Fairwinds 2005

Day 16 - Kirkwall

Extraordinary how long everything takes . . . by the time we had showered at the yacht club, dropped washing off at the launderette and gone to the internet café and Somerfields it was time to come back to the boat for a very late lunch, then off for a bit of quick sightseeing before picking up the washing. (The very nice girl in the launderette pointed out that we could save a couple of quid by doing it ourselves instead of getting a service wash, but . . . . nah . . . we decided to splash out). Just time for a quick look round the excellent museum (free admission) and the very impressive cathedral.

Decided to stay in Kirkwall another day as the forecast was not impressive, and booked a hire car. However, we then decided that if the wind was strong Northerly as previously forecast we might not be wise to leave the boat unattended all day, so decided to review the situation when we got the Orkney Harbours forecast at quarter past nine in the morning.

(Kirkwall Marina was constructed at great expense behind a fancy new breakwater that left a gap with the old pier. This gap faces an eight mile fetch in a Northerly. The first marina flexed horrendously and started to fall apart in a Northerly gale shortly after it was finished, to cries of ‘I told you so’ from all the local yachtsmen and fishermen, who were not consulted by the ‘experts’ who designed it. It has been resited temporarily in the SE corner tucked in behind the new breakwater, but in strong winds from N to NE the swell is still reflected off the rear wall and can send the pontoons snaking and bouncing in an alarming manner. After wave tank testing a new dog-leg extension to the old pier is now being built at further enormous expense, and it is hoped that this will cure the problem. This will be in place for next season).

Back to the boat for food then watched dinghies racing in the bay for a while before going up to the Sailing Club to check out the bar. Met a bunch of Aberdonians (two toonsers], a teuchter and one ancient mariner who wasn’t saying). They were heading South to Findochty on the early morning tide, a sensible sort of passage given the forecast.