Fairwinds 2005

Day 17 - Kirkwall

Orkney Harbours forecast 20 knots gusting 30 NW going Northerly, so we phoned Orkney Motors and cancelled the car hire. In the event the wind stayed resolutely in thte NW and we would have been OK, although it did get a bit bouncy and we hung ourselves off the pontoon with lines to the empty (upwind) finger opposite.

Met up with Orion21, a local YBW Scuttlebutter (real name Geordie) who now owns a Trapper 300 based in the marina. He very helpfully took me to get diesel and gas, much appreciated as it is an enormous trek to anywhere from the marina’s current (temporary) location. Ihad a look at this boat, a real Tardis of a 26 footer. He has Sailspar single line reefing the same as Fairwinds’, and it was interesting to hear that he has had similar problems with the full genoa suddenly unfurling in strong winds when you really don’t want it. He is, like us, thinking of fitting twin jammers to stop this. (The problem with the system is that both ends of the endless line have to be cleated off firmly in strong winds - not always easy, and opten requiring three hands).

Geordie also took us for a mini-tour round and about Kirkwall and out to Scapa pier for a look at Scapa Flow, before dropping us off at the internet café where I hoped to plug my laptop into the café’s network and upload this blog to date. This was only marginally successful, but eventually I managed to upload most of it while Kathy went to Somerfield for more supplies.

We went out for Orkney patties and chips (a patty seems to be some sort of deep fried stovies come bridie-filling, tastier than it sounds). A remarkably cheap supper followed by a pint of Red MacGregor in the public bar of the Queens Hotel, yet another boring and unprepossessing pub - we have yet to find a decent watering hole in Orkney, which seems to be stuck in the era of grubby Calvinism when it comes to pub décor.