Fairwinds 2005

Day 12 – Pierrowall – Papa Westray – 8 miles

Left the pontoon without incident and headed towards Papa Westray (or Papay as the locals call it). Lightish breeze from dead aft so we motor-sailed with headsail assistance – needed to charge the batteries, as I was beginning to suspect that the wind generator was not doing the business.

As we came round into South Wick between Papay and Holm of Papay the wind picked up and we accelerated in through increasingly shallow water – for the last mile we were never in more than three metres. Picked up the big red visitors’ mooring (marked ‘Visiting Yachts and rated to 18 tonnes). An astonishingly early arrival for us – on the mooring buoy at one o’ clock! So – time for lunch then ashore to explore.

Looked in at the craft shop and post office (‘Daybreak’), which is run by a German woman who has been on the island for six years. She hand knits astoundingly coloured socks, and only innate meanness and poverty prevented me buying a pair. A large map of the world with pins stuck all over from South Georgia to the Phillipines is entitled ‘Papay socks are trotting the world’. Margit also showed us a book with pictures of all the people on the island in 2000 (some 67 souls at the time the book was made) – and shortly afterwards one of the inhabitants she had pointed out came hobbling in for her pension and gave us a truly magnificent scowl before profoundly ignoring us. Margit also told us about Pub Night on Saturdays. It now being Friday we wondered whether another day’s stay might be in order.

Off then to Holland farm and the Bothy Museum, then down to Knap of Howar, a superbly preserved Neolithic farmhouse, and along the shore to the restored 12th Century St. Boniface’s Kirk, then back past the airfield (shortest scheduled flight in the world – Westray – Papa Westray, scheduled flight time 2 minutes but once done in 58 seconds). We were just in time to catch the shop. It is a community co-op and stocked with all manner of fine things. We purchased some pieces of pork marinaded in chilli and lemon from Fletts, the excellent butcher in Stromness, and some locally grown strawberries.

Back on the boat we were still in active mode and after a beer and a snack took the dinghy over to Holm of Papay. It had a wild feel to it, with seabirds screaming and wheeling menacingly overhead. At the South end of this small island which protects the anchorage there is a chambered burial cairn from Neolithic times. There is a trapdoor and a ladder; excavations in the thirties resulted in the place being given a concrete roof and skylights, so you can see well enough in the main chamber, although the ten smaller chambers where the bones or bodies were placed are pitch black. Kathy at first was reluctant to descend into the tomb, but I convinced her she would not be claustrophobic, so she climbed down the ladder. To my amazement she even crawled through the tiny gap into the end chamber, where one of the stone lintels into the actual burial chambers has an eyebrow carving. I found a small bone (maybe a vole?) and kept it as my Neolithic tomb souvenir.

By the time we returned to Fairwinds we were more than ready for the pork and strawberries. What an excellent, gourmet meal it was – with some red wine and a dram and coffee to finish, and so to bed.