Orkadia at last. (Des will be pleased).

We have made it up here in plenty of time for meeting the aeroplane on the 25th June, five days early.  After another early morning departure we set a course across the tail of the Pentland Firth.  There is a wee bit of offset to account for as we were near springs but the sea state was almost smooth.
 


We managed a bit of a shortcut past the Pentland Skerries,
dodged a couple of ships and headed north up the east shore of South Ronaldsay and into Holm sound.  We dropped the hook in East Weddel Sound by the Churchill barriers protecting Scapa flow from the Hun.
 


The blockships are falling apart now and there must be scrap all over the sea bed so don't get too close, oops!

We had a bit of breakfast and a kip and then settled down to watch the qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.  Bugger, couldn't get a signal.  A quick check with the tidal stream atlas for Orkney told us if we got a move on we could just get through the Copinsay Pass and round Mull head before the roost became offensive.  Three hours later we were again anchored, this time in the Bay of Meils.  The rain got heavier and heavier and eventually turned into fog.  Several leaks were found such was the penetrating effect of the drizzle!
 


Through the mist this raft of birds emerged.

 
And a friendly gull kept watch.

Signal was great in the bay.  During the night the wind blew but the new extra heavy Delta anchor didn't move and inch.  Not that the old one did either but and unfortunate incident meant that it had to be replaced.

The rain and wind continued the following day and things had to be done with the leaks.  I was running out of water collection utensils.  After getting rather wet and cold the leaks were reduced or stopped for the most part.  In the grand prix Rosberg got the jump on Hamilton which made a change.

I had to get somewhere to do some clothes shopping, I didn't pack for winter.  Kirkwall was just round the corner, about 5 miles so great effort was expended in retrieving a well dug in anchor and we panted round the corner into Kirkwall bay and then into the marina at precisely 12:01.  They go from noon to noon here and you might get charged an extra day.

Kirkwall is great, the centre is minutes away.  Clothes shops, three supermarkets including a Lidl, takeaways of all descriptions and loads of tourists, the Boudica cruise ship was in.


The Launderama is brilliant too, clean sheets and unsalty clothes, super.  All this horrible weather has meant that I have had to venture out of the wheelhouse far more that would be usual.  I might end up having to get some waterproofs like what proper yachties wear.

It is going to get messy later in the week.  The boats are soon to start arriving as Kirkwall is this year one of the legs of the Triangle race or is it called the Doublehander?  The Nederlanders with meet with the Viking and much drinking will happen.  I remember it well in Lerwick a couple of years ago.  Kirkwall hasn't done it before and I don't think they know what is going to hit them.  Forty five race boats are on their way with the usual entourage of hangers on and non race boats out for the summer holiday.  Until they arrive Tutak is taking a siesta.



This vessel is an ideal shape for taking the waters round here.  Get caught in a tide race with tumbling water, no worries.