Fairwinds 2005

Day 15 – Eday – Kirkwall 19 miles

The tides said there was no point in leaving for Kirkwall untikl about three in the afternoon, so after a breakfast of two small unidentified fish caught on a spinner the night before we decided to take the dinghy over to the Calf of Eday, described in one of the guides as ‘one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Britain’. Taking the dinghy across the fiercly flowing tide was a little nerve wracking but the trusty Yamaha never faltered and we dragged the  dinghy up the kelp covered boulders below the ruins of trhe 17th century saltworks. The remains of chambered tombs and an iron age farmhouse were easy to find, and as we walked up the broad back of the island it was obvious that this had been a large settlement inthose dim and distant times. Hundreds of disturbed seabirds scraiked and wheeled above us, and one particular beast – a skua of some variety  I think - repeatedly attacked us with scary head-on strafing runs. We hightailed it out of their nesting area and walked along the shore to a small beach, disturbing dozens of huge basking seals, who lolloped into the water and all lined up, a row of heads, to examine these unusual visitors.

Returning to the boat we rapidly deflated the dinghy – we had towed it down from Papay, but I was not prepared to tow it across the top of the somewhat unpredictable Stronsay Firth. We motored off the mooring at 15.25, and ten minutes later were making good speed on a broad reach under all plain sail. Once round the bottom of Eday I poled out the genoa as the reach got broader and we struggled to make headway on our diagonal track across the tide towards Shapinsay and Vasa Sound. On our desired track our VMG was down to under a knot, so I rounded up a little and broad reached as fast as possible across the main tidal stream, heading for the relatively tideless waters to the North of Shapinsay. Finally, now goosewinged and with the engine doing its best to assist us, we just clawed our way clear of a wee rost  developing off Holm Taing and into the shelter of Veantrow Bay.

We motor sailed as far as the North Cardinal off Galt Skerry, then cut just inside it and enjoyed a fast sail down Vasa Sound. The channel is narrow, but the leading line – St.Magnus Cathedral spire in line with the SW tip of Shapinsay – is incredibly easy to see. At the narrowest point of the channel one of the Northlink ferries caught us up and had to reduce speed substantially and follow us through the Sound, swinging past with a wave once we were past the beacon.  

Coming into Kirkwall we were waved into an inner berth in the marina by someone saying ‘have my berth, you’ll be snug here’. Kirkwall marina has a problem with Northerlies, of which more later.

We had haggis and then went for a wander about, although it was getting dark by now. Ended up having a pint int the lounge bar of the Kirkwall Hotel, but had to finish it and leave to avoid further extremely dull conversation from the barman, a Lancastrian who didn’t want to be there. And so to bed – tomorrow, showers, laundry and the internet café . . . and perhaps a bit of sightseeing.