that lands it's catch for processing in the town and distribution throughout the Orkney's and, finally, a bakery that supplies bread, biscuits throughout the Orkney's and often to Lerwick and mainland Scotland. The UK suffers from being a welfare state, but in these Islands and the Shetlands, the work ethic and sense of enterprise is alive and kicking.
We had some great walks on Westray while we waited for a change from the northeast wind. On one hike to the north shore we came across rows and rows of low (3 foot) stone walls. Later we found out that they were used in the late 1880's to dry seaweed which was exported to the UK for the manufacture of a variety of products including explosives, perfume, soaps and more. This was a major source of revenue for the governing Lairds of the Islands.
There is a recently refurbished museum in Scalloway telling the history of the fishing booms in herring, then cod followed by haddock. All that is now history and there is now only one trawler working out of the port. Much of the museum is devoted to the dramatic WWII exploits of The Shetland Bus. When Germany invaded Norway in 1942 many Norwegians escaped in fishing boats and most headed for the Shetlands. Over the next three years Norwegian sailors took fishing boats to Norway from Scalloway loaded with small arms, sabotage experts and radios. On the return trip they brought out refugees fleeing the Gestapo. The Norwegian Resistance tied up twelve battalions of Germans as Hitler become more convinced that England intended to launch an offensive in Norway. The Resistance blew up the German heavy water plant and put an end to German's development of an atomic bomb. To avoid German surveillance most of the to and fro traffic was in the winter months and many lives were lost to the fierce winter storms of the Norwegian Sea.
We have been to the Shetlands on other trips, but never to the west coast. We have only stopped at Lerwick en route to somewhere. So this time we are looking forward to one or two weeks of exploring the islands and bays of the northern Shetlands, visiting some of the old fishing villages and seeing some of the spectacular bird nesting cliffs.
Our last report was from Shapinsay where we spent three days before moving north to Sanday one of the richest agricultural islands in the Orkney's. It is also the richest in terms of archaeology with many sites from 6000 years ago through to Viking times. One that we visited was the burial site of a Viking longship discovered in 1991 complete with three skeletons and a trove of jewelry and an iron sword.
We had to make a carefully timed passage north through the 3/4 mile wide Sound between Sanday and Eday and on to Pierowall Harbour on Westray. The tide races through the Orkney's and although we thought that we would be in the narrows at relative slack water we ended up shooting through at 10 knots. An energy company is in the process of testing various sites around the Orkney's for the installation of tide driven power generation. Several years ago we saw such an installation by the same company in the Strangford Loch in Northern Ireland. Very impressive. Wind farms are a common site around the Orkney's and no wonder.... rolling hills to create uplift and it's always windy. They are more common in the Shetlands where there is even more wind and steeper hills.
Westray is probably the most dynamic of the Orkney Islands. Population about six hundred. Productive cattle and sheep farms, an offshore crab fishing fleet with a processing factory at Pierowall, several excellent craft shops selling their fine wool/silk/cotton clothing over the internet, a major salmon farming operation based in Pierowall that provides well paying work for young men, an offshore trawler that lands it's catch for processing in the town and distribution throughout the Orkney's and, finally, a bakery that supplies bread, biscuits throughout the Orkney's and often to Lerwick and mainland Scotland. The UK suffers from being a welfare state, but in these Islands and the Shetlands, the work ethic and sense of enterprise is alive and kicking.
We had some great walks on Westray while we waited for a change from the northeast wind. On one hike to the north shore we came across rows and rows of low (3 foot) stone walls. Later we found out that they were used in the late 1880's to dry seaweed which was exported to the UK for the manufacture of a variety of products including explosives, perfume, soaps and more. This was a major source of revenue for the governing Lairds of the Islands.
There is a recently refurbished museum in Scalloway telling the history of the fishing booms in herring, then cod followed by haddock. All that is now history and there is now only one trawler working out of the port. Much of the museum is devoted to the dramatic WWII exploits of The Shetland Bus. When Germany invaded Norway in 1942 many Norwegians escaped in fishing boats and most headed for the Shetlands. Over the next three years Norwegian sailors took fishing boats to Norway from Scalloway loaded with small arms, sabotage experts and radios. On the return trip they brought out refugees fleeing the Gestapo. The Norwegian Resistance tied up twelve battalions of Germans as Hitler become more convinced that England intended to launch an offensive in Norway. The Resistance blew up the German heavy water plant and put an end to German's development of an atomic bomb. To avoid German surveillance most of the to and fro traffic was in the winter months and many lives were lost to the fierce winter storms of the Norwegian Sea.
We have been to the Shetlands on other trips, but never to the west coast. We have only stopped at Lerwick en route to somewhere. So this time we are looking forward to one or two weeks of exploring the islands and bays of the northern Shetlands, visiting some of the old fishing villages and seeing some of the spectacular bird nesting cliffs.
Friday, 15 June 2012
Shapinsay, Orkney Isalnds
There was a forecast short period of light NE winds on June 9/10 so we made an overnight 110 mile passage from Loch Laxford, around Cape Wrath and then NE to the Orkney Islands arriving at the western end of Eynhallow Sound at 11:45 just as the tide turned favourable to carry us the final 15 miles through the rather tortuous channel down to Kirkwall, the principle town in the Orkney's. The following day the wind piped up again...15-20 knots from the NE. Southern U.K. has been lashed by rain and strong winds for the past month as one low pressure system after another comes up the Channel or the Irish Sea. Meanwhile, the north of Scotland has had reasonably fine weather and NE winds.
It has been thirty years since we were last in the Orkney's and much has changed....for the better. The rich soil of these low windswept islands have always yielded a good farm living. Much better than in nearby stony, rather barren, Scotland and Norway. The Pict's from Scotland took over the Islands from 500AD to 800AD only to be conquered by the Vikings from Norway and Denmark who settled here and used the islands as a base for annual raids down the west coast of Scotland and around Ireland. The islands are rich in archeological sites. The most famous is Skara Brae, a collection of interconnected low stone houses dating back to early Neolithic times (3100BC). It was partially uncovered by a big storm in 1850 that swept away the sand dunes covering the village and surrounding middens. Subsequent excavation revealed a treasure-trove of stone and bone implements. We took a bus trip out to Skara Brae on the western side of the Main Island and on the way back we took a tour of Maes Howe (2900BC), a burial mound, 24 feet high and 110 feet across. The large central chamber is capped by stone slabs, some weighing up to 30 tons. The whole structure was covered in water-proofing clay and then grass sod. The entrance is positioned so that sunset on the winter solstice shines a beam of light up the narrow low entrance tunnel and into the main chamber. A 40 minute walk away is the Ring of Brodgar, 60 standing stones (only 36 now standing)in a 310 foot diameter circle created around 2500BC, five hundred years before Stonehenge!
Kirkwall is dominated by the huge, red stone St. Magnus Cathedral built in 1137 and still very much in use. Nearby, an excellent museum traces the occupation of the Islands through Neolithic to Bronze and Iron Ages and on to the history of the feudal control by a succession of Scottish Lairds after the gift of the Orkney's to Scotland when James V of Scotland married a Danish Princess.
There is a strong connection between the Orkney's and Canada. In the 18th century the Hudson Bay Company ships stopped here to take on crew and employees who signed on to work five year stints in the Company's trading posts across the Canadian north. John Rae, the famous explorer and the man who found the fate of John Franklin came from here.
Yesterday we moved 3 miles to a lovely sandy bay on the south side of the island of Shapinsay to sit out a nasty low that is tracking up the North Sea and will give us Force 6 NE winds tomorrow. In southern England several famous outdoor annual mid-June festivals have had to be cancelled. The land is too sodden!!
The Orkney's are rich in birds, both nesting and migratory, so today we took a long walk to one of the many RSPB R.e.serves to do a little birding. Along the way we got talking to the locals about farming. Shapinsay is famous for its Aberdeen Angus cattle. They fetch good prices in the UK as attested to by the substantial farm houses and new cars on the island. We plan to visit other Islands many of which we have been told also have well-to-do farming communities. All the islands are now connected by ferries and all have good community facilities, schools etc.
It has been thirty years since we were last in the Orkney's and much has changed....for the better. The rich soil of these low windswept islands have always yielded a good farm living. Much better than in nearby stony, rather barren, Scotland and Norway. The Pict's from Scotland took over the Islands from 500AD to 800AD only to be conquered by the Vikings from Norway and Denmark who settled here and used the islands as a base for annual raids down the west coast of Scotland and around Ireland. The islands are rich in archeological sites. The most famous is Skara Brae, a collection of interconnected low stone houses dating back to early Neolithic times (3100BC). It was partially uncovered by a big storm in 1850 that swept away the sand dunes covering the village and surrounding middens. Subsequent excavation revealed a treasure-trove of stone and bone implements. We took a bus trip out to Skara Brae on the western side of the Main Island and on the way back we took a tour of Maes Howe (2900BC), a burial mound, 24 feet high and 110 feet across. The large central chamber is capped by stone slabs, some weighing up to 30 tons. The whole structure was covered in water-proofing clay and then grass sod. The entrance is positioned so that sunset on the winter solstice shines a beam of light up the narrow low entrance tunnel and into the main chamber. A 40 minute walk away is the Ring of Brodgar, 60 standing stones (only 36 now standing)in a 310 foot diameter circle created around 2500BC, five hundred years before Stonehenge!
Kirkwall is dominated by the huge, red stone St. Magnus Cathedral built in 1137 and still very much in use. Nearby, an excellent museum traces the occupation of the Islands through Neolithic to Bronze and Iron Ages and on to the history of the feudal control by a succession of Scottish Lairds after the gift of the Orkney's to Scotland when James V of Scotland married a Danish Princess.
There is a strong connection between the Orkney's and Canada. In the 18th century the Hudson Bay Company ships stopped here to take on crew and employees who signed on to work five year stints in the Company's trading posts across the Canadian north. John Rae, the famous explorer and the man who found the fate of John Franklin came from here.
Yesterday we moved 3 miles to a lovely sandy bay on the south side of the island of Shapinsay to sit out a nasty low that is tracking up the North Sea and will give us Force 6 NE winds tomorrow. In southern England several famous outdoor annual mid-June festivals have had to be cancelled. The land is too sodden!!
The Orkney's are rich in birds, both nesting and migratory, so today we took a long walk to one of the many RSPB R.e.serves to do a little birding. Along the way we got talking to the locals about farming. Shapinsay is famous for its Aberdeen Angus cattle. They fetch good prices in the UK as attested to by the substantial farm houses and new cars on the island. We plan to visit other Islands many of which we have been told also have well-to-do farming communities. All the islands are now connected by ferries and all have good community facilities, schools etc.
Monday, 4 June 2012
Summer Isles
This weekend, Whit, is usually taken as the beginning of summer in the UK. It is certainly so here in northern Scotland. The high pressure continues, the wind stays from the NE, no rain. Not so in southern England. It rained on the magnificent Thames River pageant which we watched on a big screen TV in a warm sunny pub in Ullapool along with a happy crowd there to drink it all in and especially to cheer on their own Ullapool four man gig that had gone down (by road) to row in the 1,000 boat flotilla. All good fun with lots of home cooked cakes, scones etc., kids running wild in dress-up "royal" costumes, rowing machines etc. Ullapool is a friendly place full of interesting welcoming people. Many are not from here but are attracted by the lifestyle....lots of community activities, two excellent book shops, great access to wilderness, including the nearby Summer Isles which must be one of the best kayaking locations in the UK. Winding waterways, big tide range (12 feet), many sandy beaches.
We spent three days in Ullapool, some of which was taken up with repairing the windlass. When we were retrieving the anchor in Inverewe the windlass gave out a horrible grinding, grating groan and stopped. The motor had fallen off, the spindle had fallen out and oil was running out. Three 6 mm bolts that hold the heavy motor in place had pulled out. We went to Ullapool and rushed to telephone the windlass manufacturer in Norway for their suggestions. It was Friday afternoon before a long weekend. Thankfully we got the boss who emailed instructions for disassembling the windlass, refilling it with oil and the suggestion that the three 6 mm be replaced with 8 mm bolts. Fifteen years ago it would have been easy to find a machine shop in Ullapool that was servicing the then thriving fishing fleet. Today all that is no more. The nearest help would be a 2 hour bus ride to Inverness. Well it so happened that in Oban I had spent a day showing a young man (and his wife and two littl'uns) how to sail their recently purchased 45 foot yacht. Their previous boat was 24 feet. They were most grateful. His father is a fisherman (langostines and crab) out of Ullapool so we called for advice. Two hours later we were having drinks in a pub with the father, his wife and a friend who had the required tapping tools and a drill press. Eight AM the next morning he picked me and the windlass up at the dock and off we went to an old stone barn that was now used by him and a friend building wooden boats. There, amidst the lovely smells of wood chips, oils and varnish we did "the necessary" and the windlass is again fully functional. Later that morning everyone came out to the boat for coffee. The fisherman and wife told how grateful they were for the help given their son, the boat builder was delighted to explore Taonui as he is in the process of restoring a 45 foot steel yacht, and we were more that happy to have the machining work done and that afternoon we all gathered at the pub to watch the Pageant on the Thames. There is an accepted truth amongst yachties "what goes around comes around".
Earlier last week we visited the world famous gardens at Inverewe. Masses of rhododendrons of all colours, tall mature trees from around the world and a carefully tended walled garden of flowers and vegetables...and with the warm weather, midge's!!. These are even smaller than no-see-ums and can they bite!
We spent three days in Ullapool, some of which was taken up with repairing the windlass. When we were retrieving the anchor in Inverewe the windlass gave out a horrible grinding, grating groan and stopped. The motor had fallen off, the spindle had fallen out and oil was running out. Three 6 mm bolts that hold the heavy motor in place had pulled out. We went to Ullapool and rushed to telephone the windlass manufacturer in Norway for their suggestions. It was Friday afternoon before a long weekend. Thankfully we got the boss who emailed instructions for disassembling the windlass, refilling it with oil and the suggestion that the three 6 mm be replaced with 8 mm bolts. Fifteen years ago it would have been easy to find a machine shop in Ullapool that was servicing the then thriving fishing fleet. Today all that is no more. The nearest help would be a 2 hour bus ride to Inverness. Well it so happened that in Oban I had spent a day showing a young man (and his wife and two littl'uns) how to sail their recently purchased 45 foot yacht. Their previous boat was 24 feet. They were most grateful. His father is a fisherman (langostines and crab) out of Ullapool so we called for advice. Two hours later we were having drinks in a pub with the father, his wife and a friend who had the required tapping tools and a drill press. Eight AM the next morning he picked me and the windlass up at the dock and off we went to an old stone barn that was now used by him and a friend building wooden boats. There, amidst the lovely smells of wood chips, oils and varnish we did "the necessary" and the windlass is again fully functional. Later that morning everyone came out to the boat for coffee. The fisherman and wife told how grateful they were for the help given their son, the boat builder was delighted to explore Taonui as he is in the process of restoring a 45 foot steel yacht, and we were more that happy to have the machining work done and that afternoon we all gathered at the pub to watch the Pageant on the Thames. There is an accepted truth amongst yachties "what goes around comes around".
Earlier last week we visited the world famous gardens at Inverewe. Masses of rhododendrons of all colours, tall mature trees from around the world and a carefully tended walled garden of flowers and vegetables...and with the warm weather, midge's!!. These are even smaller than no-see-ums and can they bite!
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