In Dry Dock for Repair

That's me in dry dock, not Ruach, but more of that later.

I spent a few days in Kinlochbervie, again either too much wind or not enough wind.  On the last day stuck in port Barry offered to take myself and two other stormbound sailors for a trip by road to some of the local lochs and anchorages, ending up for a drink at the far side of the bridge at Kylesku. What a fantastic cruising ground this is, set in spectacular scenery.

Looking towards the Bad Call Islands

I'm not sure how to title this picture, Maybe "last of the summer wine" as Barry, left is 67, Maurice centre is 82 and Jim on the right is just not telling"(More of Jim later), maybe "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" but I'm not naming who is who. Whatever they are called we had a great day out

Looking towards the Handa Island Wildlife Sanctuary from Tarbet

The following day it was a seven am kick off for the trip across the Minch to Stornoway. Four yachts departed at roughly the same time, Maurice peeled away left to savour the lochs and anchorages we had spied the previous day, leaving three yachts to continue the fifty mile crossing. 

Farewell Kinlochbervie

We were soon widely dispersed as I had had my sails up since leaving Loch Inchard whereas the other two had set off and continued under engine alone. In truth I was being wildly optimistic as the winds were very light, at one point my instruments indicated I was to arrive in Stornoway at 10am, not the same day, not the next even, but the following day. I admitted defeat and fired up the iron topsail. To keep fuel consumption to a minimum for what was going to be a bit of a marathon crossing I set the throttle to push me along at 4.5 knots, this was fine for a few hours until the engine started to overheat, not dangerously so, but hotter than usual. I lifted the engine hatch to see an animated fountain of salty water spraying droplets all over the inside of the engine bay. Was this to be the first major mechanical breakdown of what has been so far a trouble free trip? (Erm, no, not the first because what I haven't told you so far is that I haven't had astern available to me since I left Elie in the Firth of Forth, several hundred miles ago. It has all been avante! avante! But that is another storey) 

I discovered the fault was with the raw water pump, it looked like a bearing or seal had failed, so I reasoned that as the pump was still pumping I could continue as long as I kept monitoring the situation, resting the engine whenever a zepher came along or as needed. My logic for this course of action was that anywhere within striking distance on the mainland was probably less equipped to deal with this type of problem than Stornoway, the capitol of the Western Isles.

On we plodded eating up the miles. I broke out the Ukulele for light relief from the hum of the motor. That was a first for this trip, playing the Uke while under-way. 

At first I couldn't see the Island chain which is the Outer Hebrides, but I knew where they were because of the line of clouds that gave away their existence. Then a few peaks appeared followed by a long low blip on the forward horizon. The hills behind me faded into blue/grey washes on misty blue canvas of sky before slipping away over the horizon astern.

About six miles out from Stornoway Dolphins came to play with me. My filming of this is not great, I couldn't see a thing in the view finder as the sun was so bright, the camera was on the wrong setting half the time, I was far far too excited, but the experience was brilliant!

Sailing with Dolphins   

Taking something like 14 hours to complete the crossing while nursing a sick engine was some achievement. 

Another impressive achievement was on the following day stripping down the old pump to see what parts would be needed, aided and abetted by Jim (The blind leading the blind). finding that this pump was of a much older vintage than the manual I had for it. A worst case scenario was going to be a complete new pump, which of course "they don't make 'em like that any more", and the replacement costing the thick end of £200, plus carriage to the islands, plus whatever odds and ends would be needed to connect the new pump to the old fittings, then of course plus the dreaded value added tax at 20%, only to find the problem seems to be a blockage in the greaser tube. I may still need to replace a small plastic bush at about £6 plus shipping and tax and it has cost me the skin off my knuckles and a days labour, but I now know more about my boat and at this time I am one happy bunny.

However, that was yesterday as they say. Now the reason for the title to this update. I woke up Monday morning, quite early for me, hands and feet like icebergs but with a head as hot as fire, and oh how I ached.

Thankfully after going for a walk to try to get my temperature to equalise between head and feet I realised I had been here before, I suspected that the flu like symptoms were coming from an infection called cellulitus. Because of the raging temperature I knew I needed to get to a doctor ASAP before I started to speak total gobbledegook (worse than normal that is). Harbour office to get docs appointment, taxi to medical centre, ages waiting for the doctor; I could feel 'me' slipping away. Once with the doc I blurted out what was going on, what I diagnosed and what I needed, that was the max dose antibiotic treatment she could prescribe for me now! Thankfully she was very understanding (I bet doctors hate patients who think they know best).  She also tried to get me into the hospital for observation as I was alone on the boat with a fairly serious illness, but there was no room for me there. In which case she arranged to call me later to monitor how I was progressing. Finally back to the boat via the chemist for sleep. 

At the boat I was met by Jim and some people from the Maritime Festival. Mandy, one of the organisers took one look at me and said when she completed doing her stint at the Festival she would return and whisk me away to a land based bed to recover. 

Little did I know what other plans were being put into operation. Nancy, who goes to my Church in Livingston, was visiting her daughter Allison and family who have recently moved to Stornoway. Penny, my wife, txt'd Nancy asking if Allison knew of anyone who could put me up for a few days as the hotels and B&Bs are full due to the HebCeltFest, Tall Ships and Maritime Festival all taking place this week. (I had met Allison, Paddy and the three boys the day previous for the first time and I knew that they already had a full'ish house with Nancy staying there too). The first thing I knew was being woken from sleep by the sound of my mobile phone, to hear Allison tell me she was coming to pick me up. Poor Alan, at 16 and a half, turfed out of his bed and this poor old bloke he hardly knew had taken over his room. For the next three days I lay there only raising for visits to the doctors and calls of nature. Alan, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your sacrifice. To Donald and Ian too, all three of you being pushed into the one room for an indeterminable period for me, you have my thanks. 

On the fourth day a significant improvement. Now slightly more compos mentis. I'm able to write this blog, that's just where I'm up to now. I am totally indebted to Paddy and Allison for opening their home so readily. I'm their first non-family guest here on the island, but now I feel like part of the family.

So far while here I've missed the majority of the Maritime Festival, missed the arrival of most of the Tall Ships and the start of the HebCeltFest. But such is life eh. 

I guess it may yet be a few days before I have anything more to blog about. So your inboxes will receive a well earned rest while I continue my recovery.

For me, time now for pills, five four times a day is my prescription!!!

If anyone out there is having trouble donating at the justgiving sites (behind company firewalls, don't trust the internet with my card details or just don't want to give that way, etc) you can mail me a cheque direct. To do this just send me an email and I'll send you the details.

Don't forget to drop me a note at onpassage@dhippey.co.uk to sign up to be informed when blog updates appear.

Please share this site with your friends and family

( Especially the rich ones :-)  )

If you came to this blog from the main website www.eventoftheyear.co.uk you will hopefully have had a look around the site and be aware of what I'm up to, both the adventure itself and the fact that I'm aiming to raise awareness of dementia in our society and to raise money for the Alzheimer's charities.

I'm doing this trip for fun and funding the trip myself, but while I'm on this venture you can do your bit to by supporting the Alzheimer's charities through either www.justgiving.com/david-hippey or www.justgiving.com/david-hippey-scotland

Catch you next time.

Regards,

David H.

Cape Wrath

Todays Factoid - Cape Wrath, sounds frightening doesn't it. Well it is a place that can have angry tides, it's where Atlantic storms roll in un-impeded from the US, Canada and the tip of Greenland, with over 3000 miles of fetch. To confuse the waters even more, the tides that run up the west side of our little island tend to flow in in a North Easterly direction and ebb out to the South West. At Cape Wrath these tidal flows meet and fight for dominance with the Atlantic flow.
However for all that Cape Wrath doesn't mean Angry Cape. Wrath is a corruption from the Norse word hvarf, meaning turning place, the point where Vikings used to turn east for home or south to the Hebrides. A similar meaning to Cape in fact. So Cape Wrath means Cape Cape. (So good they named it twice). But as Private Frazer from Dad's Army was wont to say, 'it's a wild and lonely place'

From a sailing point of view in a small boat, the worst thing about Cape Wrath is its remoteness. From leaving Loch Eriboll there is almost nowhere to hide if it turns nasty until reaching Loch Inchard with Kinlochbervie tucked into its northern shore over thirty miles distant. Comparing this with Duncansby Head, the previous 'big corner' top right of the map, which has safe havens just a couple of miles either side of the point.

I set my alarm for six am to get me on the move for six-thirty. I wanted to reach Faraid Head off Durness by nine. Best laid plans and all that. When I arose the wind was coming hard from the North, totally the wrong direction. Still I thought I could still make the appointed time if I motored out of Eriboll. As I progressed North out of Eriboll The winds went light, then went West (Bad for my trip), went South West (even worse), then died completely. Where was the forecast Easterly? I arrived at Farraid Head just as a little Easterly sneaked into the wind. The water off the head was as lumpy as school mashed potatos. Glad I'd kept my sea legs handy.
I began to doubt I could make the the next seven miles to the Cape if it continued like this. Ruach was dropping into holes then pointing into the air to slam down onto the back of the next wave.
Thankfully past the head things calmed down and I started to make reasonable progress.

A first sight of Cape Wrath after passing the lumpy water off Faraid Head  

By the time I got to the Cape itself there was just a long Atlantic swell and a wind well astern. The sun shone and the grin widened. I was here, I WAS HERE! I passed close in to the Cape, between it and Duslic rock. The long swell was breaking over the rock as it passed. The Cape towered over to my left, at around 400 feet (122m) the cliffs here are some of the highest in the UK.

Cape Wrath

Cape Wrath behind me!

Once passed the Cape I continued South towards Loch Inchard. Coming in the opposite direction was the Hebridean Princess. This vessel is an old CalMac ferry which on retirement was converted to be a luxury small cruise liner that is charted by the rich and the famous. It is reported that this was the 'secret location' that a certain royal couple spent their short honeymoon on earlier this year. However who was on her at this time remains a secret.

The Hebridean Princess

As I approach Loch Inchard I spied another gaff rigged yacht coming out. This turned out to be the yacht 'kipper' built in Whitby on the English East Coast. Her skipper is Barry Pearson, who was the nephew of the controversial artist Stephen Pearson. Barry is also an artist (among many other talents). You can see some of his work here

'Kipper'

Over the next few days the weather couldn't make up its mind, it was either too windy or no wind at all, so Ruach took root in the harbour at Kinlochbervie. On one windless evening I went out on 'kipper' for a cruise down loch Inchard with Barry. The water is so clear and the edges of the loch are so free of obstruction that as we went down the loch we could have reached out and touched the sides. Barry tells me that at the right state of tide he will do this and pull a pan full muscles from the rocks. We spent a very pleasant evening creeping up on the local flora and fauna.

View from my pontoon mooring - Kinlochbervie

Well now, on passing Cape Wrath phase one of my trip is over. I have achieved what I set out to do.

I have taken my little ship over the top of Scotland!

No longer 'David goes over the top!', now 'David has gone over the top!'

The next phase is to explore some of the islands around the Hebrides and visit some of the Lochs along this shore. I hope to participate in the Hebridean Maritime Festival in Stornoway which is run at the same time'ish as the Heb Celt Fest. If you are at either of these events pop by Ruach and say 'Hi'


If anyone out there is having trouble donating at the justgiving sites (behind company firewalls, don't trust the internet with my card details or just don't want to give that way, etc) you can mail me a cheque direct. To do this just send me an email and I'll send you the details.

Don't forget to drop me a note at onpassage@dhippey.co.uk to sign up to be informed when blog updates appear.

Please share this site with your friends and family
( Especially the rich ones :-)  )

If you came to this blog from the main website www.eventoftheyear.co.uk you will hopefully have had a look around the site and be aware of what I'm up to, both the adventure itself and the fact that I'm aiming to raise awareness of dementia in our society and to raise money for the Alzheimer's charities.
I'm doing this trip for fun and funding the trip myself, but while I'm on this venture you can do your bit to by supporting the Alzheimer's charities through either www.justgiving.com/david-hippey or www.justgiving.com/david-hippey-scotland

Catch you next time.

Regards,
David H.

Skullomie and 'Orrible Eriboll

I spent a few idyllic days in Skullomie, taking in the scenery and enjoying the remoteness. I had mobile phone signal if I wandered off up the hill, but only the barest trickle of internet access enough for the odd mail home. I was getting t'internet withdrawal symptoms.

I had moored at the head of the harbour over a smooth mud & sand bottom, so at low water Ruach dried out while waiting to be lifted by the next tide. The winds came mainly from the South West which meant I was totally protected in the harbour. The raising and falling of the tides was done with such gentleness that it never once disturbed my sleep. I just woke occasionally with this strange sensation of my head being lower than my feet when I moored the boat with the bows were pointing North.

Oystercatchers combed the intertidal line just feet from my cockpit. Different types of small fish competed for food amongst the seaweed in the shadow of my keel. All fascinating to watch. Sheep bleated across the bay and cows gave a long low moo at milking time up the hill. It was like being a million miles from nowhere.

Today's Factoid - Skullomie, pretty as it is, was only built for one purpose. It was never built as a fishing harbour, or even a supply harbour for the old VIC boats. The purpose of the harbour was to load boats full of a human cargo as part of the Scottish clearances.

One evening, about five o'clock, I decided to take a sail over to Talmine where my wife Penny and I had spent a land-based holiday some years previous. I sailed out North East past the tip of the Rabbit Islands, it was a really nice wind, the sails were pulling well over the flat calm sea. Ruach egged me on to keep going North East and I egged Ruach on, although unplanned maybe, just maybe, we were going to round Whiten Head and get into Loch Eriboll instead of reaching Talmine. Eight miles out and just about peeping into the entrance of Loch Eriboll the tide turned with a strength that said NO. So I turned Ruach's head around and we romped back across a now rolling sea to Skullomie like two naughty school children. We averaged 3.5 knots out and 6.5 knots back on almost a reciprocal track.

While I've been out in the wilderness I've not been idle. I had said that I intend bringing Ruach back in a better condition than when I left. So see the before and after shots below and see what you think?

Before.....

.....After

Just a start, plenty more to do!!

Today's Factoid 2 - In the eighteenth century the Kyle of Tongue was the scene of a sea battle between a French and a British battleship. It transpires that the British vessel won the skirmish and the French surrendered. But the irony of this is that both vessels were captained by the Irish Captains.

This leg of the trip over the North shore of this land has been remarkably remote with only one vessel spotted in the whole week since leaving Wick.

Ships that pass in the night day

The following day, the day I had originally set aside as the day to nip round to Loch Eriboll, or Loch 'Orrible as the seamen used to call it as they waited while mustering an Atlantic convoy in the war, the wind was fair so again I took the North East track past the Rabbit isles to Whiten Head and into the Loch. Once away from the Head and it's powerful tides I had a gentle run into the loch to Anchor on the South side of Ard Neckie. This Loch is quite spectacular for it's features. Pinnacle stacks of rock stand sentinel over the entrance, followed by caves on its north Eastern shore, then further in the shores widen with both high and low vistas. This was much different from the Loch 'Orrible I had imagined. I was very grateful in the security of the replacement anchor I had obtained in Wick as the main Danforth anchor I had brought with me had been bent in a blow way back in Elie which seems like years ago.

Whiten Head - Loch Eriboll

Caves - Loch Eriboll

My time in Eriboll was all to brief as the conditions the following day were perfect for an assult on Cape Wrath. 

        ........But more of that next time.

If anyone out there is having trouble donating at the justgiving sites (behind company firewalls, don't trust the internet with my card details or just don't want to give that way, etc) you can mail me a cheque direct. To do this just send me an email and I'll send you the details.

Don't forget to drop me a note at onpassage@dhippey.co.uk to sign up to be informed when blog updates appear.

Please share this site with your friends and family
( Especially the rich ones :-)  )

If you came to this blog from the main website www.eventoftheyear.co.uk you will hopefully have had a look around the site and be aware of what I'm up to, both the adventure itself and the fact that I'm aiming to raise awareness of dementia in our society and to raise money for the Alzheimer's charities.
I'm doing this trip for fun and funding the trip myself, but while I'm on this venture you can do your bit to by supporting the Alzheimer's charities through either www.justgiving.com/david-hippey or www.justgiving.com/david-hippey-scotland

Catch you next time.

Regards,
David H.

Finally round the bend!

Promising sky the evening before setting off from Wick

I was (almost) up when I heard Andrew and a friend come down the pontoon. Yes, finally it looked like the weather was 'on' for this morning. A very light Northerly going wind met us in the bay, but there were some very black clouds to the South. Mudlark lead the way out of Wick harbour and once in the bay we both made sail, this was definitely going to be a topsail day.
I've annotated the sketch below to help the less nautically minded (Is that okay Bianca?)

Mudlark off Wick

It's been good having another Crabber around but, after playing together for a while towards Noss Head, I realised that if I were to make my appointment with the tide at the Pentland Firth I needed to head off. So with a wave I left Mudlark and headed North. The wind had filled in just a little and I was being chased by the rain. We were progressing at about 2.5 knots against the last of the South going tide. Unfortunately with this progress we were going to be late for our appointment so I started the engine to give me the required 4.5 knots to make my rendezvous at Duncansby Head. The wind sometimes came then died away along with the rain showers that still trailed me, so the engine went alternately on and off, just too keep up my average speed. It looked like I was keeping up with the front of the rain clouds too as I could see more persistent rain falling over the land astern and to port.

Duncansby Stacks

Duncansby Head

Just past Duncansby Stacks, as Ruach and I approached Duncansby Head the water got quite choppy and confused, the wind again had gone very light, so yet again it was on with the motor for the few hundred yards it took to get me to the head. On rounding the head the wind was still from the South so it became a gentle broad reach in flat calm water. I guess I was sailing through the water at about 2.5 knots, but due to the tides through the Pentland Firth in actual fact Ruach was flying at an unprecedented 10 knots. The only time Ruach has ever done over 10 knots before will have been on her road trailer. 

John O'Groats

Within a matter of minutes we were at that imposter of the far North - John O'Groats. It used to boast that it was "the furthest North you can get by road", but in recent years it has changed its boast to "Our claim to fame: Not the most northern village... but the northerly end of the longest distance between two points on the British mainland. Land's End being the other". 

Eh? Not only does this mouthful hardly trip off the tongue, but now it barely even makes sense.

How about this one for them "John O'Groats, not quite as far North as you can get" See, much easier and factually correct.

Dodging between the mainland and the island of Stroma, my next obstacle was the Merry Men O' Mey; this is an area of confused water that can be extremely dangerous in a West going tide. They run North West from the 'Men of Mey' Rocks to the island of Hoy. For me though today they were only doing a gentle dance which hardly impeded  my progress.

Passing Dunnet Head, the real 'most Northerly point on the British mainland', I had planned to turn into Thurso Bay and spend a night in Scrabster, but because of the fantastic progress made with wind and tide working in concert it was still only 11:30, not even lunchtime. At this time I was also still racing along at 8 knots so I pressed on. My next potential stopover was the remote Sandside Bay, a little past the Sphere of the Dounreay atomic power station. By now I had slowed to a sedate 5.8 knots (Usually for Ruach this would be a fast 5.8 knots) and it was still only 13:30. I calculated that if I were prepared do take a couple of hours of foul tide on the nose at the end of the day I could press on and make it to the Kyle of Tongue, 62 miles from my start point that day. This wind and tide were too good to waste, so off West we sped.

About 10 miles from Tongue the wind departed and the tide turned foul, thankfully the tide is much weaker this far West, so I turned on the engine and watched the isle of Eliean nan Ron slowly grow in my view.
But then, quite suddenly an evil menacing cloud appeared over the island, engulfed it and eradicated it. My horizon was drawing in fast. I doused the topsail and staysail just in case. I guessed that whatever was coming was either going to steal the last of the wind, or increase it, potentially violently. On it's arrival, the sky above me was leaden then I heard the shhhhhh of the rain, a powerful dousing rain that took all visibility, stung the skin where it touched and totally flattened any waves. The wind increased, but nowhere near to the extent that I expected, it changed direction by 180 degrees, so was now from the North,  then we were off, no engine needed now, sailing towards the goal. Now sailing a compass course as the island was gone from sight.

The approach of the cloud

By the time I reached Eliean nan Ron the rain and wind had gone so I motored into the small derelict harbour of Skullomie in the Kyle of Tongue.

A man with a very satisfied grin on his face.

If anyone out there is having trouble donating at the justgiving sites (behind company firewalls, don't trust the internet with my card details or just don't want to give that way, etc) you can mail me a cheque direct. To do this just send me an email and I'll send you the details.

Don't forget to drop me a note at onpassage@dhippey.co.uk to sign up to be informed when blog updates appear.

Please share this site with your friends and family

( Especially the rich ones :-)  )

If you came to this blog from the main website www.eventoftheyear.co.uk you will hopefully have had a look around the site and be aware of what I'm up to, both the adventure itself and the fact that I'm aiming to raise awareness of dementia in our society and to raise money for the Alzheimer's charities.

I'm doing this trip for fun and funding the trip myself, but while I'm on this venture you can do your bit to by supporting the Alzheimer's charities through either www.justgiving.com/david-hippey or www.justgiving.com/david-hippey-scotland

Catch you next time.

Regards,

David H.