More Orkney and then Day 31 Kirkwall to Wick

The Italian Chapel on Lambholm

The incredible inside of two nissen huts joined together

Sunday we had planned to go to Westray one of the more northerly Orcadian islands but the weather dissuaded us and we rented a car to cover parts of the mainland and islands we had not seen. Our Sunday afternoon trek was  completed under a lowering sky and a typical island haar.

David Storer arrived late in the evening with stories from fellow ferry passengers of a killer whale pod in Scapa Flow. So we used the remaining car rental on Monday morning to search for whales, to no avail, and revisit the southern island under a brighter sky. on Lambholm, one of the islands linked to the mainland by one of the Churchill Barriers, we visited the quite beautiful Italian Chapel, built by prisoners of war, sent there to construct the barriers. The afternoon was spent in the Highland Park whisky distillery.

Highland Park stills

Sue Adlington departed early Tuesday to catch a flight from Kirkwall airport and we set course for Wick around 1000 to have a friendly tide between the islands and arrive in Wick at high tide. For once the wind was in the right direction albeit a little feeble. It did however increase at times during the day enabling us to use the sails aided by the engine. Along the way we saw puffins and both Arctic and Greater Skua.

A nice little "pile" on Shapinsay.

A Greater Skua

As we passed the Muckle Skerries at the eastern end of the Pentland Firth we experienced some really bizarre tidal effects quickly moving from following to opposing tides and sometimes full abeam causing us to have 40 degrees of leeway.

Even on our calm day the seas broke impressively on the Horse of Copinsay

Three divergent forces acting upon the boat

Once passed the headland at John O'Groats the seas where calmer and the tide had settle into helping us along by about 2 knots.

The entry into Wick is not very evident from a northern approach but even in our relatively calm conditions were presaged by white water breaking on the cliffs and it was very easy to understand why an entry in strong NE winds is not advised.

Wick inner harbour

Wick has a modern new marina but the town has sen better times.