Okay, so we left Stonehaven around 4:30am bound for Peterhead.
We sailed all day into the early evening, finally arriving at Peterhead We made our way into the harbour after getting clearance from the Port Authority. Peterhead is a large industrial port and permission to enter is required so as not to impede a container ship or some other very large vessel.
Once in the harbour we made our way to the marina and got tied up and the crew were summoned for some outdoor exercise for a few hours before it got completely dark and plus some nasty weather was moving in.
We stayed for a day to wait for some nasty weather to pass, and it did - And the next morning we're off... This time we're bound for Wick, a mere 90 nm but with the route we had planned to take, it ended up just being shy of 106 nm.
This was also a special day for us, as it marks the day we now have to go 'full-pirate', no more marinas unless we have to hide from weather, and diesel consumption must be reduced to only essential usage, Captain is down to half-rations while the crew get fat and dine on fresh meat...lol...the sacrifices!
Wick was closing in at last, and just as well – I'm very tired after 14hrs of sailing. There was very little wind for the first third of the trip which really put our ETA into the next day. The winds eventually came, and they blasted us for the rest of the trip up – which was nice, I was very grateful for the wind.
With the extra wind we were coasting along nicely, we passed a huge offshore wind-farm, it was really something else to see, I find these things quite beautiful, I watched them for a few hours as the blades came in and out of sync producing the most beautiful patterns....really something else.
On a side note, 40 nm offshore we caught up to this absolute mad lad, you may recognize the boat from the background of our pictures in Eyemouth. This chap has taken that boat everywhere and is an extremely capable, and a very knowledgeable sailor, and even into his 60's he can easily outpace me, and having spent some time in the harbour with this dude, I can confirm, he is in fact, an inspiration....a life well-lived.
As we closed in on the last 20 nm to Wick, the thought of a hot shower and a safe berth was very appealing, then suddenly a very 'piratey' sensation coursed through the whole boat, I looked at the cats, they looked at me – we're not going to Wick – we're pirates now, and pirates don't go to marinas, pirates can't afford marinas...lol, they go into Bay's and live on the hook! Arrrr
As I watched Wick come near and then pass, I might have been having some second thoughts about being a bit more 'piratey' – full disclosure – I totally was, and then as we rounded Noss Head Lighthouse (pictured above) the sea began to do some crazy stuff, it was really spooky!
Passing Noss Head we steered in to Sinclair's Bay, which is about 2 nm North of Wick, we made our way into the most southerly corner of the bay as to avoid as much of the waves and swell as possible, and dropped anchor for the night.
As usual, the crew were invited topside to stretch their legs before dinner and some well-deserved sleep.
The Bay itself was very pretty, there was another ruined castle on the edge of the bay, I could see a path all the way to it.... I suspect there is probably a sign just before you get to it – not falling for that again.
The next morning we all got up and saw that we had not dragged anchor or anything like that. As a safety feature, we do have an anchor alarm – if this boat moves outside a pre-specified range from whence the anchor was set, the most terrifying alarm sounds. It's not uncommon to drag a bit so that alarm isn't always impending death, but waking up to that sound is a sensation like no other, as it's almost always at night when the damn thing goes off.
We spent the morning cleaning up, well I spent the morning cleaning up, I can't say the crew helped at all, not to mention a new brand of cat food that did not go down to well with Phoebe. TBH, the food wasn't for her, it was for Chloe, but greedy-guts shovelled it down. Her appetite sometimes exceeds her gastronomic ability...so yea, that was fun.
After all, was tidied away and extra messes cleaned up it was time to go. The anchor was raised, and we pulled out of Sinclair's Bay and carried on North. When we drop our anchor next, it will be somewhere awesome, and it will not be in a Marina.
As a bonus the wind was strong and in a beneficial direction – this next leg needs to go well, it's def going to be a bit sketchy...but we'll make it, we always do...