Peterhead to Orkadia

Peterhead is a wonderful place, particularly when you arrive on carnival week.  Triathlons, sandcastle competitions, raft races, the fair. 

 

At first I thought that the Radio One Road Show was in town but there was some very loud music accompanying the fervent sandcastle building.  The fog cleared for the day before returning in the evening.  It was clear the following day so I set forth only to get beyond the breakwaters and be engulfed once more, true enough it wasn't as bad as the way in and daylight helped a little.  By the time Samantha had taken us round Rattray Head and into the Morray Firth it cleared and, passing Fraserburgh, the sun came out and normal visibility was resumed.

Big rig supply vessels ply their trade out of Peterhead along with a sizeable fishing fleet.  Being all tide and weather means a fair bit of passing trade finds its way in too.
 

Where this critter came from I don't know but pretty it is as it made its way past the pontoon.



The exit from the marina in Peterhead harbour.  After the big storm earlier this year some silting has taken place and the best water is on the east side of the marina.
 

With the fog bank chasing us with its icy chill and a strange horizon astern Whitehills was a welcome sight.  Bertie is the harbour master, retired fisherman with lots of stories and pictures.  I wanted to dry out against the wall and scrub off.  Bertie and his son in law got the pressure washer out and gave me a hand.  I de-barnacled and they washed, thanks guys.
 

 This is the Comet, she used to work out of Whitehills has been restored by a local and is moored up the coast a bit.  Nice to see her but there is not much reminiscing going on here I can tell you.
 

They are more concerned with what's happening now.  This is Bertie's mates pair trawling a few months ago.  One of the skippers is a bit of a photo buff.  How he managed to take pictures at a time like this I don't know, I am hanging on when it pipes up but this is awesome don't you think?

 
After couple of days cleaning and recovering it was time to head north across the Firth towards Wick.  I was aiming for a little bay just to the north as the weather seemed settled.

The headland north of Wick, Noss Head, with its light.

 Another ruined castle built out of the cliff.

 By the time I had dropped anchor in Sinclair's bay and put the kettle on the shore had once more disappeared.  I had to shut the wheelhouse door as "the fog" was making its way below.

The next morn brought clear skies if a little overcast.  The Pentland Firth doesn't look very nice unless the sun is out and even then it scares me.
 

 Next scheduled stop was to be East Weddel Sound.  A fantastically secluded and sheltered anchorage in about 3 metres.  They have even moved the fish farm so there is loads of room.  The block ship is still there, hull awash.  The blocks of the Churchill Barrier lay just beyond, built by Italian prisoners of the Hitler war.  I think there are 5 barriers in all, separating the harbour of Scapa Flow from the once back doors to the east.  If you remember a U boat snook through the most northerly of these and sank the Royal Oak with all but total loss of her crew.

After a couple days scoping Scapa Flow and checking out the Orkney folk festival it was time to move on to another sheltered anchorage in Elwick Bay.

Elwick bay is on the south side of the island of Shapinsay and only a few miles from Kirkwall.  The ro-ro ferry has just docked.

Perhaps because of its closeness to the capital the shop appeared rather well stocked and I made use of this phenomenon rather than make the journey their myself.  You can take the dinghy right to the back door of the shop, handy when you have forgotten something.  There are the odd visitor buoys throughout the islands and Tutak is moored to one of these, handy and free!

Rain came but what a rainbow, it was so close that I couldn't get it all in.  It is the first one I have seen where I could see both ends, close too.

I reckon it was 3 miles between the pots of gold.

And here is Balfour Castle where the laird used to live, a hotel now I believe.